G’morning! I’m going to be in Burlington, NC this coming Saturday (the 28th) for the Buckner Mission Man sprint. Anyone else going to be there? Has anyone competed on this course in the past? It will be my second tri, with my goals the same as for the first… finish sub 1:50 and at least as high as next to last in my AG 
Anyone? 
I’ll be there. Great race. Good luck.
You were at Yorktown as well, right? Are you competing or working this one? I plan on being there bright and early, much to my friend’s dismay. I’m hoping coming with me will get her interested in trying one as well.
Take care!
It’s a good race. Plenty of transition area. Water is good. Bike course is rolly and the roads were newly paved last year I believe. And most of the run is on a trail though the trail is a bit rooty. This might be the first year it has closed out. There were only 87 spots left when I signed up yesterday. The only draw back is it’s a July race and it can be humid.
I think this is my 4th time doing the race. I’ve only missed one year since it started. Good Luck.
I will be racing this one.
G. Cook
I’ll be there too. I’ve done the race every year they’ve had it and it is a great race. They have pretty good support from the church, as it is sponsored by them and is used as a fund-raiser for mission trips.
The first year I was in it the swim was pretty tight, with lots of arms and legs. But since then it has eased up. There are LOTS of beginners in the race, so be supportive of them, especially in the swim. I’ve seen lots of folks from early waves hanging onto kayaks and buoys. They all finish, but for many it is their first open water swim.
The bike course is relatively flat, compared to most races in the area. I think there is only one spot where I, as a weak cyclist, had to consider dropping to the small ring to keep my cadence up.
The run is unusual, as it follows a trail through the park. There are some roots you need to watch for, but it is a fun run, and almost all in the shade. It is also an out and back so you can see how far ahead or behind you are compared to others.
I should be riding my black Kestrel Saturday (assuming it comes back from the shop ok). You’ll probably pass me on the bike, so say hello.
Good luck!
Ha! I doubt I’ll pass you anywhere, I’ll be bop. Please wave at me as I cross the finish line while you are on your 10th oreo cookie
This will be my second race. The swim has me a bit concerned because of people swimming over me. At Yorktown, the wave order was different… my wave went last. This time, I’m in the second wave, so plenty of opp for people to swim over me. Plus I only breath one-sided (I know, I know, bad bad waterdog), and the buoys look to be on my blind side. I’ll be fine, just won’t set any speed records, even by my speed standards
Stop by and say hi if you get the chance. I’ll be riding an electric blue Trek 1500 road bike and I use a Ryobi Tool duffle bag as my transition bag (hey, it came free when I successfully climbed their climbing wall sans feet at last year’s international home show in FL I plan on being there early for packet pickup that morning.
Take care! Looking forward to finding all ya’ll there.
Wendi
Wow! Great job! 5th overall, right. You were probaby packed up and gone by the time I crossed the finish line
I had a lot of fun yesterday and I’m pleased with my performance. BOP definately, but better than my first in Yorktown in many ways, although I was a bit slower out of the water. The swim was great though, very enjoyable. I wasn’t prepared for the hills on the bike, I don’t have hills where I live for the rest of the week, but going down one I hit 31 mph… woohooo… I remember thinking, this could end very very badly With just six months on a bike, I’m still a bit wobbly when I try to get as low as possible in the bars. The run route was nice and shady, but again with the hills
The best part though, is one of my best friends came to the event to support me. When I started training in January, she said she would never want to nor be able to do anything like this. Then, two months ago, she decided to take swimming lessons. Yesterday she decided that maybe, just maybe she would consider a duathlon one day. Yeah!
So, a big “thank you” to the event hosts for such a fun event and to all the other people on the course for showing my friend how much fun this can be.
Great. It sounds like you had a good time. So whats next?
Pinehurst in October. Am I insane? First season doing triathlons, with only a recreational running background… now I’ve done two sprints and think I can go double. I’ll finish, but it might not be pretty At least living in CH should help with the hillwork. I’m also signed up for the OBX Marathon in November.
What about you? Will you be in Pinehurst? Any other races planned for the summer?
I come too late to this discussion to be useful. The race was yesterday. But I am curious. I saw a guy rolling an older style black KM40 into transition yesterday morning and thought, wow, there’s someone with a bike of my vintage. But then I noticed the threadless headset. Oh well, mine is still quill. As a friend said on first seeing my bike, “That’s so '90s.”
Anyhow, I hope everyone had a great day. I was doing my official thing, rather than racing, and was impressed that the vast majority of athletes worked very hard to stay legal. Not many penalties.
Dave
PS If any of you will be at Bandits in two weeks, say hi. I’ll be the guy in the black and white striped shirt. Next race in my trisuit will be Pinehurst.
Hey - That may have been me. Mine is a 2005 model. My wife said she saw a couple of other Kestrels, but not too many.
You were an official? Were you on a motorcycle?
Congratulations on the finish. I’m glad it went well.
The race kind of freaked me out, since it was the first time I was in the first wave. My wife said I was actually something like 5th or 6th out of the water. Normally I’m in a later wave and come in with a pack.
It was a fun race, and about the best weather you can expect for July in NC.
Good luck at Pinehurst. And practice your hillwork.
I hate hills! There is a reason I have lived for almost 12 years on the coastline Saturday’s tri showed me that it is time I learn how to access the lower 10 and upper 10 gears on my bike… until then, I’ve done great with just the middle ring.
2 months of commuting by bike and running in Chapel Hill should make a considerable difference. I hope
It was older than that. IIRC Kestrel changed the KM40 in 1999; this was the same frame design as mine, which is a 1995.
Yes, I was on a motorcycle. I was the one in the red shirt.
Congrats on your early swim exit.
Dave