GR Sprint Triathlon Race Recap - 2026

Wow, I had a great racing day today. Today was the Grand Rapids Sprint Triathlon, an event I've been training for 8 weeks for. And man did that training pay off.

This was my fastest GR Sprint Tri EVER!

I had my best swim time by a minute, best bike time by a minute and a half, and fastest run time by about half a minute.

PR'ing was not my goal, my goal was to relax and enjoy the race, though focus in and push the bike portion. This was my first time racing with cages on my pedals allowing me to push down and pull up and maximize my cycling, the first time I spent nearly all the race in my highest/toughest gear setting, and the first time I spent nearly all the race in my lowest handlebar hold crouched position.

Best of all, this race felt relaxed and fun (mostly). On the swim I wasn't trying to sprint, but was able to relax more than I think I ever have in open water. I wasn't panicked or fighting it. On the bike I tried to stay in the moment and push, focused on getting my worst leg of the race faster. 

The run was a brutal challenge for me. I wasn't fueled properly for this and my legs were cramping up worse than I've ever experienced. Plus it was hot with almost all direct sun. I knew Ben and the boys were waiting for me and I just focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

Of course, I got my favorite finish where Cam joined me on the run to cross the finish line with me. Well, I was dying, so I let him finish ahead slightly, but it sure helped me!

Lessons learned from this race: I need to be eating some race gummies/fuel when I'm biking to aid my run, and at 39 I can still turn up and rock this event--even better than when I was 29.

Swim (600m): 10:45
T1: 7:10
Bike (12 miles): 42:32
T2: 3:40
Run (3.1 miles): 25:39
Total Time: 1:29:44

Good for 5th in my age group (35-39 year olds) out of 46.

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