XTRI ICON Race Recap - Bike

123 mile bike - 9:24:59 (9:12.12 riding time)
15276 feet elevation gain, 5 mountain passes

Forcola Pass (10.2 miles, 1634 feet, 52 minutes)

It didn’t take long for me to warm up as once I got out of the town of Livigno, I started to climb the first mountain pass. The grade was gentle but it was a noticeable climb for 10 miles. My legs were tired and I didn’t feel like my normal self so I just focused on trying to find a good rhythm. The grade averaged around 3-5% which is one of my favorite climbing grades so that helped as nothing was steep. The support cars are not allowed to pace the athletes so Karel and I had a strategy that he would drive up next to me, I would tell him what I needed/wanted and then he would find a good place to stop to give me what I needed. Support crews also can not give aid while moving in the car, the car has to be stopped. Anytime I needed a drink or food, Karel would give it to me on an uphill (because it’s easier for him to run next to me and hand me items). If I needed to pee or change clothes, he would find a good place for me to stop next to the car. I have a lot of experience riding in cold conditions because I ride outside year round in Greenville. Even though the temp was in the mid 30’s for this first climb, I felt comfortable with my clothing options. Karel and I discussed that I can not go into this race with placement goals as I needed to stay focused on the process but it was a bit discouraging to know I was the last female on the course and nearly the last athlete starting the bike. Although my legs didn’t feel great, I found myself passing athletes on the first climb, which gave me an encouraging boost. Although getting hypothermia was not ideal, I do think that taking that extra time in the transition to warm up after the swim helped me on the bike so that I didn't overbike. I later heard that several athletes biked really hard to start in order to try to warmup after the swim. 

I studied the bike course map in detail the day before the race. I looked at strava files from previous competitors and I also wrote down on paper how long each climb and descend was to get even more familiar with the course. Along with having the Epic Ride Weather app, I felt very prepared with my clothing choices, nutrition and pacing. This course really suited me as it was either climbing or descending. You either go up or down with very little flat.

After a quick 2.5 mile descend into Switzerland, it was time to climb the Bernina Pass.

Bernina Pass (2 miles, 826 feet, 18 minutes 32 seconds)

Although this climb was a little steeper than the previous pass (and much shorter), I felt so much better. My legs were awake, and I felt like I had more energy in my body. My goal was to drink 1 x 26 ounce bottle of 320 calories INFINIT fructose every 75 minutes (with the cold weather, my fluid needs were different than in warm weather) and to try to get in some type of solid food, gel or chew every 30-45 minutes for extra calories. I had practiced a lot in long rides/events with a variety of sport nutrition options and the Never Second gels, Clif bar Crunchy Peanut Butter, Maurten bar and Never Second bar and Power Bar chews were my favorite in terms of texture, consistency, taste and effectiveness (good digestion). Karel wanted me to try the KetoneAid KE4 Pro Ketone Ester Drink throughout the race (he felt like it really worked for him in Breck Epic) so that was the only new thing I tried/used in ICON. I also took 3-4 Gu Aminos every now and then (Karel would hand them to me and I would wash down with my drink).

After this second climb, it was time to make the long descend by St. Moritz and into Zernez. Participating in the 2022 Haute Route Alps gave me a lot of experience regarding riding through small towns, managing the cars (and other cyclists) on the road and understanding the nature of the climbs and descends in Alps/dolomites. Although there are cars on these narrow roads and technical descends, the riding in Europe is very different than in the US in that cars expect cyclists and the cars work together to keep the cyclists safe. It was a beautiful and fun 29 mile, 1hr and 9 minute gradual descend (averaging 25.4 mph). I was really happy to have the aerobars on my road bike to change the position and to be able to be more aero while descending almost 2900 feet. I passed several more athletes, including a few females. The other support cars were really supportive and after a few hours, I began to notice similar support crew vehicles (and athletes). At 2:09 into the ride, I stopped to pee and to change my gloves. It was 45 degrees when I stopped and I wasn’t overheating so I kept my layers on. I love riding with my buff in cold weather as it really helps me stay warm during descends. I had a sip of the disgusting ketons during my stop (and nearly gagged, blah!) and had a bite of banana. Karel was very organized with the stops and always had a selection of clothing and nutrition for me to choose from and he always had extra bottles of nutrition and water ready for me.

Fuorn Pass (13 miles, 1696 feet, 1hr 11 minutes)

I felt like my energy level was stable. I was feeling stronger as the ride went on. The sun was shining and I felt warm. I continued to pass athletes on the climbs. There were many times when I was riding by myself without any cars/athletes in sight but the course was really well marked with signs. Although I had the course on my Garmin, it doesn’t really work internationally with turns but it does show the climbs that you are on and I really like seeing how much longer I have with each climb. I never focused on my speed or power or total time but just focused on each climb and trying to manage my effort for steady riding. I continued to focus on my fueling and drinking on the climbs but even more so on the descends when it was easier to take in solid food. We had to obey all rules of the road which meant stopping at any lights. We were notified about a construction area (which there were several along the route) that had a light for one way traffic. There was also a short section of gravel. This stop felt like forever but it was only a few minutes. I used that time to take a few bites of a bar.

The weather was getting nicer and it was in the 50s. I had been riding for almost 4 hours and I was feeling great. I felt like the miles were going by really quickly thanks to all the descending. Now it was time for another 61 minute, 22.6 mile gradual 4159 feet descend to the lowest elevation on the course at around 3000 feet. There was a lot of traffic in the small town before the Stelvio pass. Large buses were going through the tiny streets and villages so I had to do a lot of slowing down. I ended up riding on the sidewalk for a block becauses of all the stopped cars. There were volunteers at the major intersections to tell us which way to go but other than that, we had to follow all rules of the road.

Stelvio Pass (14.4 miles, 48 switchbacks, 5715 feet, 2 hours and 17 minutes)

By the time I reached the start of the iconic Stelvio Pass, I had covered 80 miles in 4:46 (17.2 mph) and accumulated 5744 feet. In my mind, this was “half way” and I was ready for the 2^nd half of the bike course. I was so excited to climb Stelvio and to experience the epic 48 switchbacks.

Karel had the car parked on the side of the road so that I could take off some layers. It was in the mid 60’s and it felt amazing. I kept my toe covers on the entire ride (just didn’t feel like taking them off) but took off my jacket, ear covers, gloves and buff. I went pee behind the car, had a swig of Ketones and a few sips of coke and water and then started the climb on Stelvio. Throughout the ride, I also nibbled on a few pieces of banana (typically when I stopped). I only had 1 bottle of sport drink on my bike so that I didn’t carry too much weight. Even when Karel handed me a bottle of water or coke, it only had ~8-16 ounces in it so that I wasn't carrying too much.

I didn’t let the magnitude of this mountain affect me as I just focused on one mile at a time. I was actually really excited for this climb and I feel that positive mindset helped me for the next 2 hours. Once the signs started to count down the switchbacks starting from 48, I focused on one switchback at a time. I made sure to drink every ½ mile as it gave me something to focus on. I didn’t find the grade too challenging but it was averaging around 8-11%. The scenery was remarkable. The road was narrow and packed with cars, motorcycles and other cyclists. Karel and Honza were limited with areas to pull off and stop but he was able to hand me water a few times throughout the climb and switch out sport drink bottles.  It didn’t feel like I was climbing for 2 hours but I was ready to reach the top as I was nearing 10 switchbacks to go. I enjoyed the extra momentum out of every switchbacks. Some sections were long between switchbacks and that became hard. 

I took a selfie while riding. I couldn't resist :) 

As I was nearing the top, I passed the 2^nd place lady and told her good job. I couldn’t believe that I was now the 2^nd place female. Although I wasn’t “racing” I felt like I had overcome so much so early on in the race and I could finally showcase my strengths. I had passed a lot of guys on the climb and and I couldn’t stop thinking about what I was doing with my body. When I reached the top of the Stelvio I had been riding for almost 7 hours, climbed over 11,000 feet and had ridden 93.7 miles. The top of the Stelvio was packed with vistors as there were several shops, restaurants and pubs. Karel and Honza managed to find a place to park and I quickly grabbed a bottle, had a few bites of a banana, grabbed a bar and put on a jacket and gloves before the descend. Karel told me that I was in 2nd place but not to let that change how I was racing. There was still a lot left in the race.  Even though it was in the 60’s, descending while a little sweaty can be chilly.

I really wanted a picture with the Stelvio sign but there were lots of people around so Karel got a quick picture and then I continued on. As I was putting on my jacket, the 2^nd place girl kept riding so now I was third.

The 11 mile descend to Bormio was steep, fast and a little technical with long straights and tight switchbacks. Although I had gone through several tunnels throughout the event, there was a one way tunnel that Karel warned me about and the light to wait for your turn took several minutes. Thankfully I got lucky and made the green light through the tunnel. My hands/arms got really tired descending for 30 minutes so I was relieved when I got to a flatter section (~3 miles) and could rest in the aero bars.

At 110 miles, I stopped by the car and gave Karel my jacket, grabbed two bottles of sport drink, took a shot of ketones (blah!) and made my way to the last climb. This was the last time I would see Karel until T2 as he wanted to make sure he was there ready for me and also he needed to get ready to run the marathon with me.

Foscagno pass (9 miles, 2925 feet, 1 hour and 21 minutes)

Karel warned me about the last pass that it was challenging. The gradient was around 8% and it was also very windy. Throughout every climb, I focused on a steady sustainable effort. But for this climb, it was hard to find the right effort as I could feel that I was getting tired and I also needed to conserve energy for the run. I feel like I was able to ride well (I continued to pass a few more guys) and I also repassed the 2^nd place girl (Anastasiia). Her support crew/partner was very nice and he would always cheer for me. I knew that Nina (who won the female race) was a strong cyclist so I wasn’t focused on catching her throughout the race. She won the event in 2022 but I also know that anything can happen in XTRI events. Even though it was a competition/race, I felt like everyone was supportive of one another. Athletes weren’t really talking throughout the race as everyone was focused on their own effort. Once I reached the top of the climb, I started to get my mind prepared for the run. I had reconned the last few miles of the bike so that really helped to know what was left before the transition. It was a quick 3 mile descend before I rolled into T2 and met Honza and Karel in the parking lot.

T2 was in a different place than T1. T2 was in Trepalle, a little village around 6600 feet just outside of Livigno (which sits at 6000 feet).

I got off my bike and handed it to Honza, who collected my bike and gear bag (with all my bike stuff) as the support crew is responsible of taking everything outside of transition as soon as the athlete leaves. In Canadaman, Karel was my support crew for everything so it was super helpful to have Honza. This also allowed Karel to run with me for as much as I wanted throughout the run (it’s mandatory to have a support member run with you at T3, which is mile 18 until the finish). I wanted Karel to run the entire marathon with me as I wanted his company and I also felt like he could help me be more strategic with my fueling and aid stations. In this race, there were aid stations every 3 miles (after 6 miles) but only with coke, water, pie (yep!)and gels.

I really had to pee in the last few miles but there was only one restroom (in the building outside of T2) so I had to hold it until I exited T2.

I did a complete change out of my bibs, base layer, jersey and sports bra and put on tri shorts, a fresh sports bra and tech shirt. I had a tank as an option but since it was really windy and getting cooler, I opted for the tech shirt. One of my running flasks leaked in my bag so some of my items were wet but Karel did his best to dry things off. I put on my Naked run belt with two flasks and put my GSP transponder in my belt. Apparently, my transponder hadn’t been working all day which left several people worried. After leaving transition, I went to the bathroom and was able to have a small BM and pee but, no stomach issues which was great. I had never eaten so much on the bike before. In a regular IM, I only consume liquid calories ~360-400 calories per hour. But in this race, I took in so much! Karel went pee as well and I stretched out my feet as they were really tired.

My transition was 7 minutes and I had the 34th fastest bike (out of 113 bike finishers) and I was the 39th athlete out of T2. I had passed 53 athletes on the bike course.

I was actually looking forward to the marathon and running/hiking/joging the next 5 hours and 5000 feet with Karel. 

It's time to discover my limits at XTRI ICON

I love warm weather. I love working out in humid conditions. I love the feeling of warm air on my skin and I thrive in warm conditions. Some of my best race performances have been in hot and humid conditions.

Above is a photo of the predicted weather forecast for the XTRI ICON event that I'll be participating in tomorrow, September 1st in Livigno, Italy.

You'll notice a few things. Those temperatures are in Fahrenheit (not Celcius). The race starts at 6,000 altitude. I'll be starting the 3K (swim was shortened due to combined air and water temp) dark, cold water swim at 5am. I'll be starting the 123 mile, 9+ hour bike with 14,000+ feet of climbing in the upper 30's. The warmest it will be is 55 degrees. Then I will run a mostly off-road marathon with almost 4000 feet elevation gain, finishing at 9,000 feet.

This event will be my greatest athletic accomplishment IF I reach the finish line. But it will require a tremendous amount of physical strength, mental toughness, troubleshooting, proactive thinking, and luck.

~150 miles (2.4 mile swim, 123 mile bike, 26 mile run) ~18,000 feet elevation gain, 5 mountain passes to climb and descend, including the iconic 48 switchbacks on the Stelvio pass. Karel will be there for all 15+ hours as he is my support crew during this self-supported event. Karel will also be running the entire marathon with me (carrying as much as he can to support me nutritionally throughout the run).

These conditions scare me. I don't enjoy cold weather. Ever since I signed up for the event in December, I've had this event on my mind, especially the swim. It's kept me motivated, focused and dedicated to my training. For the past 9 months, a day hasn't gone by that I haven't thought about the difficulty of this epic event.

Growth comes from pushing the limits of what you think is possible. If you are not challenging yourself to do big, scary things, you will never know how far you can go and what you can achieve in life.

It wasn't too long ago that I was deathly afraid of descending on my bike on anything that resembled a hill. I have learned to embrace the wind while riding my tri bike, but it still makes me nervous. I've conquered a few cold water swims, despite being very uncomfortable.

A lifetime of personal growth (and discomfort) has got me to this point. Riding in the windy conditions on the big island of Kona at the Ironman World Championship (5x), swimming in the cold lake water outside of St. George, Utah, descending mountains in France in the Haute Route Alps and attempting my first Xterra off-road triathlon in Czech Republic are fresh in mind as each of these events put me in a "first ever" experience (which was scary)

With every challenge that I've faced in my personal and athletic life, I've learned that I am more capable than I give myself credit for. The limits that exist in my mind are often what hold me back. I'll be the first to admit that I am not a risk taker. I like to plan, research, strategize and practice before I attempt something new. Whether it's from a fear of failure or a fear of the uknown, I've become more comfortable taking risks.

While I feel physically prepared for XTRI ICON (well, as prepared as I could get), I've spent the last week getting my mind ready for the mental and physical suffering and struggles that I will experience during this 15+ hour adventure.

You can follow ICON XTRI on Facebook and Instagram and track me live HERE.

I hope that I can inspire you to pursue your big scary goals. Whether athletic, career or personal, don't limit yourself to what you think you can't do. I hope to inspire you to step out of your comfort zone in order to discover your physical and mental limits. And when you find your limits, dream a little bigger to see what else you are capable of achieving.

Here are a few powerful ways that can help you push yourself past your limits. 

• Address your limiting beliefs. It's easy to avoid doing things you don't believe are possible. It's easy to think you can't accomplish something. Your thoughts impact your actions. If you don't know your self-imposed limitations, you can't push past them.
• Chase your passions. When you are passionate about something, you'll find the motivation needed to put in the work. If you don't love what you are doing, you will struggle to find the energy to step outside of your comfort zone.
• Set realistic goals. If you don't know your destination, it'll be difficult to get there. While it's good to feel challenged by a goal, your goal should be somewhat realistic and attainable. It should stretch your abilities as you follow a measurable plan to get there but it should still remain possible.
• Be ok to fail. Stretching your comfort zone is all about facing your fears and not being afraid of failing. Struggle is part of growth. Failure is part of success. Failure means you are trying and you are learning.
• Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Anytime you do something for the first time, you will feel discomfort. If you want to challenge yourself, you need to embrace discomfort. 

“The fears we don’t face don’t become our limits.”

-Robin Sharma

XTRI ICON Livigno, Italy - Day 2 and 3

 

8/29
We woke up around 6:45am to somewhat clear skies. We could see the snow on the mountains. It was cold out (upper 30's) but no rain. We were hungry for breakfast around 8am and ordered some eggs along with our "continental" food options. We then layered up for our bike ride. We had been following the Haute Route online (they just finished up the 7-day stage in the Alps which we did last year and heading to the 5-stage Dolomites next). They shorted stage 1 from Bormio to the iconic Stelvio pass due to wet and snowy conditions. Karel was planning to ride up and over Stelvio but he modified his route (but still went to the top of the Stelvio). I rode with Karel to around Tornante (~1 hour, which was mostly climbing). We were in good company as there were some UAE cyclists just ahead of us and a lot of other cyclists. Even with the cold conditions, there were so many people out riding, hiking and walking. I felt really good climbing and was reminded of all the climbing we did in the Haute Routes. I feel that event prepared me really well for what to expect for XTRI ICON (123 miles, 14,000+ feet of climbing). I got a bit cold after stopping with Karel to look at the map before he left to continue on his ride and my hands were really cold. The good thing about this ride was getting an idea of what to wear after the cold swim that starts at 5am on race day (September 1st). 

I had lunch by myself around 1:40pm (it was delicious) and had Karel's lunch sent to the room for his return. 

I got some work done throughout the afternoon. Karel didn't return from his bike ride almost 5pm. His 74 mile route to the top of the Stelvio and back to Livigno had 11,500 feet of elevation gain. It took him almost 7 hours to complete. It took him almost 2 hours to climb 42 switchbacks (5350 feet) over 12 miles. The crazy part is that it took him 30 minutes to descend! I will be climbing Stelvio from the other side (48 switchbacks) near the end of the ICON XTRI and then descending down the 42 switchbacks to Bormio. 

Because of the snow on top of Stelvio, the roads were wet so as he was descending, the water was spraying on him, leaving him wet and cold. And the Foscagno Pass took him 90 minutes to climb 12.8 miles. Karel returned to our hotel exhausted and cold. He ate his cold lunch and then we went to the hotel spa (it's free for guests) to warm up. We sat in the warm pool with jets (not a hot tub). We also sat in the salt room, hay room and sauna. It was really relaxing. 

Nearing 7pm, it was time for dinner in the hotel. We were both really tired but struggled to get a restful night of sleep. My mind was thinking about tomorrow morning - my first opportunity to experience the dark cold water of Livigno. 

8/30

We woke up to my alarm at 4:45am. The ICON XTRI event offers a familiarization swim at 5:30am (race start is 5am) to experience the water conditions. I didn't know the water temp so I told myself to expect 50 degrees (which is super cold and I have never swam in anything less than 58 degrees) and anything warmer would be a bonus. This race is all about mental tricks and keeping my brain and body calm. We put on our wetsuits in our hotel room as the air temp was 33 degrees. Since I will be putting on dry clothes after the swim on race day, I wore a ROKA swimsuit and my ROKA sleeveless swimskin under my wetsuit (to barriers to keep my core warm). As we were leaving the hotel around 5:10am, we realized that the reception office was closed. Our car key was behind the front desk. Instead of driving, we went with plan B - bike. It was kinda weird, kinda fun to bike in our wetsuits and winter clothing but it was a nice way to get the blood flowing. 

We arrived to the swim start at Lake Livigno (across from the Aquagranda) just before 5:30am and there were probably around 30 athletes at the swim (out of the 150 registrants). I put on a thermal cap, booties and gloves (I've only worn booties before) and clear ROKA goggles and made my way to the water. Karel got in first (he only had booties and a thermal cap) and he said the water was cold. I got in very slowly to get my breathing under control before I started swimming. Although it was cold on my face, all my thermal gear worked great. While I was still getting water in my wetsuit, in my feet and in my hands, I wasn't cold. As I started swimming, the water felt less cold and more comfortable. It was still chilly but not extreme. It was strange swimming with so much gear on my extremities. I stopped several times as it was so dark and I was focusing on the boat with a light on it but I also didn't want to run into other athletes. The dark water didn't bother me, if anything I kinda liked it. 

I swam ~750 yards (to the boat and back). It was really good to have this experience to test out my gear and to check off this big uncertainty going into this race. I asked another athlete of the water temp and he told me 12.5 celcius. After we changed in the tent and rode back to our hotel (our fingers were freezing even with gloves) around 6:30am, I converted the temperature from celcius to Fahrenheit and it was 53 degrees!! The coldest water that I've ever swam in. I texted one of my friends (who is an experienced OWS) and she told me that I am now part of the <100 swim club - when you swim in conditions where the water + air temperature adds up to <100. Who knew there was such a thing! 

It took a while for us to warm up in our hotel room. Around 8:30am we went to get some breakfast in the hotel. After we ate, I was so exhausted. The swim really wore me out! I struggled for the next two hours and after getting some work done, I found the energy to get outside for a 38 minute run on some of the run course (paved sections) around 10:30am. Suprisingly, I still don't feel the altitude and when I exercise, I feel really good. It's when I am sitting/laying down that I get super tired. 

Karel left for a run while I was working on the computer. He decided to check out some of my run course (since he will be running all of it with me as my support crew). He ran up to T2 and then back to our hotel. It was an 18 mile, 2:33 run w/ 1800 feet elevation. He took some pictures from his run and it looks beautiful. Here are some pics from the run course that we each took. 

The lake (swim venue) during the day. 

We ate lunch at the hotel around 1pm and shortly, after we went to check in for the race. The race headquarters is a quick 350 meter walk from our hotel. 

The requirements for this race are pretty strict. You are required to show your triathlon license (USAT).  Thermal booties and swim cap are required for the swim. A change of clothes must be in the support car for the bike (if needed). The athlete and the support person must check in a bag that must be worn from T3 until the finish (last 12K) that includes a hat, gloves, long sleeve shirt, waterproof jacket w/ hood, running pants and a headlap. Because of the difficulty of this event (the bike alone will take me over 9 hours), most athletes won't be starting the 26 mile run (4000 feet elevation gain) until late afternoon. Because the last few miles of the run take us up to 9000 feet (3000 mile climb), weather can be unpredictable. 

After I picked up all my stuff, we went back to the room and I started to organize all of my gear. Unlike Canadaman which was rainy and warm, this race will be cold to start but because of all the elevation gain and loss throughout the day, the weather is up and down all day which requires a lot of different clothing options. I use the Epic Weather app to help me plan my gear. 

I'm hoping for a good night of sleep tonight as I know I won't sleep well on Thursday with the race starting at 5am on Friday. 

Our Epic and Xtreme events

We are approaching our last key events in our 2023 season. I will be participating in XTRI ICON on September 1st and Karel will be participating in Breck Epic on August 13th - 18th. These events will test us mentally and physically and we are excited (and nervous) for the unknown. If you'd like to learn a bit more about these events, I'll share some info about the events. You can also follow me on social media (Instagram and Facebook) as I will be sharing updates from Karel's race (and then Karel will share updates from my race). 

KAREL: Breck Epic - Breckendridge, CO

• ~220-240 miles
• ~40,000 feet of vertical gain
• All stages start at ~9,600 feet

1. Stage 1: Pennsylvania Creek, August 13th 35.7 miles, 5700 feet
2. Stage 2: The Colorado Trail, August 14th: 42.5 miles, 6565 feet
3. Stage 3: The Guyot Loop, August 15th: 40.5 miles, 7100 feet (crossing the Continental Divide twice)
4. Stage 4: The Keystone Loop, August 16th: 42.3 miles, 6473 feet
5. Stage 5: The Wheeler Loop, August 17th: 24.6 miles, 5227 feet - Time Trial 
6. Stage 6: The Gold Dust Loop, August 18th: 30.2 miles, 3740 feet 

MARNI: XTRI ICON - Livigno, Italy 

• September 1st (Friday)
• 5am start time
• Average air temp - 36-57 degrees F
• 2.4 mile swim in Lago Del Gallo - ~60 degrees F
• 121 mile bike, ~16,400 feet elevation gain
  -Starting at 6000 feet
  -Up the Forcola pass 
  -Bernina pass (switzerland)
  -Into St. Moritiz to Zernez
  -Fuorn Pass to Val Mustair 
  -Prato allo Stelvio (48 mountain switchbacks, second highest pass in Europe at 9,000 feet)
  -Bormio to Foscagno pass
• 26 mile run, ~4,920 feet elevation gain
  -Primarily off-road
  -Last 6 miles has an elevation gain of 3600 feet
  -Crew support (Karel) is required in the last 6 miles
• Finish at Carosello 3000 (9130 feet) 
• Winter/rain gear is required throughout the race in case of rain/snow