IM 70.3 WC & My 1st WC Race!
September 9 2017
Chattanooga hosted the Ironman 70.3 Womens Triathlon World Championship and I had the privilege to race in my own hometown championship race. Something else that is special about this race is it was the 1st time that they separated the men from the women to race on different daysEver since completing the race, I have received lots of questions about what actually took place, so this race report is a way of answering those questions, for those who are curious, interested or may care.
If you are familiar with what this race is about, skip to the race report, for those who want to know more about it, read on.
What is a 70.3 triathlon? It is also termed a "half-ironman". So, you may hear the race refereed to by both terms because they are the same thing. Consisting of a 1.2 miles swim (this one took place in the Tennessee River), at 56 mile bike ride (this one climbed up Lookout Mountain) followed by a half marathon or 13.1 miles of running.
It's also a race, where athletes are competing to complete the race in the fastest time. The fastest women in my age group are finishing the 70.3 miles in under 5 hours.
If you want to compete in a World Championship race, one must "qualify". That means racing a qualifying race during said season and placing in the to 1-4 of your age group. My qualifying race was Augusta last September. I hadn't ever cared about racing worlds until they announced it was happening in my home town. At that point I said "hell yeah I wanna do it!" So I worked my butt off, persevered, set my sights on the goal & made the podium after just a few months of hard training.
This would never be possible without the love and support from my husband Stephen and my family. Please know how much I love you ALL from the bottom of my heart.
Here's how it all played out
The pre-race festivities were beyond what I imagined. From the welcome dinner on Thursday night to the Parade of Nations, Chattanooga was alive with vibrant energy and color. Chattanooga hosted over 4500 athletes from 91 different countries. Even the Prince of Bahrain was here.
We rented a condo overlooking the race expo & transition so I was as close as possible. With a view of the river, we were able to walk just a few yards to get anywhere we needed to go. Logistically it was perfect. The weather was amazing with low humidity, clear skies and temperatures in the 50-70 range.
Day before the race:
Bike and transition bags had to be checked in. Nothing in transition so all our gear had to be in bags. This includes helmet, shoes, anything needed for biking or running.This is the most stressful part of the process for me. If you forget something, then you are forced to race without it. Preparation for this step happens weeks before to make sure you don't miss anything.
Once this arduous task was completed, Stephen & I relaxed on the balcony, had a light supper and then I went to bed early & thankfully had a good night sleep.
Race Morning
I woke up energized & ready! Loadebar for breakfast!!! After a brief warm up & filling of the water bottles on my bike, I gathered round with friends & shared in the warm positive energy & excitement of the day. This was one of the best feelings in the world! I was about to race a world championship race, here at home with the best of the best in the sport!!!
The Swim
Due to water temperature, much to our delight, the officials announced it was wet-suit legal.The 40-44 women (my AG) was the first to start. Over 220 of us gathered on the dock awaiting the gun to go off. With a rolling start, 10 ladies dove into the water every 7 seconds. It was a smooth process & I was easily able to find my stroke without fighting for it. At the first turn buoy, I made the mistake of swimming wide, planning to avoid the upstream current by swimming close to shore. Because of the caliber of race, TVA had turned off the flow, so this tactic ended up hurting me. When I realized the pack of swimmers was moving faster than I was, I swam hard to get back to the pack. Once there, the swim went perfectly. No problems. No kicks to the face or elevated HR, no near drowning experiences. It was text book perfect. I was too warm in the wet-suit. There is NO DOUBT that I lost a few minutes to that wide turn.
Swim time: 37:05 & 98th in division.T-1 went smooth, the set-suit strippers had me stripped down & I was flying towards my bike in just a few seconds.
The Bike
Riding my bike is one of my all time favorite things to do. Maybe that is why this was such a frustration portion of the race for me. Just wait, it's coming...
We hit the 4 mile climb up Lookout Mountain via Ochs Highway at mile 5 on the bike. The climb went well, in fact I hit a PR on it. The ride across Lula Lake was spectacular! We had a tail wind & I was able to hit my numbers no problem. I even got PRs on all the smaller climbs along the way. Everything felt great, nutrition was dialed in, head was in the game, legs were cooperating...until it wasn't.
The descent where we came down the mountain via hwy 136 (PR'd that too) was congested at the bottom due to a semi-truck blocking the road! That means 20-30 women on time trial bikes riding at apx 40-50 mph had to slam on their brakes to avoid him. When the truck stopped at the stop sign at the bottom of the hill, we all had to stop too. GRRRRRR...
Whatever good vibes had been flowing came to a screeching halt and I was hit in the face with a bag of negative emotions. "How did this happen?!?" Once the truck was merrily on his way he left behind a pack of hungry cougars in his wake, teeth grinding, venom spitting, eyes glaring, literal growling taking place. If you can imagine 25 of the most competitive, aggressive, confident & fit women riding together jockeying for position, this was THAT!
Gone was the sweet purr of the happy place on the bike with tail winds & target wattage. Over the next 4-20 miles we had to find a rhythm, maintain pace & wattage without surging or drafting. No small task. But a perfect race would be too boring. I surged ahead several times until I finally found a spot on the road I could claim comfortably the rest of the ride.
Even though the marshal's did an excellent job of controlling drafting. There was drafting happening. To avoid the drafting, I found myself having to slow down A LOT on this portion of the road. There was a head wind, it was getting hot and I couldn't maintain my goal wattage without being in the draft zone of the girls ahead of me & trying to pass them would cost me burning matches that I did not want to burn at this point. So I settled in at a less than desired power & rationalized it by telling myself that "You'll just have a better run now". I REALLY wished a marshal had driven by during those last 30 miles. Oh well. It was a low point both mentally & physically of the day, but as with all low points, you just manage what you can, control what you can control & keep going.
The ride finished safely and during the ride I moved up 40 spots to 58th.
Bike Time 2:57:43. Avg 19 MPH.
T-2 was uneventful. Volunteers were helpful in directing traffic. Visor, shoes & racebelt on & out the chute.
Run
Running through the cheering crowds is a highlight of any race. During the 1st mile I checked my Garmin pace to assure I didn't over cook it, took in water, let Coach know I was feeling awesome, slapped a few hands & then focused on the task ahead. The course was 2 laps around Chattanooga including 3 hills, Battery Place, Barton Avenue & Young St. Hitting each hill twice for a total of 6 brutal hills makes it the most challenging run course ever. My plan was to run the 1st lap at a conservative pace of 8 min mile, then as long as I felt good, pick the pace up on the 2nd lap. Water at every aid station, one in the mouth & one on the body to stay cool. I took in 3 energy gels, one at mile 3, 6 & 9. Everything went smoothly. I didn't even trip & bust my face or my ass on the Walnut street bridge (it happens!!)
I have nothing to report except that the plan was executed exactly as I had hoped. The volunteers were superb, I was able to see fellow Chattanooga Triathlon Club athletes, FX Multisport Athletes, my mom & dad, and the powerful TCGA energy wall at the finish line. Having my husband Stephen medal me at the finish line was the perfect ending to my race & made it extra special!
Run Time: 1:41 with an avg pace of 7:47 for 13.1 miles & ran up 22 spots into division rank 36
Final time: 5:22:51
I feel good about this race for my 1st attempt at a World Championship Race. Thanks to my Coach Slayer for getting me ready. It's been a good year!
Special thanks to the volunteers that made this day possible! Especially: the folks that I remember specifically having a hand in my day.
David Storm
Jack McClarty
Jamie Ann Phillips
Deleslyn Mitchell
Dustin Flemming
Brian Weihn
Nathan Lawyer
My only regret is that I didn't get to meet Mark Allen or Dave Scott. But hopefully I will accomplish this in Kona in 1 month.
Hopefullly Sunday's race was inspiring to the locals and my message is aligned with the Ironman slogan, "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!"
Thanks to sponsors East Ridge Bicycles for all my Cervelo & cycling needs. Also to
Glace Cryotherapy, Sisu Sauna, Loadebar, Base Performance for helping to get me through this season.
