Ironman 70.3 Raleigh - Triathlon

In the past, I've had trouble with open water swims. I'm a fairly proficient pool swimmer, but OWS and its challenges have hampered me in the past. Mainly, I've gone out too fast, my heart rate accelerates and I find myself gasping for air and needing a kayak. To address this, I've done a few OWS, including one on this same course 3 weeks before IM Raleigh. I could tell it really helped. I was very confident going into the water and quickly found my rhythm. As a result, I was able to consistently stroke the entire way with only brief stops to re-calibrate to the course, clear my goggles and let cool water into my wetsuit. As I exited the water, I felt very good about my time (dropped 10 min from my swim 3 weeks prior) and didn't expend too much energy. I believe the relatively small grouping of the wave starts helped as there weren't too many people pushing out into the water at once, which allowed me to find my pace.

In hindsight, I wouldn't have worn a wetsuit. It was too warm and I really heated up on the back half of the swim. I had to stop a few times to let cool water into my wetsuit to cool down; I'd like to have that time back. Also, I'd work more on OWS sighting. I got off course a few times and had to spend valuable time to get back in line.

This was the first race I've done where a very speedy transition wasn't a motivating factor. I had planned to take a little more time in T1 so that I could get some extra water and ensure that I had all the gear/fuel that I planned to take on the bike. In general, my layout was pretty good. I had everything I needed at my fingertips. I felt good heading out onto the bike.

I was probably overly cautious about T1. I should have sped up a little more and would do that next time. Also, I elected to put on my tri-top after getting out of the water since it was a wet suit legal race. I wouldn't do that again. I'd just go ahead and put on the tri top before the swim to save the extra time.

I'm not sure where to begin with assessing the bike. The first 25 miles were great. My pace was pretty good (for me) at about 16 mph. I was focusing on taking in my Accelerade every 3-4 miles. I took water and bananas at the first two aid stations (miles 16 & 26). Unfortunately, I lost my taste for Accelerade and began taking in water. As a result, I'm fairly certain that I lost a lot of electrolytes and began a pretty bad downward spiral. On the back half of the course, I began losing speed and really suffered on the hills. I didn't realize it at the time, but my fuel was waning quickly. I experienced cramping in my quads during the last 6 miles, but focused on spinning through them and continuing to move my legs. I reminded myself that I was focusing on whatever was "in the box" at that moment. This is something I picked up from an Endurance Nation podcast and it really helped. It kept me from looking at the totality of the race and instead in very small segments (make it to the top of that hill; cross that road; etc.). As I entered T2, I was in fragile shape, but excited as I saw my family and that gave me a lot of encouragement to go on.

Take on more liquid fuel. I stopped forcing myself to drink Accelerade after mile 25 and I paid the price. The liquid got pretty warm (insulated bottles would help with that) and tasted bad, but it also tasted too sweet. I've pretty much eliminated all processed/refined sugars from my diet, so any introduction of them back into my body is tough. They were so sweet that I only wanted to go in the other direction and drink water. I really need to find some alternative sources of fuel that are closer to whole/natural foods. This is my research item for my next race.

I was moving fairly slowly through T2. The sun really came out on the last 15 miles of the bike and was heating things up quickly. Combine that with the low fuel stores and I was needing any bit of rest I could muster. I drank my 2nd container of "Energizer" juice and tried to drink a strawberry lemonade juice I'd made the night before. Both juices were frozen and were left to melt during the bike portion. The strawberry lemonade was too sweet, so I left it to the side. I also had apple wedges that I planned to take on the run with me. Unfortunately, they were too mushy at that point and tasted awful. So, I pulled on my compression socks and laced up my shoes to head out on the run course. My quads were still hurting, but I was very focused on finishing this race. I saw my family and gave my wife a kiss. I even told here that I needed to run to the Art Museum, but I'd be right back!

Speed through T2 was more of a problem than it was in T1. I was quite depleted in my fuel stores and was trying to use T2 to gain any fuel and rest that I could. If I could manage my fuel on the bike better, I believe I'd drop a little more time in T2.

The run course was tough. As I came out of T2, I tried to run and was able to cover the first 2 or 3 blocks. But my stomach started rumbling in a way I've never felt before. I was certain I was going to throw up. So, I walked. I decided that walking and making progress was better than standing on the course trying to collect myself. After making the turn at the Capitol Building, I tried running a block and walking a block. I still felt awful. So, I kept walking. I made up my mind that if I was going to walk, I would walk as fast as possible. I was encouraged that this seemed to be the right decision as I saw many other competitors on the return part of the course walking as well. I tried taking in fluids (unfortunately, water only) at the aid stations. While it made me feel better temporarily, I wasn't able to quiet the rumbling in my stomach. Plain and simple, I didn't give my body any more electrolytes and I was moving on fumes. As I made it onto the Meredith campus, I tried running a little and felt somewhat better. I took in a little Gatorade; it tasted awful, but I knew I needed it. I ran the downhills to save whatever time I could and continued focusing on whatever was in the box at that moment. I also started running calculations in my head to figure out whether or not I'd make the cutoff. I was confident that I would and the calculations brought me confidence. The double-loop on the Art Museum campus was tough. It's not that the loops were long, but rather the knowing that you had to cover them twice.

In retrospect, I'm disappointed that I had to walk a lot of the run course. To be certain, the heat reduced a lot of competitors to walking, but I'm confident that my poor nutrition on race day made the situation considerably worse. I did not take in any electrolytes until the back half of the run and I started to feel better after that. I would force myself to take those in much earlier to keep things settled and avoid cramping up on the run.

As I crossed the finish line, I collapsed from the cramps in my legs. I was helped up by several of the volunteers and immediately began taking in a combination of water, sports-drink and a diet coke. I walked for about 10-15 min to keep my legs moving and ultimately made my way back over to our tri-team's tent where I rested for about 20-25 min. I was unable to perform any kind of real warm-down following the event.


My biggest limiter during this race was nutrition. I was mentally prepared for the challenges and my fitness was good as well. But I never replaced a lot of my fuel in the 2nd half of the bike and I paid for it during the rest of the bike and the run course. I'm confident that if I could have forced myself to continue on with the nutrition strategy I was working, I would have performed much better. With that said, my goal was to finish my first half Ironman and I did. I found out how to push through a really dark place and stay focused on my goal. That is what kept me going during the run course and the feeling I have from crossing the finish line made it all worth it.


This was the first Ironman-branded race held in Raleigh and it was worth it! They did not disappoint in any way and I would definitely compete in this race again.