Belews Lake Triathlon Preview

The triathlon this weekend is located at Belews Lake which is northwest of Greensboro, NC. This will be the third time I've done this race although this year the race has moved to a more competitive series. There are close to 500 people already registered, and with race day sign-ups it will probably come close to the 600 person cap. The most unique part of this race is the time trial swim start where they will release two people every 10 seconds. The good part is that it spaces everyone out so they aren't swimming on top of each other, but the bad part is the people that start later have to wait around potentially losing the benefit of a warm-up. The 750 meter swim will be wetsuit legal, and with a current water temperature of 66 degrees, I definitely will need it. Cold water always gives me a hard time with breathing during the swim, and it takes me longer to get into a routine. The 14.5 mile bike course is one loop with a couple of hills to slow you down, and the first hill is less than 50 yards after leaving the transition area. The 5K run course is also one loop on paved roads with a few small rolling hills. So far the weather looks to be pretty good for race day....not too hot and not too cold (except for the water).