Ten Years of Blogging

Well, this is the 10th anniversary of my blog, "Diary of a Sandbagging Triathlete", and also the end of this blog and era! Once I officially retire, I will switch over to a new way of documenting adventure travel on some other, more accessible platform.

It's time to look back on these 10 years and beyond, even before the age of the internet. I've been racing since 1984, when I did my first ever race: the Boston Marathon in 3:20-something. I'll never know the exact finish time because I ran as a "back-of-the-pack" athlete and wasn't officially in the race. But that's ok. It was still a pivotal moment and launched a racing career that has taken me to today, and hopefully beyond!

Here is how it looks in the rearview mirror:

5 full Ironman Triathlon finishes, including twice at the IM World Championship in Kona in 1998 and 2008. My best was IM Wisconsin in 2007, where I went 10:30:52 to take 5th in my age group (see photo to right) and qualify for Kona the next year.

6 Duathlon National Championship Wins: 2019 (Greenville, SC), '22 and '23 (Irving, TX), '24 and '25 (Omaha, NE), and 2026 (New Haven, MI). In 2023, I was named USA Triathlon's "Grand Master Duathlete of the Year"!

Best showing at Triathlon National Championship was 3rd place in 2024, and I have another 6 top-10 National Championship finishes over the last 40 years.

Best overall race finishes include overall wins at the Twin Lakes Triathlon in the early 90s, Batavia Duathlon (2015), HolidayMan Duathlon (2015), Naperville Duathlon (2019 and 2022), and several 10Ks (most notable: Lemont 10K in the 1990s and the Indian Run in Pasadena, CA in the 1980s with friends Ray, Donna, and Rose Anne).

Over 30 marathon finishes with 21 Chicago Marathon finishes (2025, 23, 22, 21, 20, 2019, 18, 17, 16, 11, 10, 06, 05, 04, 03, 01, 2000, 1999, 97, 96, and 1994). My best Chi marathon was 2:53:48 in 2005, but my fastest marathon overall was the Los Angles Marathon back in 1980-something when I ran 2:51:50 something.  Other marathon higlights include the Twin Cities Marathon this year becuase I ran with my daughter, Mik, and the Boston Marathjon in 2024 and meetiong my brother at the finish line! 

 In betwee all of this, I managed one ultramarathon (Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in 2020 with Rich), several adventure races (Chicago Urbanathlon, Bog-Dog Adventrure race with Juju) and over 30 Indoor Tris, usually with Juju and Diana (back 20 years ago she raced!).                                        

I have had a good run!  I am so greateful that I've been able to keep this up all these years and I thank my amazing supportive family!  I've missed so many Saturday and Sunday mornings, hanging out and watching Primier League with Rebecca Lowe and sipping coffee so that I could get in the training!  

Thankfully, they usually saved me pancakes or fruit and they also put up with my "post-workout" exhaustion (lying on the couch for about 2 hours before I can engage in anything constructive)! Big thinks FAM!  XXXOOO

I want to also thank the Pasadena Triathlon Club from the 1980s with Eric Hebner, our President, and all of the members who really got me into this sport. They were a really fun bunch and provided inspiring camaraderie. I'm so pround to have been the Pasadena Tri Club "Triathlete of the Year" in 1990! Thanks especially to Mike Wilson, Victor DeSilva, and Bill Wright for your friendship and competition. So sorry we've all lost touch! 

Lastly, I want to thank my mom, Better W. Ludlow. Her battle with polio and later with post-polio syndrome has been a continual spurce of inspiration! Running, biking and swimming have always seemed like a privilage, rather than a chore, given her difficulty walking. Whats more, she never gave up and literally faught her whole life to maintain her family and friends, and persue her intersts like birding!  I miss you every day, Mom, and I thank you for instilling in Erin, Kim and I the ability to do hard things and to persevere!  

Chris     

   

World Bikepacking Tour- 6 months away!

Will this bikpacking trip actually happen?  I really hope so, but so many concerns. How can I leave with Diana's dad in the nursing home and all of the other issues? On the other hand, if I dodn't do this trip now, will I ever be able to do it? Plus, if I don't go, what will I do?  I can't just retire and sit around at home!  Ugh, I'm having an anxiety attack about the whole retirement thing! 

Chicago Marathon- Med Volunteer

 Fun, but very long day volunteering for the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. The best part was seeing all of the PT studnets out there!  

Twin Cities Marathon- in the books!

 Awesome race with Mik on 10/4/26 (TCM 2026.2)!!!

We enjoyed some Dunn Bros coffee on saturday and got registered, then woke up early Sunday to get ready. After Diana dropped us off, we cheked out the Viking's stadium before making last minute hugs and good luck wishes and heading to our respective start corrals. 

Mik is pretty competitive with some of her MWS friends so I was a little nervous that she would go out too hard, but she ran the perfect race! 

She started at a very reasonable pave and thne coming from behind, blew away her competition!   

Twin Cities Marathon in just 10-Days!

It has been really fun training with Mik for the Twin Cities Marathon.  Mik's excitement has even made me train harder than I have in a while for a marathon.  

Here are a few picks from a training run in Denver that we did.  I think she is going to have an amazing race given her training at altitude and her improved fittness level over the last month and a half.  

Erin and Joe’s AT backpacking adventure

 

My hat’s off to Erin and Joe for their amazing accomplishment completing the AT! They were really committed to finishing the through hike. Unfortunately, Erin had to take a break, but bravely came back after about a month to finish up in ME. 

Long's Peak Hike

 

Just returned from a really fun trip to Colorado.  We had to move Mikaely to grad school at University of CO, Denver. After we got her moved in, we took a trip up to Boulder and then hiked Long's Peak.  Fun but exhausting day!  Here is a video that Lance made of the hike:  Evans Fam Long's Peak.mp4

Lake Zurich Tri, 2026

 Super fun race at the LZ tri with Lance, Mik and Juju! 

ThE whole family got in on the tri today with Diana out cheering us on!  Both Lance and Mik did great and enjoyed the race!  Juju had a difficult day due to GI issues and then a bike problem, but still represented!  Good day!    

Rockford 70.3 2026

 Fun race and great conditions for Rockford 70.3 on Sunday 6/14/2026.  

It rained a lot over the last several weeks and the Rock river was really high and the current was moving fast!  This resulted in very fast swim times for everyone: a recond for me (27 min) and a world record for the fastest swimmer for 1.2 miles!  

It was fun racing with Chris, Josh, and Ellie. We all finsihed and achieved our goals for the race!  

Colombia Vaca 2026!

 Best VACA ever?  Maybe, it was amazing! 

    Such a fantastic tour of the country and a great chance to meet so many nice Colombians!  Diana really organized a nice trip with stops in Medellin, El Retiro, Salento, and Bogota. We met with both sides of the family and personalized tours of downtown Medellin, Communa 13, and Jardin Botanico. Selento was my favorite part of the trip, especially the day we hiked 11 miles up a river into the high Andes and got to see the Cocoro valley! Lance and Mikaely did amazingly well with their Spanish, talking with everyone like they were natives. But every time I tried to speak, they looked embarrassed and couldn't wait to tell me how bad I sounded! But I still tried. 

The photo to the right is of Salento. Super hilly with great shops, cafes and restaurants. I don't usually like trout, but the trout there was awesome and very well prepared.  Lots of great cappuccinos, iced coffee, and espressos.     

This photo is from the day we visited Communa 13 and got a personalized tour by someone who lived through the 2002 government takeover. 

Lance, walking across one of the 5 suspension bridges over the river on the day of our long hike.