After a long month of racing it’s time for another, this time right in my hometown. Lake Murray is where I do the large majority of my open water swimming, and while this was the opposite side of the lake from where I typically swim, the waters were all the same. Best man Timothy Gibson was up for the race and my dad also came for some great pictures which will be featured throughout this post.
Pre race preparations went smoothly and I eventually found myself in the water with some familiar faces. Unlike TryCharleston I decided the wetsuit was worth it for the 750m swim. I positioned myself in the middle of the pack confident with my swim training lately. As the gun went off I found myself swimming equally with Elijah Smith, a junior athlete that has been advancing well lately. Rather than battle with him throughout the swim, I quickly made the decision to latch on his hip and keep it easier on myself. After the last turn buoy I separated myself from him and put in an effort to come out of the water second after local swim stud Michael Wendt. A quick T1 put me well ahead of Eli and the next competitors behind us.
The legs didn’t feel great getting on the bike but that didn’t mean I couldn’t start trying to put a gap into some people. It took about 5 miles to pass by Michael Wendt and eventually Ultraman Peter Kotland passed me in the last couple miles of the otherwise uneventful rolling bike course winding through SC country roads. Exiting T2 I was about 10 seconds behind Peter and ready to see what the legs had.
https://www.strava.com/activities/310877136/embed/ab8e34962c6a814b5825bd09f172142987f6c6f7
It turns out when the legs don’t feel great on the bike, they definitely don’t on the run. It took some time to bridge past Peter and finally got more comfortable after the first mile. The real concern was how far behind Eli might be as I was confident he was the only one with the speed to potentially reel me in. After pushing through the hilly run course it was clear nobody was coming and I came through the finish line for another Overall win. Peter came in within the minute for 2nd with Eli hot on his heels.
https://www.strava.com/activities/310877115/embed/8ab347336cf325384129e5ad0bdbe6c1deac6d85
I loved seeing a ton of Team Kattouf athletes and friends and family out on the course and stoked to come away with another W for the season! Next up will be my first duathlon in the Lowcountry in Bluffton and I’m excited to see what talent there is down there.
