Hey there. I just completed my first sprint tri yesterday, and I am happy to report I met all of my personal goals. It was a blast! I just wanted to drop a line and express my gratitude to everyone who helped alleviate my concerns on this site in the last two weeks. This is an outstanding forum. I recommended it to all the newbies I met this weekend. I especially appreciate the seasoned vets who take the time to respond to first-timer questions. That's really thoughtful, and it helps the sport grow in a positive direction. Also, if anyone is on who competed in Graniteman yesterday in Rockville MN, thanks so much for helping to make my first tri experience just fantastic. Some unbelievably talented athletes showed up, but you were all so accomodating of folks at varying skill and experience levels, and I really appreciate it. I definitely recommend this tri as a newbie-friendly event. Beautiful bike course, lovely lake for the swim...just great. I'm already completely hooked, looking for my next race, and proud to be a part of the tri community.