whiterock
04-01-07, 07:04 PM
I did the Lonestar Triathlon sprint course in Galveston this weekend
1. The race was very well run. The voluteers and support personnel were awesome.
2. About 20 minutes after I finished, we got hit with *blinding* wind and rain.....and when I say "we", I really mean "the rest of the folks still on the course"....my hat's off to the athletes that gritted out finishing the course in that weather....fortunately, I think everyone was out of the swim.
3. Riding along the seawall with the surf crashing was fantastic. I grew up in Galveston, so cloudy, windy and humid was just what I remembered.
Some observations:
1. Putting a plastic bag over my transition bag before the start was a *very* good idea...kept my after clothes, etc. dry
2. Having a poncho in there too helped for after the race...packing up in the rain
3. The swim was 550M salt water...about 73 degrees or so. Was warm enough I thought I could do it without a wetsuit, but wore one anyway.
4. The volunteer wetsuit strippers were great...the wetsuit probably only added about 5 seconds to my transition time...and saved me minutes in the water. BTW, I wore a 1 piece tri-suit...didn't have to worry about the folks pulling my wetsuit pulling off my shorts too!
5. Was my first open-water swim, and was a little anxious...but once we got in the water, I felt great...just focused on the finish and got to work....no problem. Swimming in a lake the week before, and once in the bay in galveston the day before the race made a big difference. By the way, the Galveston beach patrol providing lifeguard support was great.
6. When you're stretching out in the dark before the race, make sure you don't have a foot in an anthill...ouch!
I'm doing the Timberman up in New Hampshire in August....is being put on by the same company...and I would highly recommend any of their races.
Anyone else do this one?
1. The race was very well run. The voluteers and support personnel were awesome.
2. About 20 minutes after I finished, we got hit with *blinding* wind and rain.....and when I say "we", I really mean "the rest of the folks still on the course"....my hat's off to the athletes that gritted out finishing the course in that weather....fortunately, I think everyone was out of the swim.
3. Riding along the seawall with the surf crashing was fantastic. I grew up in Galveston, so cloudy, windy and humid was just what I remembered.
Some observations:
1. Putting a plastic bag over my transition bag before the start was a *very* good idea...kept my after clothes, etc. dry
2. Having a poncho in there too helped for after the race...packing up in the rain
3. The swim was 550M salt water...about 73 degrees or so. Was warm enough I thought I could do it without a wetsuit, but wore one anyway.
4. The volunteer wetsuit strippers were great...the wetsuit probably only added about 5 seconds to my transition time...and saved me minutes in the water. BTW, I wore a 1 piece tri-suit...didn't have to worry about the folks pulling my wetsuit pulling off my shorts too!
5. Was my first open-water swim, and was a little anxious...but once we got in the water, I felt great...just focused on the finish and got to work....no problem. Swimming in a lake the week before, and once in the bay in galveston the day before the race made a big difference. By the way, the Galveston beach patrol providing lifeguard support was great.
6. When you're stretching out in the dark before the race, make sure you don't have a foot in an anthill...ouch!
I'm doing the Timberman up in New Hampshire in August....is being put on by the same company...and I would highly recommend any of their races.
Anyone else do this one?