Battle at Buckhorn report

The Wilson Times ran a story on the race here.

I saw the first annual Battle at Buckhorn triathlon listed on FS Series website and decided to give it a whirl. My new mode of racing is that if it's within an hour drive I'll consider it if I don't have a party or bar to go to the night before. Even then it's still a possibility. So I drove down with OSB athlete / swimmer Cindy Marks and we got there just before 7AM. Picked up my stuff and ready to go. The arms and legs felt a bit tired - I did Kung Fu the night before and had 2 hard rides during the week. But you don't want to hear me complain.

The swim was in Buckhorn Reservoir, the town of Wilson's drinking supply. Nice lake. A bit on the warm side so no wetsuits. I Powerstroked(R) my way to first place within a few minutes, then kept the pace up to build a lead as much as possible. As a first year event it had just over 100 athletes, but there were several that are solid athletes and you never know who is going to have a good day.

The 17 mile bike was challenging with several sharp climbs and a lot of rollers. I pushed as well I could and came in with a two minute or so lead on #2. The run felt good and I was able to hold and even 6:30 pace throughout without feeling too terrible. It was hot but the combination of slimming down a bit (I am back under 160, down from 176 over Christmas, yikes) and consistent tempo runs is helping. The run course is an out and back loop course so I could see where my competition was. Richard Armstrong and John Worden were both gaining on the run but I had enough to hold them off.

Finished in 1:17.47 and won the prestigious Battle at Buckhorn Belt Buckle. Yeeehaaawww!