Ironman 70.3 Augusta Recap

Sep 25, 2023

Pre Race:

With this being the second of back to back races, goal here was recovery. Spent a few extra days in Traverse City enjoying the area. Swam in a great lake, rode to a light house, played some Pokemon Go. Good stuff. Then it was off to Augusta where I got a tiny minihome airbnb. Perfect for what I needed. Started the race fully recovered with only some mild achillies pain and a tight hip. Nothing I would notice on race day.

The Swim: 8th in 21:47

Downriver swim puts a lot people into the race that would usually be off the back. Ah well. Part of the game. Got out well but missed the breakaway again so it was another sit in the pack and save energy. Some folks kept fighting for position. Kind of frustrating. Calm down guys. Unless you can bridge the gap, sit in and work together. Stop causing chaos!

The Bike: 14th in 2:09:08

Made up for Michigan's crappy T1 with a blistering T1 here. I think I was 5th man onto the bike course which I was quite happy with. Rolled up 2 guys quickly and power felt easy. Unfortunately the riders up the road were too strong for me to ride down. Decided to keep riding my pace and let the massive group of guys I came out of the water with catch me. Or not. Apparently half my group rode down the wrong road for 10 miles so it ended up being a solo ride with a couple brave assists from Austin. The big group of slow swimmers/fast runners caught us about 15k from the finish. Worst case scenario as it meant I would have to put together a strong run after riding with my face in the wind for most of the bike leg.

The Run: 5th in 1:14:12

"Its not as bad as it looks" was the phrase used at the briefing to describe the run. They lied. The twisty, confusing course layout made it difficult to find a rhythm which I never managed to do. Felt better than Michigan so I put down the hammer early. Big mistake. Ari made the pass at about 10k and Matt got me with 4k to go. Dug real deep. Should've drank more on the bike as I melted in the heat. Struggled to walk post race.

Overall: 7th in 3:49:47

More of the same. Big expectations and fell flat. On top of that, the achillies has become nearly unmanageable after the Michigan/Augusta double. Its starting to feel like off season... which I'm honestly feeling needs to happen.