Hey Guys,

Wow, what a change of pace.  First year race, brought to my attention by a Steve Van Horn email.

The race was limited to 1,500 athletes, however only 225 registered, 85 of which raced the Olympic distance.  Very much a small town, first year triathlon. 

·         Swim was awesome, water temperature was perfect, buoys where easy to spot and lake was smooth

·         Bike – Holy cow, talk about hills.  Not only do you have to get out of tuck, you have to get off the saddle.  On the second loop, I spotted two athletes walking their bikes up hills.  For the record, I average a whopping 17 mph (only 4.5 mph slower than Wauconda).

·         Run – Think xterra – mud, rocks, grass, puddles and hills…zero blacktop…ATV trails.  2 miles uphill, 2 miles flat, 2 miles downhill.  (very proud to average only 1 minute a mile slower than my Wauconda time).

So in summary if you are looking for a late season traditional triathlon, this isn’t the race for you.  However, if you like small town races and working your butt off, this race rocks.  I have never been so proud of a 3 hour Olympic race in my life.  Many thanks to Steve for the recommendation.

-Steve