Ironman Eagleman 70.3m 2022.....When It All Comes Together.

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Ironman Eagleman 70.3m 2021 - Yeah that hurt........4hrs 20mins for 2nd AG and 12th Overall

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Feb 1st - Feb 7th: Training Ramblings.....Do Less, Achieve More

After feeling like death warmed up for the last week in January and the first week at the new job, this week was a bit more back to reality and a more like a typical week will be from now on.  As I said in the last post, the goals of 2014 have changed a bit in the last few week and here's how:

New Job = Longer Hours = Longer Commute = Less Training Time = New Goals

The goal ending 2013 was to hit the Winter hard with the aim of racing at IM St George 70.3m and trying to get a spot to the 70.3m Worlds in Mont Tremblant in Sept.  With the reduction in training time, the goals are still the same but are somewhat tempered in that they are a best case scenario.  The ability to get the needed volume is somewhat limited so I would need to have a perfect day to have shot at anywhere near the pointy end of the field.  Yes, I am still going to go race St George on May 3rd but the new goals for the season are:

1.  Enjoy triathlon without the stress of training for long distance.

• Still racing St George and Eagleman 70.3m but it will be what it will be - no pressure
• Aim to race more Olympic Distance races, where speed trumps volume. 

2. Focus more on the bike and race more with ABRT

• Basically because it's fun to race with the team.
• Can achieve more without the need for huge amounts of training.

3. Get ready for Cyclocross in the Fall

• I had so much fun racing cross in 2013 that the 2014 season is already on my mind.
• Can achieve more with quality focused training.
• Aim for Nationals in January 2015.

All the above involve riding my bike and training without the constant need to "get it all done". The last couple of years have been tough training for long-distance triathlon and it creates stress and brings down the motivation.  Since the New Year training has been fun with more quality and high motivation, partly because a weekly total of 7-9hrs is totally doable. Yes it took a few weeks to be happy with that, but if I get caught at work or just want to spend time with Sarah then it doesn't matter that training takes a back seat. If I was still figuring out how to get a 2hr run and a 100 mile bike ride done, I would be stressing about it all.  It's a good feeling right now and hopefully I can be competitive at the shorter distance triathlons, road racing and then cross later in the year.

Next post I'll go into what should be a typical training week.

Total: 117.83 Miles / 7 hours 12 minutes

Swim: 0 yards / ~0 miles / 0 hours 0 minutes

Bike: 106.75 miles / 5 hours 52 minutes

Run: 11.08miles / 1 hour 20 minutes

Operation 2014.....Let's get going!

Ironman Louisville is now a month ago and aside from the cyclocross race of the off-season, I have pretty much been taking a rest.  It's been a time of reflection of the past triathlon season and importantly looking to the 2014 and really seeing what I want to do.  I had already decided before IMKY that an Ironman in 2014 was a no go, so what does that leave.....

Well, the off season will be full of cyclocross, something I got back into last late fall after a hiatus of almost 10 years, it's a great fall focus and is huge amounts of fun. Look for some posts about that.  As for the triathlon goals, there are a few, some will be kept closer to the chest but the key for me in 2014 is to get back to enjoying the sport like I once did.  To do that I have already signed for Ironman 70.3m in St. George (great course, great area) and will once again go for IM 70.3m at Eagleman. There will be other races but those are the two goals for the first half of the year. To be honest this past season became a chore, trying to squeeze in ironman training around everything else, 70.3m will allow me to train at a level of greater intensity without the need for extended hours like 140.6m.  I think I can do that and be successful....more structure, more intensity, better quality. 

Key word for 2014........

So how do I plan to do that? October for me will be primarily base training, no great intensity aside from cross racing most weekends, and really getting into structure and importantly habits. 

1) Getting to the pool early in the morning has always been a struggle for me and this fall/winter I am really going to work hard on that. If I can get into a routine of doing it three times every week for just a month then it will become much easy to continue, esp. if my swimming gets stronger. 

2) Another key element will be structured cycling. The winter time has always been good for me as I am generally on the rollers much of the time and I can consistently gain strength through that time.  The tricky part comes when Spring comes around and I get caught in the group ride aspect and not focusing on my own needs.  That will change for 2014.

3) This past season was tough from a running perspective. If you read my IMKY report, the long run was my Achilles heel.  It was a time issue in getting to run long.  For 70.3m that still needs to happen and I need to make it happen.  I know I can run fast as I have done it after 56miles before, I also know what I need to do to run fast.....2014 it will happen, stick to the plan!

Beside of the two major races, others will be road racing with ABRT and concentrating on becoming a beast on the bike.  To get more competitive again in 70.3m it really comes down to laying down one hell of a bike split with a fast run.....the whole sport has progressed so much in the last few years that it will be a year of renewed focus.  No I don't need any more hours, just more focus on quality and intensity!

The number one goal for 2014, get back to being competitive at 70.3m and goal number two is Mont Tremblant in September for the 70.3m Worlds. Time for Operation 2014.

2013 Race Schedule....Long Overdue!

So finally I think I have most of the 2013 triathlon races scheduled and approved!

May 5th - New Jersey Devilman Half (Lite)
May 19th - Maritime International
June 9th - Eagleman 70.3m
June 29th - HITS North Country 70.3m
August 4th - Fort Ritchie Olympic
August 26th - Ironman Louisville


This year I am trying out some new races as well as getting back to some favorites.  Obviously the big goal is as ever the Ironman in Louisville.  I did this race back in 2009 and loved the course as well as the City.  The course is very similar to the riding here in Maryland and well, it's going to be hot, but it's hot here in July/August too!

Training has been going well so far and before we know it we will be back into race season!

This Weekend: Eagleman 70.3m - Swing for the Fences!

Just a week after Duathlon Nationals we have Eagleman 70.3m and it's time to swing for the fences. So far this year I am batting .500 for "A" races and Eagleman is the last target race for the first half of the season.




It literally is a case of swing for the fences and see what comes up....Kona or bust!  Last week's race gave me some much needed confidence heading into Sunday on a very similar course and what is likely to be similar weather conditions.  The race strategy played out well and it will be the same plan for Sunday.

So what are the chances for Kona? Slim, as we probably only have 2 qualifying spots in the 35-39 age group and they are always hotly contested.  But you have to be in it to win it.  There are also Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualifying slots available so that could be a secondary goal.

To be really honest I don't expect a Kona slot but am racing to get one.  If I have the perfect day then it could be within my grasp but the main goal is to try and hit my target's....I'll let you know after the race if I did :-)

Wow....getting behind!

Wow....last post was over a month ago! Jeez, so much has happened, some good some not so good.

On the personal/business front Parvilla Cycle and Multisport opened on May 28th and so far business has been good. Check out www.parvillacycles.com for more details or better yet swing by the store to take a look.

On the racing side I finally got into triathlon for the season after a few duathlon races. The first race was a local sprint race down at General Smallwood Park.....I took the win overall which was nice! The following week was Eagleman 70.3m! I was found out at this race and the lack of serious long distance training was evident. Nothing outstanding at the race just a solid finish and a lot of sunburn :-(

I'll try and get some photos of the races and the store up in the next few days.....got a Time Trial to organize first :-)

Finally..........

The weekend is approaching and we get the long awaited start of the World Cup........oh yeah and Eagleman 70.3m. It should be a good weekend of football and triathlon. Don't worry the racing won't get in the way of the England vs USA game, as we have it all scheduled out.

Watching the game in the comfort of the hotel and then we can scoot over the the race, check-in and rack the bike before heading for some dinner and an early night. Sorted...... but no beer while watching the game which will be a novelty :-)

Everything is pretty much ready for the race on Sunday, taper has gone well and now it's just a matter of producing on raceday. I guess for many it may seem weird that a whole season comes down to two races (Eagleman 70.3 and IM Lake Placid). For most athletes it is the same though, long-distance runners tend to try and peak for a couple of races each year and in general cyclists try to target at least a period of races or the State Championships etc. The BIG races are what you train for, the best of the best are going to be there and you want to be the best. It's these days that make you get up early, that make you ride in the rain and run in sub-freezing temperatures.

This is what it is all about.....all that training and focus comes down to one race!

It could be a Deathmarch........

Here we go the final week before Eagleman 70.3m and the weather forecast is looking hot, hot, hot! It could almost be a complete repeat of the race in 2008 when the temps got into the 90's and racers were dropping like flies. The final mile that day was a mess with people collapsing in sight of the line and literally crawling the last few yards. Weather like that makes the whole race much more tactical than usual....sounds like fun :-)

This past weekend I managed to get a good idea of the forecast conditions as ABRT were hosting the Church Creek TT and as co-race director I got to see how the conditions changed from 6:30am through until 4:00pm. Three main factors were observed:

Yes it was 80 degrees at 8:00am!

Yes the wind did pick up throughout the day! It may not seem like much at 7:00am but it slowly picks up and it's not long before you start wondering who turned the hair dryer on.

Yes you will need more drink more than you think!

Oh and one final thing, yes the marshes do smell bad, REAL BAD.....just make you you don't ride into them :-)

Mike Davis after taking a detour into the swamp at Church Creek. Photo by Amy Jones

The Pre-Ride 2010...........

With the Church Creek TT coming up this week and Eagleman 70.3 on June 13th, it was time this past Sunday for the annual course pre-ride. The weather was hot but the wind was building as it always does on the Eastern Shore.

We started out at 11:00am and over the course of the next 2 hours the wind began to howl. Thank goodness that Eagleman starts in the early morning....although that doesn't necessarily mean that the wind won't be around at that time! For those doing the TT this weekend, I think the later starters will definitely feel the difference in wind from those starting out at 9:00am.

Both the TT and 70.3m course were in pretty good shape, the rumble strips on the shoulder of Rte 16 may pose a bit of a problem for the later waves of the 70.3m (like the 30-34 AG in wave 8) as it narrows the shoulder somewhat and could make passing riders more problematic. In general however, the course will be ready for some fast times.



Normally the wind comes from the northwest and so for both courses you start out with a tailwind. For the TT you get the headwind after the first turn on the TT course on Hiproof Road and then onto Smithville Road, fortunately the last 7miles is a tailwind along MD 16. For the Eagleman course the headwind really hits at about Golden Hill Road (Mile 32) and Egypt Road (Mile 40). This past weekend, that 8-12 mile section really was hard and no doubt it will be on race day. Just that small section of the course could make or break the whole day!



All in all it was a good pre-ride, it got us all familar with the courses, me for Eagleman and CCTT for Ace, Stu and Ali.

Kinetic 1/2 Ironman - Race Report.......

The first 1/2 ironman of the year took place on Saturday and it was the first real test of the season so far. As I mentioned in the earlier post, there was some good competition in this race and it would allow me to gauge my fitness for the later 'A' races of the year.

Everything in the lead up to the race had gone pretty well, I got a good nights sleep and was raring to go come the morning. The water was a balmy 71 degrees with air temperatures to match, but the wind was gusting big time, up to about 30-35mph. I was hoping that my 160lbs body would be able to keep the bike with rear disk and front deep dish on the road!

As at Rumpass a few weeks ago Lake Anna was looking distinctly choppy, enough that as we started in the first wave, they were still trying to relocate one of the turn buoys that had broken loose. Despite the rough conditions I felt as though I was swimming much better than I did at Rumpass. Perhaps I had more of an open water groove, perhaps it was the new wetsuit or I had just chosen the right people to draft off, but I came out the water in 23mins (yeah the course was a couple of hundred yards short of the 1.2m) and was only 90secs down from the leader and in 12th place. Definitely an A+ for effort there!




Lake Anna in the morning

Through T1 I must have gained about 5 places as in the first few miles of the bike there was a short out and back section and I counted I was in 7th. Nice way to start the day :-) The bike course turned out to a real doozy of a race, the roads were rolling with some distinct headwinds and with the exception of the leader who was dangling off the front a couple of minutes ahead (it turned out post-race that he had been waved through the turnoff for the out and back section!), there was a small group of 5 who were just riding hard and keeping honest :-) Fortunately I was one of those 5 and it turned into a good tactical battle for almost 56 miles. You don't want to tow the group around for the 56miles but you also don't want to "under" bike the course allowing racers from behind to catch up. In the end it was just a hard and fast bike ride in tough windy conditions. Going across the bridges with the wind coming from the side gave some moments to worry about, but in general it was ok with the FFWD disc and F9R front.


Coming into T2

I came off the bike in 2nd place with the 2nd fastest split of the day (2hr 23mins) and was approximately 2mins down on 1st place (it would have been different if he had done the out & back). All to play for with another 2 racers just a handful of seconds behind in 3rd and 4th. Straight out of transition was the steady climb of the course and it was just the 1st time of three that we would have to do it. As such it felt like I was crawling away from T2, but managed to get through the first mile in 6:40! I then hit my stride and was running 6:15's for the next few miles which were more rolling.

Finally hit the crest of the hill out of T2

I'm not sure if it was the hills or a slight nutrition deficit from the bike (I didn't take in as much as needed) but I wasn't feeling really great on the run and although I was still rolling along at 6:30's, I was caught by 3rd place at about mile 7. I tried to keep with him but through the backside hill he stretched away and I was alone in 3rd. I couldn't see anyone behind and so the aim was to stay on the podium. The run was getting hot, there wasn't any shade and fortunately after 1hr 26mins I finished the run, 3rd fastest of the day and was pleased with an overall time of 4hrs 15mins. The iced water and towels were a godsend!

The long and lonely road of an Ironman

First 1/2 Ironman race done for the year, 3rd overall and I ended up about 3mins down on the winner (the guy that passed me for 2nd). It was a great confidence booster and I know that the fitness and form is building nicely for Eagleman 70.3 on June 13th. Once again a big shout out to Kestrel Bicycles, FFWD Wheels, Fluid, DPM Sports and Beaker Concepts.

The Meat & Potatoes........

Now we are getting into the meat and potatoes of the race season and this weekend is the first major test of the year. On Saturday is the Kinetic 1/2 Ironman race down in Lake Anna, VA (other side of the lake from the Bumpass race).

It's the first long-distance race of the season and from the start list it should be a good competition esp. in my age group which is the main focus as we head into Eagleman 70.3 and IM Lake Placid. There are a number of good athletes that are going to be competing for the coveted Kona spots come June and July and Saturday will be a great test to see where I am and where I need to be. Obviously a lot can happen between now and the races later in the year but wouldn't it be a confidence booster to be up there competing. It also would give great motivation for the training blocks ahead.......

As such, the race on Saturday although not an "A" in the big scheme of things is critical in terms of how things are progressing.......we'll see!

The key is to be solid and compete, the biking has been strong of late, the run is always there for me but after Bumpass the swim has needed some work, either that or it was just a bad day. Yes, I have a new wetsuit now and I know I need to make sure that time lost is limited, there is only so much time you can gain back (I know, same old story!)

How Far to the Big Island?.....415 Feet! (Eagleman Race Report)

The goal for this race was to try and get one of the coveted qualifying slots for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii....the holy grail of long distance triathlon racing! As I had previously stated, to get one of the slots I would need the race of my life, either that or hope for a roll-down.

The weather was almost perfect for fast racing, there was cloud cover, a slight breeze and no blazing heat. The 30-34 age group swim wave was one of the last to start and was an hour after the pro's had already started. By the time that we got onto the course about 90% of the racers were already out there.



The swim was slightly choppier than I expected. The swim is always relatively choppy in the Choptank River, but with only a slight breeze I though it would have been calm. I felt good in the swim, not super fast as the swim is the weakest of the three elements, but I came out in 24th place in age group. I really need to try and work hard on my swim training as I generally lose a couple of minutes to the rest of the top guys.



From the off I felt strong on the bike and was quickly at race pace and trying to keep it powerful and efficient. Having been out on the course the last few weeks and all day on Saturday, I knew that the first half of the bike would be a tail or cross wind and so decided to make hay while the going was good. At around mile 8, I had a minute or so of panic as it felt like the front tire was going soft....fortunately it wasn't and so must have been the pavement surface or something like that. The bike continued to go well and a few guys from the 30-34 age group gradually caught me and we had a group of us together for quite a period of time (5-6 of us). Some of the guys were blatantly drafting while the rest of us were working together (legally) and trying to push the pace. It wasn't until the referee's came by at around mile 35 that a couple of the guys got drafting penalties (fortunately they were the ones drafting the majority of the time) and then the group split for good. The headwind started to kick in at this point and I rolled off the front of the few remaining guys to try and get some separation. It was at this point that you noticed that the slight breeze at the start had kicked up a few notches around the bike course and the going wasn't so easy now!

After 2hr 22mins on the bike at 23.7MPH (12th in AG) I rolled into T2 and exited for the run in 14th place. The run is an out and back and so I knew that at some point I would be able to find out my position, or at least approximate it. This is when it really becomes a mental game. I knew that if I had had a good bike split then the real strong cyclists would have had equally as good days and it would be up to me to run everyone down. I really need to drop a few minutes off the bike but keep my run speed!



So the run started off real well at 6min/miles and the legs were feeling good. That's always a positive thing as you never get quicker, you only gradually get slower on the run! By this time in the race the sun had come out and was beginning to make you bake....water, gatorade and ice were my choices at the aid station with the ice going straight down the top. Coming to the turnaround I had calculated that I was in approximately 9th place and was 12mins off the leader...the goal continued to be to get as high as possible for any slots that might roll down! Over the remaining half of the run I settled into a solid 6:30min/mile pace and tried to focus on any potential guys from my age group that were up ahead. It was difficult to make out those guys as the course was pretty full at this point and people get crafty about showing the age on your calf! (i.e., rubbing it off or smudging it etc)



Coming into the finish it was cool to hear Sarah and Lisa cheering as they had been all day but I knew the Kona slots were out of my hands....no top two, so I would have to hope that people would turn it down! I placed the 5th fastest run at 1 hour 25mins and a final time of 4hrs 20mins 53secs....a PB for the Eagleman course.



The final results went up and I was in 7th place in age group (although the first two placed overall in the amateur so I did get a 5th place award) and 33rd overall (out of 1600!). The World Championship slots would be given out at 1:30pm and so it was about an hour to hang around and wait....and wait......

After going through the younger age groups we finally got to 30-34 age group and the first two guys quickly said no to the slots (both Kona and Clearwater)....their was a glimmer of hope! From there it all went a bit awry, one guy I think he was 3rd took a slot but they didn't announce what slot he was taking....still a chance. 4th placed guy was a no-show and so was 5th place. We still didn't know if the 3rd place had taken a Kona slot....6th place was called and took a slot, what was it, tell me god damn it, did they not know that people wanted to know! The 6th place guy sat down near us to fill out his forms and we saw it was a Hawaii form.....one had definitely gone! We needed to find out what 3rd was taking!

In a matter of seconds the dream at Eagleman was shattered, Sarah asked the 6th guy what Kona slot he had taken.....2nd slot! NNNNNOOOOOOOOO! And then my name was called, did I want a Clearwater slot at 70.3M Worlds, I double checked that Kona had all gone, which they had, and declined my Clearwater slot.

I had missed out on Kona by a mere 31 seconds....at my running pace I was 415 feet away from the Ironman World Championships on the Big Island. That was my day at Eagleman 2009 and that 31 seconds will stick with me for a long time :-(

Onwards to Ironman Louisville at the end of August where there are tentatively four slots for Kona!

Kona or Bust!........

That's the goal for this Sunday....it will either be



or it will be



there is no in between, no consolation, nuttin', nuffin, nothing at all, nada.....it's a Worlds spot to Kona or a complete explosion. Everything has to be left out on the course. I have already decided that I would not accept a spot for the 70.3m Worlds in Clearwater (if I were to be offered one)...it's time for the big one! Lets bring it..........

Lets Do This Again.....

For the second weekend in a row we headed out to the Eagleman course and pre-rode most of it, only cutting off one section so that we could check the Church Creek course for this weeks time trial (beware of the rumble strips along the edge of MD 16). Don't forget that registration for the TT ends this Wednesday see here

The ride this week was much better than last, I concentrated on some solid race pace efforts rather than trying to follow Ace and Stu on their 20 min intervals. I also made sure that I checked the course and wind directions, meaning that I will have a good sense of where the headwinds and tailwinds will be....although on race day they always feel like headwinds! Nothing else left to do now other than rest up, make sure that nutrition and hydration is spot on this week, and get mentally prepared to make the mind and body suffer. Long distance triathlon is definitely a huge mental game and can play a huge part in the final result on the day. You know that it is going to hurt but everyone else is too and you have to keep that in mind. Those that can push through the pain will generally succeed.....Mind over Matter!

Getting Closer........

After the beating I took while riding on Sunday (see photos here), I wasn't feeling too confident about the form coming into Eagleman on June 14th. Fortunately, it must have been due to dehydration or something like that (it was hot standing at Clarendon Cup all day on Saturday), as the rest of the workouts this week have been spot on. The primary workouts were the Tuesday D-Ville hammer/brick where the bike and run were race pace sessions, and then due to the weather a 90min descending pace treadmill session last night. After those workouts I feel much better about the race and am getting anxious to rock 'n' roll. When you get this close to 'A' races so much stuff starts going through the head, you just need to relax and trust in your training and preparation.

This year at Eagleman, there are two qualifying spots in my age group for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, and as usual the competition will be hot. Every year that I have raced this event the slots have been accepted by the first two finishers in the age group. If they are not accepted the slots roll down until they are accepted. To get top two I think I will need the race of my life, but it isn't outside the realm of possibility, I was 6th last year.

Training wise, the tapering starts tomorrow and on Sunday it looks as though we may pre-ride some of the course again.....you never be prepared enough!

Eagleman: Course Pre-Ride

Went out yesterday with a few of the boys (Stu, Ace, Kyle and Lance) to ride the Eagleman course as well as check the Church Creek Time Trial course....in typical fashion the course was windy and hot. Going out with five guys on TT bikes is certainly one-way of absolutely killing yourself, esp. when they are all stronger riders than yourself. In the end I just had to hold back and ride my own "endurance" pace, otherwise I would have been completely fried. Managed to squeeze in a brick run afterwards, which was good as it reminded me of how the first part of the run will feel in two weeks time.

Not surprisingly there was a few guys and gals doing their own pre-race rides around the course...although they didn't have a massive truck following them around as SAG, which was sweet as Sarah could hand us drinks and food, and we didn't have to carry supplies. In addition, she got to try out her new camera on the ABRT TT train (photos to come).

It was good getting back out on the course. Eventhough I have raced at Eagleman and other races in Cambridge a half-dozen times I never completely remember the course and a refresher ride will do wonders on race day as I'll have at least some sense of the windier sections and not get too dejected when the speed begins to drop :-(

Eagleman is only a fortnight away....do I feel ready yet? After yesterday when I got a beating I don't feel that ready but as I stated I was taken out of my endurance zone and I just don't have the high end speed....after all the saying is "ride for show and run for dough" and that's normally my gameplan!

The Build-Up Begins.....

The good weather is finally forecast for the weekend and it's time to start building up to the big races later in the season. I essentially have two (2) 'A' races this year, which are Eagleman 70.3 in June, and then Ironman Louisville at the end of August. It's time to get serious and get into full-on 70.3m/Ironman training mode...the base of winter and spring has been set and it's time to go long!

In that regard, this weekend is planned for the next step up to bigger/harder sessions. Saturday will be 4.5hr brick workout (4hrs bike and 30min run) and then Sunday is Carl Dolan. I am doubling up in the Cat 3/4 and Cat 4/5 races, so that should be a good workout, but then I plan on riding home to add another hour or so. This is the first weekend of the build and so gradually the bricks will work up to 6hrs (100miles/6miles) or so by the time that Ironman gets close.

The only trouble is trying to keep the speed for bike racing and 70.3m triathlons but then to have the endurance and durability for the Ironman as well. It's bit of a juggling act, but the key is Eagleman on June 14th, which then leaves a solid 12 weeks to IM Louisville. It will be fun......

Eagleman 2008 Race Report - Hell on Earth Edition

The 2008 edition of the Eagleman 70.3M is in the books and will go down as one of the most brutal in race history. The weather forecast was spot on and the temperatures hit the mid 90's with the heat index way over 100....just the weather for a shadeless bike and run!

For me the weekend didn't start too well as I awoke on Saturday morning with a strained neck and could just about turn my head when I was speaking to people....not the ideal scenario when you need to bring your 'A' game to your 'A' race. Fortunately, with the aid of some painkillers and copious amounts of stretching the neck was not so bad by the time Sunday morning came around and didn't factor into my race.

As many of you are probably aware by now, Saturdays generally follow the exact same format for me prior to races and this Saturday was no different except the drive to the race was slightly shorter. After registration, we checked into the hotel, watched Big Brown lose the Triple Crown bid and headed out for dinner in Easton. All the while I was maintaining my fluid levels and as a result making multiple trips to the restrooms! Going to bed at 10PM the temperatures were still in the 80's...race day was going to be HOT!

And hot it was, even when we awoke at 4:30AM it was in the 70's. My race start was 7:08AM and we were the 4th wave of the day, we would be out front with the majority of people chasing after us! The water was just about wetsuit legal (for us amateurs, for the pro's it was a non-wetsuit swim) and as race director Robert Vigorito stated it was like a bath tub. The time seemed to fly by and after saying goodbye to Team Banks, I was in the bath tub and with only a few minutes until the start...would a trip to Hawaii be in the picture by the end of the day!



The swim started well, the water was calm and it was surprisingly not very aggressive in terms of getting hit/kicked/slapped etc. The neck fortunately was not causing me any problems and before long we were catching up with the previous waves. It was an odd swim really and I think that it must have been due to the currents in the Choptank River. The 'out' and 'across' leg seemed to take an age before we hit the final 'in' leg but yet we didn't seem to get much help from the current! I got out of the water in just over 30mins and wasn't exactly too pleased with that...Luckily Sarah had been counting the age group out of the water and I was out in 23th place. Not quite as bad as I had thought but some work to do to get anywhere near where I wanted/needed to be.



The bike started well and I was pushing along at 24-25MPH and passing plenty of people in the earlier waves and before long the road was becoming lonely with the field being pretty well spread. After about 40mins though, a nagging wind begun to kick in and I seemingly lost the 'snap, crackle & pop' that I had earlier and the rest of the ride became a bit of a struggle. For the first time in a long time my back started to stiffen up, which could well have been a side effect of the strained neck and I had to keep stretching. It wasn't all bad though as only a few guys from the later wave had passed me and I had maintained a positive gain of riders in my own age-group. I knew I wasn't going well but was hoping that everyone else was in the same boat and I realised that the run was going to the key to the whole race, especially with the temperatures and humidity rising as the day went on.

Finally coming off the bike I had a 2hrs 26mins split, slower than last year (by about 90 secs) and I wasn't in the best frame of mind as I ran out of transition. Sarah shouted that I was in 14th position (after making up 3 places in transition!) and asked how the bike had gone...I wasn't my usual happy self and responded with a grumpy shrug (and for that I am sorry, I didn't mean to be rude). I was now where I wanted to be, on the run and chasing people down. Within the first two miles I had climbed into 10th place and tried to keep the pace up at 6:25 min/miles, which is slow by usual standards but the heat was amazing! I was putting ice everywhere, under the cap, down the top, carrying it in my hands (which really does help to cool you down). The water stops gradually seemed to be getting further and further apart (they weren't, it just seemed like it!) and by mile 4 there were more than a few people just walking along....it was becoming a matter of finishing rather than racing.



With the run being a pure battle of attrition I knew that if only I could keep moving and not give in to the urge to walk, I could probably gain a number of places. By the turnaround I was into 9th place but runners in front were few and far between......I was running water stop to water stop and was making sure to carry a cup of iced water between stops and that was a huge help. Just by keeping moving I was able to run at about 7:20min/miles. It was odd in that suddenly you would see runners ahead after not seeing them in the distance and then pass them as they either walked or slowly made their way to the finish.....coming into the final 2 miles I had just passed into 7th place and that is where I would stay until the end. A finishing time of 4hrs 36mins....not exactly a day for a PR!. I have never been so pleased to see the finish line, I had somehow managed a 1hr 35min run, the 3rd fastest in the age group and had put myself in with a shot of a Kona slot should they begin rolling down!


[Sarah was so excited to see me come round the corner that my mum can be heard in the background hoping that I knew where I placed and not getting hopes up that I was close to the top 2 spots!....I knew I wasn't :-)]

Standing under the water hose at the finish was so good and after a day of many mixed emotions it was great to end up 7th Age Group and 40th Overall (last year I was 96th overall). Watching people come into the finish though, I have never seen so many people needing IVs or medical attention......this race course is usually tough but on Sunday the weather made it into a day that will be talked about for years.

After recovering and changing, it was time to see if the Kona slots would roll down! Last year the 2nd slot rolled down to 9th. Unfortunately the two slots available were taken by the first two in our age group and so there will be no visit to the Big Island for Team Banks in 2008! We'll be back to try for 2009.....the consolation prize was a slot at the 70.3M World Championships in Clearwater so we will be back down in Florida in November (and besides I have some unfinished business at that race after a poor run last year).

In other Eagleman news, ABRT teammate Kerri Robbins had an amazing race to win her age group. She declined the Kona slot however. Other races conflict with Kona for Kerri and when that race happens to be the World Duathlon Championships where she is reigning World Champion it is hugely understandable...and besides I am certain that Kerri will again win a chance to visit the Big Island!

Eagleman - Where's the race report?

Trust me the race report is coming and I will get it up tomorrow. In short the race was complete carnage and it was a truly epic day for everyone......temperatures soared into the mid-90's from the get-go and it was a battle of attrition. Details (and knowing me it will be excruciatingly detailed!) will come tomorrow with photos and video.