Brewhouse Triathlon Race Report

Race Date: Sunday, August 3, 2025 – 8:30am

Going into the 2025 Brewhouse Triathlon, I felt dread. I didn’t want to do it. I was looking for an excuse to not do it. Go camping instead? Meh, I didn’t have a good enough excuse. I pushed off getting ready until the very last minute – get my triathlon bag out of the closet, convert my tri bike from its trainer station to the aero wheel setup. I wondered if the latex tubes in there from 2015 were still good. Only one way to find out! They seemed to hold 100 psi just like fine, just like last year. I rode up and down the street a few times and it was working real good. My machine! Once my bike was packed away, my race plan clear in my mind, I started getting excited. What do I have to lose? Slog through it, just mail it in, it’s still fun and I still get to see all my friends. Another year of really not training specifically for triathlon at all. Gah. Not optimal.

On race morning, I grumbed awake and quickly got ready and out the door around 6am. I stopped at the coffee shop to get a quick breakfast and coffee. It was closed. I opted for the gas station. Not the most healthful breakfast, but it worked great. I got to the race venue what seemed to be really early, about 6:40am. I snuck right on in to the transition area and headed to the late packet pickup. Shelly helped me get checked in real quick and I was ready to race in no time. Set up simply and smartly, just like last year. I saw my friend Ryan on my rack getting his area set up and we chatted a bit. I had to pull away to get my pre-race ritual going. Make sure the bike is working well. I was able to ride a couple miles north on County Road 4. It was a beautiful morning, perfect for the race. I pushed hard for a little bit – all systems go. I remembered the screaming quad pain that would be impending. I got back to transition, chit chatted a bit more with various friends, and made my way for a quick jog. I barely went six minutes including a toilet stop. All set, all good to go, I didn’t really feel like running more. I had done 3 hours for about 12 miles on the Superior Hiking Trail out of Grand Marais the day earlier, and my running felt a little clunky and stiff while warming up. I figured it was time to get in the water and do at least a couple strokes to visualize the swim and try to get some type of form. I went through my transition sequence for the 5th time that morning. Too simple to mess up, I figured.

With my wetsuit on, I realized I hadn’t swam with goggles on, or really done the freestyle stroke since last year at the Brewhouse. In fact, my 5 year average number of swims per year was 1. On Brewhouse Day. Nobody was in the water. It was not quite 8am. I didn’t want to be in the water for a half hour. I tried to kill time, which was perhaps a bit refreshing compared to rushing last minute, and eventually got in the water. Up to my thighs, I did not want to go in all the way. I was cold. I jumped in anyways and the water surrounding me in my wetsuit equalized my temperature quickly. A few strokes into the lake and I was feeling smooth right away. Yes. I queued up triggers in my mind. Rotate your hips. Keep your head down. High elbows. Pull the water. Don’t forget to sight the buoys. Smooth. I swam a bit back to shore as more swimmers clamored to the rocky beach. With my chest out of the water again, I got cold quick. I did a few small strokes and just generally shuffled around in the final minutes before the race. I was stressed that my goggles were fogging up. They seemed to have a good seal, anyways. Shoot. In no time, the start was imminent, the crowd joined announcer Ted Schick in a 10 second countdown, “GO!!!” and the thrashing was on. I was out front right away, and pushed pretty hard to get a spot. I think I went to the left right away, although the course went pretty well to the right in a counter-clockwise rectangle shape.

I was out by myself on the swim right away. Nice. I tried to sight and it seemed like I was out front. Sweet. I realized I was pinning to the left and tried to course-correct. Near the first buoy, I realized there was a huge group of people that pinned right that were way ahead of me. Ah, crap. Whatever. I sighted frequently as the first triangular turn buoy got closer and closer. By the time I got to it, I didn’t even need to turn. I had gone pretty far to the left. I sighted quite a bit and was around a few other people on the short stretch of the rectangle, then another 90 degree turn and back home. I told myself to kick with my feet as much as I could, and to swim harder to the right. My left shoulder started getting a little fatigued, and I could feel my back a little strained even after just a couple minutes. Yeah… I don’t swim enough. The flat water was so ideal, however, and the swim felt under control and smooth the whole time. I tried to focus on my form cues. Roll the hips. I sighted every couple of strokes and constantly had to reorient myself to the right. I came in wide and noticed a few people getting out of the water as my fingers scraped the rocky lake bottom. My friend Penny cheered me on as she helped racers get out of the water. I didn’t feel too gassed, but my run up the steep swim exit wasn’t exactly explosive.

I gained some momentum on the flat bike path and over the swim in timing mat, and looked for my visual cues for where to turn for my bike. Blast! A cone was moved. Oh well, I spotted my bike, quickly shed my wetsuit, got my helmet on and strapped, and I was off quickly. I ran my bike fast out of the transition. It took me a minute to get my feet in my shoes and a person passed me before I could get strapped in fully. Once I had my feet secured to my bike, I pushed hard to get up to speed. My heart was beating fast but I told myself that I could fully control my form and remain as aero as possible, and keep each pedal stroke smooth. I took a few sips of water and picked off some swim specialists, which is always fun early in the bike. It gave me a little boost to pass other racers like they were standing still. I peeked at my watch and saw a good number in the upper 20 mile per hour range. I put my head down and focused on smooth, powerful biking. It felt good. I could tell I was biking fast but it didn’t seem like I was gassing myself out too bad. The conditions were optimal.

About 5 miles into the bike leg, approaching a right hand turn and nearby 180 degree turn, I knew I’d see Shyanne any time. Sure enough, she was turning back onto Rice Lake Road as I was getting ready to turn in. I peeked at my watch. I made the turn and passed Bettina shortly thereafter, then tried to boost away from her. Bettina is a strong biker as well, but Shyanne is a freak of nature. I figured if I could match her bike split I’d be able to run her down. By the time I got back on Rice Lake Road, I figured I was two minutes down. And, chances were high that she was putting time on me and not the other way around. I tried to minimize the damage, but also thought about setting up a solid run split. I had no issues pushing hard to the transition zone and was pleased with my bike split.

Rolling in to waving volunteers at the dismount zone, I got my feet out of my shoes and blasted into the transition zone. I got jumbled up and fell over somehow. I got up very quickly ran in without any issues. I probably looked crazy. It’s a sprint, people! My transition was extraordinarily fast, and I hoped to just catch a glimpse of Shyanne. I knew I was solidly in second place. Onto the run course, I tried to envision three sub-6 minute miles. My watch confirmed that my speed was adequate. I could see Shyanne ahead. I tried to use that sighting as motivation. She was way up there, however, and a slight curve in the road would shroud my view. I was picking away at her, though. I couldn’t see her at the aid stop at about mile 1 and ran right through without water. I couldn’t see her on the little lollipop, or once I passed the aid station back up. Back on the main road, I could see her but it seemed that I made just the smallest amount of time up. She was still up there. Too far up there. I slowed down a little bit in frustration. NO! I told myself to keep pushing. Anything is possible. I couldn’t go any faster but I tried to keep my legs churning. I lost sight of Shyanne in the woods. The trails are my speciality, I told myself, this is where I make the pass. She wasn’t on the wood bridge, and there I knew I’d be coming in second place to Shyanne for the second year in a row. She is a true beast. With the finishing chute in sight, I saw her family cheering for her as she finished her race. Then, they started consoling me! Ouch! I sprinted in just a handful of seconds behind her and we congratulated each other and chatted a bit. For literally not swimming at all, practically not riding my tri bike at all, and just banking on latent fitness to finish in first place, it was clear to me that I don’t really deserve to win.

In between the time I finished and the awards ceremony, race co-director Rod Raymond flagged me down and explained how his own relay team runner was a no-show to the race, that he was going to run instead, but had race director stuff to do. He twisted my arm to run the long course route and I eventually obliged. I didn’t really have good running clothes so went in my basketball shorts and boxers, and finishers t-shirt. It wasn’t optimal, and I chafed my nipples pretty bad, but it was some fun bonus miles. Brewhouse Triathlon does not disappoint as my favorite race of the year, and top-tier social interactions with friends new and old.

GPS Data

Results

Place: 2/159
Time: 1:04:02
Swim: 13:37
Pace: 1:40/100 yd
Bike: 30:56
Speed: 24.1mph
Run: 18:01
Pace: 5:49

Shoes: Saucony Endorphin Pro
Bike: Specialized Transition
Wheels: Profile Design 78
Food: 18oz water bottle with two scoops of caffiene Formula 3-6-9