Pre-Race:
As most of you know, I qualified for the World Championship at IM 70.3 Chattanooga. I originally had targeted qualifying at Augusta in 2018, but the field was stiff, and I came up a little short. At Chattanooga, I wasn’t really expecting to qualify, but the shortened swim and a great ride allowed me to place 4th AG. My first IM podium and I ended up taking the 1st slot after my wife talked me into it.
After reviewing the course maps, I knew this race had a lot of climbing and a pretty technical descent. I read that many competitors were debating on whether to use a road bike with clip-ons or their tri bike. I went with the tri bike for a few reasons. First, it’s my new bike and I’ve only raced it 3 times. Second, it faster and has better components, and third I don’t feel I climb any worse on it than my road bike (descending is a different story). Lastly, I figured “What would the pro’s ride?” Turns out the winner rode a road bike, but I don’t think I would change anything.
Right after accepting the slot, I booked thru Tri Bike Transport to get my bike to the race. This worked out great. It was super easy and worth the price particularly if you are travelling overseas to multiple destinations following the race. My only complaint was that I wish that they would have shipped a bag as well. It would have been nice not to have to carry my helmet, wetsuit, cleats, etc. around for week after).
Checking in for the event was well organized and extremely quick, much faster than any other IM.
There were also a couple of interesting rules that applied to racing in Nice. First, as you would expect you have to buy a one-day license to race in another country, but they also required a medical waiver form signed by a doctor. I read this well in advance and had this completed with my annual physical. The other two rules that surprised me were having to wear your bib on the bike (facing the rear) and having to have the bib be attached by 3 points. As you are aware most race belts have only 2 attachment points, so it was required to use a safety pin in the middle to meet the requirement. I’m not sure how/if they checked, but I wasn’t taking chances.
This may seem odd, but I typically take in a few sites the days before a race. I know you’re supposed to stay off your feet and rest, but I believe some of the best parts on doing these races is experiencing and touring the area. All my IM races have been in different cities and countries and we always go out and explore before and after the race. I just make sure were back in time to check my bike in. After seeing the pro women and some friends start the bike, we headed out to Cannes for some sightseeing and lunch.
Checking the bike into transition on Saturday was extremely slow. Transitions were open between 2pm-6pm and I arrived around 4pm. It took over 2 hours to get the bike into T1 and the bags dropped off into T2. IM had to leave it open much later as the lines were incredibly long. This didn’t really matter, but I was out and about on my feet longer than I expected.
Coming into this race was a very different experience. Typically, I have very high expectations, PR or placements, etc. However, at Worlds I knew those type of goals weren’t realistic and I just wanted to enjoy the race and enjoy the views and atmosphere. Additionally, I do not recommend crashing on your bike two weeks before the race, however, in my case, my crash was probably one of the best outcomes one could hope for. (Only some bruised ribs and a few cuts, no road rash, and my road bike seems fine). By race day the ribs were only noticeable on deep breaths during the run and slightly on the swim. I also felt I had lost a lot of run fitness. I did feel confident on my swim/bike training, but I usually rely on my run and with crashing I hadn’t run even one 10 mile run in over a month. I guess it was a forced taper and I do feel it’s better to be under trained than over. In reviewing the course map and the women’s results it seemed a time in the neighborhood of +30-45 minutes of your best 70.3 would be what should be expected.
Race Morning:
I woke up around 5:30 am, got my gear and headed to T1. This was a about a 10 min walk from my hotel and I was there and thru security just after 6 am. At that point, an announcement was made regarding the water temperature. No wetsuits (the women’s race was wetsuit legal). I hadn’t expected to wear one, but had it just in case. There wasn’t a lot to do, but transition was scheduled to close around 6:45 am so I wanted to be sure to be done. I loaded my nutrition, inflated my tires and was done. Now the waiting really began. The WC does the race start a little different than most races IM races. It wasn’t just a self-seeding rolling start. It was by AG and then self-seeding. As luck would have it my AG (45-49) was the last wave to start, just after 9:01am. This meant I had nearly 3 hours to wait (a new experience). I headed to the water when our AG was called, got a few strokes in and joined the mob headed towards the start.
Swim: (35:36)
One thing to mention about the beaches in Nice is they are not sand beaches. They are basically river rocks and not comfortable to walk on. IM did good job putting down carpeting all the way down to the water edge. It’s also worth mentioning that the water gets deep quickly. One step in and you can do a shallow dive and start swimming. The start was self seeding and they released us 10 at a time every 15 seconds. This worked well and there was very little contact through the majority of the swim. The water is crystal clear and just awesome. At times, I forgot I was racing and was just enjoying being out in the Mediterranean. Overall, my time was a little slower than I had hoped for, but I was relaxed and ready to ride.
T1: (3:28)
Slightly longer T1 than usual just due to the number of competitors, but it was just running on carpeting to the bike. I grabbed my bag, put on my socks (I wear socks on half’s and up, no socks on Olympics and sprints), shoes (decided not to have my shoes clipped), race bib, and helmet. I found my bike and away I went. Very smooth with no issues.
Bike: (3:00:25)
Let me just say, the bike course was amazing and lived up to the hype. It was just beautiful. I also got to see the pro men starting their run as I began my ride. The first 6 miles are basically flat along the coast and I was cruising at just over 25 mph through this section. At this point you hit your first climb (600m @ 15% and another 400m at 10%) and will be generally going up for approximately 20 miles. At mile 16.5 you reach the Col de Vance (10km climb @ 6.5%). This is where my first minor problem occurred. I turned the corner (almost a 270O turn) and dropped my chain. It was wedged in good. I hopped off got it re-seated and then tried to start again on the hill. I kept missing my clips but eventually was moving again. The climb took me just under 38min (and I probably lost a min or so with dropping my chain). The views heading up the climb and for the day were just incredible. I was just pure enjoyment riding up the hills. Just before mile 27.5, the descent started. This descent was about 18 miles long, with one short climb in the middle. It was very technical and not being a strong descender to begin with, I was riding the brakes. Looking back, I really could have just buried myself on the climb and recovered before completing the descent. To make the descent more complicated was the wind and speed bumps. It was very windy and mostly a cross wind and there were a least 7-8 larger speed bumps to navigate during the descent. I just wanted to make it down upright as I saw several crashes and amazing saves. One athlete even went over the wall and fell 25m (based on the news article he only suffered a broken leg). Hitting the flat section was a huge relief and I again was cruising through to T2. It really didn’t feel like I had ridden that far or hard. It was just a little stressful on the descent and overwise enjoyable ride. I was fairly happy with my time even knowing I lost a few minutes on the descent. I was warned that there would be huge draft packs, but I didn’t see any. I think with the extend of the climbing and the very technical descent that this was minimized. I did notice that the Europeans can descend like crazy, but they also toss water bottles everywhere (like on the Tour de France). Mostly near a house’s trash can, but not necessarily in a trash/ eco zone. Maybe they penalized some…
T2: (1:52)
T2 was relatively quick and easy as usual. I grabbed my bag, put my helmet inside and slipped my shoes on. I had forgotten I’d put extra socks inside my shoes when I was packing so I had to pull them out after my feet didn’t fit. After that, I was running out.
Run: (1:32:24)
I started my run and realized within a few 100 feet that I need a nature break. I haven’t had to use the restroom in a half in about 4 years, but I took it as a good sign that my hydration was on point. Since, I wasn’t too concerned with time, I thought it would be better to be comfortable for the rest of the day. I started off the run a little fast, but I was feeling good and I was just running by feel. The run course is as flat as a pancake, so I really didn’t have any sections to worry about. I just had to run and stay on top of my nutrition. My only complaint is that the aid stations were extremely crowded. The volunteers did not hand out anything and just keep filling cups on the table. Trying to run thru and grab something was really challenging. Being the last wave of the day also meant a ton of athletes still on the run course causing the aid station to get really jammed up. In addition, there was a lot of trash that was wet and slippery to run through. It was warm out by the time I was running, but it wasn’t too bad with the breeze, sights and spectators along the Pomenade. One surprise for me is that I never needed any salt on the run. I took my usual amount on the bike, but I usually eat/chew thru 8-10 salt tabs on the run to relieve cramping to be able to continue running. Maybe it was the Enervit on the bike course, but it was a nice surprise. Overall, I ran well considering my run fitness was a little down, and I just concentrating on enjoying the moment, particularly the finishing chute.
Summary: (5:13:43)
I finished the day, with a smile and a time of 5:13. This was my slowest Half to date (excluding Savageman), but I was satisfied with my effort and time based on the course and my fitness. I know there were points to shave off a few minutes, but this wasn’t a race to worry about time. It was about racing at an amazing venue, interacting with all the great athletes and enjoying the experience. I would highly recommend that if you are given the opportunity that you take it at least once. I really want to thank my FeXY teammates, friends and especially my family for supporting and believing in me through my growth in the sport. Without them this wouldn’t be possible.
