Guest Race Report - Ryan Oostdyk - Tri Del Sol

I started Coaching Ryan for the Triathlon about 2 years ago. In that time he’s cut 11 minutes off his sprint triathlon time! Here’s a race report from him from a recent race.

**Pre-race:**

I was feeling good but uncertain about my fitness, having been on vacation twice in the past month. The sprint distance transition closed 45 minutes before my start, making it impossible to warm up since I had to keep my wetsuit and goggles with me for the swim start. The weather was perfect at 60°F. I took a picture pre-race with a buddy I met at the Greenville tri. Some friends who do a relay were there, and the runner jokingly said he was coming for me—he didn't catch me. Several familiar faces were racing, so it was nice to chat and relax a bit. My plan was to push the theory that in the sprint distance, you can go all out and treat each leg almost like a standalone race. I aimed to push all out on the swim and close to all out on the bike.

**Swim:**

The swim started with a rolling start, where your time doesn’t start until you cross the sensor and enter the water. I got in the water around 20th. It was more crowded than usual due to poor start organization. I went out full throttle for a 15-minute effort. Early on, I accidentally hit someone in the face due to the crowded conditions—sorry, dude. The buoys were sliding out of line, as we were warned, so I sighted the corner buoys and a boat dock on the way back to stay on target. I finished the swim in 15m 5s, a good time for me.

**T1:**

There was a long run up the hill to transition. I ran hard and finished with a transition time in line with the top 10.

**Bike:**

Continuing my strategy of going all out, I aimed for 250W but had to tone it down to 220W, which was still aggressive. I passed many people and averaged over 22 mph, a personal best. I finished the bike leg in 32:29, feeling elite.

**T2:**

An easy transition with no problems. I used the shoe-off method, pedaling on top of the shoes before dismounting the bike. It was quick and smooth.

**Run:**

The run course was very hilly. Leaving transition with another racer, I asked about his pace—6:45—but decided to set a 6:30 pace. After my hard bike, 6:30 was all I had left. I passed three people and saw the leaders on the turnaround, confirming I'd be in the top 10. I finished the run in 20:43, a bit slower than my goal of 20 flat, but still good.

**Post-race:**

I finished in the top 10 overall, five minutes faster than last year. My theory to treat each leg as a standalone race held true, and I'll continue to go all out on the bike and swim. Super happy with the results!