Utah Half Triathlon

Here is my race report for the Utah Half Triathlon.
We arrived early and got an okay spot in transition. Everything was going great until I noticed I forgot my hydration for my bike :( and all they had was water. It was pretty dark when we showed up and once the sun started to come up the mosquitos were in full force. (I have about 20 bug bites now) I hurried and put my wetsuit on and they asked for everyone to start heading towards the water. They called the first group of guys out to the water. After a count down, we were off. I started off fast and then found a nice pace. My goal on the swim was to take it easy and to stay relaxed. During the swim I like to look around to try to get my mind focus on something else. (Helps past the time) I noticed planes flying right over us very low because of the airport nearby. I also noticed a big truck and people standing on it thinking that's a great idea; they must have the best view! Then with another look, I noticed it was my parents!!! (My dad sells heavy equipment and he brought down a truck with a bed just in case). I stopped and waved to them. The swim was two half mile loops with a 200 meter stretch to the other dock. The dock was extremely slippery and they had four guys there helping athletes out. I finished the swim around 40 Min's. Looking at everyone's times after the race, the swim was a little longer then 1.2 miles but I was happy with my time. After the swim, we had a long run to the transition. Once in transition, I took a little extra time to make sure I had everything just because a 56 mile bike ride wouldn't be fun if I forgot something. I took off and started to pass a ton of people! I really excel on the bike. There were a couple of athletes that stayed with me. We went back and forth passing each other (Really annoying) but we were really going fast and I felt great . There was one part of the bike that goes over a very busy intersection that if you hit a red light, you needed to stop. Of course I hit the light. Not a big deal, I was there just to have fun and finish the race so it didn't really bug me. Plus, there were people that looked like they had been waiting there longer. After the light turned green, I took off with the same group of guys and kept a very fast pace: about 25-26 mph. Once you get out of the city, the road turns from a smooth asphalt to a rockchip surface. It was very rough with sharp rocks. I have had my Pro 3 race tires on for about 5 months, totaling about 1,500-2,000 miles. I didn't really check the tires thinking the two bike shops I took my bike to in the last week would of let me know. I'm not trying to blame them. It was my fault for not checking. I ended up getting three flats :(. Once we hit the rock chip the first one hit. I hurried and changed it and kept going. About a mile later, another flat. I got help this time from a SBR car and then another mile later a third one!! This time I called it good. On the second flat, the SBR guy told me that the tires were done. My race was over. This is where my dad's truck came in handy. I waved a passing car over and used their phone to called for a ride. My dad and mom came and picked me up and we also gave another person who had a major bike problem a ride back also. We saw so many people with flats on the way back. Lesson learned... always check your equipment and make sure its good to go. Once I got back to transition, I told Travis the race director that I was going to take a DNF but wanted to finish the run. Instead of just starting to run I wanted for the group of guys that I was riding with to continue my race, knowing that after I would receive a DNF. I had about a 1:30 rest and then the group came in. I started my run and tried to just get a good idea of what a half ironman felt like. It was my first and I planned all year to do this so it was really disappointing for me to not complete the entire race. I got a lot of "sorry's" on the run and saw alot of my Tri friends. So the day ended pretty good and I just figured that it wasn't my day. After the results posted I noticed my name was first place for my age group. Fun.... I wish I could have really gotten 1st... Maybe next year. Once I saw that, I told Travis to DNF me and not to announce my name. The next day I checked the results and my name was still in first! So today I emailed the timing company to put me down as DNF. Next time, I need to just turn my chip in! Overall the event was a good one although with one big bummer. It was so good, however, to see everyone having fun! The SUTC kicked butt and so did my sister Kelly, who also did her first half distance. Thanks to everyone who supported me and especially my wife who had a very long day just to watch me get 3 flats. To make up for the disappointment, I am going to register for the Pumpkinman Half distance Tri October 23, 2010 by BBSC. Here's hoping for a better race!



I made a video of the event. Enjoy!