EagleMan Ironman 70.3 Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I had done a practice swim the day before and felt comfortable. I get to the race, and again, started out slowly and the breathing heavily started up again. Not sure what that is all about but every buoy felt like a zillion miles from each other. I had practiced ows and felt very confident before this race. Definitely choked.

Not sure. But it had better be faster next time.

Took too darn long and walked out of transition. The transition area between bikes was very small so couldn't lay out the stuff like I'm normally used to.

Transition is a way I can save time. Need to run in and run out.

Started out great. It was fun having the real fast ones pass me and many made nice comments that kept me at a great pace. Hydration, nutrition, all seemed fine. Then, at about mile 35, something happened. I bonked big time. I certainly had enough to eat and drink, stopped to pee (saw noone else pee at all during the race. What's THAT about?) but could hardly move my legs faster than 10 mph. In aero I was uncomfortable. The saddle was rubbing. My toes were getting numb. I looked at my watch and figured that it wasn't worth killing myself since I was going to DNF. Then looked again and decided I probably shouldn't. I have a road bike and people with tri bikes just seemed more comfortable. But then again, who knows how other people feel. I know one thing, I could not stand to drink anything sweet and the Infinit plan didn't work. I ate a cliff bar and an uncrustables from a bag that I grabbed to put in my cycling jersey after the swim. Way too awkward and couldn't get anything out.

Not sure what happened. Not put nutrition in a ziplock bag and try to get it out during the ride. This definitely did not work. Need different hydration. Even though I got my Infinit with minimal taste, it still was too sweet for me and I almost gagged.

I had to abort my plan about running with a fuel belt. I knew I wouldn't be able to stomach it plus running with the fuel belt chafing for hours was a no go. Took one concentrated bottle just in cash which I didn't have the stomach to use ever. I had originally brought a bag of gels, etc, but ditched that too.

Not have so much to do in transition, especially making decisions in that heat. Lube up more for chafing.

The run, ah, the run. Well considering I'm not much of a runner in any event, this was particularly brutal. I set my intervals for 3 min. run/2 walk which is what I did in training, but it was hard to keep that up. After I put ice in my hat, down my bra, down my back, dumping cold water on my head it helped for about 2 seconds. The volunteers were phenomenal-out there in this heat. Yeah volunteers! Very hard mentally and had nothing to give so just walked on the return. Could not even dig any deeper. Actually missed the formal cut-off time, but finished and received my medal of courage (and stupidity?).

Probably just take the DNF considering race conditions. Not take in so much salt. Nothing I could do about not getting wet, but oy vey, the welts I have from chafing in places you can only imagine.

Went right to the medical tent because my fingers were so swollen. Wish it was as "easy" as getting an IV which there were plenty of, but the doctor urged me to go to the ER in an ambulance. I ditched the ER due to the long wait and contacted my physician in the car on the way home. I probably had too much salt. Thanks to Robert Vigorito, the race director, who moved me from the Athena division to AG because they left almost last and I would have been out on the course by myself for all those hours.


I am an Athena athlete and 54 years old. Unfortunately, after having gone to two endocrinologists after trying to lose weight with no results, they told me that I'm just one of those people with a metabolism that can't lose weight. So that is my limiting factor. I am very heavy which makes this sport tough and was never an athlete growing up. Always "the fat kid". So that said, this is what I have to work with. It's frustrating because my training time doesn't translate to much better performance because of that limiter. I am very discouraged as I signed up for IMFL this year and am highly questioning both my abilities and capacity to withstand this kind of discomfort (pain) for this length of time which will be double in Florida. Gotta think about this, but not now. Also, bringing husband and teenage son to the race was a double edged sword. My husband did drive me to the race and did drive home, but having them there was draining pre-race.


This is a well-run race. Conditions were brutal but they did the best they could.