HyVee Triathlon!

Greetings Friends!

This is my first actual triathlon post of the season! Very exciting!!

HyVee Triathlon in Des Moines Iowa over labor day weekend proved to be a great event!

This particular triathlon has the biggest winner's purse of all triathlons! Yep...Des Moines Iowa! The first place winner receives $100,000, second place $30,000, third place $20,000. 

Needless to say the Pros show up and they go hard! It was so much fun just to watch!

During the expo they had their pro panel discussing the sport and answering audience questions. The Pro men stuck around after to sign autographs and take pictures...

Me with Pro Athlete Gregg Bennett. I openly admit to holding on to this man a little tighter than was necessary or appropriate......it was soooo worth it, he is too cute!!

The event itself was very well organized. The start of the event got postponed due to severe weather but the organizers did a great job of communicating with participants regarding the situation. Not to mention it had the BEST SWAG I have ever had at a race! We got a super cool triathlon backpack, a cycling jersey, a hat, vitamins, coupons, and free samples! 

Age group athletes, such as myself, started in time trial fashion. Which was great for the race, but since it is a big race, we ended up standing around quite a bit before the start.

Each age group started a couple minutes behind each other and they had groups of 3-4 participants start every 6 seconds within that group. It eased congestion significantly, and made for a safer swim.

The course itself was great. It had some nice rolling hills on the bike route and some crazy fans as well! I got to give Gumby a high five with on the bike! 

The run was an out and back and was very well supported. I was very impressed with the amount of volunteers and their dedication to making the event fun!

The finish line itself was pretty epic! They had set up huge grandstands for friends and family, an announcer shouting your name as you crossed the finish line, killer post race food, and super cool medals!

I will definitely be adding the HyVee Triathlon to my list of yearly events! This event is a MUST DO!!

Its inexpensive, $99, there is killer swag, and it is a well organized and well supported race! 

Up next......my first IRONMAN!!! Stay tuned!!