Ironman 70.3 Branson - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Branson, Missouri
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
50F / 10C
Sunny
Total Time = 6h 23m 39s
Overall Rank = 351/
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 60/
Swim
  • 38m
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 48s / 100 yards
Comments:

Swim went very well. Water was warm at about 72 degrees and I felt
comfortable - not a lot of kicking and shoving. My watch said 37
minutes when I came out of the water, and my official time is 38:00
exactly. That gives me about a 3+ minute improvement over 2 years
ago.
Transition 1
  • 06m 4s
Bike
  • 3h 22m 38s
  • 56 miles
  • 16.58 mile/hr
Comments:

The bike was the big fear and pre-driving the route this year I was
having horrible flashbacks of the heat and hills of 2010. I
maintained my power between 200 and 220 watts, and could probably have
gone a bit harder, but the 4500 feet of vertical for the course is a
tough one. I didn't want to get too crazy and pay for it later. The
pro that won (Andy Potts) held just under 24 MPH and he usually has
about 28 MPH on the Boulder 70.3 course, so this one is certainly
challenging. I ended up with 16.6 MPH average and 3:22 on the bike,
which seems awfully slow, but seems about right for this level of course.
Transition 2
  • 02m 29s
Run
  • 2h 14m 28s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 10m 16s  min/mile
Comments:

As I was coming out of T2 I saw I was at 4:10, so I had 1:50 to make
my 6 hour goal. My best stand alone half marathon is about 1:45, so I
was going to have to really work to get under 1:50. The course is 3
loops and by the second loop I realized I wasn't going to make 6
hours. That drained my motivation so I started slowing down and
walking the aid stations. In the end I was just over 2 hours for the
run.
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

This was one that I did back in 2010 and I suffered big time, so this time
around was purely for vindication. In 2010, I was not prepared at all
for the bike course which is considered the hardest on the 70.3
circuit. I clocked it at 4500 feet of vertical over the 56 mile ride. I spent a lot of time on hills this year to prepare and also logged about
1000+ miles more than 2010. The weather in 2010 was 95 degrees and
100% humidity which absolutely drained me - I lost 10 pounds on the
course that day. This time around it was 45 degrees at the start of
the swim and in the 50s and 60s on the bike. 40 degrees cooler makes
a LOT of difference.

The short story is that I missed my goal of sub 6:00 hours, and ended
up with 6:22 and change. Needless to say, I'm a bit disappointed, but
6:22 isn't a bad time, I suppose.

Event comments:

Very well organized race. If you want a challenge, this is the one to do given the bike course.




Last updated: 2012-09-26 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:00 | 2112 yards | 01m 48s / 100yards
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Suit: Yes - 2XU R:2
Course:
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 72F / 22C Current: Low
200M Perf. Remainder:
Breathing: Drafting:
Waves: Navigation:
Rounding:
T1
Time: 06:04
Performance:
Cap removal: Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike:
Jump on bike:
Getting up to speed:
Biking
03:22:38 | 56 miles | 16.58 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Wind: Little
Course: Hills and more hills. I clocked 4500 vertical feet for the course.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills: Good
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 02:29
Overall:
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike
Racking bike
Shoe and helmet removal
Running
02:14:28 | 13.1 miles | 10m 16s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4