With warm and windy conditions, Mazatlan played host to a stellar field of triathletes this past weekend. Included in this field were former Olympians, Victor Plata, Francisco Serrano and Jarrod Shoemaker, along with 22 other Americans. With a midday start, temperatures reached the high-80s, coupled with a deceptively choppy swim and a fierce headwind on the bike.
This was my second full ITU race, and I exited the water in 48th (out of 52) and quickly bridged up to the third chase pack on the bike. Fighting the harsh winds and rough roads, I came into T2 in 39th. Emerging from T2 with multi-time All-American and 3:56 miler, Sean Jefferson, the two of us started on the run shoulder to shoulder. After passing 16 competitors on the run, I was able to out-kick Jefferson in the last 300 yards to claim 23rd (22nd out of Pan-American competitors) to unfortunately again narrowly miss scoring Continental Cup points. I also posted the second fastest run split of the day (31:36), second only to Jarrod Shoemaker.
With only two full ITU races under my belt, I felt like this was a very promising result and I clearly could not have done it without the support from all of you. I will continue my 2010 season with my first non-draft race of the season on April 25, at the St. Anthony’s triathlon in St. Petersburg, Florida.