Triathlon - Race Report - Lonestar Triathlon - Galveston, TX

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whiterock
04-01-07, 08:04 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?