I was marked and ready, pleased at the pleasant air temp, when I heard the announcement. Due to high winds causing rough waters, race officials had cancelled the swim portion of the St. Anthony's Triathlon for the first time ever. The problem was that the kayaks race officials use to monitor the swim were unable to maneuver; also, the currents were so strong that the buoys were not staying in place. Sounded pretty bad out there. Only the professional athletes would be allowed to do the swim portion.
I would say most participants were relieved because the swim seems to be the part of triathlons more people dread. I, on the other hand, was extremely disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I agree that the conditions were unsafe, and I'm sure race officials did the prudent thing; in fact, it sounded like they had no choice. Still, it meant I wouldn't/couldn't do a tri today, and to make it worse, those high winds would also make the bike leg, by far my weakest leg, a challenge.
I wasn't in good spirits, anyway, after sleeping less than three hours, so I decided to pack it in. In 30 years of racing, that's the first time I've ever gone to a race and then decided not to do it, but that's my prerogative. It was the right decision for me Sunday.
I'll continue my training to prepare for the Madeira Beach Triathlon in a few weeks. No worries.








