Heart Of The Lakes Triathlon

The Heart of the Lakes Triathlon (HOLT) in Annandale, MN was my fourth triathlon of the season. I enjoyed participating in a local race, as the three other races were a 3-8 hour drive away.  HOLT was the first triathlon I conquered in 2010.  Who knew it would lead to my current triathlon addiction, lifestyle, and friendships?  This year also marks the third time I have participated in the sprint course, making it fun to compare stats from each race!  I love the course because it is one of the shorter sprint courses around with a 0.25 mile swim, 9 mile bike, and 2.5 mile run.  Also the small town feel, stellar volunteers, and great organization keep racers coming back as well!

My friend and training partner, Jill!

Overall, I felt great during the race. I even posted my best run time since my injury.  I'll take it even if it was only for 2.5 miles!  My finish put me 5th out of 30 in my age group!  Here is the breakdown...

Swim:  10:13

T1:  2:35

Bike:  28:04

T2:  1:47

Run:  23:45

Total:  1:06:27

I was only 15 seconds off my PR for the course--1:06:12 in 2012!  In 2010 I posted a time of 1:12:50 in my first HOLT race!

Pre race shenanigans!

A couple items that would make this race even better would be a finishers medal and an on course photographer!  I guess I can hope that next year for the 30th anniversary of the race directors will add these details!