A ‘memory’ on Facebook this morning reminded me of one of my early races. Five years ago today, I completed my first ever Olympic triathlon.

I had raced the Pittsburgh olympic triathlon earlier in the year. However, the swim was cancelled in that race, so I don’t count it as my first ever olympic distance event.  Luckily, I got a second chance to complete the distance in September, at the Mighty Moraine Man race.

Even though it was five years ago, I still remember the race well.  It was a hot day with plenty of sunshine.  I didn’t know a lot about racing back then, so I just went as fast as possible on each leg of the race. 

My swim was distinctly average, but quite good for me at the time.  I did well on the bike.  The bike course is quite hilly and I pushed really hard up those hills.  It was my first time racing on my Cervelo P2.  I remember thinking that it was just so cool to be in aero. 

The run was just incredibly hot.  It was along a bike path that had a lot of trees on both sides. The trees however were not close enough to provide shade.  They basically created a heat trap, that cooked me significantly.  I gave everything on the run. Moments after crossing the line, I collapsed on the grass in the shade of a tree.  I was so hot.  The photo that my wife took of me lying there, is still one of my favorite triathlon photos.

Eventually, I recovered enough to discover that I had won my age group, was 15th placed male and 18th overall.  I was totally shocked, but so excited.  This race was the most influential of my early races.  It convinced me that I could be reasonably competitive at this sport. It was a key part of my triathlon journey.