After much speculation and anxiety regarding the swim, athletes actually got to have a "regular" open water swim. The water level was a bit low making the course a little shallow in some spots but it ended up working out.

It was vert chilly out there in the early morning, but conditions for racing were good. Most of us are familiar with the Ironstar "rolling hills" bike course which is challenging for all ability levels and today was no exception. The running portion of the race was completely different from last year-- it was a 3 loop course instead of an out-and-back. The run course was much more spectator friendly, which made it a lot of fun for everyone watching!

The OutRival Racing Team had eight athletes competing at Ironstar. Cassandra Mays did a fantastic job in the Aquabike, which consisted of a 1.2 mile swim and a 56-mile bike. The half ironman included a half marathon (13.1 mile run), and this was the first half-ironman for all but two of the ORR athletes. Sasja Jackson finished third place in her age group with a solid third place on the bike and a speedy second place on the run. Mary Kay Cooper, Jonathan Sterchy, and Alan Jaax were all first out of the water in their respective age groups and had solid finishes in their first half ironman. Kelley Golden had a great race and made us all curious about that unique race belt. Richard Tramm kept his humor throughout the race and actually made the cheering crew smile every time he passed by! Richard Tramm had a great race with an impressive 45-minute PR! Blake Henning finished third on the bike and third on the run in Clydesdales. Sharon Griggs was the most enthusiastic runner on the course today in her first-ever half ironman (see photo below).This was a stepping-stone to Ironman Texas in May 2011 for Sharon, Blake, Sasja, Jonathan, and Richard.