The Siesta Beach Tri – Winning by More than a Margin

July 6th, 2013

 

Team RWB for the Win!

I woke up at 3:00 am to make the 2 hour drive to Sarasota for the Siesta Beach Olympic Triathlon. The race started at 7 with beach run-in start.  The swim course was unusual and made for a tough swim for everyone.  The swim was an out and back along the shoreline which meant we had to swim against the current on the way back.  The waters were rough and choppy with waves that were large enough to cause a cancellation of the swim at most other races. 

Warm and rough waters make for an interesting swim

Despite the conditions, I emerged from the water in first place and ran through the sand to transition.  My swim was the fastest of the day. Since I was the first out on the bike course, I got to follow a pace car throughout the entire bike leg.  I road my Serotta Legend with Zipp 808s and averaged 25.75 mph. I had the second fastest bike split of the day.  Unfortunately a guy on a relay team biked 2 seconds faster than I did.  I guess I should not have relaxed the last mile.

Transition area

After a speedy T2, I was out on the run course that was in the sand on the beach.  I didn’t have my usual running legs because of the sand, but I still managed another fastest split of the day.  It was a two loop, out and back run, windy on the way out and hot on the way back.  That day I wore my Team Red, White and Blue triathlon kit to represent a great cause. I was happy to see another Team RWB athlete out there while I was on the run. It’s always nice to see fellow RWB athletes giving their all to support our veterans!

Sandy run

With the day’s fastest swim and run splits, I managed to take first place by over 10 minutes.  I’d say that was a good day of solid efforts. It was also a great opportunity to practice my race day nutrition with my Amrita energy bars.  My next race will be the Aquaphor New York City Triathlon on the 14th of July.

The beach is open to everyone else...