This race report is going to be hard to keep concise, lots of thoughts but I'll do my best. I signed up for Racine on a whim last fall as part of a "double-deal" to ensure I was able to register for IMWI. I hadn't done much research, but figured the experience would be similar to Milwaukee and with the IRONMAN brand behind the race that it would be well run and in an attractive location. Since JR and Ronda were likely in, it was going to be a fun weekend.
That whole preface makes this seem like it was a bad weekend. Allow me to clarify, it was a good weekend full of positives. However, there were a few key elements that made it clear this was not going to be an annual race. Let's start with a few of the good...
It's always good to spend time with friends while pursuing the things we love to do. Without the company of friends, this weekend would've been entirely different. Next, as with most IRONMAN branded races, there were a ton of volunteers and everyone was very supportive. The race itself was well run as we expected and the swim and transition locations were great! Given the weather conditions (choppy cold swim, windy and hot bike/run), I had a great race (I'll get to that, I promise). Lastly, a successful triathlon weekend is highly unlikely without Kristin's iron-mate support, this weekend was no exception, she was over the top supportive even when I was stressed and grumpy before the race and when I was suffering out on the run course.
What made the weekend a downer, aside from rolling up to the hotel in the middle of a tornado warming, was the general lack of a host city environment. I think it is good that IRONMAN produces races in areas like Racine, but it definitely seemed like the overall infrastructure for hosting a 70.3 was missing. Not a lot of hotels near the race (we were practically back in Illinois) and very few restaurants. Maybe I am spoiled from Madison and AG Nationals in Milwaukee. The other notable and rather significant drag on the race itself was the horrible road conditions. There were so many seams and cracks in the road, it made finding one's rhythm practically impossible. I promise I won't complain about it anymore, but the mind and body took a beating out there.
On to the race itself, athlete check-in was smooth as expected, but our bikes got to sit through a tornado warned storm due to mandatory bike check-in on Saturday. Thankfully Kristin reminded me to bring extra plastic bags and I was able to cover my power meter and dérailleurs. We went back to the hotel (30 minute drive later), checked in durning the previously meantioned tornado warning, and waited out the storm. Once the weather cleared I knocked out a quick shake-out run and we went to have the pre-race favorite: burger with an egg and a spotted cow beer. Tasty.
Race morning came early! Up at 4:30am and packed up the car, grabbed a quick breakfast, and drove the 30 minutes back to the race. Cue another nomination for Ironmate of the year. As we were walking down to transition, I realized I forgot my bike pump. In a panic, JR texted Kristin and she ran down with it. Turns out that I didn't need it, so it was a huge hassle for nothing. Sorry and thanks, Kristin! It took me forever to get set up in transition, not sure why. We walked the mile to the swim start while eating a PB&J PowerBar (amazing!), found some shade, and waited an hour for my wave to be marshaled into the starting pen.
The water was cold but refreshing. We took off straight into the choppy water but quickly started getting pushed off course. I managed to get away with 2 others, and by the time we turned at 400yds we were already catching stragglers from the heat before us. About 200yds further our group split due to the chaos of passing the slower swimmers of the earlier waves. When I passed the halfway buoy, I checked my watch, 1:13/100yds. I was having a great swim. It was hard to tell with the chop, so I was pleasantly surprised. I focused on keeping my stroke rate up to cut the choppy water while keeping things smooth. I was on the beach before I knew it. When I had a chance to look at my watch, it showed 27:30, one of my fastest! [Strava Swim]
T1 was a blur. I miscounted the rows of bikes and ended up in the wrong aisle, thankfully I was at the end and it didn't hurt me too much. I was happy to see that my HR was lower than it typically is after the swim, which likely meant a faster bike. Out of T1 and up to the mount line, which sits on a nice 3-5% grade.
Ka-thunk. That's the bike leg in one sound. Once I made it up the climb out of transition and out on to
the first main road, that was basically it. I did my best to just put the bit between my teeth and ride, adjusting my aerobars every few miles from them "sinking" forward. I followed my power goal and repeated "on your left" for the next 2 hours. It was nice to have a consistent stream of people to pass, but when you need to pass someone who is passing someone who is passing someone, it gets a little tricky. I grabbed a bottle of water at each aid station, hosed myself down, took a big swig, and kept riding. Eventually the heat, wind, and the inconsistent powering by people started to drain on me. The bag that I put my salt tabs in leaked, rendering them useless. I tried to use them still but failed to even get what was left of the capsules out of the bag. Oops. Thankfully, the PowerGels that I mixed in my water bottles helped offset the electrolyte hole. Finally we made one of the last turns and rode the last 5 miles of super bumpy roads. I was losing my patience with the roads at this stage and just wanted to be off the bike. The course would end up being a mile long, but I still nearly PR'd my HIM bike split. [Strava Bike]
T2 was quick. Basically rack my bike, throw on socks and shoes, grab everything else and run. I saw Kristin on the other side and that made me happy. Usually I am so in the zone (or suffering) that I miss her in the crowds.
Post race was blessed by a dip in the cold lake, so refreshing! We packed up and made it back just in time to see JR and Ronda finish. We grabbed more finisher food, a picture together, and hit the road. We finally got home around 9pm. What a weekend...
Thanks to my good friends and teammates for racing with me, to Kristin for her unwavering support, to Michigan Awesome and PowerBar for being great sponsors, and to each of you for reading.
Keep dreaming!
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