Rock Cliff Race Report

This race report is SUPER belated since it was in JUNE!! But I want to post it anyway so I have it for future reference. This was my first ever triathlon, I had the best time, I loved it, I am hooked. I want to point out that the goals for this year is not to be competitive. This year is mostly to figure stuff out, like what gear we need, how to transition effectively, how to fuel on long training days, etc. We haven't done any speed work most of our training has been dedicated to just being able to go the distance. Next year I hope to be more of a intermediate athlete and incorporate speed work into my training and get faster!

This was fine on the way in since it was all downhill and it was a nice little warm up before the race.

This race is funny because you can't park near the race start. According to the race website:
There is no parking at the Rock Cliff Recreation area. The park simply does not have adequate parking for the large number of athletes and spectators participating in this event. You will need to proceed to the Town of Francis and park in the two lots that we have designated. Athletes will need to park and ride their bikes down into the Rock Cliff Recreation area. It will be important to pack your wetsuit, and gear into a backpack that you can take down with you.


This was fine on the way in since it was all downhill and it was a nice little warm up before the race. Both T1 and T2 were in the same place, that was nice for a first timer!

Swim: This was the worst part of the race for me, we started 30 minutes late because they had to clear a lot of debris from the course. Apparently there had been a lot of rain so there were a lot logs in the reservoir. The water was also REALLY cold. I am not sure if it was because of the temperature or because I went out way to fast but half way to the first buoy I just couldn't get enough air, I felt like my wetsuit was choking me. My heart rate was racing and I was starting to panic. I seriously considered swimming to a kayak and giving up less than 5 minutes into the race. I slowed WAY down rounded the first buoy and felt like I could keep going, after rounding the second buoy I felt way more comfortable and could finally pick of the pace a bit. Needless to say I put up a pretty sad swim time but I am happy that I pushed through it and kept going!

Swim time: 18:26

T1: un-remarkable, hoping to get faster 2:26

Bike: My favorite part of the race, it was beautiful, I remembered to push myself but I still came off the bike with plenty of strength to run. I think my average MPH was around 17, I was happy with that since I just took up cycling 2 months ago.

Bike time: 51:49

T2: I would love to get this under 60 sec. 1:31

Run: felt ok, but was VERY hot, again, would like to be faster!

Run time: 26:19

Overall: 140:29 5th in my AG

Ahhhhhh......done