Ironman North America Championships
Swim:
The male pros started off at 6:25am so I jumped in the water at 6:15 to get in a good 10 minute warm up. My body felt good warming up. The water was 81 degrees so it was non wetsuit legal. I was calm and prepared to have a good swim in a rather large field of 50 guys. I had a decent start and found myself surround by a large pack. That large pack dwindled to about a group of 7-8 guys. The water was murky and was difficult to draft. I tried to swim in the group but felt like I was expending too much energy trying to stay in the group. That being said, I moved to the outside and swam solo next to the group for most of the swim. The last 20 percent of the swim I felt my endurance fading. I've been spending the last couple weeks working on speed and good form which has been going really well. I've been hitting the pool just about every day. My swim sessions have been all between 3,000-4,000 max for the last 3 weeks. Looking back I know I need to start adding in some longer swim sessions. Overall I was really happy to exit the water in less than 8 minute back from the leader in my BlueSeventy PZ4TX swimskin. This was one of my better swims at the Ironman distance. My Swim time was 56:41.
Bike:
Onto the bike I immediately felt good! I pushed hard for the first 90 minutes on the bike averaging well over 300 watts on my Stages power meter. I started catching and passing a lot of guys on the bike but decided to start dialing it back because this was not a course where anyone could get away. With 94 miles and nearly 90 turns no one could really get away. I did go to the front multiple times on some straight aways but it just seemed pointless given the circumstances and how many people were in the group. I eventually sat in 3rd position while Jordan Rapp lead the front. I am very cautious about not drafting so I made sure I always had plenty of space between me and the next rider. With that being said, multiple people would see that there was a slight space in front of me and pass me and then try to slip in. One rider that did this even got a penalty. This kept pushing me further and further back in the group because I am a cautious rider.
As I dismounted I was in a group of about 14 guys. Andrew Starkowkiz was the only guy who rode away. He had about a 14 minute lead on all of us. Unfortunately Starky had a pinched nerve on the run was was unable to finish. If he would have finished he was have had the fastest bike split of 3:25 which would be equivalent to a 4:04 for 112 miles. Since Andrew didn't finish, his time officially doesn't count which means I ended up with the fastest bike split of the day. I rode a 3:31:47 for 94.3 miles which would be equivalent to a 4:11:30 for 112 miles.
When I got off the bike I felt really good. I ended up changing into my American flag run shorts, a Skechers run top and my Skechers GoRUN 4 shoes.
Run: 2:48:17. Second fastest run Split
Since I had a slower transition I exited T2 in 13th place. By mile five I ran up to Terenzo who was in 3rd place. We ran together for a few minutes as I continued on. At mile 8 I passed Starky who was walking at the time due to his pinched nerve. He was a class act as he stopped to cheer me on. The first 8 miles I had averaged 6:07 pace. This was the fastest I've ever gone out in a full Ironman. I was getting time splits from the leader and his lead was growing. At that point I decided to just focus on staying strong and keeping on the gas because I knew there were some fast runners behind me. The second lap I slowed down to a 6:26 pace. On the last lap I was feeling the heat and was getting more and more dehydrated but pressed on as I knew Matt Hanson was a fast runner and still charging. With about 2 miles to go I heard I had about a 2 minute lead on 3rd. I decided to not kill myself for the last couple miles. My last lap was 6:41 pace and I finished up in a time of 2:48:17 (2nd fastest run split) to take 2nd place overall to Patrick Lange. With temps right around 90 degrees, the hot sun and high humidity, you can't possibly stay hydrated out there when you're pushing your body to the limit. I will say I had NO cramping thanks to BASE salts! With those brutal conditions, there were a number of athletes who struggled. I tip my hat to Matt Hanson (last years winner) for putting it all out there. He ended up having some complications but gave it his best effort and I respect that. The thing about Ironman racing is it's never over until you cross that line and you do need good luck on your side for a good day to unfold. This is part of the sport where there are highs and lows. Congrats to Patrick Lange for the overall win and Terenzo Bozzone finishing 3rd.
Stats:
Weight: 170 pounds at 5'11.
Longest run in the last month: 16 miles (6 days out from the race)
Longest bike ride in the last month: 4 hours and 30 minutes
Longest training day in the last month: 6 hours
Hours of training the last 7 days leading up: 24 hours
Kona slot: punched!
Sponsors:
Swim: Blue Seventy
Bike: NA
Wheels: Knight Wheels
Power: Stages
Hydration bottles: Torhans
Nutrition: BASE Performance
Running: Skechers GORUN 4 Shoes
Helmet & Sunglasses: Rudy Project
Cycling Kit: Castelli SanRemo Suit SS
Running Kit: Skechers