Long Course Nationals — a hard-fought 4:16 at the Patriot Half
Amanda back at a finish line, a brutally hot day that turned into a race of attrition, and an elite qualifying mark I'm not doing anything with until after Kona.
Amanda was at the finish line.
After a 2025 that sidelined her, having her back out there meant more than anything the clock had to say. That’s the part of this race I’ll actually remember.
The day
First triathlon of the year, at the USA Triathlon Long Course National Championships — the Patriot Half in East Freetown. Not the race I’d planned on paper, and not my best day, but a hard-fought finish.
It started with the worst 70.3 swim I’ve ever had. By the time I came off the bike it was brutally hot and the whole thing had turned into a race of attrition.
If I’ve learned one thing over the years, it’s that when it’s that hot, time and pace mean nothing on the run. So the plan got very small: keep my heart rate in my zones, and grab as much ice as I could at every aid station to keep my core cool.
That was the whole game plan, and it worked — third-fastest run of the day, and a finish in 4:16:21, fourth in the elite men’s field.
The splits
- Swim: 37:15
- T1: 2:11
- Bike: 2:11:27
- T2: 2:28
- Run: 1:23:00
Full result on RaceRecord.
The part I didn’t plan for
The finish met USA Triathlon’s 2026 qualification criteria for a non-draft elite license.
To be clear about what that means: I qualified to apply. I haven’t applied, and nothing changes on my start list this year.
Kona is October 10, and I’m racing it as an age-group athlete. That’s been the plan since last fall. The license is something to think about afterward.
