IM 70.3 WC Race Report - Solid Execution

So I’ve finally managed to sit down and write out my race report from the Ironman 70.3 WC that occurred in Mont Tremblant, QC on 7 Sep 14. Yes, yes I know I am a little behind.

So this year was a little different as the Canadian Armed Forces(CAF) had started a Long Course Triathlon Team and those of us who qualified on our own got to race supported by the CAF. There were five of us racing. Dave, Alex, Nick, Robert, and myself. In addition to the athletes we had Michel looking after us for the weekend. Claudia and I flew into Ottawa on Wednesday and spent the night at my parents in Ottawa. On Thursday morning we hit the road early and made the ~2hr drive to Tremblant. We settled in at the Chalet and then headed into town for athlete check-in and a light swim for me. We had rented this amazing chalet about 10km from Tremblant as my parents and oldest sister were also coming down to watch the race.

Our amazing home for the wknd!

Thursday – I hit the water early for a light swim and then followed that up with a light ride later in the day. I mostly tried to stay off my feet and get some rest.

Friday –I did a light swim and then took it easy for the remainder of the day. In the evening we had the athlete dinner and all the CAF athletes got to sit in the VIP area together which was quite nice.

These folks paid us a few visits at the Chalet.

Saturday – I did the typical D-1 race prep but due to the rain I changed it up a bit. I did a light swim in the morning and directly followed that with a run. Once the rain had subsided in the early afternoon I did a light ride and then proceeded to bike check-in.

Hanging out with my amazingly supportive wife before the race!

Race morning was quite uneventful and we were thankful for the bus transportation to the race start. I was in the first AG to start and we hit the water at 08:12.

Swim 29:33. The swim start was chaotic to say the least and I managed to get kicked multiple times and had to fix my goggles a few times within the opening 200m. By the time we hit the first turn buoy the field had spread out enough that there was a little room to manoeuvre. I was able to get a good draft for a good portion of the course and was happy to be exiting the water in under 30 minutes and now have a new PB of 29:33.

Thankfully the fog dispersed before the start.

After the long transition (which took almost 5 minutes) I was onto the bike.

Bike 2:20:33 

I thought the bike would be cold but it was quite comfortable. I was able to settle into a solid pace and quickly noticed athletes bunching (drafting) instead of riding legally. I didn't realize the extent of drafting until shortly before the turn around on the highway. Shortly before the turn around a group of 40 or so riders was heading back the other way. I was pretty frustrated with the blatant drafting but pushed my frustration aside to focus on my own race. The last section of the course was by far the hardest. VI of 1.03. First Half: 239W Avg, 247W NP. Second Half: 236W Avg, 246W Avg. This was by far my best executed ride of the year.

The last descent before the hardest section of the course!

Run 1:21:50 I knew the run would be tough, but didn't realize how tough it was going to be. The hills were pretty much relentless, though thankfully most of them were just rollers...that is with the exception of the section in town. I was able to hold a strong pace throughout and averaged 3:50/km on the first loop and 3:51/km on the second loop. Though this was not the fastest run of the year it was the most consistent.

Heading out for the best part of any race...the run!

Overall 4:17:37. 130^th overall, 19^th in M30-34 and top 100 amateur. Totally satisfied with the result. 

Post Race Pic w/ the Awesome Trevor Wurtele

Overall this was a first quality race and it was by far my best executed race of the season. I look forward to racing this course again next year…presuming the CAF is provide slots.

Others highlights of the weekend (besides hanging out with the wife, my parents, and oldest sister) was checking in with the crew from A-1 Imports (Cdn Distributor for Compressport) and of course checking out the 2015 Argon 18 E-118 at the Argon 18 booth at the Expo!