Andrew Yoders RR for Eagleman....

I think this is a great recap of the Eagleman 70.3.  Young phenom Andrew Yoder will be a great contender in the next few years:

(Link)





PBN Team Member, Andrew Yoder, wrapped up a very busy, 3-race/4-week stretch which included a win at the Columbia Triathlon, 3rd o'all at the Kansas 70.3 & culminated w/ an impressive 3rd place o'all at the Eagleman 70.3 in Cambridge, MD. He was kind enough to share his thoughts on the race below....

Follow Andrew on Twitter: http://twitter.com/andrewyodertri

Ironman 70.3 Eagleman – July 13^th 2010
Cambridge, Maryland
Race Totals:   4:00:38
Swim: 27:11
Bike: 2:05:10 (26.8mph avg)
Run: 1:25:54 (6:33 per mile avg)
Complete race results posted here.

With Eagleman being my second 70.3 in back to back weekends, I was definitely nervous going into the race. I finally had a solid 70.3 in Kansas the week prior but on Monday I was paying the price for laying it all on the line. I could not even imagine racing another 70.3 six days later but my coach Matt Dixon reassured me that by mid week my body would come around. Sure enough by Wednesday I was feeling better and training well. By Thursday, I had forgotten about Kansas & was pumped for Eagleman.

The pro field at Eagleman was very deep with many strong long course athletes such as Terenzo Bozzone, Richie Cunningham, Victor Z, Philip Graves, to name a few. The course was also going to be a serious challenge for me as it is pancake flat and hot. I ride well on hilly courses and typically struggle when I’m faced with flat courses. So this race was very important to prove to myself that I can ride well on any course.

Race morning greeted us with clear sky’s and warm temperatures. The forecast was calling for temperatures in the 90’s so I made sure I was hydrating constantly with EFS before and during the race. I felt good on my warm up and my head was in good space as we lined up for the swim start. It was a wide starting area and I found a great spot on the far left of the field right beside Terenzo and Phil. My plan was to stay in the main pack and these two guys were sure to be in that group. Fortunately, I had a strong swim start and settled into 2nd position beside Phil. David Kahn broke away early and there was no chance we would catch him. The pace stayed steady for the remainder of the swim with no real issues as I stayed right at the front. As we exited the water, it was a solid group of six that included all the major players.

Swim Total: 27:11

T1: :59

Bike (56mi):

I was happy with my position heading onto the bike and my plan WAS to ride with the group for the opening miles. BUT, I seemed to find my legs quickly and moved to the front setting a solid pace. When I realized I had opened up a 10-15 second gap, I decided to up the tempo and see if I could get away. I rode as aggressively and strong as I could but was having a hard time putting any serious time into the guys right behind.

Phil and Terenzo were chasing hard so I had to either give one more effort or fall back into the group. I put my head down and rode for a good 10 minutes before I looked back and was very relieved to see no one. With the cord snapped, I set my sights on David who was putting together an amazing ride. He was hard to reel in and when I caught him, I knew I had to go by strong. After passing and dropping David, I started to calm down and settle into my tempo and nutrition plan. Since the course was flat and lonely, I switched gears every 10 minutes to work different muscles. This seemed to help make the time pass by quicker and by mile 40, I got a split that I had opened up a 4 minute gap to the chase pack. I was surprised but also extremely excited. The high didn’t last long though as my legs were starting to fatigue. Another concern was that I began to over heat which was a first in a race for me, but conditions were getting very warm.

Bike Nutrition:
EFS: ~45oz (~430cal)
EFS Liquid Shot: ~2.5oz
Plain Water: ~20oz

Bike Nutrition Totals (+/-):

• Calories: 632 (301 per hour)
• CHO: 158g
• Sugar: 97g
• Sodium: 2130mg (1014mg per hour)
• Potassium: 870mg

Bike Total: 2:05:10 (fastest bike split)

T2: 1:24

Run (13.1mi):

After a LONG final few miles on the bike, I dismounted to find that my running legs were shot:


Leaving T2
*All photos courtesy of Ryan McGrath


Terenzo chasing Graves out of T2, 3:50 down on Andrew.

I didn’t dwell on it and told myself to focus on the first mile and get some calories in. I was able to run the first two miles strong but by the time I reached the open and shadeless part of the run course, I began to self destruct. I hit the mile 3 aid station taking as much fluid and ice as I could. The mental demons started to appear and I began to consider dropping out. I had no power or energy and with 9 miles to go I was already in the hurt box.

I stopped at the next aid station trying to refuel and get my act together. I walked for a minute to see if that would help and when I started to run again I felt a little better. Right around mile 6 I walked again and looked back to see Terenzo only a few hundred meters back. As I moped past my friend and great photographer Larry Rosa on the side of the road, I told him that I had nothing left. He yelled back “Yes you do” and for some reason that switched on a different light bulb. I may not have had my legs but I could still suck it up and get myself to the finish.

I hit the turnaround and saw a long line of runners stretched out behind me. I decided to block them out and focus on my race and keep a steady pace. It took Terenzo another mile and a half to catch me. When he came by, his encouragement helped pick my a pace up but once he dropped me I started to falter again. Around 9 miles I began to fall apart again and was worried that physically I would not be able to get the finish. I “shuffled” as fast as I could to get back to the shaded part of the run course but could feel I was losing steam. With a little over a mile to go, James Cotter ran past me, pushing me back to 3rd. Having him out in front gave me some motivation to keep moving and after what seemed like an eternity, I reached the finish holding onto the final podium spot…



Run Total: 1:25:54 (6:33 per mile avg)

Race Totals: 4:00:38 (3^rd o’all)


Brian Shea & Andrew - Nothing like an icy, post-race 'recovery' Pepsi



Relaxing in the 'PBN Ice-pool' (L>>R): Sam Warriner (1st place), Kelly Lawrence, Tim Marr (15th), James Cotter (2nd), Andrew Yoder (3rd) & Terenzo Bozzone (1st)

It seems overly dramatic but  the day was emotionally draining. The conditions made everyone struggle and it was truly a dogfight out there. It was more than just speed, it was about surviving and overcoming your doubts and fears. Even though I fell to 3rd, I feel this race was my best performance this year given what my body gave me. It was by far the toughest race and I’ve never had to dig that deep before. I learned that some days the best thing you can do is to keep moving forward and never quitting. A day later, I’m so happy that I didn’t stop because I learned how far you can push your body.

Thanks to Vigo, Jerry and the rest of the CTA crew for putting on a great race. A HUGE thank you to all the volunteers on the run course who helped get me through the run, not just with coke and ice but with your encouragement. Without you, it would have been a lonely run. I also want to thank Jim O’Connor who is prepping for his 1st Ironman in Lake Placid & shared some FANTASTIC accommodations at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay & my nutrition coach, Brian Shea, for relinquishing his VERY comfortable bed for less-than-5-star sleeping conditions on our floor

Lastly, thank you to my great sponsors Trek, K-Swiss, 1st Endurance, PBN (Personal Best Nutrition), Oakley, Aquasphere and my coach Matt Dixon, of Purple Patch Fitness.

Congrats to everyone who raced yesterday and endured the tough conditions. It was definitely not a fast day but very satisfying at the finish.

I still have three more races in the next 5 weeks with Philadelphia, Life Time Fitness and Vineman 70.3. Train hard, recover harder and see you at the races!

-Andrew