Race reports & analysis
Vancouver - my first full marathon and first pure running race outside of triathlon.
Distance
42.2 km
Target Time
Sub 3:30 hrs
Pre-Race Expectations
First time running a marathon outside of a triathlon format. Focus on pacing strategy, nutrition timing, and understanding how my body responds to sustained running effort without the transitions and cross-training context.
10km open water swim from Locarno Beach to Kits Beach to English Bay and back. A qualifying swim and key prep for longer marathon swims.
Distance
10 km
Target Time
<4 hrs
Pre-Race Expectations
A challenging open water swim with multiple beach transitions. Need to qualify first, then focus on pacing, navigation, and managing the course complexity. Key stepping stone toward marathon swimming goals.
Tri-Cities, Washington - targeting a strong half-Ironman performance in September.
Target Time
<6 hrs
Swim Target
<40 min
Bike Target
<3 hrs
Run Target
<2 hrs
Pre-Race Expectations
Setting up for a sub-6 hour finish. Strong swim finish potentially given a river swim. Bike discipline on rolling terrain targeting <3 hours completion. Aiming to complete a strong run and PR.
Beat last year's time by 15 minutes. Strong finish on a challenging course with 2,032m of elevation gain. Shared the medal with Big Bernie.
Distance
121.3 km
Elevation
2,032 m
Time
4:32
Post-Race Debrief
Solid performance with good improvement over last year. Need more conditioning—faded near the end. Key takeaways: pickle juice x2 (electrolyte strategy), more wheel spinning through the rest of the year, shoulder holding up well.
Last-minute sign-up for a beach swim with a friend. Quick, fun outing despite the heavy seaweed.
Distance
3.2 km
Time
1:15
Pace
2:22/100m
Post-Race Debrief
Enjoyed the casual vibe of this one. Second Beach is seaweedy, but it made for an interesting challenge navigating the water.
Escape from the infamous Alcatraz prison to shore in the San Francisco Bay. Two years of thinking it was crazy, one year of considering it, and this year I finally did it.
Distance
2,136 m
Time
56 min
Pace
2:37/100m
Post-Race Debrief
A milestone swim. It took a while to commit to it, but execution was clean. Strong open water performance escaping from the famous prison in cold, challenging bay conditions.
4km open water swim. Step up from 3km distance with lessons on sighting, equipment, and technique.
Distance
4 km
Time
1:38
Pace
2:31/100m
Post-Race Debrief
The jump from 3km to 4km is significant. Key learnings: sighting into the sun is tough, equipment matters (leaky goggles are a problem), and form breakdown happens in longer distances. Shoulders felt the effects of over-rotating the cuffs—need tighter core engagement and better form discipline for next time.
Solid half-Ironman performance. Swim cancelled, but hit my bike PR despite training challenges from a collarbone break. Great morning and strong execution on the run.
Total Time
5 hr 39 min
Swim
Cancelled
Bike
3 hr 7 min
Run
2 hr 26 min
Post-Race Debrief
A great morning. Hit my bike PR on a course with solid elevation. Recovering from a collarbone break made training suboptimal leading into this race, but I executed well. Strong performance given the circumstances.
Crushed a sub-5 hour finish on a relentless climbing course. Learned valuable lessons about fueling, pacing, and drafting.
Distance
121.4 km
Elevation
2,072 m
Time
4:49
Post-Race Debrief
Sub-5 hours achieved! The course was relentless with constant climbing. Heat hit hard in the final hour after a chilly start. Key learnings: don't mix carb packs too concentrated in small volumes of water, drafting saves massive energy (if you can keep the pace), and maintaining higher cadence with lower gears reduces lactic buildup on climbs.
Morning swim on Canada Day. People were a lot nicer. No attempted drowning—10/10 experience.
Distance
2.1 km
Time
50 min
Pace
2:23/100m
Post-Race Debrief
A great morning swim to celebrate Canada Day. Friendly crowd and smooth conditions made this one enjoyable.
My first triathlon. Tough open water swim with a lot of contact and panic, but I managed it. Really happy with the overall result despite the chaotic start.
Total Time
7:35
Swim
57 min
Bike
3 hr 57 min
Run
2 hr 21 min
Post-Race Debrief
My first triathlon. The swim was brutal—lots of contact and I felt panicked in the chaos. But I pushed through and executed well on the bike and run. Very happy with the result given how rough the swim was. A great entry into triathlon racing.