Indy Sprint Triathlon Race Report

This morning I raced in only my second sprint distance race of the year in Indianapolis. Going in to the race I was looking forward to the chance to really test my speed leading into my last two olympic distance races of the year. All in all, the race went really well. The weather was not ideal, as it was rainy and that made the course really wet and dangerous (I saw at least a dozen guys go down on the bike course). Even so I managed to stay upright on the bike and post a near personal best 17:35 5k. The bike and run were definitely the highlights of the race and the swim belongs in the regrettable category. I had the opportunity to start in the elite wave but decided against it and paid for it big time! With some 500-700 people on a swim course that was only 500 yards long it made for some seriously tough going. I seemed to be constantly climbing over someone and didn't seem to find any open water for the whole leg. It really slowed me down: I posted a 10 minute split even though I felt much stronger than that in the water. Even with a super crowded swim, and a slower bike course due to the wet conditions I finished in 58:41 which was good enough for 13th overall. I'm pretty happy with the fact that I almost scratched the top 10 against a bunch of guys who specialize at this distance. This also makes me feel pretty confident about registering as an amateur elite at my next race in early September... hopefully I don't embarrass myself. I'll post some pictures when/if I get them...