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4th Pro-Elite / 5th Overall

Swim: 30:52 / Bike: 2:25:18 / Run: 1:38:02

Finish Time: 4:37:18

Woke up at 4:30 after driving down the day before. I always love going down to Austin. The beautiful scenery and town make all my visits a true pleasure.

Bike drop-off was required the day before just like at Ironman. Lots of competitors and many things going on make this a much more convenient way to kick things off...even for the athletes.

After I dropped things off...I made my way around the venue and had a look around. My initial thought was..."This is going to be one tough day". In every direction I looked; all downhill downhill....which meant we would be doing a bit of climbing right from the start. The swim exit was about 200 meters downhill from transition. Nothing like getting a little pep in your step right after the swim.... Yeah buddy...I couldn't wait!

The swim went just like I wanted it too. I made a quick jump at the start and left the commotion behind me. For the most part....this would be a solo swim. Tyler pulled around me after a couple hundred meters and it seemed he was swimming at a pace I wanted to be at. So what did I do???....I pulled in behind him and sat there until the first turn buoy. This gave me a chance to relax and open up the arms.

After about 10 minutes...I moved passed my good friend with hopes he would jump on. Well, he didn't and we split apart. The next 20 minutes or so I was all alone and so was Tyler. The next athlete in front of me was up about 50 seconds and nobody near Tyler which was now 30 seconds or so back...

In the end...I expended as little energy as I wanted too. A perfect swim and I couldn't have been happier with my effort. While the swim seemed a tad long...everyone had to swim the same distance so I could have cared less...

Total Swim Time: 30:52 / 1:35 per 100 meters

Bike:

The bike is what I was looking forward too and now it was time to enjoy the day. Training in the heat has helped my prep. It was a tad overcast which made the early parts of the ride virtually beautiful in my mind. There was one athlete ahead of me...and ended up catching up with him 10 minutes into the ride. Anyway...he hung out for a while but eventually he backed off and I never saw him again.

Something very important to remember for all racers...especially new athletes coming into the sport. Racing long (i.e. - Half Ironman & Ironman)...it's really important to not get caught up in riding or running anyone elses race. It's so easy to let your ego or adrenaline get the best of you early on and forget about all the tough work ahead.

If someone passes you...the worst thing you can do is try to jump on to his or her pace-effort. In the end...it all comes back to you. Only through training can you really get a sense of how to prepare yourself... Race experience helps too!

Anyway...back to the race... Virtually alone for the entire portion of the bike. Actually...it was pretty sweet. The only thing I was worried about was missing a turn. Not gonna happen today as the volunteers and traffic coordinators were awesome!

At the mile 40 aid station...I don't think the girls were really ready for me as I missed every bottle and was extremely worried I would have to ride the remainder with what I had left....which was half a bottle of water and one gel pack. You have no idea how happy I was to see an aid station at around mile 50....and boy did I need it. I polished off about 3/4 of Gatorade and almost the entire bottle of water before hitting transition.

At around mile 53-54...I seemed to run into almost everyone. Richard Freer excluded as he was the only person I didn't see... Not sure what was going on but it seemed like quit a few people were falling off the pace. I did ask a couple athletes how they were feeling and they said the last few kilo's had been tough. Hmm...I guess riding alone proved benificial...

Total Bike Time: 2:25:18 / 23.5 mph (Bike was 57 miles today)

Anyway...I pulled into transition in 2nd place. Hot on my feet was Todd Gerlach, James Cotter and the other guys I ran into a few miles back. I came off the bike super fast and ran into transition strong. Once I got to my shoes...I thought about pace and how to go about executing a solid run. Did I want to go out with these guys chasing or did I want to go behind and settle in? I opted to take later and go out behind Cotter and Gerlach.

Left transition in 4th place and settled in right behind Todd. I have tons of respect for this guy...it just seemed today wasn't right for him! After about 5 minutes...I made my way around and settled into 3rd. At mile the mile 2 turnaround, I had a chance to see where I stood with Cotter about a minute and Richard Freer 3-4 minutes holding strong up front.

At mile 4, the "would-be" race winner, John Phillips, passed me and passed me pretty strong. Running my own event...all I could hope was that he was going out to strong....not going to be the case. Fine is what I said...I'm back in 4th...

Running through the half way point I could tell I was close to the front but wasn't changing anything about what I was doing or how I was running. I was racing the best race I could and at that point...was hoping the heat and conditions were affecting everyone! My pace slowed a bit as the terrain was the toughest I've been on. The run was quit simply....BRUTAL.. I've said it quit a few times and will say it again..."This was the hardest race I have ever had the pleasure of doing...!!!"

Back out at mile 9...I had a chance to see where I stood again... Richard Freer had dropped out with John Phillips now out front and what seemed to be a slowing Cotter about a minute ahead of me. On the other side...chasing behind me...was Darren Treadaway followed by Paul Terranova running extremely strong just a couple minutes back. At this point...I could only hope they were running too fast and would eventually slow..

Wishful thinking as they weren't and Darren passed me around mile 10. Darnit...back to 4th.

Cotter was right in front now. He slowed up at the next aid station and seemed to have cramped up in the leg a few seconds later...which forced him to stop for a second. Ok...back into 3rd.

As I made my way through mile 11, I noticed a the bright red racing kit of Jack and Adam's. That could only be Paul Terranova and it was only a matter of time before made his way on by. Right in between mile 11 and 12 Paul made his pass and made it strong. Darnit...back into 4th.

The last couple miles were really tough as it's majority up hill and all off-road. "Whew...Race is over"...is the thought that crossed my mind when I saw the finish...

I listed my mile splits below....followed by a few thoughts..

Total Run Time: 1:38:02 / 7:29 min per mile

Finish Time: 4:37:18

At the end of the race....I couldn't have been more please with the day. The race-event organizers are some of the best in the business. Endorfun Sports made the day one of the most enjoyable experiences yet. Keith Jordan, aka...Mr Endorfun Sports himself did an amazing job.

A big hats off to the Jack and Adam's crew who always make event they help out with top notch.

This race is really a must do and I hope they never change the course! Boy was it tough and that's exactly what I'm looking for. They'll always be those super flat and fast races...but we need more Wildflowers out there...and I think we've got one down here in the South now! Thanks Keith....I will definitely be back for many years to come.

Oh...look for this to be a 70.3 race next year. And if that's not enough...look for it to be one of the most organized and well run events you will ever attend.

Thank you to all my sponsors who make all my training and success in the sport possible!

Next up: Ironman Florida & Ironman World Championship 70.3

Mg