Ironman 70.3 Eagleman - Triathlon

It was announced to nobody's surprise that the swim was wetsuit ILLEGAL as the water temperature was 78F. This was my first ever triathlon swim without a wet suit. M 40-44 walked down the boat ramp as it was an in water start. My wave was large. We had 3 minutes to walk down to start line and we could stand in water. Almost all competitors were nervous and quiet. 1 minute before the horn start a fellow competitor yelled out "Have a great race gentleman, you will do great" Everyone started clapping in encouragement. It was a nice moment. The horn sounded and the mass chaos of the swim start began. It was fine for me but I could not do bilateral breathing until the 2nd buoy as there was too much congestion and I was focused on sighting to not get kicked of elbowed in head. Around the 2nd or 3 buoy some competitors started walking on the bottom which I did not think was fair and it caused more congestion. After the 3rd buoy, it was a normal swim until the last buoy were the last 200m or so were shallow. Most competitors were walking. I swam as long as I could and then walked the last 50m. No wetsuit wasn't too bad but I felt I was not as horizontal as with a wetsuit.

Nothing

I am usually slow in transition and this continued on this race. It was easier since there was no wetsuit to remove. I grabbed my nutrition and applied sunscreen. Sunscreen was no match for the sun today!

Nothing, I have too many things racing through my mind so it takes me longer to get everything I need.

I liked the bike course. The course was scenic and roads in good condition. My power meter on my bike was not working which was too bad so I had to rely on cadence and km/h. My brother in law said before the race expect something you didn't want to happen WILL happen during the race and you need to adjust. This was my unexpected event for the race. Cycling is my weakest leg but I had a good ride. I averaged just under 31 km/h. Drank all my 3 bottles of Perform, ate a gel every 20min and had Shotbloks. Also took 2 salt tablets/h. Got used to the 5 bike length no drafting rule pretty quickly. The heat didn't really affect me on the bike. My stomach was having enough of the gels though. It was tough swallowing the last couple.

Double check the power meter the day before the race to ensure it is working properly.

I went to bathroom, got my run nutrition and applied sunscreen. I could feel the sunscreen spray stinging which meant a burn. I could not reach certain parts on my back either so I knew a bad sunburn was in the cards after the run. It was a slow transition and I forgot my salt tablets in transition.

Be more efficient with little things in T2.

Where do I begin? The run temperature on the run was so hot, it is hard to describe. Running is my strongest leg and I could not keep a 6min/km pace due to the heat as I HAD to stop and walk through at every aid station like everyone. The run started off well as I saw a bald eagle male fly right over my head. I had water, Gatorade and ice at every aid station. The volunteers were phenomenal at the aid stations. Ice was my savior. I chewed on it but mostly put a bunch of it under my run cap to cool me down. For at least a minute, after the ice under the cap I had a moment of relief which lasted very briefly. So my goal was to only walk through the aid stations and I never walked anywhere else on the course which I was very proud of. I ate 2 gels and my stomach said that is enough. The last one was so gross, it was so warm due to the heat. The section of run between the last aid station and the turn around-half way mark was brutal. It was about a 3K run to the turn around then return to the same aid station. So this was a 6K stretch on a very open road with no breeze with the heat of the asphalt radiating on you. I would say a third of the competitors were walking a portion of that stretch. That was such a test of the mind and body to not stop and walk. After that aid station, I continued towards the finish line. I could eventually hear the finish line announcer and that gave me a boost. I got around the corner to the finish and looked back as I wanted to savor my finish line moment without another competitor. I had a good lead on the next finisher. I saw my wife and sister and nephew along the finish line cheering me on. The PA announcer announced me and just before the finish line I let out a huge shout of joy for my accomplishment. I just completed my first half-ironman. I moment I will never forget!-

Don't forget your salt pills. The conditions were brutal so it was a great time.

Heat on the run


Very well run event. Volunteers were phenomenal. Event loot bag were great. Ironman runs a great event that makes competitors special for finishing.