Race Report: Florida Ironman 70.3

The season has started off with a bang. First, I had my first running race, the National Half Marathon, where I ran a kick-ass PR. Now, it is on to six races in six weeks, and the first is the longest and hardest. Yep, the wife and I traveled down to Orlando, Florida, for the Florida Ironman 70.3, half-Iron distance triathlon. This was only the second 70.3 triathlon we have done and our first Ironman-branded event. The event was held on Disney property, with the bulk of it at the Fort Wilderness location. This was a crazy hard race, and a great experience, so here we go!

For details on the non-race aspects of this trip, check out my Travel Log, where it is all documented.

We drove over to the Magic Kingdom and parked where they told us to, in the Grumpy/Dopey lots (gotta love the naming convention). We got on the shuttle buses and had a five-to-ten minute drive to the race location at Fort Wilderness. This was really a very short distance on the road and then just up the main drive of the property. We headed to registration around 11am and left our bikes in the truck, as bike check-in would not open until 1pm. We checked in and found the Ironman process very well organized and easy. The race shirts are decent (not the best, nor the worst, I've gotten) and the swag bag was about average as well. The Ironman Village, basically an expo so you can buy things, was decent but not huge...Ironman was the only vendor and you can get anything with a M-Dot on it, be that M-Dot red (140.6) or black (70.3). We bought a couple shirts. We then checked out the area, found the swim start, and then took the bus back to the parking lot to get our bikes. We rode them on the same path and got to check-in right away. The setup here was where you had an assigned rack but could take any available stall on that rack. Mine was ALL the way in the back which got me to the run-out very quickly but required a lot of running with my bike, as the bike-out was all the way on the other side. This open-racking plan was not ideal as the racks were crazy-crowded and people that got there later moved bikes to give themselves better spots (the wife grabbed an ideal end slot and then showed up to see her bike moved over and two others on the end)...I'm sorry but if you do that, you're a jackass. Anyway, we hung around for the briefing, which was helpful, and then walked back to the truck. We relaxed a bit, got ourselves a good Italian dinner (again, check out the Travel Log), and headed off to bed.

Up at 4am, drove to the same parking lot, and got off the bus...to pouring down rain and lots of lightening. Seriously? It is not supposed to rain in the mornings in Florida. And it did. Pouring and nasty. This reminded us of the Disney Marathon in 2010, where we ran in the coldest recorded temperature ever on that day. Crap. We set up our transition areas and huddled with the masses until the storm broke. They delayed the race about 20min and when they did start, the sky was beautiful and the weather was perfect. So that was good. They introduced the pros (Andy Potts!) and sent them off. Cin started before me and then I went a few waves later, in the absolute last wave. Ugh.

My swim went decent, considering. The water temps were in the mid 80s, so wetsuits were not allowed. I am dependent on my wetsuit, as my natural swimming form is less than ideal. Without it, I'm considerably slower. So the race starts and I eventually find my groove. I passed a number of people from earlier waves and did a really good job with sighting this time, something I usually struggle with. I ended up with a 43min swim time, which is actually pretty good for me. Without a wetsuit, this was great. :) I ran the long (~0.25mi) distance to T1 and got my bike stuff on quickly. I had left my stuff in my transition bag, so it was all dry, and this was a great choice. I grabbed my bike and off I went.

This is an awesome bike course. It is almost all flat and the "hilly" sections are nothing compared to Howard County. I spent a good 90% of the race in my aerobars and that was a good decision as there was a significant headwind for a good portion of the race. I only carried my two waterbottles and did one bottle swap about 40mi in to the course, which resulting in me drinking less that I should have, which is something I need to fix for next time. I used a couple of GU energy gels and they went down fine. I ended up with a 3:04 on the bike, averaging 18.2mph, which is really good for me, especially considering the headwind. I pulled into transition, racked my bike (into a different space as someone had grabbed the one I was on before...geez), and headed out on the run.

This run was burtal. Simply brutal. The 13.1mi course was a three-loop deal and each loop had a mix of paved road with no shade, packed grass next to water with no shade, and paved road with some shade. My first loop went well. I walked through all four aid stations and consumed a lot of water and Ironman Perform (the IM-branded energy drink...tastes just like Gatorade). The aid stations on the run were awesome...best I've ever seen, fully stocked with all sorts of drink, snacks, gels, etc...awesome show by some awesome volunteers. On the second loop, I also did OK but ended up walking more after the aid stations. By the third loop, the heat set in and I ended up walking over half the loop. The just-about-90deg temperature, lack of shade, and packed grass path, added up to horrid conditions that took all of the energy (and water) out of me. When I got to the last aid station on that third loop, I somehow managed to run some more and made it in, running, slowly but still running, to the finish line. 2:30...not a good time for me, but with that heat, I'll take it! 13.1mi in brutal heat...complete. 70.3mi on a crazy day...complete.

I waited for the wife to finish and she came in looked about how I did, exhausted after a brutal run. Her swim was really good, her bike good as well, and her run just as brutal as mine. After done, we ate a good amount of the pizza they provided, drank a lot of water, and calmed our bodies down, before picking up our bikes and riding them back to the parking lot. We packed them up and headed out, sooooo happy to be done with this race.

Florida Ironman 70.3. This race was very hard. The rain at the beginning was annoying but not a minus to our race performance. The swim went fine, for a non-wetsuit one, and was very well marked and easy to follow. The bike went very well, and is a fast/flat course. The run was brutal, especially the section on the packed grass. All-in-all, the heat was killer, something that is apparently common at this race based on what I heard from the other competitors. The race was very well produced and this made our first experience with the Ironman brand very positive. I would recommend this race to anyone looking for a 70.3, especially those that are good on flat bike courses, as long as you can race well in the heat...you cannot escape it and it is a major factor here. Ironman...well done.

Mission accomplished.