2024 Sunrise Triathlon

Placed 9/41 overall and 1/1 in my AG at the Sunrise triathlon back on July 14. This race, in it of itself, is a very nice race. This is my second time doing it and the main draw is the unique opportunity to compete in both a bodybuilding show and triathlon in one weekend. Last year, this race was a bit of a challenge for the following reasons: Being unfamiliar with the course, having trouble sighting the buoy and cramping badly on the run. Fast forward to this year. The race director did a wonderful job this year by adding more swim buoys and they were bright yellow. The bike went significantly better since I was familiarized with the course. And with the recent addition of Hot shots, I was able to avoid cramping on the run this time. It was definitely a much better overall performance for both the bodybuilding show and triathlon. For the show I came in a lot more conditioned and I was able to get through all of the strenuous judging rounds while still recovering in time to not only compete in the triathlon, but avoid cramping. Last year I cramped badly and it was a less strenuous division (men's physique). This year, I competed in a more strenuous division (men's classic bodybuilding) and did not cramp the following day during the triathlon. Also, really liked the race swag bag and the cool red bike sculpture award. The 600 yard open water swim in Crosslake went really well. It was my first open water swim this year, and it exceeded my expectations. I freestyled the whole way and took my time to sight the buoys. For the 14M bike, I rode faster than last year (19.1 mph vs. 18.4 mph). And lastly, the 5K run was also much faster (9:19 pace vs. 10:14) partly due to the course being less hilly, but I think it's mostly due not having stop from cramping. Overall, it was a great experience.