11-19-2016 Lake Crackenback Australia-ITU World Championship Cross Triathlon (Off road)

This trip was an off the charts adventure in every sense of the word. To represent team USA was a true honor, and loved racing against people from all over the world. Met a lot of really interesting people.
I have never had an adventure even close to this trip- it was epic. All the things I had worried about- renting a bike- long flights-driving on wrong side road-food & water were non-issue’s. Things I assumed would go smooth- were real challenges. The scenery is unique the, people are super friendly & laid back. The race Venue was the most scenic place I have ever been- only Crested Butte Colorado comes close. A 1500 meter lake swim, 30K mountain bike, and a 10 k off road run. The run was more of a adventure race ( river crossing/ boulder climbs/ mud bogs )

We had some challenges with long flight- but got through it. Had a delayed flight/ luggage misplaced and a rental car breakdown in the middle of the outback that kept me from getting to the race site till last minute. I had issues on the swim (no warm up-cold water)- a solid bike, and run was going great till I made a wrong turn on the run loop costing me a top finish. Ended up 7th. Saw Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and race site was Lake Crackenback in the mountains (ski resort in winter) a fantastic trip.