For only $ 65 bucks, this is the barebones Chevy/McDonalds/Old Navy of Triathlons: No bluetooth, no air conditioning, prison/dormitory grade beef, steel rims, shoddy sweatshop stitching, scratchy 60 thread ct cloth, etc… There are no bands along the route, no cheerleaders, no medal or pin unless you’re in a top 3, no real breakfast at the end… 1st Course: Swim 500 Yards. All I remember hearing was David Hasslehoff’s and Pamela Anderson’s voices yelling at me «Are you ok?», «Do you need help?!» or «Waive your arm up if you want out!». I was winded and out of breath by yard 100… hours of training in an olympic pool and at La Jolla Shores beach did not prepare me for the 58 degree water, the riptide, and waves that turned it into a 700 – 800 yard swim. I nearly gave up, but somewhere between drowning and backstroking I barely made it out alive… 2nd Course: 40K Bike. Just past mile 6, after having many middle-aged men wizz past me in their fancy $ 5000K+ full carbon road bikes, one of them finally shouts to me «Hey! Did you know that your helmet is on backwards?»…SOAB! Other than a couple of small hills, the ride was relatively easy once I caught by breath back from the drowning/swimming. 3rd Course: 5K Run. The first ¼ mile is uphill on the hovercraft ramp… brutal! Three women ran past me too… My wave started 40 – 45 minutes ahead of them. Pathetic. This is why I don’t sign up for Half Marathons… running sucks! Actually, its just Chun P that sucks… The Final Bill: I can’t leave a 5 Star tip cause I would’ve like more than orange slices and bananas at the end, can’t they just dig up some MREs somewhere? Also there was no warning to bring extra water to wash your sand covered feet after the swim so you could put on your cycling shoes. Just say no to chaffing! But the event was well organized overall, cheap, and satisfying. I might come back next year if the Hoff can train me to be a stronger swimmer. High Fives & Fist Bumps to the following Senior Citizens who opened up a big’ol 40oz can of WhipAss on Chun P: Chun P. Age 33 Time: 2:03:33 Bill K. Age 65 Time: 1:42:41 Rich L. Age 67 Time: 1:56:12 Judy C. Age 60 Time: 1:55:16 Peggy M. Age 70 Time: 2:07:59…OK, so I did beat her, but barely! She is well over twice my age! :( ****************************** SIDESTORY******************************* So…I bought my TYR Trisuit for about $ 100 online a year ago and have spent many hours training in it and worn it through two triathlons so far. I always found it oddly tight in the groin area(though technically and physically I don’t need a whole lot of room down there…). It was especially uncomfortable to swim in as it would put pressure on a sensitive area. I always thought it was normal… but as I was just about to clean it, I read the inner caretag… which read«Female XL»…so um… any 5’11 to 6’2 Amazon women out there in need of an used a trisuit? $ 25…I just cleaned it in Woolite :-/
