Mission South Africa accomplished at Augusta 70.3
After doing Ironman South Africa earlier this year, I decided I wouldn't mind another trip back. So I selected the Augusta 70.3 as my target race. This would be 4 weeks after the ITU World Long Course Championship that I did in Penticton on 27 August, allowing me 1 week recovery, 2 weeks build, and 1 week taper. With the 2017 IM70.3 WC in Chattanooga 2 weeks earlier, and Ironman Chattanooga the same day, I hoped the regional competition would be somewhat less. And I pulled it off with a 5:19 for 3rd place in the M60-64 -- close enough to the front to grab the rolldown when it came by.
Friday morning - I swam 1500 yards, did a 30 min spin on my bike trainer and a quick 2.5 mile run ... then drove the 8 hours from Tampa to Augusta. I went straight to the convention center, caught the 5pm race briefing then went to check in. No line!! More importantly, I scored a major first...I didn't buy jack squat at the expo! After about 30 HIMs/IMs, I don't need any more Ironman gear (I might want it, but I don't NEED it)!!
Saturday - Slept in, then walked across the street to WAFFLE House for an All-Star breakfast. OMG, it was so nice to come off the diet and indulge in a calorie and sodium laced carb orgy! I had lunch at Zoes mediterranean grill and dinner at Chicken Salad or some such. Apart from seeking out a running store to get some socks that I forgot to pack, I pretty much stayed off my feet. Since I came alone without a sherpa I was able to make the day all about me.
Sunday - Race day. I got up at 4:50am and was out the door at 5:20 heading to a parking spot by the finish that I had paid for on Saturday. I took the shuttle to transition, finished setting everything up, then shuttled back to the car for some final prep before walking to swim start.
Swim - for the 2nd time in 9 years, and the 2nd year in a row, the race was not wetsuit legal. This a one way swim down river with a current, but it was weaker this year. I swam in my Team USA Roka one piece kit that doesn't require a swim skin. I felt I had a good swim for me and came out in 31:29 ... probably 6 mins faster than I would have done in a lake.
T1 - 3:39 (7th fastest in division) As I was running into transition, I heard a guy who had just started the bike yelling that he forgot to take off his swimskin...doh! I drank a Pickle Juice Shot, put my bike cleats on due to gravel, then my helmet and was ready to go, but I bumped the guy's bike next to mine and it almost fell down. I lost maybe 30 seconds reracking his bike and putting his helmet back on his aerobars. Aaargh!
Bike - 2:37:55 (2nd fastest in division). Augusta is a rolling course that includes a 10 mile stretch of crap road. I was pushing above 20 mph, but the last 15 miles we were coming out of the hills, had better roads, and the wind mostly at our back which really pushed the average up. My swim/bike combo brought me into T2 at first in the AG.
T2 - 4:18 I was a little slow here as I walked from my bike to the loo putting on my gear, drinking a Pickle Juice Shot while taking 4 Sports Legs pills. Then I got started on what I knew was going to be a hot run.
Run - 2:02:07 (9th in the division). Augusta has a very flat run, but there was no place to hide in the heat. I had salt stick chews with me, Gu with Sea Salt, Margharita flavored Clif Blocks and another Pickle Juice Shot. After 3 I started to push a little, and then bam...a guy in my AG runs by me at about 4 miles. I near blew up matching his pace for the next mile then had to let off the pace because my legs were about to cramp. And somewhere in the second half of the race, an old guy running a 1:39 half blew by me and the guy who passed me earlier to take the division. Meanwhile, I held my twitchy legs together until about 50 yards from the finish when they finally cramped hard and I had to stop a few seconds before hobbling across the line in 3rd place. I've got to confess that I wore a new pair of shoes for this race. On Wednesday, I had gone to my LBS to pick up some Yankz and they had Salming D1's 50% off. I tried them and walked out with a pair. Wed night I ran 3 miles in them and decided they would work. So they weren't exactly new, but fortunately I guessed correctly that they fit me well.
There were 56 finishers in my AG, plus 1 DNF, 1 DQ and 21 DNS. Augusta is one of the largest 70.3s in the world and got 30 slots to South Africa, pretty much 1 per AG. I simply needed the 2 guys in front of me to pass and I jumped on the roll down when they did.
Although I haven't been able to solve the Kona puzzle, I've learned the key to racing 70.3 Worlds is simply a top performance and a little luck. South Africa will be my 4th IM70.3 WC and I've made each one on a roll down. Here's my 70.3 track record:
2009 WC @ Clearwater. Qualified at Augusta 70.3 with a 5th place AG M50-54.
2012 WC @ Las Vegas. Qualified at Puerto Rico 70.3 with a 2nd place AG M55-59.
2015 WC @ Austria. Qualified at Puerto Rico 70.3 with a 3rd place AG M55-59.
2018 WC @ South Africa. Qualified at Augusta 70.3 with a 3rd place AG M60-64.
I don't try to qualify each year because I also like to race the ITU LC WC as well, but it's clear that Augusta and Puerto Rico have been good to me. With the exception of the long flight, I'm looking forward to going back to Port Elizabeth wearing my EN kit. And I'll be bringing my youngest son as my sherpa for this event.
Comments
Was this a mass start or AG waves? The last few races I have done are staggered starts, so it's really hard to figure out if that AG guy that just passed you on the run is really faster. I personally like the staggered starts.
I love your consistent results from 2nd through 5th over the years. I personally find the 70.3s harder because you have to be best in class in all three sports. A full allows more wiggle room for poor swimmers or average bikers if you are a great runner.
Have fun in Miami then hopefully some well-deserved downtime.
I'm pretty sure I did a RR on IMSA, but I may have combined it with my IMTX report since I did both in April. If not, I can certainly answer any questions. For the 70.3, I assume they will just cut the swim rectangle in half, do 1 loop of the bike, and 2 loops of the run (IMSA was 4). I booked my room in PE this morning at the same hotel I was at this year.