8th Annual Top Gun Sprint Triathlon

First, they moved the race down to North Beach instead of by the Fort which I think was a good idea but not sure why they moved it. We have had a lot of rain lately so maybe that part of the park was still flooded. They did say they had to spend a lot of time sweeping puddles out of the transition area and off the course to get it ready for Saturday morning.

Second, the swim was an out and back instead of the usual parallel shore swim. This was a great setup for the spectators because they could watch the wave starts and see the swimmers exit all in the same place. However, for the swimmers, the South to North current made it difficult to stay on course but that is the challenge of open water swimming.

The race was fast with a pair of "twenty-somethings" taking the overall wins for the guys and gals in under an hour. Matthew Greene from Gainesville finished the 1/4 mile swim, 10 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run in 49:39 and Alex Lechner from Clearwater finished in 53:52. Congratulations to both of you!

For Full Results please visit Alta Vista Sports

The bike course is great at Ft. De Soto. It's a closed course and the wind can be a factor but the well-maintained flat roads make up for that. There was no soft sand on the run course this year so the athletes were on pavement and hard packed sand which was appreciated by many.

The post race party was catered by Macaroni Grill. They serve up some tasty food including BIG pieces of Chocolate Cake if you want a HUGE sugar rush!

The only thing I would say, and this is not just Top Gun, but I wish more races and more of the athletes would Green Up. There is a lot of waste and a lot of paper and plastic going right into the landfill. From the race packets to the post race parties there is a lot that we can do together as athletes and directors to help limit our waste.

Take a look at what Vineman is doing on their Go Green page and then check out A Fit Planet for more info on helping to green up your events.

Overall the sold out Top Gun Triathlon lived up to the hype as one of Florida's "Hottest" Sprint Triathlons.

See some video of the Top Gun race.

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