run 1:42:52 [5] 19.8 km (5:12 / km) +491m 4:37 / km
shoes: x-talon 212
This hurt. A lot. Despite hesitations, I decided to run with just one water bottle as it was the only pack I have recent experience with. By 5km in, I was in a good rhythm and moving well, but at the same time knew I was going to be in big trouble, after unintentionally draining nearly half my water with my first swig.
Some of the pinch climbs were savage and the quads copped a pounding fropping down to the river. To top it off, I missed seeing one vital pink flagging tape and took a wrong turn, before walking/jogging in circles for a while trying to figure out where the course had gone.
EDIT: 7 minutes!!! that's how long I was off the course for. Bugger. Time would have looked much more respectable without that. Given that Todd Ingraham beat me by less than 10 minutes it doesn't seem too shabby (although he may have also gone for a wander)
This was enough to let a few teams through and the reeds and rocks along the river were just enough to prevent me getting back into a rhythm. I hit the bit where we went past transition and up a 2.5km climb with about 2 mouthfuls of water left and beginning to get very hot. I got a better rhythm than many up the hill as it was at least more gradual than many others and I managed to run most of it, passing 2 teams in the process. At the top of the hill I caught a third, but couldn't shake him, and despite outrunning him on the downs, especially as they got steeper, I couldn't hold him of the flats, and we leapfrogged each other as I desperately looked for shade and breeze. Meltdown was complete when I had to stop and walk on the last hill, that barely would have even been noticed.
I was so out of it afterwards that even after a cooling dip in the river, I thought I would need to help carry Wally's ski up to the car (yes, the one he was paddling) and I also tried to get into the wrong car to head to the next transition. I forgot what other ridiculous comments I made. tRicky can probably fill me in.
The day, however, did end well, as our planning on a tow rope just in case of a sprint finish was worth it. Wally came off the water after a super paddle wedged in the middle of 3 teams within about 10 seconds, and tRicky towed Wally past the team in front (my legs were too shattered to contemplate a towing effort) and we got into second team.