Ironman 70.3 Augusta : Official Thread (Page 21)

Fantastic race for me too, my first HIM and beat my dream time by 1 hour. 6:31. Guess i need to dream faster? For me the supporters were the best aspect of the race!!! Lots of people were shouting my name, but not just because i'm from Augusta. (Love the names on bibs). This was the most active crowd of any race I've ever done, tri, road, swimming, etc. They fixed last year's problems of running out of ice/water but the lack of medals and changing race categories at last minute casts a shadow on the fabulous day. Sorry to all who were wronged. Friday I checked in at 2 and there were only 6 people in line...no wait at expo cash register either. Another highlight was hosting a friend whom I met via beginnertri--great to have camraderie the night before and day of and to meet some great people! So glad to be a part of this community. 

I had none of the problems I'm reading about here. Short lines, got a medal, parked wherever I wanted to, and crushed my goal time. The drill sargeant guy was funny. Looked like he could stand to run a bit though.
The spectators were awesome! I heard several folks along the run course say "thanks for coming", or "Race again next year".

Great race here also, never thought I could hit 5:10!

NO EXCUSE for running out of finisher medals!  Very sad to hear of people not getting one.

Also loved the drill sergeant guy.  I was struggling coming through on the first loop and he got me motivated...."You gotta dig down deep.  It's in there you just have to find it"

I had an awsome time. my "A" goal was to finish and I did it in 6:45..pretty excited. Knees gave up about mile 7..Big Thanks to the "Cube" and his wife Ann, I would have been lost without them. Awsome finish times for you"Cube", Ann smoked her last year time "Big CONGRATS"...Great meeting "Slayer", sucks about the clyde, but you pretty much kicked a@# in this race.
Love the guys with the spraying water, and the cop at the end, kept me going"RUN,shuffle, walk , crawl, but never stop!!", The Augusta people were awsome on the run...

I was also disappointed in the expo. Others I have been to included lots of other vendors and great deals on tri gear and clothing. All I saw was expensive IM brand with few discounts and no local retailers.

I had a great time- not the best race but a good time. I goaled myself for a sub 6. Hit that goal (5:49) even after I flatted on mile 17 on the bike.

I've proven to myself that:

*I cannot swim a straight line- at one point a kayaker had to redirect me...lol!
*Also, there were a bunch of bike newbs all in the way hogging the passing lane, I don;'t get, for a race this bug you should have to pass some sort of I can race "professionally".
*I need to improve my running game
*I'm sick of racing in the rain!!! (Nations Tri, IM Augusta)

Tweezen- If i saw you at the Ramada, I didnt know who you were... (oh and word of advice for others...stay away from the Ramada...I swear it is the land before time there!!!!)

The cop at the end was great.  I was walking (planning to start running again after I turned the last corner) and the cop (sounding, if not looking like, a Marine drill Sgt) started "urging" myself and others to run.  He began talking about how Marines run 20 miles at a time with 60 pound pack on.  If that wasn't enough to shame into running again he actually ran down to where I was and ran with me to the corner. 

"Stop looking at your watch!  Your watch can't help you!"

"You're at the corner of 10th and Reynolds!  Nobody walks at the corner of 10th and Reynolds!"

"Triathlon is swim, bike, run...not swim, bike, walk.  Lets move those legs!"  I think that cop had more fun than some of the participants.

My personal favorite "corner cop" line was, "Why are you walking?! Walking in an Ironman is like getting married and not going on a honeymoon!  Why would you do that?!!!"

My wife won a gift card to Fleet Feet N Augusta. we showed up just as they were closing and they were nice enough to stay open so she could use it. Just wanted to say thank you to them. Really nice shop. we love our Fleet Feet down here. I asked why they were not at the expo. They dont carry K Swiss so WTC wont let them in.

bummer- myself and two friends were also signed up as Athena- I was thankful I didn't go to the awards ceremony- they pulled a 5:35 & a 5:40 so I figured they had the awards and I really needed a shower.    They were pleased with their PR's but very annoyed they didn't know there wasn't an athena division as of that day!

Was our favorite cop with the Sheriff's office? Or was he with the Augusta police?

Richmond County Sheriff's Office. The City of Augusta and Richmond County consolidated in 1996, the PD ceased to exist.

Had a great weekend and race. So nice meeting many of you. Heard "Hey Cube" more then once over the weekend, nice.
GADavidRN...great hanging over the weekend, sorry we couldnt spend more time with you. Glad you had a great weekend and happy with your result. Thx for the kind words.
Every IM race I have done I was able to get there on Friday. As I said before, this is a MUST. Saturday is just a Zoo, and it takes away from the enjoyment of the event.
Total BS that they changed Div and screwed everyone in the Ath/Clid Div. I know Slayer laied it down (4:43)...crazy fast...only to get nothing?...totaly weak.
And running out of Finisher Medals?...WTF
PEM seems to cater to their HOMETOWN race 70.3 N.O. Nicer medals this year, etc. Seems like they treat the rest of their events like step children. We all need to email WTC and let them know this. If Rev3 adds a race, Im in. Not planning on returning to Augusta next year as im looking at 70.3 Miami after doing IM Lou in august.
My race:
Goal sub 5:20 (5:29 last yr) Thrilled if I could go sub 5:15
Finished: 5:10:16, 48/289 in AG. solid day thru out, on cloud nine!!

Congrats to all who toed the line.

FM
"The Cube"

Edited by The Cube 2010-09-27 10:40 PM

From st.com:Rumor has it that Rev3 may be adding another race in the southern region, not so far outside of Atlanta, around the same time frame of Augusta. Thats what I heard anyway..... Charlie www.rev3tri.com

Augusta really is a great venue for a HIM.  I hope WTC continues to keep the race there for a while. Overall I think WTC and the City of Augusta made many improvements over last year, and I am certain all of the kinks will be worked out as the city, businesses, citizens all get use to having the race each year. What I noticed the most was the locals really came out this year to support all of the athletes. That was really cool to see that kind of support.  I live in the Augusta area, and I am real proud of the Mayor and the City of Augusta for making this a top shelf event.  

If I had to say what the weakness of this race really is it would be that it's just too big.  I think keeping it down to 2200 or so would make the bike a bit more bearable.  That many people spread out over even a 56 mile loop made it pretty crowded.  Now I was in one of the last waves, so I am certain that had a lot to do with how crowded the bike course was, but even 300 less people would have been noticed.  Though it was pretty tough to avoid riding around people alot, I am sad to say that I did see a good deal of what appeared to be "partner drafting".  Not sure it was as bad as last year, but was clear in some cases to me.  Guess that's part of a large race like this as it is often overwhelming to race officials to deal with keeping that many participants in check.

If anyone comes up with this Officer's name, could you please post it?  I'd like to send him a thank you note.  I'd like him to know that he helped me get across that finish line with a smile on my face.

All of the Augusta residents should be so proud of the warm welcome you provided over the weekend! 

This was my first HIM.  I was in the last wave AG 45-49.  I was probably one of the last ones out of the water due to a technical problem (of my own causing) with my goggles.  I thought the bike course was great.  I think I only came out of the saddle twice.  There was very little bunching up and only once did I see a vehicle coming my way on the other side of the road that made me think "that's not good". 

I was very happy with the whole event.  No wrecks, no blisters, no lost toes nails, lots of soreness!

Kudos to the people of Augusta!!!

What's next?

I was 30 years old and was getting fat. I had played sports my whole life, but work and life was getting in the way. I gained 40 pounds in 3 years and nothing was changing to keep that number from climbing. I had to start taking blood pressure medication from stress and weight gain. My dad had a stroke and reality started to set in. My life needed to change. I started doing triathlons less than 1 year ago. Hadn't ridden a bike in 17 years, hadn't swam in 20 years, couldn't run more than 2 miles. I started with a sprint, did terribly. Did an olympic, did terribly. Made a goal for myself and busted it for about 10 months with dozens of frozen bike rides and runs; then into the heat of the summer, barely making it through my training sessions. In that time, I lost 50 pounds. My blood pressure dropped dramatically. I feel like my life is completely stress-free. This was my first HIM. My goal was under 7hrs and beat it by 4 minutes. Also, beat the mayor by a few seconds (I thought it was cool he raced). This has changed my life. If you saw a big dude choking up in the last mile, that was me. Triathlons have completely changed my life and being able to finish, let alone beat my goal, was even more overwhelming. I'll be back next year.

Anyone know where to find who got slots to clearwater. Just wondering how far down it rolled in my age group. I see the 70.3 in the results page but doesnt look like very many slots. I thought there were more. Only saw 2 in my age group m 35-39. If it was not raining those crowds would have been even bigger. already way more people than last year. I did actually see a marshall this year give out a couple penilties. Only saw one early on the bike first 12 miles. They could use a few more. I didnt see to much organized drafting this year. It was so packed the last few miles we were kind of stuck together. Still no pace lines or anything. I really love this bike course even in the rain you could fly. For a Fla boy it is a treat to come play in the hills.

I had a great expereince and the city of Augusta was great in supporting this event.

The only damper is I started in wave 22 or 23. Add this with a 7:08 finish time and that means no finisher medal for this guy. I am extremely pissed about this!! I paid $250 8 months ago. There is no excuse for not having a medal for me or any of the others of us who finished. I'm sure they will get the medal to me, but I this this is poor race management. It's not like it is the first ever race these people have organized.