Philadelphia Insurance Tri

Well I survived my trip up to Philadelphia! I flew up there two weeks ago for a family visit and also to sneak in another Triathlon. As it turns out, that was an excellent decision. Somehow, regardless of the somewhat hilly course (including two times over the infamous "Lemon Hill" downtown Philly along the river), I finished the course with a personal record (International Distance Tri) with a total finishing time of
2 Hours, 37 Minutes. I was 37th out of 158 in my age group and, interestingly enough, that qualified me for Age Group Nationals in Portland Oregon (not going, but qualifying for Nationals was a goal I have had for some time). My cousin Adam Webber (winner of St. Anthony's, amatuer division) continues to dominate the country in the amateur division with another win (four straight I believe). We had a great time. It is always a learning experience when I am around Adam and his friends who are really an amazing group of the best triathletes in the country. Adam taught me all the transition tricks and when I look at my times, they are always in the top 10 or better (sometimes #1) in my age group. He continues to be a BIG source of knowledge and inspiration to me. To be 27 again...

The swim was my first "In Water" start. I am used to our Florida swim starts beginning with the "mad dash" from the beach splashing in the surf and diving headfirst into some Florida Lake along with perhaps a few friendly gators or into the Gulf of Mexico and we get to swim with the little finned critters who cruise the salt water (never seen one thankfully!). No, up in Philly I was reassured by the fact, as colorfully told to me by a local Philly guy, that all the "Floaters" from the winter have already popped and we don't have to worry about seeing any dead bodies in the Schuylkill River he chuckles as he says this leaving me to not really know if he was serious or not...

Anyway, I had a very fun race and will seriously consider going back to Philly next year to try and post a much better bike course time. My best 40K was 1:09 at Sarasota this year, and I was only able to post a 1:16 or so in Philly.

Well, next race is Chicago Accenture Triathlon (I believe the largest single entry triathlon in the world topping out around 8,000 athletes or so)! I am getting stoked because it should be my three favorite things: 1) Wetsuit Legal, 2) Flat Bike Course and 3) Cooler temp than here in Florida!
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Nice job, Brian!
I'll be doing my first intl/oly dist tri in two weeks. It should be interesting.

Great job!! You traveled far for that one!

PS- Great pic in your avatar!

Great Job!
Good Luck in Chicago! Isnt it always more fun to travel for races...