Ironman Arizona - TriathlonFull Ironman

The swim was the part i was most anxious about. Single Loop, i started well in the back to avoid the cluster; The best thing i did, was to jump in the water without a wetsuit or cap the day before the event. This gave me great perspective race morning. It didnt seem so cold after all.

The swim thinned out about .5 miles in, there were always folks around but it wasnt as bad; i'm skilled at sighting and aggressively getting into open lanes.

Start up front

Volunteers are amazingly helpful;

The course was a pleasant suprise, much easier than the course i practiced on for 4+ months. I found it flat and fast; the wind was not as bad as it should/could have been. The volunteers were amazing and efficient. I did see some crashes which were unfortunate; mostly from people getting too close to one another. You could tell the cyclists from the triathletes as there was a fair amount of drafting.

Food - 6-7 Strawberry Gu's, 2 PB Cliff Bars, 1/2 banana, 5 salt tablets, 5 bottles of perform. Perfect execution, felt great.


Push harder, Being that this was my first IM, i held back a bit on the bike for fear of losing my way on the run.

I've never smelled anything as bad as the Men's change tent @ T2. Holy Jesus. The volunteers in that tent deserve a medal; not only for being so helpful, but for withstanding that stench.

Nothing, executed well.

Having done 2 ultramarathons this year, the run is my comfort zone. I know I can push myself on tired legs. Nutrition was either going to be my best friend of worst enemy. I carry a amphipod hand held bottle with a compartment for my salt pills. A couple people told me it was unneccesary, but you must do what is comfortable for you. I'm glad i carried it, i kept it stocked with perform at every 3rd aid station.

Prior to the event a couple 'vets' told me there was no way i would run the whole marathon.........thanks for that because i didnt walk once. (not counting the 4 times i stopped to fill my water bottle)

Nutrition - 80-100oz's of perform, random water, 3 cola's after mile 16, chips and pretzel after mile 18, 4 salt tablets.

Chocolate Milk and nice long sit.


Great day and a great experience for my first IM. I'll continue the sport somewhere down the line if i'm ever lucky enough to gain entry. Back to Trail Ultra's for me for a while.



What I learned -
1)AZ is a beginner friendly course;
2)I had bike envy the first couple days fo the event, but I quickly learned that the most expensive bike, gear, wheels and race helmet wont make you a good IMer. My entry level Tri bike and stock wheels did just fine.
3) Stick to your script; My goal going in was to have a slow, safe swim; hold back a bit on the bike, and run the whole marathon.
4) Ironman puts on a damn good event.