Ironman 70.3 Muskoka - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

My plan all along was to take it easy on the swim. I've had problems in the past when I've gone out too hard and then start to have breathing issues, anxiety etc. Today was going to be different! I started off to the side and let the "crazies" duke it out with each other before I embarked on my voyage, and did it ever pay off! I thoroughly enjoyed the swim, never struggled once. I stayed relaxed and did not worry about what was going on around me, just kept saying to myself that this is supposed to be fun!! Before I knew it, I was climbing up the stairs at the exit! I wasn't planning on using the strippers, but for some reason I decided to at the last minute. I ended up with a couple of people who seemed like they have never seen a wetsuit before which added a fair bit of time to my T1 time!

Now that I know I can easily swim this distance, maybe push a little harder next time, bypass the wetsuit strippers!

As mentioned above, I has issues with the wetsuit strippers but didn't dwell on it too much, there was still a long day ahead! I ran the entire way from the water to transition which was about 300m uphill, found my bike right away and off I went.

Avoid strippers!

Wow! This was my biggest surprise of the day. I was hoping to do the course in 3:10 at best, ended up with a great time! The start was a little rough due to congestion and the much talked about "non paved" section of road. Also, my seat mounted water bottle cages were loose which caused me to lose a water bottle about 8K into the ride amongst a bunch of other riders, I felt bad about that because it could have caused someone to crash, but thankfully it didn't! Because of that, I took out my other bottle and carried it in my hand as I rode over the non paved section for fear of losing it as well.
I started taking my gels right away and kept taking one every 30-40 minutes which worked out really well for me. I also grabbed a bottle of water at one of the bottle exchange areas to replace the one I lost.
I seemed to be riding with the same group for the first 50-60K which was nice as we kept pushing each other and it resulted in a good solid pace. As I got to the start of the last 30K section, I started to recall stories about how tough it was which made me a little concerned as I wasn't exactly holding back over the first 60K. Well, I actually LOVED this part of the course! I was able to keep my speed up on the downhills and use that momentum to make the climbs fairly effortlessly. As I was riding back into transition I couldn't believe how awesome I felt! My legs weren't as torn up as I thought they would be and I knew I was going to have a good run! Soooo pumped!!!

Nothing really, maybe invest in a new water bottle cage system!

This was not a very good transition at all as I could not find my place on the bike rack. It seemed like I was looking FOREVER for my spot before I finally found it, how frustrating! Once I did find my stuff, the rest went pretty smoothly and I was off on the run, almost there!

use GPS to locate my spot in transition! lol

After I got off the bike I felt really good and knew that I was going to have a good run. Running has been my strong segment over the last few years so I wanted to have a good showing at this race. I have never run this course before so I wasn't too sure what to expect but found out in a hurry that this wasn't going to be an easy run! I started off at a 4:30 pace which was a little faster than planned. I ended up slowing it down to 4:55 or so pace as I got about 4K in because there was so much climbing. I also decided before the race that I was going to walk through the aid stations to make sure I got fluids and food into me because I knew I would pay for it if I didn't! This proved to work out really well for me as it gave me some time to recover and keep up with my nutrition plan.
Just after the turn around point I started running with a woman and she told me that she just finished Ironman Canada 2 weeks before this race! Wow! I don't think I would be racing that soon after an Ironman, good for her. That gave me a little boost and I started to pick up the pace a little. Eventually I got to the last aid station and lo and behold, one of my friends who came to watch was standing there handing out water to runners! He was waiting for me because he knew I would need some support for that final push over the last 2K! That was awesome seeing him there, he actually rode his bike along beside me for the next K, not sure if that was legal or not, but whatever! He kept telling me how strong I was looking and that I was going to have a great time, etc. What a great boost that was! As I came up the final hill and saw all the people lined up along the finish I got even more excited and was running as strong as I was at the beginning. I rounded the transition area and saw my wife, son, dad and brother there all cheering me on! Of course, I ran by and high-fived all of them!! There was a couple people ahead of me so I slowed down a little and let them cross the finish line ahead of me so I could have a finishers picture all to myself!
Once I crossed the line I let out a big cheer and raised my arms like I just won the Stanley Cup! What a great feeling that was!

Absolutely nothing! Felt great during and after the run!

Just took in lots of fluids and some food, wasn't too hungry at that point. Chatted with my support team(family and friends) for a while and then headed back to our room to get showered up.


nothing really, a few small details but overall I had an amazing day and a great time (for me)! My goal was to do it in 6 hours and I beat it by 19 minutes, I was and am VERY happy with my race, everything went according to plan and even exceeded expectations!


Overall an unbelievable day from start to finish! Lots of great volunteers and I had lots of great support from my family and friends, what an experience!