Race Day in Little Elm: Cold Start, Wind, and a Written Plan B

The Lesson from Year One

Before we talk timeline, a fact. At the 2026 edition, the swim leg didn't go off as planned: recaps differ between a cancelled swim and a swim shortened to roughly 350 meters, but they agree on the context — a practice swim reported at about 54 °F (≈12 °C) and a day with a wind advisory and gusts around 30 mph. One race report describes the solution used: a rolling bike start, in pairs, in bib number order.

Translation for you: at this race, Plan B isn't a remote hypothesis. It's a scenario that has already happened, and you should prep it like Plan A.

The Days Before

Official 2027 race week times (check-in, briefing, transition) aren't available in the sources consulted: refer to the Race Week Info and Pre Race Info pages on the race website and to the Athlete Guide when it drops. In the meantime, things you can already plan:

• Virtual recon: the bike course and transition map are on ROUVY via the course page. Do it before you leave home.
• Practice swim (if offered): it's your real-world temperature test. In 2026 it was the first warning sign. If the water is below 15 °C, warm up well on dry land before getting in and consider a neoprene cap.
• The town's traffic page: Little Elm publishes road closures. Plan how you'll get to transition in the morning.
• Wind forecast: check it starting 5 days out. If strong wind from the south is shaping up, rethink your wheel choice and your bike pacing plan.

Race Morning

March in Texas is two-faced: official average highs around 28 °C, but lows at 17 °C and a history that dips as low as 6 °C. The typical scenario: you start cold, you finish mild.

• Dress in throwaway layers for the pre-start wait: old hoodie, gloves, something to ditch at the start line.
• Wetsuit almost certain: historical data points to water at 12-16 °C. Always bring it, and test it in cold water beforehand at least 2-3 times. Water at 12-14 °C takes your breath away if you're not used to it.
• In transition, set up for the cold-bike scenario too: arm warmers or a vest rolled up next to your helmet. Rolling out wet into 10-15 °C air with wind is the fastest way to burn energy.

Plan B: Write It Down

If the swim gets cancelled or shortened, your whole blueprint changes. Prep it like this:

1. Shortened swim scenario (~350 m, as reported by some sources for 2026): it's a sprint, not a warm-up. Don't go all out: 350 meters won't decide your race, but they can put you in the red before the bike. 2. Cancelled swim with rolling bike start: in 2026, according to one race report, athletes started in pairs by bib number, not by speed. That means you'll pass and get passed by people of every level: race YOUR race by watts, ignore whoever rolls by. 3. In both cases: the day gets decided on the bike and the run. A 2026 recap notes that with the swim cancelled, strategy shifts — some push harder on the bike because they "saved" the swim, and often pay for it over the 3-lap run. Don't be that guy.

Typical Mistakes to Avoid Here

• Underestimating the cold water because "it's Texas." In March, it isn't.
• Defending your average speed into the wind on the bike: it torches your run.
• Going out hot on lap 1 of the run dragged along by the crowd: over 3 laps the bill always comes due.
• Having no plan for the duathlon scenario: shoes and head need to be ready to start on the bike, cold.

The Concrete Action

Write three lines on a sheet of paper: Plan A (full race), Plan B (short swim), Plan C (no swim). For each one: how I start, what effort I hold on the bike, what pace on lap 1 of the run. Those who had these three plans in 2026 simply executed. The rest improvised against a 46 km/h wind.