Was hot out there on the run. Did alright for me. Finished 2:24. My run was about 2 minutes slower than I’d hoped. How’d others do?
Pretty good for the Kiwis, I hear.
I was a little hot but generally pretty nice. It was my second Olympic ever. I did a 2:49 which beat my previous best time by 25 minutes.
I was getting my bike out of transition when the Pros came through. Potts was in front by a fair amount. Then a group of others including Kemper and Carter. I guess Potts is slow on the run.
Pretty good for the Kiwis, I hear.
Yeah that bastard is fast. I guess you’ve got to be to win a gold medal. And I’ve got to admit, watching Hamish skip to the finish line was pretty cool. But look at the americans in 2nd and 3rd. They’re are on the way to dominating.
What a great race! This was my first time and I was pleasantly surprised by how well this thing was organized. Not the chaos I expected!
I went out too fast on the swim!–guess I’m not used to having my friends cheer me on for the entire .9 miles! I paid for it on the run and went about 3:30 slower than I had hoped finishing in 2:26.
All in all a great day to be racing on the Chicago lakefront.
Placed 3rd in the 55-59 sprint (1:21), 36th on the run and 62th out of 1451 overall. Tickled pink about placing! Well run race and great weather. My only complaint is that they should open the beer tent earlier.
I did 2:40 which was slower than I’d hoped but I was just happy to survive the swim. A massive man doing the breast stroke knocked the living crap out of me. Then I knocked the living crap out of me when I I bit it running through the transition area. I skidded about two feet on my face. But from there everything went really smoothly. I saw a really nasty accident on the bike and hope the man and woman involved ended up being okay. Woman was starting her second loop and took the turn really widely and a guy who was flying and starting his first lap ran right into her back wheel. He and she both went flying and he barely missed flying into traffic. What made the whole thing worse was that a couple of obese girls took it upon themselves to cross the street there and started giggling hysterically after bearing witness to the accident.
I really enjoyed volunteering this time around. pulling people out of the water for several hours was a lot more fun than you’d expect. everyone was happy to see us when they arrived. saw some cool things including 2 pairs of tethered people (because one in each pair was blind). imagine having to do all your training in the dark, relying on someone to guide you. also, several amputees cruising along.
it was also great to watch the pros up close. they really get out of the water a heck of a lot faster than everyone else. I also overheard two of the female pros whining a little about the water temp, although I believe it was 72-74 F. you’d think they’d be used to that.
It was fun, crowded as always, people blocking in the right bike lane, but a well run race especially for the amount of people. I did the sprint, I had good day, two minutes faster than last years time and two minutes slower than 2 years ago. I finished 1:17:05, 6th in M AG 35-39.
Was Slowman at the Expo? I swear that a guy who was trrying to sell me a wetsuit at the Mission Bay booth looked just like him.
I was sure glad to see you (or your counterpart) at the end of the swim. Needed the helping hand to get up those steps. Thanks for volunteering. Isn’t your arm sore?
I thought my arms would be sore, but they aren’t. I can feel it in my lower back however.
hopefully, you weren’t one of the people who didn’t heed our advice to “watch your step!!” several people throughout the day tried to tear off for T1, only to stub a toe or bang a shin on those metal steps.
No, “tearing off for T1” does not enter my mind while trying to get up those steps. It’s more like “Thank God the swims over!”
I was disappointed in my run, but I still trimmed seven minutes off my time from last year.
I had a funny experience involving a blind competitor and their guide. I was running into T1 and all of a sudden this mammoth bike (tandem) came out of the bike rack right in front of me. I crashed into it and flipped over the rear wheel. Initially I was a little upset, but as soon as I understood the situation, I was more amazed then anything else. The blind competitors are certainly inspirations for us all.
As for the race, I thought it was well run and a great day. I agree that the run felt a little harder than last year, but I guess that is understandable since it was 80, sunny and no wind this year on the course and last year it was in the low 70s, cloudy and somewhat windy.
One thing to note, the bike average MPH on the website seem to be a little high. Knock about .4 mph off your score and it will be more accurate.
Great job all!
I live close to Chicago and have been avoiding this race for several years due to the size, etc. A couple of buddies talked me into it and I was not excited about the race while traveling up to Chicago on Saturday.
I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable races I have ever done. Very well organized, the expo was fantastic, hotel (Hilton) was fantastic, the city and atmosphere around town was great.
The race itself was smooth as can be. The swim was clear water, perfect temp, well marked and no more crowded than any other race. The bike was super fast. I topped 24 mph for avg. speed for first time in any race.
The run was flat as can be and very scenic. Great crowd support.
I was given a 21 mph on the sprint bike but my friend who was just a little slower said his computer showed 14 miles, not 12.4. and a 21.5 average. So maybe us trisprinters should add about .5 mph.
Actually, I think you shouldn’t knock any time off. The course was a little bit long–three independent computers had distances of 25.3, 25.5 or 25.7 on the olympic.
Actually, I was comparing last year’s MPH scores versus this years. A friend of mine finished in 69+ on the bike this year and had a MPH of 22. I finished last year in 68+ and had a MPH of 21.6. The course is the same. Obviously there is an error either this year or last year.
Second time doing the international at Chicago. Pretty excited about my results, knocked off 7 minutes from last year and 3 minutes under my goal time, and the best part is that I can walk today. Funny thing - I thought I would drop time from my run but instead took off 4 minutes from the bike 1 from swim and 2 from run. I guess I already have goals for next year. Couldn’t have asked for better race conditions, slight wind, sunny, low 80’s clear water…I want to go race again…overall pleased with my season, now no races left…see you guys next year.
Yes, that was the man. I was asking the Mission Bay Sports rep about a Cervello Dual. He asked why i wanted that model and i told him b/c slowtwitch recommended it. He said there’s someone over here selling wetsuits that you should meet…