I recently completed my third Ironman distance Triathlon. I participated in the HITS Triathlon series race in Naples, Florida. We were lucky enough to have friends that live in souther Florida that let us stay with them which made the trip not only fun because of the Triathlon but also like a vacation with friends. I set a new personal best for the 140.6 mile distance Triathlon. I finished in 11 hours and 46 minutes, two minutes faster than my previous best which I set at the Chesapeake Man in 2011. Also noteworthy is that I finished third in my age group and got a prize.
Review of the HITS Triathlon series:
I thoroughly enjoyed my first race with this new Triathlon organization. It was a relatively small field, which I actually prefer over the masses of the Ironman event in Coeur d'Alene. It was much easier for family and friends to relax and enjoy the day while they weren't watching me come in or out of the transition zone. This race is well-worth the cost. I think the strategy is to attract racers by charging less for race entry, and I believe that this will pay off for for the HITS organization because it was a great atmosphere and worth every penny. At this point, I could see myself doing two or even three HITS events a year before paying the cost of just one trademarked 'Ironman' event. I had a chance to talk to the race director after the race and it made me even happier to be supporting his organization. He was very nice to me and my family and made us feel like he really appreciated us coming out for the race. I've never had an experience like that at any other Triathlon of any distance.
The course:
Swimming in the Gulf of Mexico was fun. The water was very flat, and the temperature was 70 degrees. I can't think of anything more to ask for in terms of the swim.
The bike course was a long 56 mile trek out, and then 56 miles back. This made it a little lonely at times since there weren't a ton of other racers or spectators during certain stretches of the bike ride. It was also fairly humid and hot, which sapped some of my energy. The course was flat though which helped me log a pretty good time. One thing that could have been better was that the aid stations could have had more than just water and sports drink. It would have been nice to get bananas or other nutritional foods during the bike ride.
The run was also flat, and there were good aid stations located throughout the course. The run was two 13.1 mile loops, which was nice because I could see people at the halfway point as I was finishing the first loop and starting the second.
They had pretty good food afterwards and it was overall just a great environment. I think my friends and family had a good time being there. I would fully recommend a HITS Triathlon race to a friend and I definitely plan on doing another one as soon as my schedule allows.
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