Lise - yeah, I can't be too upset about at 36min 3mi, especially since my best 5K time is 33min. As for that hill, I didn't see a single person run up it OR down it, to give you a bit of an idea for the pitch. My calves were burning and I was out of breathe just walking it!

KnottedYet and LynneK - doing it backwards was awesome. I didn't have to conserve my legs during the bike so I could push the speed there, and then just relax and let the rest of my body do the work on the swim. Don't know about doing it in open water, since there's not really a chance of drowning in the pool!