'25 IM 70.3 CDA Race Report

Coeur d’Alene has been on our race bucket list for several years. Back in 2019, Karel registered for 2020 IM CDA but it was cancelled due to Covid. In 2021, the Ironman did not happen and instead, Karel was able to change his entry to IM St. George. A few months later, we learned that IM St. George would be the host of the 2021 Ironman World Championship. In 2022, Karel was once again registered for IM CDA but a month before the event, Karel broke his hand mountain biking. After 2023, the Ironman distance in CDA was discontinued but the 70.3 remained.

Finally, in 2025, we were going to check IM 70.3 CDA off our bucket list but Karel had two knee surgeries this year for a torn meniscus (each knee) and since the last surgery in April, he has been having complications - which have impacted his ability to run. We were disappointed that we both couldn’t participate in the race but we decided to make the most of it - I would race and Karel would turn the trip into a mountain biking train-cation. Karel ended up riding over 15 hours over 4 days which made for a great ‘training camp’ as he prepares for his second Breck Epic MTB stage race in August.

We arrived to Spokane on Wednesday late morning (3 hour time difference to the east coast), and made the quick and easy 40 min drive to CDA. I rented a SUV (Audio Q7) via Turo.

Our Airbnb was located on 18th street, which was on the bike and run course. Although we needed to drive the 1.5 miles to and from the race venue, it was the perfect location for easy access to the course. The house was very spacious and had a great layout. We had Trimarnis Diane, Jeannie, Gin and Coach Joe staying with us, which made for great company and lots of laughs. We did a big grocery shop at Safeway when we arrived.

Around 5pm, Joe, Gin and Diane went for a spin and Karel and I drove to the race venue for an open water swim. We parked at the paid parking ($3/hr) at the beach area. It ended up being very windy that evening and the water was super choppy. It felt like an ocean! It wasn’t a relaxing swim but rather an exhausting swim. But Karel and I made the best of it and ended up “swimming” for ~1000 yards. 

On Thursday, Karel went for a 3-hour mountain bike ride at Canfield Mountain Trail System and Joe and I went out for a bike along the first part of the bike course. We started at the race venue (from our house) and followed the course. There is a nice trail system in CDA which is alongside the road. The road was fairly quiet so I stayed on the road. I did some out and backs along the course with a few intervals. I ended up riding ~80 minutes. After the bike, I went for a ~30 min run on the back part of the run course (which is also the start of the bike course). Later that day morning, we went for an open water swim and the water was perfectly calm. Compared to yesterday when I averaged 1:51/100, I had a wonderful ~2100 yard swim averaging ~1:29/100 pace. The water temperature was perfect around 68-70 degrees. 

Far end turnaround on run course

On Friday, Karel did a 5 hour ride with over 7,000 feet of climbing at Mt CDA. I kept the day very easy and went for an open water swim in the morning. Once again, it was very windy. Whereas the weather was very nice in the 60’s-70’s on Wed and Thursday, a cold front started to come through on Friday. After watching the weather all week, it looked like the weather would stay as predicted for race day - cold in the 40s-50s and a chance for rain on Sat evening and early Sunday morning. We went for a swim on Friday morning and once again, it was very choppy. I swam for ~1000 yards and once again averaged over 1:50/100. 

Around 2pm we checked in for the race. There was some confusion with my AWA placement as they didn’t have me as an AWA athlete so I ended up with a higher number than planned - which in the end didn’t matter as I had a good location on the bike rack, near the sidewalk and a few rows from the transition exit. In the evening, we ordered out (and enjoyed) pizza from Fire Artisan Pizza. 

On Saturday, Karel went for another 3-hour ride at 4th of July Pass. This was an “easier” ride for him (less technical than the other two days) but still a lot of climbing. I did around an hour bike in the morning and it was chilly out. I dressed very warm with leg warmers, toe covers, base layer, jacket and gloves. I included a few short intervals to get my legs going and my legs felt really good. After the ride, I did a quick loop on the run course so I could see the first few miles of the run. The course was well-marked starting on Wednesday. I really liked the run course and I was getting really excited to race. I went for a 15 min run and my legs felt amazing. I couldn’t decide which shoes to wear for race day so I started off in my New Balance and then did a few minutes in my Saucony’s and decided on the Saucony’s. Although they are old shoes, I’ve had my best two runs in the recent years in those shoes.

Joe and I checked in our bikes around 3pm (bike check in closed at 4:30pm) as we were watching the weather and trying to figure out the best time to go to miss the rain. The rain ended up coming in the evening so in the end, it didn’t matter. I had all my gear ready on Friday so all that was left on Saturday was to finish my carb loading and prepare my bottles.

Because this race was cold, I didn’t fill my bottles all the way with fluid as I knew I wouldn’t be drinking a full 26-ounce bottle per hour. I ended up only filling my bottles up with around 22-ounces. I prepared 3 bottles, each with 90g INFINIT Fructose per bottle. For the run, I had 2 x 10 ounce flasks, each with 45g (1.5 scoops) Never Second + 1/8 tsp salt (for an extra 250mg sodium) I’ve been playing around with my run nutrition over the past few weeks and this strategy has been working well for me.

I did a lot of laying around on Saturday evening and went to bed around 7pm. I watched a cute movie (Instant Family) on Friday and finished it on Saturday as I was laying in bed. I had an ok night of sleep - not bad but not super restful.

My alarm went off at 3:45am and we planned to have Karel drive us to the race venue at 4:45am for the 6am race start. I woke up feeling good and looking forward to the race. My only concern was the weather and still feeling a little undecided as to what to wear for the bike. I had a few different options - either arm warmers and gloves or a tight fitting jacket and gloves.

After I got up, I went to go pee and made my way downstairs. I made my instant coffee and sat at the kitchen table with everyone as I sipped my coffee. Around 4am, I started to feel a little dizzy while I was sitting at the table. The room started to get a little fuzzy so I rested my head on the table. I started to feel a little better so I got up to prepare my pre race meal of yogurt and waffles w/ PB and syrup. But as I was about to get up, I got really dizzy and could feel a faint coming up. Before I knew it, I found myself near the couch. I can’t remember if I landed on the floor by the couch or on the couch but when I finally woke up, I was laying face down on the couch - exhausted and wanting to sleep.

This was my third incident of fainting on race day morning. The only trend is that it comes after I pee first thing in the morning. The first was in 2017 at the IM 70.3 WC in Chattanooga. Unfortunately, I hit my face on the kitchen floor when I blacked out and couldn’t race. I went to the doctor and cardiologist a few days after the event and they couldn’t find anything wrong. I ended up signing up for IM Chattanooga 2 weeks later (last minute decision to register) and placed 1st overall amateur. In 2021, I fainted on race morning at IM 70.3 Haines City. I ended up participating in the race but I felt really tired during the race. I was really frustrated that this happened again. Karel saw me on the couch and I told him what happened and he stayed calm and tried to help me out. He prepared my 3 waffles w/ PB and syrup and when I started to feel better, I was able to get in everything. It was nearing 4:35am and I had less than ten minutes until we needed to leave. I tried not to rush myself so I took my time, gathered my things and by the time we got in the car around 4:45am, I started to feel more normal again.

I dressed very warm for the morning - my race kit, pants, long sleeve shirt and jacket, along with a hat and gloves. Karel was cold in the morning but I found it very comfortable. I decided to use my gloves and arm warmers for the bike. I came up with the idea to wrap the top part of my tri kit in a baggie and tuck inside my shorts but in the end, it didn’t work and the top ended up getting wet. I was hoping it would stay dry for the bike. I also used a piece of mylar blanket under my sports bra for the swim and bike to keep my chest warm.

After setting up my bike with my bottles, computer and pumping my tires, I did a short jog around the park and went to the bathroom. I felt normal tried to forget about the early morning fainting incident.

I wore an old pair of socks before the swim to keep my feet warm as we were standing along the beach. I opted not to do a swim warmup in the water but instead, did some dryland exercises for my arms. I stood in the 27-30 min corral for the swim and at 6am, the race started.


1.2 mile SWIM - 28:52

The water temperature was 64 degrees. I found it to be comfortable - I never felt warm but never felt too cold. The swim course was easy to navigate with 8 buoys on each side of the rectangular course. The water was calm. I felt really good in the water. I found myself swimming by myself for most of the swim as I was passing people but not able to catch up to the faster swimmers just ahead.


T1 - 5:05
I tried to make my transition as quick as possible but I really wanted to get myself comfortable before the bike as I really struggle biking while cold. I did a quick dry with a small towel, put on the top of my tri kit, put on my arm warmers and gloves and put on my shoes (which had toe covers on them). I was a little cold starting the bike but I felt comfortable after a few minutes.

Starting the bike

Finishing the bike

56 mile Bike - 2:40.52
The first 15 miles of the bike were very familiar to me as I had ridden that section of the course on Thursday and Saturday. I got myself through the turns of the downtown streets and when I got to the out and back section by the lake, I started to ease into my race effort. I found myself being passed by a lot of guys and couldn’t seem to get my power up. I didn’t try to force it so I waited for the first climb by the lake to see if my legs would come around. I didn’t feel strong on the climb but just told myself that I needed more time to get warmed up. I actually felt really comfortable and to cold on the bike. I saw a few girls ahead of me and I expected myself to catch them in a few miles but as I continued to make my way back into town, my legs felt like they had no power in them. I saw Karel and he gave me a cheer but later he told me that he noticed that I wasn’t riding like my normal self. It’s usually feel strong on the bike and can extend my lead after the swim but instead, the opposite was happening - I was losing time to the leaders and being outridden by other girls in my age group. I thought I would enjoy the bike course with the long climbs but instead, I found myself struggling to hold power. I liked how the course was broken down with ~20 miles out and back on the highway. It was actually a very scenic ride. The road condition was a mix of chip seal and some smoother segments but overall, it wasn’t fast pavement. I enjoyed seeing Diane, Gin and Jeannie on the course and getting a cheer from Joe as he passed me. Thankfully, no rain. It was nice to have the entire road of the highway to ourselves but there were some tight sections with cones that made for some sketchy sections. Thankfully I didn’t have anyone around me for the no-passing descend that lasted over a mile so I enjoyed that section. I kept up with my nutrition and I was trying to keep my mind calm but instead I found myself feeling defeated that I was being passed by so many guys and couldn’t ride like my normal self. I found the bike to be windy with cross wind - not Lanzarote windy - or perhaps it was just me that felt slow. I never looked at my overall time throughout the ride but I could tell that I was not going to get close to 2:30 - which is what I was expecting to be competitive in the top of the overall standings. As I was nearing transition, I took my feet out of my shoes and took a look at my overall time (I had been lapping my computer so I was only focusing on my lap time, power and speed for each section of the course that I was on). I knew I was not having a good ride as I only passed one female in the last mile of the bike.

T2 - 2:21
When I got into the transition area, I debated if I should even continue but I knew that quitting because my legs didn’t feel good on the bike wasn’t a good decision. I didn’t know my swim time as I don’t wear a watch when I swim so I didn’t know that I had one of my best swims in a 70.3 in a very long time. I took off my arm warmers and gloves in the last 30 min of the bike as I was starting to get warm and tucked them in my pockets. I also tossed the mylar sheet from under my sports bra at one of the aid stations. When I got into the transition area, I emptied my pockets, stepped into my Naked band, put on my shoes and grabbed a plastic bag that had my flasks, sunglasses, watch and hat inside. As I was exciting the transition area, I put on the stuff in the bag and started my watch.

13.1 mile Run - 1:38.11
The first mile of the run didn’t feel great but I really enjoyed running through the park. The two loop run had everything I like in a run - spectators, dogs, great volunteers, nice scenery, hills, turns and nothing too long and flat. After the first mile, I started to find my rhythm and I felt really strong. As the miles went by, I found myself feeling really good - surprisingly good after not having power on the bike. I never felt low in energy and never felt like I was having a low moment on the run. I was passed by two females but also found myself extending my lead in my age group. Karel told me that I had a 3 min lead when I started the run (which had me worried) but I ended up extending that lead - which almost never happens. The weather felt really comfortable - I felt warm (not hot). I finished both my flasks within 75 minutes and took a few sips of water at two aid stations. My energy felt really stable throughout the run. I was planning to take some coke in the last few miles of the run but didn’t feel like I needed it. I never knew my overall time on the run but I was doing some quick math as I was running and I felt like I had a good chance of breaking 1:38, which would have been one of my best half marathons in a 70.3. I ended up running just over 1:38 which is still a really good time for me.

I met Karel at the finish line and although I was disappointed in my bike performance, I was really pleased with two of my best times in the swim and run in a 70.3. I know there is going to come a time in the next few years when I don’t experience “best ever” times anymore so I am really grateful to my body that I can still get close to my personal bests.

Karel and I (and Joe) waited for Gin, Diane and Jeannie to finish. We cheered them all on to the finish line. We were all a bit cold at the finish line so we changed into dry clothes and got our bikes (and gear) and rode our bikes back to the Airbnb (and Karel drove back. He was on his MTB for the run to cheer us on throughout the course.

At 3pm we got our awards. Jeannie was 6th and Gin was 8th. Diane got on the podium in 5th (55-59), Joe was 5th (35-39) and I won the 40-44 age group and placed 5th overall female. 

Although I am disappointed in my bike, I am grateful to have reached the start and finish line. I really enjoyed the CDA course and venue and Karel had a great time mountain biking. I am hopeful that he can get himself healthy to run again as I miss racing with him. Right now I am not sure what is next for me (in terms of triathlon) so I am going to reflect on my last two races (IM Lanzarote and IM 70.3 CDA) and figure out what excites me for the rest of the season.

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'24 IM 70.3 Louisville race recap

 
Source

Quick stats: 
Marni: 4:45.14, 1st overall female 
Swim: 29:07
T1: 4:15
Bike: 2:25:57
T2: 3:25
Run: 1:42.30

Karel: 4:33.27, 2nd AG (45-49)
Swim: 31:47
T1: 3:56
Bike: 2:23.20
T2: 3:14
Run: 1:31.10

Pre Race
We drove to Louisville on Thursday morning. Karel and I were able to get in a short 30 minute swim at Furman before we left around 9:30am. On the 9th, Karel started to feel sick after his morning swim. On Saturday, he went for an hour run and came back feeling awful. He tested positive for COVID shortly after. He did nothing on Sunday as he was exhausted, coughing, stuffy and low in energy. He did no exercise on Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday, I started to feel run down and had to stop my bike trainer workout because I was feeling empty. I ended up with a head cold but thankfully I was able to fight the virus but I was left feeling stuffy. Thankfully, on Wednesday morning I felt a little better so I was able to get in a longish trainer ride and brick run in the morning and a short swim in the evening. Karel wanted to see how he felt so he went out for a ride on his tri bike and he felt pretty bad. A lot of that was because he hadn't exercised in four days but he was still feeling somewhat sick. With Karel feeling unwell, me feeling run down and both of us feeling really sad since it was three weeks without Campy, we weren't sure if we should go to Louisville to race. With this being a team race, we wanted to be there with/for our athletes but we weren't sure if either of us should race. Karel was undecided if he would race (he was leaning towards not racing) but I was feeling ok when I exercised, just very stuffy. We decided that we would take it one day at a time. When we arrived to our Airbnb in Louisville (1 mile from the race venue, by the run course), Karel and I did an out and back run on the course. Karel was coughing and felt horrible. We ran for 40 minutes. We got groceries at Kroger and then went to bed after dinner. On Friday, Karel was feeling a little better so he went out for a run. He ended up running 11.4 miles of the 70.3 run course and said he felt low in energy but didn't feel as bad as he did a few days prior. While he was running, I went for a swim at the Floyd YMCA (Indiana). My athlete/friend Claire suggested that I get a once-a-year free YMCA pass and reserve a lane (by calling) which worked out great for a 3000-yard workout. When I returned back to the Airbnb, Karel told me that he would train through 70.3 Louisville as he felt like he missed a lot of training due to his sickness, being in Norway and struggling with recovery after the Stone extreme triathlon. We had talked about this approach going into Louisville since he has Icon XTRI on September 6th. A little before 4pm, Karel and I rode over the Big Four Bridge and biked the Utica Pike Route (suggested by one of my nutrition athletes that lives in Prospect KY). It was somewhat quiet road by the water. The road was a bit bumpy but otherwise it was the perfect road to get into the aerobars and to spin out the legs. I rode for 80 minutes and Karel rode for 2 hours. The riding in Louisville wasn't great (not safe) so we were limited with where we were able to ride. Karel felt better toward the end of his ride. In the evening we had our team pizza party at Claire's Airbnb (which was next to our Airbnb). I purchsed pizza from The Post. The pizza was ok - not amazing but not bad. I really liked the big sizes for our group.
It was so great to be with our athletes. It was exactly what we needed. It gave us an opportunity to briefly forget about our grieving and our athletes gave us so much positive energy. 
On Saturday morning, I went for an almost 90 minute ride. I rode a little on the beginning/end of the bike course, checked out the end of the run course and then biked the run course in the park. After the ride, I went for a 17-minute run (13 minutes of feel good running off the bike and then another 1/2 mile to get me to/from the Butchertown Bakery to get Karel a croissant and pastry. As I was doing my pre race workout, Karel rode the bike course. I was a little nervous for him being out on the bike course since we heard the course was mostly on busy, narrow two lane roads and Karel said there was a lot of traffic on a Saturday morning. Karel rode 61 miles (he missed one turn because of cars on the road) and came home feeling tired. But he was happy that he was able to put together a few days of "training."  
I checked in my bike around 1pm and spent the rest of the day relaxing. I stuck to my normal pre-race foods/meals:  Bagel, waffles, eggs, milk, yogurt, pop tarts, Amy's No Chicken Noodle soup, basmati rice, pasta w/ marinara. Karel checked in his bike closer to 3pm. Karel and I prepared our bottles in the late afternoon and spent the early evening relaxing in bed. We both shut out the lights around 7:30pm to try to go to sleep. It was a somewhat restless night of sleep (typical pre-race) but it was nice knowing we had a 4:15am alarm (and not 2am like the extreme triathlons :). 

Race morning 
We woke up not feeling too excited to race. It was a strange feeling as we love racing but this past week was so exhuasting for us. We constantly felt this constant weight of sadness that we struggled to shake. Karel didn't feel nervous as he was using the race as a training day but I felt a bit of nerves because I did care about this race. This race was in my homestate and being so close to Lexington brought back a lot of memories and emotions thinking about my dad. 
Karel had his oatmeal and espresso and I had instant coffee and a cinnamon raisin bagel w/ peanut butter and maple syrup. We left our Airbnb around 5:30am, parked a few blocks away (on the street behind the big parking lot across the race expo, free street parking on Sunday) and then walked to the transition area. It made me happy to be in the transition area as I really enjoy the race day vibe and being around other athletes. Karel likes to be in and out and isn't one for small talk. I do all the talking :) We set up our transition areas and then walked the 1.2 miles to the swim start. We prefer walking when there is an option (instead of taking the bus) as it's a nice warm-up and it puts us in a better mindset when we can keep our bodies moving. When we arrived to the swim start area around 6:30am, we put on our ROKA swimskins, dropped off our morning clothes bags and then walked a little further down the paved path to the official swim start. There was one big corral for all the swim waves so we had to jump over the fence to get into the sub 30-minute swim start area near the front. I was looking forward to the swim whereas Karel was worried about the swim because of his previous sickness and feeling tight in his chest. He was going to take it very easy to start so that he wouldn't get his heart rate up too high. At 7am, the race started.

Swim
The swim was point to point with sighting buoys every 100 meters. What a nice treat compared to the 1, maybe 2 buoys that we get an extreme triathlon events. I really liked how we started the swim. Rather than jumping off a dock, we walked down a metal ramp into the water and could somewhat dive into the water at waist high. I wore clear ROKA goggles since it was a little cloudy. From the first few strokes, I could feel a bit of chop. It felt more like we were swimming upstream than downstream. After getting pased the first buoy, I was really excited about this swim. Non wetsuit and choppy - I felt like this was the perfect swim for me. Karel started a few seconds ahead of me and I passed him after the 2nd buoy. He looked good in the water which made me feel relieved that he was ok in the water. I didn't find the water quality bad but instead, I really liked this swim. It went by quickly and I used each buoy to count how far I had left as they were numbered. I made the left turn around the final red turn buoy toward the stairs to exit the water at Waterfront park. It was very choppy by the exit. I felt great getting out of the water and I had a few people tell me that I was in the top 10 of females. I saw my mom and she was cheering for me, which made me happy. Karel's mom stayed back at our Airbnb as she was worried that she would get too tired being on her feet all day. 

T1
It was a long run from the water exit, up the concrete ramp, over the stairs and into the grassy transition area. I sat down to put on my compression socks and shoes. I decided to tighten my boa on my Bont tri shoes in the transition area as I spent too much time fiddling with my shoes in Gulf Coast trying to tighten them as I was riding. I put on my Rudy project helmet (with visor on the top of the helmet as this helps it avoid fogging and easier to get on) and then grabbed my bike to start the 56 mile ride. 


Bike
I was really looking forward to this bike. I rode most of this course back in 2008 for IMKY but back then I was not a confidence (or strong) cyclist so the rolling hills felt like mountains to me back then. In addition to Karel's feedback from his ride on the course, I watched a Youtube video of the course (car driving the course), looked at maps and studied the mile markers and Karel's file from his ride to understand every mile/corner of the course. This really helped so that when I got on the bike, I felt like I was riding on a course that was familiar to me - even though I had not ridden the course since 2008. 
For nutrition I had 3 bottles on my bike, each with 70g INFINIT Fructose. I started with fruit punch in my first bottle and then had two bottles of grape flavor. I had a never second gel and Power bar gummies in my bento box on my frame in case I dropped a bottle but I didn't need to use them. I went through two full bottles and around 1/2 of the 3rd bottle. I felt great energy wise. I passed a few ladies in the first few miles and nearing the first climb (I think) was leading the women's race.
The first 10.5 miles were fast! I averaged 24.5 mph. We then hit our first longish climb and this started rollers for the next 10 miles. We made a right turn to start the "loop." I broke this loop into 4 sections. The first section was 4.75 miles and it was net uphill. My legs started to open up at this point. I didn't feel like I could push on the first climb but in this section, I started to feel so much better. I didn't try to ask my body to do more than it could do earlier on but rather, just rode within my abilities and listened to my body. The next section was 3.56 miles and although there was some climbing, it was a faster section. After the turn in La Grange, we had another 3.8 miles. This was another fast section. The last section was 3.95 miles and this finished the loop. I loved the rolling hills and it was a little cooler to start but warmed up nicely. Perfect riding temperature. I found myself around the same guys and made sure to stay draft legal behind them. It was hard at times because of the cat and mouse nature of this course that I would have to surge to pass on the uphills and then I was passed on the downhills. There was a official around my group throughout the entire bike ride (the motorcycle would ride past us, stop and then go again and pass us throughout the entire bike). Karel passed me as we were finishing the loop and I was able to keep him in my sights for most of the rest of the bike. I was really happy that he was riding well on the bike. He was tired from his sickness and training going into this race but also happy that he was ok enough to participate in the race. Karel and I love riding our bikes in new areas so we thought of this race as an opportunity to enjoy riding on different roads. Overall the traffic wasn't bad and the volunteers and police did a great job controlling traffic as my group was rolling through. I think the traffic picked up as the race went on. I do worry about the safety of this bike course because a good 13 miles of the course is on a two lane busy road which means there are cyclists in both directions which means cars are backed up for 3+ hours. The bike felt effortless for me. I was really happy that my legs showed up for this bike. I didn't feel good at Norseman two weeks ago and I reminded myself that I had a really great race at Chatty 70.3 in 2021, just two weeks after IM St. George. I finished the bike as the lead female. 

T2 
The dismount/mount to the bike was on the street and then we had a loooooong run on the grass into T2. My legs felt pretty good but I always worry about myself for the run. I never what type of "runner" will show up when I start the run. I did a flying dismount so I could run in my socks (thankfully the grass was dry). I put on my Saucony run shoes, slipped on my Naked Running band and put my two flasks into my running belt. I had 1 scoops Never Second C30 berry in each ten ounce flask (which is what I use for all of my runs). As I was entering the transition area, my mom told me I had a 7.5 min lead. I wasn't sure if this was accurate as sometimes the timing mats are off or because of the self seeded start, athletes further back don't trigger the timing mats until much later because they started later (but couldn't technically be ahead. That happened to me at Blue Ridge 70.3 a few years ago when I crossed the line first but came in 2nd by 0.2 seconds). 
I grabbed a grocery bag that had my ROKA sunglasses, visor, watch and Campy's collar in it. I put on those items as I was running out of transition. I ended up holding my watch in my right hand for several miles as I like to hold something when I run until I feel like I have my rhythm. 

Run 
I did some quick math as I was running and I felt like I could run low 1:40's for the half. I thought about the other ladies behind me and that meant someone would have to run at least 1:32 to beat me. Which is totally doable. I decided I wouldn't worry about who was behind me until I got to mile 7-8 because at that point, I figured if someone was going to pass me, it would come around that time. I was not feeling super confident in my run as I still had a 140.6 mile event in them from Norseman two weeks prior. Also with being sick and just emotionally drained, I didn't have a lot of self-belief in my run. Plus, it's been really hard to push myself in all three sports because when I am sad, I don't want to hurt myself anymore and running hard hurts. 

I really enjoyed this run course. This first 3 miles were flat and gently rolling. Then we went into Cherokee park. I had the best run guide with me - her name was Yvonne and she was awesome. She made sure no one got into my way and every mile she would get on her radio and tell the race staff that "the lead female is at mile....." She even offered to get me ice at one aid station but I didn't accept it as I didn't want to take "outside assistance." The park was beautiful and I was really looking forward to the hills. These were proper rolling hills. There were two short hills to start and then 3 longer hills of several minutes. The downhills were fun. The volunteers were incredible at the aid stations and I got a lot of cheers as the lead female. I grabbed ice at the aid stations as I was feeling a bit warm and I finished my two flasks by mile 10. I then sipped on coke and a few sips water for the rest of the run. There was one short section of gravel (which I loved) because of road construction early on in the run. 
I hit a low point around mile 9-10.5 in the run but was able to find my rhythm again. I had one guy pass me and tell me that there was no girls close behind me which comforted me in a way but also had me feeling nervous if someone who sneak up. I only had one effort in me and I just focused on running with good form - steady and fluid. The last mile was long and challenging as it was net uphill (after a quick turnaround) but I had mentally prepared myself for it. Karel said he felt good on the run but his paces were much slower than he is used to. He was happy he was able to finish the race. 
As I was nearing the finish, I couldn't believe what was able to happen. I was about about to cross the finish line as the overall female winner. At 42 years old, I feel stronger, fitter and healthier than ever before but I know these overall wins will be more and more difficult to achieve as the years go on. In the last mile, I took Campy's collar out of my race belt and I gave it a kiss. I held it tightly in my hand so that he could be with me to the finish line. When I crossed the finish line and held up the tape, I was filled with emotions with all that had been going on over the past few weeks. Campy passing away, racing Norseman XTRI, Karel getting very sick and just having an all around rough week going into this event. 

Karel was able to give me my medal at the finish and it felt really good to give him a hug. He placed 2nd age group (45-49). After we chatted with my mom, we walked on the run course back toward our Airbnb to cheer on our athletes. We were so proud of our athletes. This race will never be forgotten. 

Pics from Clare Grant/Courier Journal.

As I mentioned on social media....

"Life has been really really hard lately. Grieving is emotionally and physically exhausting. Over the past three weeks, we have been drowning in sadness. We feel lonely, lost and empty. But triathlon is saving us. It’s giving us purpose, structure and the opportunity to connect with our community.
It’s been two weeks since I completed XTRI Norseman in Norway, which required so much of my mental and physical energy. Karel got very sick when we returned home. We have been struggling with the absence of Campy. Returning to my home state of KY brought on so many emotions. It made me really miss my dad, who passed away from cancer in 2014.

Racing provided us with a needed distraction and a temporary break from our emotions. We went into this race with no expectations other than to find joy in the experience. To be honest, just finishing was our biggest goal.

Before the race, I kissed Campy’s collar and tucked it inside my running belt. Knowing that Campy’s collar was in T2 gave me purpose. I need to get to the run so I can be with him. And I needed to get to mile 12 of the run so that I could hold his collar and bring him with me to the finish line.
Perhaps I got lucky in Kentucky or it was meant to be. The race felt effortless. I was being carried to the finish line by Campy and my dad.

I took the lead in the women’s race early on in the bike and managed to cross the finish line as the first overall female. I couldn’t believe it. My mom was cheering me on and Karel was there waiting for me at the finish line (he placed 2nd in his age group). It was another tearful race finish. And it was extra special sharing the experience with so many of our athletes and team members.

Losing someone you love can change your world. Loss of a loved one can affect how you feel, how you act and how you think. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. We all have unique ways of expressing emotions.

Unlike sport, loss is a process, not an event. We will never forget Campy and it will take time to learn how to live without him."

Thank you for the support. 💓