Race Coverage

Pros & Cons of Chattanooga...

Wednesday, 08 October 2014 00:10

By Devon Palmer (palmertri.wordpress.com)

The Gold Guys asked me to present a dynamic discussion of Ironman Chattanooga rather than a traditional rambling race report. Please enjoy these pros and cons from Ironman Chattanooga:

Pros:

Homestay: My homestay Alex was fantastic. A great homestay makes for a great weekend. He showed me around town and even braved the rain to make sure he caught me at the finish, even though I was coming through later than predicted. Can’t thank him enough. Alex, see you next September.

The Swim: The swim was all downstream. I went 9 minutes faster than my ridiculous swim from Louisville last year. It was the best. I’ve never swum that easy in a race before. Just sat at the back of the main pack. I was actually sharing a pair of feet with Trevor Wurtele and we swam face to face...

since he’s a lefty breather and I breathe right. I think my 40:35 should be a Minnesota state record for legit distance Ironman Swim. My fast lanemate Marcus went 44 at Louisville and it is wonderful to have smashed his time without having to swim hard. In your face Marcus. This quick time is a small consolation for my outstandingly lethargic overall time.