Good Luck!

On behalf of the team - Good Luck in the Chicago Tri this weekend Ray! Were you aware you didnt have to do the Olympic Distance? They have a sprint distance??? I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'... but we all know how hard you've been training - you will do great...hope you can find someone to snap a pic up there - and just for you - the 10 Commandments of the Chicago Triathlon (written by Nancy Fudacz of the Chicago Endurance Training Examiner):

1. Thou shalt not get body marked on Friday. This is probably not even possible, but if you carry your own marker with you, don't even think about it. When you're walking around downtown Chicago, no one wants to know your race number, your age, or your wave.

2. Thou shalt not wear tri shorts until Sunday. We know you're a triathlete. Your legs are shaved, you're eating healthy carbs and lean protein, and you're body marked. We need to know no more.

3. Thou shall arrive at transition well before 5:45. We suggest before 5am. If you can't get yourself out of bed early enough, and then can't find the perfect space for your transition area, you can't complain.

4. Thou shalt not move anyone's things in transition. Unless your neighbor brought a baby pool with them to rinse off their feet, you don't get to move stuff over. Arrive early enough to secure your space and be aware that many, many other triathletes need to share that space.

5. Thou shall wait patiently with everyone else waiting patiently. You cannot start with another wave just to start earlier. Think we can't tell? You're the only guy in a green cap with the 20-24 year old women. If that's not enough, we forgot to mention your chip time is shot. The waiting is part of the race. Embrace it.

6. Thou shall follow this rule: Number 1 is ok in your wetsuit. Number 2 is not. Trust us, we know more than a few people who have broken this rule. Really not good.

7. Thou shall play nice! There are many, many newbies at Chicago. It is just downright mean to intimidate new triathletes while waiting for the swim start. We don't care that you won your last 10 triathlons and have run 4,000 miles this year. If you're standing next to someone who looks terrified, give them a word of encouragement - not a lecture about how great you are or how tough the swim will be.

8. Thou shall pay attention to those around you. Some folks are really racing out there. If you're just out for some fun, stay out of those athletes way. If you are a serious racer, remember you chose a race with 5,000 people in it - so there will be folks ahead of you and around you. Communicate when you want to pass, and be considerate. Too many newbies have stories of athletes yelling at them to get out of there way for no reason.

9. Thou shalt use the equipment of each sport: goggles and cap for the swim only. Helmet on the bike please. You think this is obvious? We've seen runners with bike helmets and swim caps. There's a lot going on and transition can be tricky, but spend 30 extra seconds to make sure your finish picture doesn't have your goggles around your neck.

10. Thou shall celebrate! You are super fit! You are a triathlete! That alone is cool. Enjoy yourself, enjoy the folks around you (Chicago is a great place for people watching - perhaps one of the only places you'll see someone do the entire race in cut-off jeans), and enjoy the volunteers and spectators. Have a great, great day!

(this list was grabbed here)

Good Luck and look forward to reading your post after its over!