Kiawah Triathalon

Tracey, Robyn, and I competed in the Kiawah Triathalon as a relay on Sunday... it was such a fun event! We were the Leading Ladies, and for our first Olympic distance triathalon, I think we did an amazing job.
The swim, which was my part of the relay, was first, and it was a 1.5K (or 1 mile) ocean swim. It started with a 1 mile walk down the beach to the starting line.... it was a beautiful morning, so the walk was a great way to start.
Each division of the triathalon had a different color swim cap... the men wore white, the women wore pink, and the teams wore this beautiful electric green. We each had a championchip strapped to our ankle to register our exact times. After our event, we had to hand off the chip to the next leg of the relay to comtinue to get our times.
Off we go into the ocean! They started us in two waves. The men started first, and the women and teams started three minutes later in an attempt to space everyone out. We had to swim out in the ocean about 50 yards to a huge orange buoy and make a sharp right, where we continued parallel to the beach for a mile. While we were somewhat spaced out, I still felt like I was swimming in a sea of people, sometimes struggling to get around slower swimmers or swimming into other swimmers.
I'm sure you can't see us, but we are all out there fighting the waves! It was a great swim... I felt strong and never really tired out there. I'm not usually a big kicker when I swim, but I was so eager to get out of the water and get that terrible ocean taste out of my mouth that I kicked my tail off, and I know that helped!! While the current was going with us, it was still tough when some of the waves would get to us. I started with the red and green caps, but the longer I swam, I noticed more and more white caps... I had caught up with the men!
After we passed the fifth and final buoy, we made a sharp turn to the right again and headed toward shore. Once we got to shore, we had to run up the beach, up a soft sand trail (which was the hardest part of the race for me!) and into the transition area where Tracey was waiting. I strapped the chip to her ankle, and she was off for a 45K (30 mile) bike ride!
It was a long and nervous wait for her to come back, especially for Robyn. Tracey did a great job, though, coming back in strong and with a smile... I'm not sure I'd be smiling after 30 miles on a bike!
Tracey and I got the chip switched to Robyn, who then took off down to the beach for her 10K (6 mile) run. The run was partially on the beach, but mainly on the road. Poor girl was so nervous, but she did a fantastic job!
She even sprinted into the finish with a huge smile on her face!
So, we weren't the first place team, but we all had a great time, each of us saying that we wanted to do the whole thing next year, and that we wanted to continue doing events like this together. Thanks, Tracey and Robyn, for such a great morning... I am so proud of how well we all did, and I am looking forward to doing more with you!

As a special treat, my mom was there to watch and support us, so we had our own cheering section. It was awesome to have her on the beach with me and to hear her calling out to me as I ran up the beach... it was like high school times! Thanks, Mom, for everything. It was so great to have you there cheering me on. I'm excited that you might have caught a bit of the 'bug'... I'll be there to support you every step of the way! Love you!!