This past weekend marked a return to my roots in triathlon racing, as I boarded a plane and flew north to do battle on the storied grounds of the Grizzly Triathlon, in Missoula, Montana. As it were, these very same grounds were a serious point of contention, since course changes through the years had left Todd Struckman’s “course record” (more appropriately a race record) intact since 2001. With the addition of the treacherous “s” curves behind Eastgate Shopping Center on the bike, and more importantly, “The Hill,” which climbs the initial portion of the Smokejumpers Trail on the run, the course had become significantly slower and the record remained just out of reach. My last two efforts left me knocking on the door, coming up just 28 seconds, and then a mere 7 seconds shy, but I temporarily retreated from future battles in 2010 having stockpiled 5 straight titles to match such legends as Calamity Seeley and David “Blastoff” Berkhoff. With triathlon as a job, I sought out new...