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World Championships 70.3 - Clearwater, Florida This would be my second attempt at the World 70.3 Championships. Last year, I had a solid race. I took the Timex bike prem and, although I ran slower than I was capable of, I finished 9th. This year, I was coming into the race a different athlete and my expectations were a lot higher. I believed that I was in the best possible shape and feeling ready to race. The field was stronger than last year (which is saying something!). Quite a few high profile short-course athletes were stepping up to the longer distance which was bound to increase the pace and intensity! A last minute change of the swim course venue from the beach to the canal added a little drama to the event but, in the end, this didn’t change the race much. A wetsuit swim kept the first pack tight. I had a strong swim and exited the water with the lead bunch. Once onto the bike, I quickly moved from the end of the main group to the front of the race. Unlike last year (where I got a little excited), I was happy to let others set the pace and wait for the race to unfold. The pace was high but not hard. With narrow roads, media vehicles and a lot of strong athletes, it didn’t make for an exciting bike ride as even the strongest amongst us were unable to gain an advantage. Tactically this year, I didn’t contest the bike prem but instead used the high pace to launch an attack with 10 miles to go. I quickly realised that I wasn’t going to get away but did succeed in shaking off a few and shrinking the lead group. With 1 mile to go on the bike, it got messy with guys vying for a good position going into T2. I had an average transition and exited onto the run with everyone in reach. Both Bennett and Reed took the pace out fast. I picked up a few positions whilst at the same time losing a position to Raelert who was moving fast! I settled in with the Frenchman Sundrie on my shoulder. We held a strong pace and at the 5 mile mark caught the fading Bozzone. I made the turn with Sundrie still on my shoulder in 5th position. Within the next mile, we had Bennett in our sights and quickly moved up to him and took over 4th position. I held my concentration and pushed on but couldn’t shake Sundrie. On the last hill, with about 2miles to go, he came off my shoulder and surged. He caught me at a bad time and I couldn’t respond. He quickly opened up a 10 second advantage which I then pretty much held until the finish. Raelert blitzed the field with a 69min run split. The relatively unknown over this distance Fontana finished 2nd. Reed held strong for the final spot on the podium. The gap between Reed and myself was less than 30 seconds so it was a tight finish. The times were ridiculously fast. My time of 3.38 was nearly 3 minutes faster than the course record from the previous year and 8 minutes fast than my time last year. Overall, I am really happy with my performance. The race is unlike no other 70.3 event. It is much more like a long ITU style race. The season as a whole has been fantastic. I have not been out of the top 5 in 9 half Ironmans, 1 Olympic distance and 3 sprint races. With two 70.3 victories (both course records) and 2 sprint distance victories, I feel that I have developed a lot as an athlete this year and still feel as though I’m just getting started. This is a good thing as I plan to be racing for another 10 years! A big thank you to all my friends, family and sponsors for their support and encouragement throughout the year. Bring on 2010! Results: http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3/worldchampionship70.3/?show=tracker&rid=264&year=2009 Pre-race media http://www.slowtwitch.com/Opinion/Clearwater_Odds_The_Men__1108.html Post-race media http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Michael_Raelert_and_Julie_Dibens_take_Clearwater_70.3_Worlds_09_1113.html Amica Championship, Phoenix, Arizona It had been 8 weeks since my last race (Gerardmer) and after a solid block of training in Boulder I needed to test my form and re-visit the intensity of racing. The Amica Championship race was a perfect way to do this. It was contest over a slightly longer than sprint distance race and a pro prize purse attracted some top competition, mainly in the form of short-course ITU athletes. Jarrod Shoemaker (2008 Olympian and world cup winner), Kevin Collington (USA ITU World Series competitor) and Chris Foster (renown as being one of the fastest runners in the sport) would toe the line. The bike and run portions of the course were tough with no-flat sections to speak of! With the bike being non-drafting I knew this would have to be were I pushed the pace. The swim was a wetsuit swim in the beautiful Lake Pleasant. The pace was frantic as I expected. I managed to keep the lead 3 males in contact (Shoemaker, Collington & Remaly) and once onto the bike I managed to take the lead at the 2-3 mile mark from Collington. I didn’t look back and maintained a very high intensity throughout the bike. I entered T2 with around a 2 minute lead. I quickly found my rhythm on the run and extended my lead over Collington to win by 2 ½ minutes. Foster ran out of road to catch Collington finishing 3rd and Shoemaker came home with the fastest run split to take 4th. For me the race was a perfect hit-out for Clearwater in 2 weeks time and to win a sprint race against competitors that focus on this distance is a great indicator that I am ready for my the 70.3 worlds. For results & report see: www.amicachampionship.com Gerardmer Half Ironman – France One year after I took the European Long Course title in Gerardmer I was back to race again. The course had been shortened to the increasingly popular 70.3 distance and the field had attracted the very best of French long course triathletes. I travelled to France one week prior to the race to acclimatize to the time difference. I managed to get to know the course very well and felt I was ready to have strong race. With all competitors in the race going off together the swim felt like I had been thrown into a washing machine. I quickly lost contact with the lead pack of top swimmers which include Pete Jacobs. Exiting the water over 2 minutes down I wasn’t in the best position but with extremely tough bike course, I thought I would ride myself back into contention. I pushed the pace hard with Francois Chabaud (the only athlete from my swim pack to follow). I kept getting random bike splits from race officials and spectators that didn’t make much sense (partly because they were in French!). I kept the pressure on and although I didn’t get back to the front I came into T2 in 4th around 3 minutes from the leader Sylvan Sundrie. I ran the first half hard and took time out of the leaders and quickly moved into 3rd. By the last of the 3 laps I was still nearly 3 minutes behind and with the challenging bike course taking its toll on my hip flexor and had to settle for just being on the podium. It was definitely a race where I learned a lot: - Be more aggressive at the start of mass start swims!
- On very hilly bike courses a TT bike is NOT the best option!
- Coming down from altitude 1 week before a race is ‘no-mans land’
- Living on baguette and cheese is not the best pre-race food
The best thing after the race was that I travelled back to the UK to visit my sister and her family. Spending time with my niece Jorja was so much fun and made me have some down-time before I hit the training again back in Boulder in preparation for Clearwater. For results & post race pics/video see: www.triathlondegerardmer.com Lake Stevens 70.3 It’s nice to come back to a race that you have done before especially if it was a ‘break through’ race! Last year, Luke Bell, Chris Legh and I came off the bike in a pack and ran together until the half way mark where I pulled clear only to be re-caught by Bell with 3 miles to go. It came down to a sprint finish which I mistimed and lost by 1 second! Returning this year, I didn’t have Bell and Legh to contend with but I definitely wanted to improve on last year’s performance.Wetsuits were allowed in the swim (unlike last year) which meant that most would stay in the main pack. I tried to get out fast and find clean water but after picking the wrong line, I ended up in the middle of the main pack, fighting to hold my position. I tried to relax and prepared for the bike.
I had a good transition and jumped on the bike at the front of the main pack but in 4th overall, over 2 minutes behind Flanagan, who led out of the water.Once onto the bike, I put my head down and focussed on getting into the lead as fast as possible. I quickly moved into 2nd at 4 miles and eventually hit the lead around the 15 mile mark. I felt strong on the bike and continued to push hard to build a lead over other strong athletes such as Ben Hoffman. The 2nd lap of the bike was a little congested with the age group athletes out on their first lap so I had to really concentrate on maintaining my pace and staying out of trouble!Coming into T2, I didn’t really know what kind of lead I had and I wouldn’t know this until around the 6 mile mark of the run where there is an out and back section. I felt great on the run and quickly settled into averaging 5.30 per mile. Nearing the end of the first of two laps, I realised that I was about 7 minutes in front of 2nd.
I continued to try and stay relaxed and maintain my form and concentration. With 1 mile remaining, the memories of last year’s race were vivid where I was knocking elbows with Luke Bell! This year was a lot more relaxed and I enjoyed crossing the line without collapsing J. My time was 3 ½ minutes faster than the course record set the previous year by Bell so this was a little bonus and indicated that my training is progressing well.My main goal this year was to win a 70.3 and to win two in a row both in record time is fantastic. I feel as though I am well on my way in this sport that I have been part of for 14 years!I next travel to Gerardmer in France to defend my title from last year. The course has been reduced to a half ironman which is nice. The race is on the 5th of September. Stay tuned…. Results: http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3/lakestevens70.3/?show=tracker&rid=252&year=2009
Report: http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Gambles_Lavelle_take_Lake_Stevens_970.html Vineman 70.3 Vineman 70.3 Champion! I like the sound of that! I have managed to gain my first Ironman 70.3 victory against the likes of Craig Alexander, Ronaldo Colucci, Simon Thompson and Leon Griffin. Not only that, I broke the course record held by Terenzo Bozzone. I guess some days everything just goes according to plan! Travelling to Santa Rosa in California’s north with my Mum and sister (who were visiting from Oz) I felt relaxed and ready to go. I didn’t get a chance to check out the course prior to the race but after speaking with some of the other athletes, it sounded like it might suit me. The swim was non-wetsuit in a shallow river, the bike was quite technical over rolling terrain and the run was a strength runner’s race. The temperature was predicted to be in the 70’s (low 20’s) and, with little wind, it was going to be perfect conditions for some hard and fast racing. The swim didn’t pan out exactly as I would have liked. With the narrow course, it was a rough start and I lost touch with the front group. I continued to push hard and managed to re-group with Griffin and, working together, we managed to keep the gap to 1 minute to our rivals. Once onto the bike, I pushed hard and within 3 miles (5k) I had caught sight of the main group. After a particularly technical and hilly section, I made contact with the group and settled my pace down. My legs were feeling great and the pace wasn’t high so I made my move and, after looking back, I realised that I was on my own. I continued to push, being careful not to overdo it. I was getting time updates every 10 miles (16k) or so and the gap kept increasing. With 10 miles to go, I had 4 minutes and by T2, I was 5.40 in front and feeling good….but you never know! I settled into a nice rhythm and at about three quarters of a mile, crossed the main pack of 6 who were still on the bike. The run course was a rolling out and back course with a mile loop around a vineyard at the turnaround. When I crossed Simon Thompson, who was in 2nd place, I had a mile lead! I had only lost 20 seconds so I thought that I would have to really blow up to lose this now! I just maintained my pace and even though the last 3 miles started to hurt, I finished with a personal best run split of 1.13.17. I am really happy to take my first 70.3 victory and it leaves me wanting to win more. I still have a few things I can improve on so, hopefully, in 4 weeks time at Lake Stevens 70.3, I can do this. A big thank you to everyone for all their support and well wishes. Race report: http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Pip_Taylor_Joe_Gambles_win_Vineman_70.3_922.html http://xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=5789&CAT=24&xref=xx Race Results: http://www.slowtwitch.com/online_coverage/nyc_09.html
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