Mount Shasta Triathlon

If you love open water swimming I would highly recommend Lake Siskiyou. It is a beautiful alpine lake at the base of Mount Shasta in California. I competed in my 12th Mount Shasta Triathlon over Labor Day.

We left Ashland at about 6:00 am and got to the lake about 7:30. It was still pretty chilly but what really blew me away was the huge turnout. They had about twice the people they had last year, Becky and I had a hard time finding a parking place.
The water was pretty cold, I decided not to wear my wet suit, (I love cold water). The start was pretty intense, they only had three waves so I probably had about 200 in my wave. Had to "swim over" quite a lot of guys...it got real physical but I kinda like that.
One think is really important and that is you have to practice open water swimming before the race or I guarantee you are going to have a tough time. Mass open water swimming is VERY different from pool swimming. I actually had one guy grab my shoulder. It is also super important to place yourself properly. Only really fast swimmers should be in the front. Otherwise, it basically becomes a free for all, the slower guys in the front clog it all up.
Unfortunately there was a death in the swim, a 51 year old man was pulled out, CPR was performed but he didn't pull through. I really don't know what caused his death but it seems in just about every triathlon I am in someone is pulled from the water. So it is critical to train for the race, practice open water swimming, transitions and do your bricks.
The bike was intense, got passed by a few people but was able to repass them on the run. The Hill training I have been doing with the Rogue Vally Running Group really paid off! Beat last years time by 6 minutes!
So I highly recommend this race, but remember, proper training is absolutely critical!