'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 Chattanooga Race Recap

Race Week 
We left for Chattanooga on Thursday September 26th around 11am. Most of the drive was in the rain. We drove through Asheville and Knoxville as it's so scenic and our favorite way to go Chattanooga. It rained most of the drive. Two weeks ago we adopted Sunny - a 1-ish-year old, 16 lb terrier mix from the Charlotte Animal Control and this was our first road trip together. My mental health hasn't been the best this past week because I have been really missing Campy (it's been 10 weeks since he passed away) and I wasn't sure how I would be able to put together a good race in Chattanooga. I gave myself a lot of grace going into Chattanooga as I didn't specifically train for the event with Norseman XTRI as my primary focus. I signed up for Chattanooga because I love the course and I love the community/spectator support. I also love hot and humid races. Seeing that the weather was cool and the bike course was entirely changed a month out from the race, I was having trouble getting myself excited to race. We arrived after 3pm and went right to athlete check-in. I was given bib number 218 and it was a quick process to get in and out of the registration tent. We drove to our Airbnb (next to the Whiskey building) which was located ~0.6 miles from the transition area. After seven years of racing in Chattanooga, this was the first time that we stayed in this location and we loved being within walking distance of the venue. After we unloaded the car with all of our stuff, we drove to Whole Foods to get a few groceries. Karel walked Sunny around the parking lot while I did a quick shop (I brought most of our non-perishable foods). We ate dinner and went to bed around 10pm. 

On Friday morning we woke up to texts from our neighbors that the power was out due to strong winds and heavy rain. We never expected the strength of storm that came through Greenville (especially since we live close to the mountains). Thankfully we have incredible neighbors (and a great pet sitter that we just hired for this trip) and they took care of our house (and animals and fish) for the next few days. Sadly our generator had old gas in it so it didn't work when the neighbor tried to start it. We need it to power up our 70-gallon fresh water fish tank so the cichlet fish can breathe. Karel has a portable bubble maker so our neighbor used that instead (the only downside is our fish couldn't eat for 3 days due to no filtration system running but thankfully they all survived). We were very stressed about our house after we heard that a tree broke our wooden fence in the backyard. On Friday morning I found out that the 2.4 mile river swim had been cancelled due to the predicted fast flow of water from the dam. This was a major bummer since swimming is my strength. After 18 years of triathlon, this was my first ever bike-run "triathlon" which was a strange feeling because it felt so different to what I had mentally prepared for (and what I know after racing 19 Ironmans). 

On Friday, I opted to ride the Kickr trainer (which Karel brought from home) for around 80 minutes. I did an over-under workout to wake up the legs. I didn't realize the Y was open (and free for IM participants) but if I had, I would have swam first as it's where I can zone out and relax before a race. The trainer workout felt good and got my mind into a good place. The rest of the day was uneventful. We walked to pick up pizza in the evening. We invited our friends Yannick and Katie over for pizza from Community Pie and enjoyed pizza in our Airbnb. I always get Margherita pizza two nights before a long distance race. 

My mom arrived with our athlete Scott around 8pm. Scott was supposed to come on Friday morning but he had a tree fall in his driveway which blocked him in - and he was without power.  He was able to get the tree removed and they had a suprisingly smooth drive to Chattanooga through Atlanta. I was happy that my mom was there to help us out with Sunny as he is still new to us and has a few anxieties/fears that we need to work on (he was abandoned in an apartment). 

We woke up to wet roads and light rain on Saturday. I didn't want to risk any issues the day before the race so I rode the trainer for ~45 minutes and did a few short efforts to wake up the legs. My legs felt a little tired during the ride but I felt surprisingly good for a 12 minute run off the bike (1.6 miles - I ran until I was ready to stop). As for the rest of the day, I prepared my bottles for my bike and flasks for the run, got all my nutrition ready and collected my gear. It felt strange to not have to think about getting ready for the swim and to not drop off a bike gear bag (due to the time trial start we wore our bike gear to the transition area on race morning). Karel got my bike ready in our Airbnb and for the first time ever, I used a disc wheel on my tri bike in an Ironman. Because of rain in the afternoon, Karel taped over the box that holds the wires for my electronic shifting so that they wouldn't get wet after leaving my bike in the transition area. Around 1pm we walked down to the race venue and I dropped off my run bag and bike. 

I eat the same foods the day before every Ironman and half IM, which makes it easy to get in my carbs as I don't have to think about what (and when) to eat. My typical day before race meals are: 

• Before workout: 2 piece bread + peanut butter
• During workout: 1 scoop Never Second C30
  
• After workout: Glass of milk + handful cereal. Then bagel + PB + banana + 2 eggs
• Lunch: Pasta + marinara + veggie burger 
• Afternoon snack: Pop tart + Chobani black cherry yogurt 
• Dinner: No chicken noodle soup (Amy's Organic) + 1 cup rice + saltine crackers

Race morning
Surprisingly, I slept really well the night before the race. With my alarm set for 6am due to the delayed start (cancelled swim) the race nerves felt nervous. I was curious to see what type of fitness I brought to the race since I didn't specifically train for this race but I didn't feel any pressure or expectations. The race also felt a little anticlimactic without the swim, which also made me feel less nervous. Even though I love to swim and was looking forward to the 2.4 mile river swim, the race just felt different. I was worried that without the swim, I wouldn't place as high in my age group as I usually need the swim and bike to make up for my slower run time, relative to other ladies in my age group. I laid in bed around 7pm and fell asleep between 8:30-9pm. Although I was in bed for close to 10 hours, we woke up to the sound of a car being towed outside our building around 3am. Sunny thought it was time to get up with all of the noise so Karel had to take him outside. It was an eventful 30 minutes but I was able to go back to sleep (and felt very rested at 3am). 

For my pre-race meal, I had the usual: Cinnamon Raisin Bagel w/ PB and banana. I ate around 6:30am and had no issues eating. I also had my Nescafe instant coffee and some water. I kept telling myself that this was similar to typical weekend - a long brick (bike-run) workout. Sunny stayed with mom when Karel and I walked to the transition area around 7:20am to drop off my bottles for my bike (and run bag), check my tires (which were fine from the day prior) and drop off my special needs bag for the bike (which had to be dropped off by 7:45am). We walked/jogged back to the Airbnb and Karel set up his gravel bike on the trainer and adjusted it for me so I could do a 10 min EZ spin on the trainer. This really helped to wake up my legs and got my mind in a good place to feel ready for the race. I didn't feel nervous but rather, I just wanted to get the race started. 

With the age groupers starting at 8:40am, we walked back down to the transition area around 8:20am. I was able to see some of the professionals start while on the trainer and walking to the transition area. I put on my cycling shoes and helmet outside of the transition, gave Karel my running shoes and went to my bike. I stood in line for a few minutes and before I knew it, I was standing in line, almost ready to start the bike. They had us stand in a row of 4 and two athletes who start every 5 seconds. The line moved very quickly. Although we were supposed to line up by bib number, there was a mix of numbers in the 200's (I was 218). 

BIKE
107.4 mile bike (5211 feet) 
4:40.06, 23 mph
Normalized power: 162W (IF .84)
Average cadence: 86rpm

I wasn't sure what to expect from the bike course since I had never seen it before. Our athlete Yannick drove the course and told me about it and I did a little research online looking at the terrain. I didn't have any set watts to target and I don't wear a HR monitor when I race but rather I like to race by feel. I know my body really well and I know what I can quickly recover from and what I can sustain. Since we didn't do the swim, Karel told me I could push a little harder on the bike since I would have a little extra energy to start. 

4.96 miles - 15:18, 195NP, 19.4 mph
I really pushed the first few miles. I knew I could settle in once I got to the 3 "loops" of the course. This section made my legs burn as I went hard from the very beginning. The warm up on the trainer really helped so my legs didn't feel like total bricks when I started. 

16.3 miles (out) - 38:24, 170 NP, 25.5 mph
I started to settle into a good rhythm really quickly on the bike. After a few miles, I found myself near the front of the race with only an athlete or two ahead of me. I could see our athlete Scott in the far distance, leading the age group race. I knew I would be at a slight disadvantage starting near the front because I wouldn't get the natural draft effect of passing people if I had started later on but I wanted to race my own race and see what I could do on my own. Plus, when I race and I have a lot of guys around me, it's hard to settle into my own rhythm as I have to pay more attention to staying draft legal or accelerating to pass versus focusing on my own effort. This section was really fast and had a nice flow to it. The course was rolling but there was plenty of time to stay in the aero bars. The climbs were not steep but had enough of an incline that I could sit up out of my aero bars (which is my preferred riding style since I do so much riding on my road bike). The downhills were fast and fun. With only two turns (one at each end of the course), there was no need to break, which made the course very fast at times. The rain started to come down (not strong rain but enough to get my compression socks wet) and my visor was fogging with the humidity. I actually liked the rain as it felt more "extreme" and I felt more in my element with the past two years dedicated to XTRI events. 

16.3 miles (back) - 44:43, 168 NP, 21.9 mph
This section felt like more of a drag. There was a bit more climbing to do on the way back. The aid stations were set up between the exits of the highway and the cars had to exit the hwy and then return on the on ramp. This allowed for two full lanes for athletes at the aid stations. I didn't grab anything at the aid stations so this allowed me to keep up my speed. I could feel the headwind in this direction. The rain continued to fall. I rode this section entirely by myself and it was long and lonely. I had a few guys pass me but they were way too strong in the time trial position for me to even stay draft legal behind them. I was able to somewhat keep up on the climbs but they got away from me on the downhills and flats. 

16.3 miles (out) - 38:49, 158 NP, 25.1 mph
I was relieved to make the turn around (which was a little technical over rumble strips and a lot of cones to make it a tight turn on both ends of the loop) as this section was the "easier" section of the two out and backs. At this point there were more people on the course but I was passing those starting their first loop (and being passed by a few more guys). I was also feeling the draft of having some cars in the lane next to us (we had the left lane closest to the medium and cars were coned off to our right) which also helped to keep up the speed. I was worried that the bike course would be lonely on the highway but there ended up being a good handful of people who drove out to the course. This loop felt a little long to me as my mind started to play games with me and tell me that I was biking too hard and that I should just stop after the bike and not run and that I was not having a good race (all normal self-talk that happens when riding for hours in a race). I was able to quiet those voices at times by focusing on my effort and terrain management and keeping up with my nutrition. 

Fueling on the bike
My fueling strategy was pretty simple as it's the same thing I do for all my long rides. 
I started with 3 x 26 ounce bottles of INFINIT Fructose (Fruit Punch flavor) with each bottle having 80g carbs and ~500mg sodium (not exactly 2 full scoops). Every 10-15 minutes I would take 3-4 big sips. I peed 3 times on the bike (the best I could on downhills). I tossed one of my bottles at an aid station and always kept my primary drinking bottle between my aerobars (two bottles in my rear cage). I don't use the aero bottle on the frame as I find it very difficult to grab and put back on the frame). 
I stopped at special needs (mile 62, which was 2:38 into the ride). I had finish 2 full bottles and a little over 1/2 bottle. My special needs stop took about 26 seconds. A volunteer handed me my bag after I stopped, I tossed my two bottles on my bike and put on 3 more bottles (one between the aero bars and 2 in the rear cages). 
In my special needs bag I had 3 more 26 ounce bottles of INFINIT Fructose. Same amount but my favorite flavor grape. I was able to finish 2 1/4 bottles over the next 2 hours (44.8 miles).
In total, I consumed: 
~127 ounce fluid
~390g carbs 
~2400 mg sodium
 
16.3 miles (back) - 44:23 (includes special needs stop), 162 NP, 22.1 mph
With more people on the course, the ride started to feel more fun as there was more to focus on. I was surprised to see Karel as I was nearing the end of the 2nd loop. He told me I was leading my age group and 2nd overall female as a younger female was riding much faster than me. I was really surprised that I was near the front of the race. This gave me a lot of incentive to keep pushing. I never felt tired or had any low moments so my mission was to try to make my third loop strong. At this point in the race, the rain was on and off. The temperature was perfect as I never felt cold. My athlete Jeremy passed me on the bike before special needs and he was riding really strong. It was great to see him out there. The nice thing with the looped course was being able to see athletes on the other side of the median. 

16.3 miles (out) - 39.52, 147 NP, 24.5 mph
Karel gave me one more cheer as I was starting my third loop and then he biked back to the race venue (he biked out on the course since it was closed to cars in and out of town). Although I could feel the natural fatigue of riding strong for the past 3+ hours, I could also feel the draft effect of the cars and other athletes on the course. I never found there to be big groups as there was a constant passing of athletes. I called out "on your left" a lot and everyone was very considerate to move over quickly. I found the course to be very safe. It was smooth pavement and very well controlled with volunteers and police. Although I really enjoyed the old course in the country, I didn't mind this course as it was hilly enough to feel hard at times and it felt safe with all the athletes on the course. 

16.3 miles (back) - 44:22, 152 NP, 22.2 mph
I really tried to push this last section. I felt strong and I was really focused with all the other athletes on the course. I had another guy pass me on a downhill and I was able to keep him in my sights for most of the last loop. This really helped me keep the pressure on the pedals. I never knew my mileage or overall time as my screen was set to lap intervals and I was only focusing on my current speed, 10 sec power and normalized lap power. Even though there were mile markers on the course, I only focused on the lap that I was in. This made the bike go by relatively quickly. This was my first time using a disc wheel in an IM and this course was perfect for it as I could keep my speed up (and validate the effects of using the disc). 

4.64 miles - 14:11, 154 NP, 19.6 mph
It was nice to finally go straight and not make the turn after 3 loops. The last few miles were tough as there was a big climb heading back into town. I didn't remember that climb (or downhill) heading out as my legs were burning. I started to experience my normal worries of "what type of run will I have off the bike" as I always lack confidence in my run. I expected that I would be passed by Elyse and other females somewhere in the early miles of the run so I didn't put any pressure on myself that I had to run fast. My only goal was just to enjoy the run. With less than a mile left, I saw Karel standing with Sunny and he was so cute sitting there (Sunny, not Karel :) I yelled "HI SUNNY!!" Karel told me that I was first overall female and I couldn't believe it. I switched the screen on my bike computer and although I was bummed to see only 107 miles, I was shocked to see my time. I thought I could go under 5:10 on the bike (which would be a big PR for me) so when I saw my time nearing 4:40, I couldn't believe it. I did some quick math as I was riding after seeing my speed for each lap but I had no idea what that would actually come up to at the end. 

T2 - 3:33
When I got off the bike, my legs felt pretty good. I felt like I did a great job with my fueling and although I biked strong, I didn't feel like I overdo it. As I ran to my run bag, my mom was there along the fencing giving me cheers and updates that I was leading my age group by over 15 minutes and I was first overall female. I got a few other cheers from friends and I was quickly reminded why I love racing - I love being part of the triathlon community. I ran into the changing tent and I was the only female there. Two other professionals entered shortly after me (I passed them on the bike). I quickly put on my shoes and Naked Running belt and flasks and grabbed my plastic baggy that had my visor, sunglasses, powder in baggies to refill my flasks and Campy's collar. I really needed to pee as I never fully emptied my bladder on the bike so I went into the porto potty and sat down (without undoing my kit) and peed while I put on my stuff in my bag (multitasking). 

Photo credit: Angela B.

25.7 mile run - 3:33.17, 8:18 min/mile, 1200 feet elevation gain
Mile 1 - 8:05
Mile 2: 7:37
Mile 3: 7:42
Mile 4: 7:48
Mile 5: 7:54
Mile 6: 7:48
Mile 7: 8:02
Mile 8: 8:06
Mile 9: 8:09
Mile 10: 8:20
Mile 11: 7:47
Mile 12: 8:29
Mile 13: 8:25 (half marathon 1:43, 8:01 min/mile average)
Mile 14: 8:33
Mile 15: 8:08
Mile 16: 8:19
Mile 17: 8:18
Mile 18: 8:26
Mile 19: 8:30
Mile 20: 8:38
Mile 21: 9:04
Mile 22: 8:40
Mile 23: 8:53
Mile 24: 9:17
Mile 25: 8:42
Mile 26: 8:00 pace (Last 12.5 miles, 1:47, 8:36 min/mile average)

Fueling on the run 
Like the bike, my fueling strategy was very simple on the run. It's the same thing I do for all of my runs (no matter how long, short, hard or easy). I always use Never Second C30 berry on the run. 

I started with 2 x 10 ounce Nathan hard flasks, each with ~120 calories (30g carbs, 200mg sodium of Never Second C30 Berry). I tried to finish 1 flask every 30-40 minutes. I took a few sips water at each aid station and followed it with 1-2 big sips of my flask. Sometimes I would sip the flask between aid stations if needed. I carried 4 small baggies (jewlery bags), each with 1 scoop (30g carbs) Never Second to refill my bottles along the way. I ended up using 3 of the 4 baggies. 

Total: 
150g carbs
1000mg sodium 
~70 ounce fluid

I didn't use anything from the aid stations besides water. No sport drinks, gels, or coke. 
I carried 1/4 bottle of  KetoneAid KE4 Pro Ketone Ester Drink which is something I don't use in training but I have used it in my last two XTRI events (Norseman and ICON) and it helps to keep my energy stable. I hate the taste so I can only take in a small sip at a time. I had my first sip on the bridge around mile 8 and then as needed throughout (anytime I felt like I needed a mental boost). 

I didn't have any stomach issues and my energy felt really stable throughout the entire race. 

Mile 1-4
As I ran out of the transition and on to the grass, my legs felt good. I do a lot of brick runs (and all my brick runs start uphill because of where I live) so running up the hill toward mile one didn't feel too hard. I didn't worry about my pace but rather I wanted to make it feel easy so that I could start easing into my marathon effort at the top of the hill. The first few miles are on a four lane road. We ran on the left side of the road. The road is rolling to start and then slightly flattens out. This is not my favorite part of the run so my focus was getting to the first turn at the end of this road. I ran with two other guys and the effort felt comfortable. I looked at my watch at the mile marker splits and I was surprised at my pace. I knew I could hold between 8:10-8:30 min/miles so when I saw splits under 8 min, I told myself to try to hold on to that pace for as long as I could. My goal was at least ten miles. The effort didn't feel forced as I was focusing on my rhythm and moving myself forward. I wore New Balance Supercomp Elite V4 shoes (from Run In). I have been wearing New Balance Fuel Cells for years so this change was an easy one (these new shoes only had ~10 miles in them before race day). As I was running, I noticed a few female pros running back on the same road. This had me feeling worried because I didn't mentally prepare to do an out and back on this road (I really looked forward to running on the path by the water, especially over the wooden bridges). Thankfully it was only a short section of around a mile back on the main road between the paths (there was prior flooding on the path). 

Mile 4-8
My energy felt stable, my mind was in a good place and my legs felt good. I was expecting to be passed by the faster age group female runners before the "hilly" section across the river but as the miles went by, I didn't see any other females around me. I saw Karel on the battery place hill before the Veterans Bridge and he told me that Elyse was running a faster pace than me but I was winning my age group by over 15 minutes. I expected Elyse to run past me at any point so I continued to focus on my effort. I never imagined I would be leading the amateur female race (especially at the age of 42!) so I didn't feel any pressure that I had to stay in the lead. My main focus was putting together a marathon run that I knew I was capable of but haven't done in my previous 19 Ironmans. I shuffled my way up the hill and on to the bridge. It felt good to finally have some signficant elevation change as I find it harder to run on flats than hills. 

Mile 8 - 11
I took a sip of the Ketone bottle that I was holding in my hand throughout the run when I was on the bridge. I was really looking forward to the Barton Avenue hills as I knew this was terrain that suited my strengths. I ran steady uphill and tried to work the downhills. At the bottom of the hill, there was a slight false flat that was a little annoying.  I refilled one of my flasks at the aid station at the top of that false flat. I stopped, put the powder from my baggie in my flask the volunteers helped me fill up the flask. I really enjoyed the "loop" at the bottom of Barton Av. as it was rolling hills. I saw Karel before I started the climb back on Barton (which is a bit steeper/longer on the way back) and he told me that I was keeping my lead against Elyse. I asked him how much time I had ahead of her and he told me around 2 minutes. I really enjoyed these miles and I looked forward to them on the second loop. I saw several familiar faces which kept me feeling happy to be running. I will still surprised how good I felt. Karel asked me how I was feeling before I made my way under the Veteran bridge (he was on his bike) and I told him I was feeling good energy wise but my legs were starting to get a little tired (understandably). 

Mile 11-13
I enjoyed the wooden pedestrian bridge back into town as I like running on different surfaces. There weren't many spectators on the bridge (I was looking forward to seeing lots of people) so that was a bummer. However, there were some good cheers from those who were standing there cheering. 

Mile 13 - 16
I made my way out on the second loop of the run. I was really surprised how fast the first 13 miles went. I never experienced any major lows but there were a few low moments over the next few miles as these miles felt very long. My legs were starting to stiffen up but I was still able to hold the same form that I was holding in the first loop. I told myself that all I need to do is finish these 4 miles and then the "hard part" would be overwith. I refilled another flask around 13 at the aid station. The volunteers were amazing. Each refill stop took me ~30-40 seconds. It was nice to have a quick stop. Other than these three refill stops, I didn't walk or stop throughout the run. 

Photo credit: Kayla 

Photo credit: Kayla 

Mile 16 - 20
I could tell that my propulsion wasn't as strong and my legs were feeling tired. The good thing was my energy still felt great and I was actually enjoying the run. With my last 3 marathons taking 5-6 hours due to the extreme nature of extreme triathlons (each of those runs was over 4000 feet elevation gain), I didn't doubt my endurance and strength. I had taken some risks in this race to see what my capabilities were on the bike and run and I wasn't willing to give up now. I saw Karel on battery hill and he was full of positive comments. He told me how good I was running, that I was keeping my lead to Elyse and even extending it on the hills and that he was so impressed with how good I looked when I ran. While I may not be running "fast" I had confidence in my ability to run well under fatigue. I was actually looking forward to the point when my legs were starting to really hurt from the fatigue as I knew I could push through it. 

Mile 20-23
I never focused on what mile I was in or how many miles I had left but rather I used destinations/landmarks to keep me focused. I broke down the race into sections and just focused on a few miles at a time. Once I checked those off, it was on to the next segment. In many of my past Ironmans, the last 6 miles were always so incredibly long and hard and I couldn't wait for the pain to stop at the finish line. But I actually looked forward to the last 6 miles. I saw Karel on Barton and he told me that these hills are were I am the strongest. He told me "no one can run hills like you." He was extremely supportive. Although my legs were hurting on the climbs, I kept things in perspective. These hills were tiny compared to the mountains I climb in extreme triathlons. These were tiny short bumps compared to running up Zombi hill in Norseman, or climbing up a ski slope during Karel's race (in the rain, on snow and ice) or hiking up 3000 feet to the top of a ski slope in Livigno at almost 10,000 feet elevation. Barton hills were NBD (no big deal) :) 

I continued to sip my nutrition and use a few sips of water from the aid station. The weather stayed fairly comfortable in the 70s. Although I was tired, I really tried to run as strong as I could up and down the hills. It was uncomfortable but I felt strong and durable. Karel told me to keep pushing until I got to the end of the bridge and then that was where I could feel like the race was "over." This mentally helped me stay focused up the last big climb. 

Mile 24-finish!
Anytime the run got hard or I had a brief low moment, I would tell myself "If you want something you have never had, you have to do something you've never done." I continued to repeat this in my head over and over as I knew I was on track for a PR marathon run but at any point I could convince myself it was not worth it due to the pain in the legs and I could slow down. I kept on pushing myself. At mile 25, I took Campy's collar out of my hydration belt, gave it a kiss and held it in my hand for the last mile. I thought about pulling it out sooner but it was something that I really looked forward to and that helped me stay motivated until mile 25. There were more people on the wooden bridge which gave me a boost of energy. As I was making my turn toward the finish on the top of the hill, Karel was there and told me "it may be close, you need to keep pushing." I ran as hard as I could to the finish line while still soaking in the atmosphere and quickly reflecting on the day. I switched my watch screen from lap pace/current pace/lap distance to overall time and I was shocked to see my time. Even though the run was short, it was still a PR marathon pace for me (lifetime best!) 

When I crossed the finish line I couldn't believe what had happened. I was the first overall female amateur across the line. I've raced Ironman Chattanooga twice and I won overall amateur female both times. There's something special about Chatty!

Yannick and Karel greeted me at the finish and shortly after, my mom and Sunny came. I saw Karel and we had to wait over 5 minutes before Elyse and a few other females crossed the finish line (they started behind me and we weren't sure if someone ran a faster time than me to push me out of first overall) for the official results. 

I couldn't believe how good I felt all day. I had no idea what I was capable of doing on the day and with so much emotional stress going into this race, I really didn't think I had the mental capacity to suffer. Similar to Louisville 70.3 when I placed overall female, I just felt good all day. It required a lot of mental focus and staying in the present moment but thankfully I had just enough of that left in me for 132.5 miles. 

A few years ago I was feeling like the Ironman distance wasn't exciting me anymore. I needed a change. Xterra racing, mountain biking, gravel biking and XTRI events helped me step out of my comfort zone and feel like a beginner again with new unknowns, new skills to learn and new ways to train (and race). I thought I was stepping away from the "standard" long course triathlons but thanks to all of these different events, my love for the standard distances has returned because I have new perspectives and experiences to bring to each race. 

We went to the awards at 9:30am the next morning and after receiving my award for winning the 40-44 age group, we left to head back to Greenville to get back to our powerless house (and to remove all the food from our fridge and freezer). I did not take a slot to Kona as I am not sure what events/races I want to do in 2025 and I am really enjoying different adventures, race-cations and event experiences. 

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'24 XTRI Norseman Race Report

 

Quick recap
Results
2.4 mile swim: 1:06.03 (3^rd female out of the water)
T1: 6:43
111 mile bike (10, 819 feet): 6:43 (6:38 riding time, 9^th female)
T2: 2:59
26 mile run (5,709 feet): 5:26.33 (9^th female)
Total: 13:23.43

I got my period on race morning. I felt horrible. I jumped off the ferry around 4:45am into 57-degree glacier fed water. I wore a thermal wetsuit, neoprene cap, earplugs, booties and a swimsuit under my wetsuit. The swim started at 5am and was point to point, with one turn buoy, ~800 meters from the finish. With the help of Karel, I transitioned into my cycling gear. The temps were in the upper 40’s. I warmed up during the first 20-mile climb (~4000 feet elevation gain). The next three climbs occurred between 56 and 83 miles and ranged from 2.5-5.5 miles in length, around 6-12% grade. Karel and Honza leaped frogged along the course. There were designated areas for support crews to stop but cars were also allowed to stop anywhere to support athletes, so long as the car was entirely off the road. The final climb was steep and steady for ~5 miles but after the last feed area (24 miles from the finish), the climb continued for another 6 miles. The final 17 miles were net downhill, into headwind. Karel helped me transition into my run gear and I was on my way for 15 miles of gently rolling hills on pavement. Karel and Honza packed up my bike and bike gear and drove the car to various points along the run course to give me nutrition/water. At the base of Zombi hill, I changed shoes and Karel joined me for the rest of the run (mile 15 is when a support crew member can join the athlete for the rest of the race) started a shuffle up a constant grade of 10% for the next 4.2 miles (~2200 feet elevation gain). Once we got to the top of Zombie hill, we reached a check point tent. We made a quick stop and then continued to shuffle another 3 miles up to the mountain checkpoint. I was so excited to be within the 160 athletes allowed to go up the mountain and to finally see and reach that famous wooden gate at the entrance of Gaustatoppen. When we reached this point, Honza was there to give us our mandatory backpacks (and gear inside). He took the shuttle bus to this point as no cars were allowed past the top of Zombie hill. We made the 2-minute mandatory stop for the Norseman staff to check our backpacks and during this time I changed into my trail shoes. We then hiked our way up the rocky and steep Gaustatoppen mountain for another 3 miles and ~2200 feet. I crossed the finish line feeling exhausted, elated and accomplished. I received a blanket and warm tomato soup and bread after I crossed the finish line. After changing into warm clothes, I took the cable car to the bottom of the bottom and Karel and Honza hiked 3-miles back to the shuttle buses. The next day, I received one of 160 black Norseman shirts.

Race morning

As I was getting ready to lay down in bed around 7pm, I told Karel “I’m pretty sure I am going to get my period tomorrow morning.” Karel was very encouraging and said all the right things to keep me relaxed. After a restless night of sleep, my alarm went off at 2:15am and sure enough, I got my period. I felt horrible. I made my way to the kitchen to make coffee but I had to lay down as I was feeling lightheaded. Once I felt better, I ate a package of poptarts and a banana w/ smear of PB. I did some light foam rolling and finished packing the car around 3:15am (point to point race so we had to pack up the entire Airbnb into our car. Karel packed most of the car the night before the race). Karel rode my bike to the race start and Honza drove me in the car. We walked my bike to the transition area. My bike and helmet was inspected by the race staff and a volunteer walked me to my bike rack (#15). I set up my gear in the transition area and we walked to the ferry. I gave Karel a kiss good bye and I felt a sense of relief that the race was finally here. I was so nervous going into this race. I boarded the ferry and it was huge! There were bathrooms and plenty of space to sit on the ground. I could feel the nervous energy. It was still dark outside when the ferry left promptly at 4am. It took ~20 minutes for the ferry to get to the swim start. It didn’t feel like we moved anywhere. As the boat left, I started to put on my wetsuit and booties. I wore gloves to keep my hands warm. The cold water from the fjord started to spray into one side of the boat. I saw several athletes get wet to acclimate to the water but I was worried about getting cold after standing around so I used the water on the ground to wet the inside of my wetsuit around the neck. A voice came over the intercom system and shortly after, the edge of the ferry opened. It was starting to get a bit more light out so it wasn’t completely dark out. I was worried about how cold the water would be 2-miles out from the shore so I was very anxious to get in. I left my morning clothes bag inside the boat w/ my shoes and clothing inside. It was returned to Karel after the swim started when the boat arrived back to shore. When athletes were allowed to enter the water, I made my way to the edge. It was a high jump. My heart sank a bit. The volunteer gave me a squeeze, told me to hold my cap and goggles and directed me where to jump. 3, 2, 1…..jump!

I was so relieved to finally enter the water. I felt the weight of my nerves lift off of me. It took several minutes to swim the 350 yards to the “swim start” where the kayakers were waiting for us. I lined myself up on the left side, further away from the shore. With over 10 minutes to the start, we treaded water and there were several conversations going on between competitors. The mood was positive and there were several laughs. At 5am, the kayakers lifted their paddles and we were off.

For the first time in three XTRI events, I felt really good in the water. Although my hands and face were a little cold, I felt very comfortable. It was getting a little brighter and I was really enjoying swimming in the fresh, clean waters of Eidjford.
With only one buoy on the course, I followed other swimmers with hopes that everyone was going the same direction. It was rather easy to stay on course as we swam close to the shore. I was worried that the swim would feel long until I spotted the turn buoy so I kept my mind focused by counting my strokes. I wasn’t able to stay with the lead group but I could see them just ahead. There were a few swimmers right behind me (one that was annoyingly tapping my feet for most of the swim). I was surprised how quick the swim went by. When we got to the turn buoy and turned left around it, the final 800 meters went by really quickly. The volunteers helped me out of the water (the ground was rocky so I was thankful to have my booties on) and I met Karel in the transition area. Although my face and hands were cold, I wasn’t shivering too much. I exited third female and 16^th overall. Although the swim times were slow (I didn’t wear a watch in the swim so I am not sure of the exact swim distance), I was happy with where I placed in the swim.

T1
I decided to wear a swimsuit over my sports bra so that I could put on a dry race kit. I was really worried about feeling cold to start the bike. The sports bra is always hard to put on wet so I had an emergency space blanket available if I wanted to stuff it down my sports bra. I opted to put a pack of “hot hands” down my sports bra to help warm me up. I sipped on hot tea that Karel brought me (I put warming oil on my body in the ferry before putting on my wetsuit which I think also helped), went pee in the bushes by transition and then put on my socks, shoes, helmet, etc.

Bike

We reverse drove the bike course as we went from Rjukan to Eidjford . I studied the bike course in great detail and I reviewed previous bike times. The bike course can be broken down into several segments.

-0-26 miles: Constant climb on primarily old roads (narrow roads, several tunnels), ~4100 feet elevation gain. No support is allowed for the first 24 miles.
-26-56 miles: Net downhill to the town of Geilo.
-56-59 miles: Climb (~5% grade)
-59-64 miles: Descend
-64-67 miles: Climb (~6% grade)
-67-70 miles: Descend (fast!)
-70-76 miles: Climb (~3% grade)
-76-83 miles: Descend
-83-93 miles: Climb (miles 83-87 ~7-10% grade)
-93-111 miles: Net downhill to Austbygde (T2) – no support allowed

For nutrition, I consumed 5 bottles, each with ~75g carbs from INFINIT Fructose. I had all of my nutrition in individual baggies so that it was easy for Karel to fill my bottles with powder and add water (which we bought from the store). I had a few sips of Ketones throughout the bike (yuck!) which helps with my clarity and focus during these extreme tri events. I nibbled on a Clif Bar throughout the bike. I peed several times (once on the side of the road and the rest while riding). I was very comfortable on the bike with my arm warmers and gloves. A few miles after leaving the town of Geilo, my right aero bar arm pad flew off (it got stuck to my elbow from the sugar from my sport drink). It was so uncomfortable to put my forearm on the hard carbon plate. I told Karel during the climb and shortly after, I stopped for a few minutes so he could fix it with a sock that he taped to the plate. We laughed about it as he was taping it. This stop, along with a pee stop, were my only stops. Karel would hand me my nutrition as I was riding (he would stand on the side of the road, text me to let me know where he was, I would see the text on my bike computer and he would hand me whatever I needed). Cars were not allowed to follow athletes or hand anything to athletes while the car was moving. I always had ½ bottle water and a bottle of sport drink on my bike. After he fixed my aero pad with a sock, I gave him my yellow vest (which we were required to wear until it was safe to remove), gloves and arm warmers as I was feeling warm. The temp got into the upper 50’s and it was cloudy and windy. I did not feel great on the bike but not terrible. It wasn’t my normal riding style. I passed several ladies in the first two hours of the bike (who passed me in transition) but they passed me back later on. This was atypical of me as I can usually get stronger as the bike goes on but I felt like I only had one effort and it was steady but not strong. I didn’t have any low moments and I never felt like the bike route was “too hard” or “too long.” It actually went by rather quickly and I didn’t find it too challenging. I just didn’t feel like myself – for a variety of reasons. I really enjoyed the downhills and surprisingly I felt the best in the aero position (which is strange because I don’t ride my tri bike a lot outside due to prior hip issues which I’ve been able to keep away since 2019 thanks to training on all types of bikes and not just my tri bike outside). The tri bike was the right bike for this course but I would have had more fun on my road bike for the climbs. There were a few tight fast switchbacks on the bike but the tri bike was fine for them.

T2

I entered T2 in the top ten for females. I was really worried about the run as the entire run was point to point but the first 15 miles were going to feel long to get to Zombie hill. I had an option to change my kit into running gear but I kept on my tri kit and put on my New Balance Fuel Cell running shoes. I wore my Naked hydration band and kept two flasks in my belt – 1 with ¾ scoop Never Second (~25g carbs) and 1 with plain water. Karel collected by bike and bike gear as I made my way across the grass and on to the road.

Run

The first few miles were a bit rough. It took me a good 20 minutes to find my form and rhythm. I had a quick bathroom break around 30 minutes into the run (in a field) and shortly after, I started to feel my stride. I told Karel “I found my flow!” Karel and Honza would drive ~2 miles ahead and wait for me and hand me whatever I needed. I was feeling a little warm so having plain water for cooling and sipping was helpful. I felt really good until mile 10 but then it got really hard. My right glute started to feel right tight and I was feeling tired. I stayed focused and kept myself moving until the base of zombie hill. Although it was really pretty to run by the water, I didn’t love the first 15 miles as it just felt long. At 15 miles, Karel met me at the base of Zombie hill. I changed into my Saucony shoes as they give me a bit more bounce for hills. I was feeling really stiff when I changed shoes but as soon as Karel and I started running, I felt so much better shuffling up Zombie hill. It actually felt better than running on the flat. My goal was to shuffle as long as possible and Karel was super encouraging and positive. I loved having him there with me. He made me laugh several times and it was so good to be with him. When I started Zombie hill there was a girl that was right behind me as I was changing my shoes but I was able to get ahead by shuffling up the hill. I am not a fast walker so by shuffling I was able to keep my pace under 15 min/miles which is much faster than walking 20+ min/miles. We’ve learned through each extreme tri that moving your legs as fast as you can, even if it’s a shuffle for a few steps is still faster than just walking.
Karel carried my flasks in his hydration belt and he also had his own nutrition along with a small backpack of more nutrition if we needed it. Honza drove past us after the first switchback and we told him we didn’t need anything. He was great with giving me cheers. It really helped to have two support crew members. Honza parked the car at the top of Zombie hill and took the shuttle to the base of the mountain. It took 1 hour and 3 minutes to go 4.37 miles at an average grade of ~10% (~2200 feet). We made a quick stop at the checkpoint and I was in the 50s overall (top 160 get a black shirt and can finish at the top of Gaustatoppen. It took us almost 40 minutes to go another 3 miles to the base of the mountain. 

At this point my legs were screaming at me. When we got to the last checkpoint at the base of the mountain, Honza gave us our backpacks and I changed into my trail shoes. Honza was able to follow us up the mountain. Support crew is not allowed to go ahead of the athlete (or pace in any way) so Karel stayed behind me and helped me navigate (he ran/hiked the mountain a few days prior which helped us become more familiar with the course). I kept myself moving up the mountain and never resorted to a causal walk. I was sitting in 9^th place and my goal was top 10 female and I knew there were ladies close behind me. Nearing the last 100 meters, I grabbed Campy’s collar out of my backpack and started to tear up. It  had been 9 days since we said good bye and it was so hard to hold his collar in my hand. But I wanted to feel his presence and it was something I looked forward to the entire race. It was my reason for continuing during the really rough patches of the run.

I walked up the steps that I’ve seen in so many Norseman Youtube videos and crossed the finish line feeling accomplished and exhausted. I gave Karel a big hug and we both started crying. It was a very emotional finish as we both overcame so much to get to that finish line. A week prior, we didn’t even want to travel to Norway as the pain of losing Campy was so exhausting. I feel really proud of what I was able to do, even though it was incredibly hard – mentally and physically.

After crossing the finish line in 13 hours and 23 minutes, I was given a blanket and then a warm bowl of vegetarian tomato soup and bread (soooo good). We went inside the building and I changed into warm clothing. There was a long line for spectators to get down on the cable car so the race encouraged support crew to hike back down the mountain. Karel and Honza hiked the 3 miles back down the mountain and I took the cable car (athletes had priority which was good since the cable car was tiny!) It was fun to sit in the car with a few other guys and chat about our races.

When I exited the building, it was cold and rainy! The weather changed so quickly. We got super lucky with the weather all day. I didn’t consider the course to be hard (ICON was much more difficult) but with bad weather, it could be really extreme!

I took the shuttle to the host hotel and then walked a mile back to our Airbnb. Karel and Honza met me there when they returned to the car and drove back to the Airbnb.

The next day I received my black finisher shirt and took the group photo.

I am really proud of this shirt and I’ll never forget this incredible race experience. The race crew was extremely professional, helpful and supportive. The Norway community was amazing - there were so many people outside their houses cheering for the athletes. 

And a BIG thank you to the best support crew! 

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The Stone Triathlon - Race Recap

On June 29th, Karel completed his first Extreme Triathlon - The Stone.
His time of 14 hours and 40 minutes earned him 7th across the finish line. 
RESULTS

Quick stats:

• 2am - wake up, eat oatmeal, drink coffee, get dressed.
• 2:45am - walk to transition area.
• 3:20am - board ferry to the other side of Lake Iseo.
• 4am - 5:07am: 4270 yards swimming in 1:07 (from Gallinagra to Sulzano, across Lake Iseo).
• 5:10am - 12:47pm: 109 miles of biking and 13,576 feet elevation gain covering Aprica, Mortirolo and Gavia pass in 7:25. Average speed 14.7mph.
• 12:56 - 6:34: 21.8 miles of running and 7830 feet elevation gain, starting in Ponte di Legno and finishing at Passo Paridiso. Average pace, 15:48 min/mile. 
• Karel started the race in the dark. The water was in the upper 60's and the air temperature was in the 60s to low 70's for most of the day. Karel was comfortable in his tri kit for the entire bike. Only when he descended from Gavia did he put on a jacket to keep himself warm before arriving to T2. It was warm and humid for most of the run. 
  
  
  

  
  

Race Morning
Our athlete Yannick joined us for this experience as he has been spending time in Europe training and racing. Having him with us with a big help for me as we could both support Karel. We all walked down with Karel to help him get ready in his wetsuit and after he boarded the ferry, we walked back up to our Airbnb (~1/2 mile away up a hill) and packed up our stuff in the car since we were checking out of our Airbnb to make our way to Ponte di Legno.

I brought Karel's bike stuff to the transition area around 4:30am and set it up so that Karel could have a quick and smooth transition. I anxiously waited for Karel to exit the water. There was only one buoy on the swim course (1000 meters from shore, near the island in the midlde of the lake). Otherwise, Karel only had a shining light (picture below) for sighting. Karel was able to see the light for all of the swim but somehow he got off course and ended up far away from the island. He was able to overcorrect and make his way to the shore. Karel said that swimming in the dark was very calming for him. He felt calm on the ferry. 

 I ran with Karel to the transition area, helped him transition from swim to bike and then he was off for the bike. I laid out Karel's gear, turned on his HR monitor, computer (with navigation) and rear light (I forgot to turn on his front light but he turned it on). 

For the next 7+ hours, Yannick and I drove behind or in front of Karel (rarely spending more than a few minutes with him in sight), asking him if he needed anything as we passed him. We would stop at various random places along the course to take pictures, cheer and to see if he needed anything. I was worried that I would be really tired in the car but surprisingly I was filled with adrenaline and excitement for Karel. I was most worried and nervous about getting lost (we did miss a few turns) or not being there when Karel needed us but Karel was very easy to take care of throughout the race. He didn't want to stop more than he needed to so the only times he would stop would be to pee (on the side of the road - there were not bathrooms, not even in the transition area). 

The scenery was beautiful and it was fun to be around some of the other athletes. We were around a French athlete (and his team) so we would all stop at similar places along the course. I had lots of snacks/food/drinks/water in the car but to be honest, it was hard for me to want to eat. My diet consisted of Fanta, bars and pretzels. I did make myself a PB sandwich and had some yogurt while Karel was on the run. We stopped for a coffee around 8am in one of the towns. 

We were not allowed to drive up Gavia (per the race organizers advice due to the small roads and to limit congestion) so after Karel passed through Ponte di Legno, we parked the car and waited for Karel for the next 90+ minutes. I wanted to give Karel another bottle before Gavia but he kept on riding. Karel told me he was fine. Throughout the race, Karel had issues drinking as his stomach was not emptying well. This caused him not to fuel and hydrate as well as he would have liked. He felt like he paced himself really well and the best part was not experiencing his typical race day cramps or extreme back pain throughout the race. 

The transition area was in the middle of the town of Ponte di Legno. It was a really cool set up with shops and restraurants around the square. I set up Karel's run gear in the transition area and after Karel arrived, he changed out of his tri kit and into his run gear (in the men's changing tent).

Karel had planned to do all of the run by himself and then I would join Karel for the final 2+ miles after T3. Howver, I had a last minute idea for Yannick to join Karel on the run because I knew Karel would benefit from having someone with him. I know how tired I was getting off the bike in my last two XTRI events and I really enjoyed and benefited from having Karel with me for the entire XTRI ICON run. Yannick is a great runner (professional triathlete) so I knew he would be a better fit than me for the early hours of the run. Yannick took my backpack with the mandatory gear and joined Karel for the first 13 miles of the run.

 I drove to the next town to meet up with them to see if they needed any nutrition and to give Karel his hiking poles as the terrain was very steep in places. Karel was struggling when I saw him as he had been dealing with extreme nausea after running a bit too hard up the hills when he started the run. When he stopped at the top of a hill, it hit him really hard - like a really bad hangover.

The run course was a mix of paved trail, roots, grass and road. It was extremely steep and hilly. During the run, Yannick called me to tell me that Karel wanted his hiking poles due to the steepness of the climbs. All athletes (and support crew) were required to wear their backpacks w/ mandatory gear for the entire run.

 I drove to a dirt parking area outside of town to wait for Karel around mile 13. I changed into my run gear and got myself ready in case Karel wanted me to join him for the next 8+ miles. When I saw Karel and Yannick, I asked Karel if he wanted me to run with him and he nodded his head "yes." This was very special to me to join Karel for the remainder of the race.

Karel was running on empty. He was tired and it was very hard for him to actually run. I understood the feeling so I stayed ahead of him and helped him stay on course so he didn't have spend extra energy on navigating himself. I tried to encourage him to run anytime the course was flat or went downhill. 

There was a lot of walking/hiking as the terrain was very steep and Karel was very tired, exhausted, sore and still feeling nauseous but I encouraged him to jog whenever there was a flatish area. When we reached T3, Yannick had our trail shoes ready for us (he drove the car there from Ponte di Legno). It was then time to tackle the final portion of the race. A climb up a Paradiso Pass - one of the steepest ski slopes in Italy.



After a mile of climbing up grass, gravel and then loose rocks, the terrain turned to snow.

 And then the weather suddenly turned and we were faced with thunder, rain and hail. We could barely make out the orange flags to help guide the way to the top. It took us 48 minutes to go 0.7 miles in the snow!

When it started raining/hailing, I encouraged Karel to stop and put on our rain jackets. At this point he was passed by an athlete (a guy from Czech) but Karel was trying his absolute best to get to the finish line and there was nothing more he could give. It was just one step forward at a time. At this point, Karel had been racing for over 13 hours - the longest continuous activity of his life!




 When we made the last turn up the mountain, I quickly hiked ahead of Karel and when I saw the finish line red carpet, I yelled to Karel "it's here! You are so close!!" I ran up the carpet to video Karel finishing.




 He was so exhausted and relieved when he crossed the finish line.



 We then went inside the ski lodge to change out of our wet clothes and into our dry clothes and then we enjoyed a warm meal.

On the day before the race, Karel expressed his excitement and nerves to do something for the first time. Although he was very nervous about the unknown, he was able to wake up on race day with a sense of calm.

This is our third extreme triathlon between both of us. Last year I completed XTRI Canadaman and XTRI Icon. We learned a lot from those events and it helped us in Karel's preparation for this event as well as our strategy throughout the event.

Extreme triathlons are unique in that they are primarily self-supported. Even though there can be a few aid-stations along the race course and there is a designated transition area for swim to bike and bike to run, there are several aspects to an extreme that make them very different to a standard full distance triathlon.

• You need a support team/person that will keep you going and will keep you positive and will encourage you to never give up. As an athlete, your success depends on your team. Your crew plays a vital role in your performance and you can't complete the event without them.
• Extreme triathlons are small. You may have 60-250 participants. Not everyone will finish. This provides a "family" feel. The organizers get to know all of the athletes (often by name) and the athletes and crew get to know other athletes and crew members. The overall vibe is extremely supportive.
• Extreme triathlons require mandatary gear for the run, and there is usually a designated "T3" (transition three) area where the athlete needs a support team member to "run" with the athlete. Typically, the last few miles of the run are up a mountain, requiring hiking poles and a lot of walking.
• There is always an element of extreme weather. It could be rain, snow, heat, wind or cold water. You have to be prepared for anything and everything. This includes gear, equipment and nutrition. 
• Be prepared to get up early. Most extreme triathlons start between 4-5am which means a 2am wake up. 
• There are going to be highs and lows throughout the day. You need experience to know how to manage through the very tough and uncomfortable moments. Unlike a standard full distance triathlon that requires careful pacing, in an extreme triathlon, sometimes you have to give your absolute best to get through a steep climb or hill - or to keep moving forward. 
• In extreme triathlons, the overall male and female are celebrated (and sometimes top 3) but everyone who finishes is treated the same - everyone is given the same applause, recognition, and celebration. There are no age group results. This means that times don't matter. It's you vs. you vs. the elements. Karel said that he has never suffered, struggled and hurt so much before. This was the most difficult event that he has ever participated in. It gave him exactly what he wanted and more. He is very proud of himself and he still can't believe what his body allowed him to do.

We will soon be doing a video race recap of his day, which we will share on YouTube.

                                                 

Next up...I will be participating in XTRI Norseman (XTRI "World Championship") in Norway on August 3rd. Karel has two more extreme triathlons planned for 2024 - ICON and Patagonman. 

Lakeside Double Sprint Triathlon - Race Recap

 

Reason for racing
After finishing my May racing block (3 races in 15 days), I looked forward to nine weeks of training en route to XTRI Norseman which will be on August 3rd in Eidfjord, Norway. Training has been going really well and I'm thankful that my body has been absorbing the load without any issues. I do struggle mentally with Campy's declining health but I keep reminding myself that he is still here and all I can do is continue to love him and take care of him. I had heard about the local doube sprint triathlon but it wasn't something that interested me as I was training for other events. However, with such a long time between races, I thought this would be the perfect way to keep me in the race environment, treat it as an intense training session and to change up the typical long workout training routine. Plus, I love our Greenville cycling/triathlon community and it's always nice to see familiar faces and to meet other triathletes. Over the years, I'm always looking for ways to step out of my comfort zone, try new things and stress my body (in a good way) in different ways. I felt like this double sprint checked all the boxes and I was looking forward to it all week. I really enjoy evening workouts (specifically bike workouts, group rides or bike/run workouts) and this race was the perfect opportunity to do an intense "workout" in the evening. 

Training going into the event 
Race week was challenging because Campy was not doing well. This made it incredibly hard to show up and to complete workouts. Karel and I really leaned on one another and while there were a lot of tears, we knew exercising was needed to help our mental health. I like to keep my training similar but different in that I always keep Monday as an active recovery day (typically a swim but sometimes also a bike) and Friday is only a swim (an intense masters swim group session in the morning). Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are double workout days and Saturday and Sunday are my longest sessions of the week. With the race on Saturday evening, my training schedule was as follows: 
Monday afternoon: 21 mile/1:23 bike (we had to pick something up at Run In so we biked there)
Tuesday: 5300yard AM swim followed by an easy 7 mile/58 min run. PM trainer session (55 min)
Wednesday: 3700 yard AM swim. PM 1:36 trainer session followed by a 5.2 mile/43 min run. 
Thursday: 2:04, 15 mile long run
Friday: AM 4976 yards (converted from long course meters) masters swim
Saturday: AM 2:24 bike (45.8 miles) followed by a 4 mile/34 min run. I met up with local cyclist Nate Morse while riding and we rode together for ~1 hour and I finished the ride alone and did a few 4 min strong efforts w/ 90 sec EZ. I kept the run super easy. 
Saturday: PM Race! 250 yard swim, 8 mile bike, 2 mile run, 250 yard swim, 8 mile bike, 2 mile run.
Sunday: Early afternoon: 2:20 bike (37.6 miles) followed by a 6.12 mile (51 min) run

Total: 
18:33 hours 
Swim: 14476 yards
Bike: 9:22 hours
Run: 42.4 miles

Race day nutrition
My primary objective was to not go into the race in a depleted state so I focused on my eating/fueling on Friday and Saturday. I had pasta for dinner on Friday and on Saturday morning, I had my typical bagel + PB + syrup + a little yogurt before my bike workout. During the bike I had two bottles, each with ~75g of INFINIT Fructose (~300 calories) and refilled one bottle w/ water for the last 20 minutes as it was getting really hot out. For the run, I had 1 x 10 ounce flask with water and another 10 ounce flask with 1 scoop Never Second C30 berry (120 calories). 
After the workout, I had a poptart and recovery drink (2 scoops GU vanilla recovery powder + 8 ounce 1% milk) while walking Campy and then I had a meal of a bagel (local) w/ half PB and the other half butter. I also had a banana and a little yogurt. I ate this meal around 2pm and I didn't eat anything else until after the race. 
I sipped on a bottle of Never Second while setting up my transition around 5pm. 
During the race I had 1 bottle on my bike with 1.5 scoop (~68g, 272 calories INFINIT Fructose Grape).  I also had an extra bottle in my transition area of the same amount in case I dropped that bottle on the first bike segment. I also had a small flask of ~100 calories Never Second C30 in case I needed it for the run. I ended up not needing the extra bottle or flask. In addition to my bottle on the bike (which I finished between the two x 8 mile segments) I had a few sips of water on the run. 
After the race, while waiting for the awardss, I had a Dr. Pepper and Rice Krispie treat from the post race area and had a recovery drink (that I brought) of ~30g protein. 

The Race! 
When I left, Karel was finishing up his 7-hour workout as he prepares his upcoming XTRI event Stonebrixiaman XTRI on June 29th (we leave for Italy on June 23rd). My mom and her partner Allen came with me for my race. I picked them up around 4pm and we arrived to the race venue around 4:40pm. The transition area was small but there were still 130+ athletes in the race. I picked up my race packet and timing chip and got body marked (it's been a while since I had that done, brought back so many memories from my early days). I then went into the transition area and set up my transition by my designated bike rack number. I had planned and practiced to do a flying dismount (with my cycling shoes still attached to the pedals) after bike number one and flying mount and dismount after bike number two and while I stuck with my plan, looking back I should have kept my shoes on as there was a lot of gravel/rocks on the ground and I lost time carefully walking with my bike and fumbling with my shoes. It was very hot and sunny while setting up my transition area so I was happy I had a bottle of water and a bottle of sport drink to sip on in the hour before the race start. After I was finished setting things up, I went for a short jog (~.76 miles) to warm up. I found a MTB trail next to the transition area to run on, which was shaded and had a soft impact. Around 5:40pm I walked to the pool area and got into the water to warmup. 
My trisuit isn't ideal for swimming without a swimskin/wetsuit so I got myself comfortable in the warm water and adjusted my timing chip so that it wasn't dragging in the water. I did a few laps and practiced a flip turn under the lane line to "snake" through the pool. The race started at 6:03pm. 

I was seeded 2nd for the swim and we started ~5-10 seconds apart. Although I was happy to be near the front for the swim, I don't have very good take out speed and I was being caught quickly by the swimmer behind me. The water was very choppy as the lane lines were lines with small plastic balls on them and I found it really hard to settle into a rhythm. 

SWIM #1: 250 yards: 3:47, 1:31 pace

I had no idea what lane/lap I was in as I was swimming as I was focused on swimming the reverse direction in the lane than what I am used it. I just paid attention to when I got to the last lane. I was relieved to survived that swim - it was rather chaotic. As I ran to the transition area, I was passed by another girl Kayla. I was actually happy to be passed as I love racing with competition as it brings the best out of myself. 

T1: 0:35
BIKE #1: 8.11 miles: 23.8 mph, 195NP, 20:18

I removed my cap and goggles as I was running into transition and I had a fairly quick transition (all I had to do was put on my helmet and cycling shoes). I carefully "ran" my bike out of transition and started my computer. Kayla was a little ahead of me and I worked really hard for around 2 miles to catch her. I wasn't familiar with the course but it was well marked. I also studied the course the night prior by looking at the course on Google Maps to get oriented with the roads and turns. I really liked the course as it was mostly rolling hills on quiet country roads. The last stretch was on a hwy-like road but because it was after 6pm, it wasn't too busy. I really enjoyed the course. I didn't feel great on the bike. My legs were heavy and tired but I pushed as hard as I could. It was literally a power test for me. I had to slow down a bit getting back into the parking lot as there was a car stopped in front of me. I drank ~1/2 bottle of my sport drink. I didn't think too much about the run as I was focused on staying draft legal behind the guy in front of me and I was also trying to lengthen my gap to Kayla as I knew she would run well (considering she ran fast to pass me out of the swim). 

T2: 0:52
RUN #1: 2.11 miles, 14:54 (6:59, 6:58)

I had put baby powder in my running shoes prior to the race to help them slide on easily (and to reduce the risk for blisters). This was my first time running without socks (or compression) in over 15 years. I grabbed my race bib belt (although I later learned we didn't have to wear it on run #1) and sunglasses and accidentally started to head toward the bike exit. Some volunteers yelled at me and I quickly turned around and ran near the swim out exit of the transition area. When I started running, I put on my sunglasses and bib number belt. Immediately my legs felt great. I loved the run course. It was up and down with tight turns and even some sand on the sidewalk. The run course was two one-mile loops which made it fun to see other athletes on the course and to pass by the transition area to see the spectators and to get cheers from my mom and Allen. The only downside was there was a big festival/party on the backside of the course with a lot of people and cars which we had to navigate through. I took a look behind me on the first loop and noticed that Kayla was just a few minutes behind me. I continued to run as strong as I could. I felt like I was in control of my form and it felt good. When my watch buzzed at the first mile I was expecting to see something around 7:30 min/mile as that is "fast" for me right now so when I saw 6:59, I was in shock. I couldn't believe it. On the second run, I felt even stronger and ran 6:58. My mouth was getting dry so I took a sip of water from the aid station on lap two. I couldn't believe my run - my legs haven't ran this fast in many many years (like over 5 years!). 

T3: 0:16
SWIM #2: 250 yards, 3:50 (1:32 pace)

My mom gave me a cheer at the pool and I told her "wow this is hard." I knew the second swim would be rough and although it felt amazing to jump into the pool to cool off, it was hard to start swimming. Plus, the top of my feet were scratched from running without socks so when I jumped into the pool, my feet burned for a few seconds. The nice thing was the pool was a bit more empty. It was just me and a few guys so it was a lot easier to snake my way through the pool. To make things less confusing, every time we got to the other side of the pool, we changed lanes (so lanes 2, 3,4,5 we swam back and forth in the same lane). I caught Joe Wilson around half way and passed him in the middle of the pool. I actually started to feel better as the swim went on and wished the swim was a bit longer as I was starting to feel like my body was in a better groove. 

T4: 0:37
BIKE #2: 8.11 miles, 22.3 mph, 175NP, 21:48

Joe passed me in transition as I was slow to exit and when I got on my bike, it took me a few minutes to get into my shoes. My average speed was 23.2 mph outside of the parking lot so looking back, I lost time doing the flying mount. I worked really hard to catch back up to Joe and I worked hard to stay draft legal behind him. I was able to stay behind him for all of the second bike but my legs were screaming at me as they were really tired. Each loop had ~420 feet and there were some punchy climbs. The sun was starting to set as it was nearing 7pm, which is my favorite time to be on the bike. I love sunset riding. It was still humid out but not as hot since the sun was setting. Again, I shouldn't have done a flying dismount as it was very rocky and I struggled to run with my bike to my rack. I finished most of my bottle on my bike. I also had a gel in my bento box on my bike (just in case I lost the bottle but I didn't need it). 

T5: 1:04
RUN #3: 2.11 miles, 14:37 (6:53, 6:59)

I struggled to put on my shoes as my feet were dry and I likely had my laces too tight. I lost some time in this transition. Plus, my feet were all scratched up on top which hurt when I put on my shoes. But the adrenaline of racing made that go away. I wore the Saucony Endorphin Speed running shoes (from Run In). At this point in the race, I had extended my lead but I didn't want to ease up. I felt even better on this run than the first run segment and I couldn't believe it when I saw 6:53 min/mile. I couldn't try to run this fast in training even if I went all out! This is why I love to race....I always seem to surprise myself. On the last loop, I started to feel like I was settling into a good rhythm and clocked another sub 7 split at 6:59. I finished the race with a smile on my face and told my mom that it was so much fun and really really hard. 

RESULTS
1st Overall Female
9th Overall 
Total Time: 1:25.40

I called Karel when I finished and gave him the play by play of the event. I was really happy with how I performed and most of all, I had so much fun. This event reminded me why I got into the sport of triathlon and why I have stayed with it for over 20 years (my first sprint triathlon was in 2003). When it comes to long distance racing, race day isn't necessarily fun. It's hard and challenging. But that is why I love long distance racing - you get to rise to the challenge and push through limits (or discover your limits). But when it comes to short distance racing, it's short, quick, dynamic and fun. 

The awards didn't start until almost 9pm so it was a late evening but it was worth it. I didn't something for the first time and I am really proud of my body for what it allowed me to do. 

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A post shared by Marni Sumbal, MS, RD, CSSD (@trimarni)

'24 Xterra South Africa Race Recap

 

Friday was a chill morning for me. I spent a good amount of time foam rolling and loosening out and Karel went out for a 25 min, 3.2 mile shake out run. Around 12:30pm we loaded our rental car with our bike gear and drove to Elgin Valley Country Club (race venue) for one last recon ride. Karel planned a great route for us so that we could ride on a few key sections of the course, while taking jeep roads in between. I had struggled with my body position and gear selection in a few areas and this ride was the perfect confidence booster for me as I didn't have any stumbles and took some mental notes on which line I wanted to take for each of those sections. The main areas that concerned me where the very tight turns on sand - some where steep uphills and some where steep downhills. I needed to get my body position and momentum just right for going up and then body position and knowing when to brake (and release the front brake at the right time) for the downhills. Conrad Stoltz (Xterra legend) designed the course and did some work in the rock garden to make it a bit more flowy. There were some tough sections between and over rocks and tight turns but I found the rock garden to be a lot of fun. Karel waited for me after each key section so that he could do his own thing and I could focus on myself. I was a little worried that my legs would be tired as I had ~25 running miles (and 12 hours of training) in my legs over the past 5 days but my legs felt surprisingly good. My biggest improvements with mountain biking have come from being able to do things faster - like going over features, going downhills and taking turns. Some of these areas do require a lot of power and strength but the most important skill is body position. Faster turns was an area that I really wanted to work on after Xterra South Africa last January (2023) and although I know I still have a lot more room for improvement, I am really happy with my progress. 

Karel gained a lot of confidence and new skills after participating in the 6-stage Breck Epic in August 2023. That course was so technical with big loose rocks. Karel was able to ride much faster in the technical areas. Although on race day he got caught behind some slower athletes at times, which slowed him down - but that is all part of Xterra racing. 

After our 10 mile, 70 minute ride, we went down to the water to check it out and then picked up our race packet. In our packet we received a bike plate with our number, a bib number for the run, a chip for our ankle and a shirt. We also got an Xterra South Africa Silicone swim cap from 2XU.

After a stop at the corner market/restaurant, we made another stop at our nearby grocery (WoolWorths) to get some food for the next 24 hours. We made pasta when we returned home around 3:30pm. It was delicious. I got all my gear together for the event and then around 8:30pm we laid down for bed. We didn't bring our wetsuits as last year in January it was non wetsuit legal so we took a chance that it wouldn't be wetsuit legal this year in February. According to Xterra rules (similar to ITU) when it's non wetsuit legal you can not wear anything over your kit. Whatever you wear in the water you have to wear for the entire race. Our tri kits are not designed for this style of racing so they do provide a little drag in the water. 

The alarm went off at 5am. I hardly slept at night. I could feel my heart pumping as I was trying to fall asleep the night prior. I was in and out of sleep all night. Thankfully I have been sleeping great since we arrived so after I laid in bed until 5:30am, I felt fine getting up (not sleepy or tired). I was just frustrated that I couldn't sleep. Karel was not nervous at all. I did feel nervous for the unknowns of the event and I still worry about getting in the way of more skillful riders. Thankfully in my 5 previous off road triathlon events, everyone has been really nice and anytime someone is behind me, I always let them go when there is a good place to pass. I was just more worried about making a mistake and causing someone else to not be able to continue riding past me. Thankfully, I had a mistake-free race and conquered everything to the best of my ability on the day. 

We arrived to the venue around 7am after leaving our house at 6:30am. The transition area was rather large so we had plenty of room to lay out our bikes and gear. There were around 200-300 athletes in the full distance and the racks were not crowded. As we were laying out our gear we heard the announcement that it was not wetsuit legal. We could hear the moans throughout the transition area but we were happy with this news. 

Karel was in the rack in front of me and we both had our bikes facing the direction of the Bike Out sign. I put all my run gear in my hat for a quick transition so that all I needed to do was put on my trail shoes. I kept room on my towel to quickly wipe my feet after running on the sand and grass before putting on my Silca socks. I had my sunglasses on my helmet so that I could put those on as I was riding. 

Here are some professional pictures from the race.

As for the race, we gave a full recap in a video discussion a few hours after the race when the feelings, emotions and memories were fresh. You can hear more about all the details from the race - and the difficulty of the run course (with 2 deep water crossings!) - in our YouTube Video. 

Karel won his age group. He was a little dissapointed in his run as he got passed by a few athletes and couldn't find any spring in his legs (which is hard when you are running on loose rocks and sand, with soaking wet shoes). I was 2nd in my age group but because 1st place is an Elite, I also won my age group. I was 5th overall. The first 3 ladies are Elite/professionals and I'm not sure about #4 so I think I was 2nd female amateur. I was really happy with my race as I was able to ride with some other ladies and keep up with them and I even ran away from the overall 6th place lady (which running away from someone is something that rarely happens for me). 

There were several food trucks at the venue so Karel got a burger with a tower of salty potato slices on top. He also got a flat white from the coffee truck. We went back out on our bikes around 1pm for a spin before the awards at 2pm. 

Here is our race recap if you'd like to listen. 

2023 Clash Daytona Race Recap

In late September, we registered for Clash Daytona half distance on December 3rd. It seemed like a great idea when the weather was warm and we were on a high from XTRI ICON and IM Chattanooga. However, come November, we started to feel the effects of racing every month since January (14 races for me and 14+ for Karel). However, we looked forward to escaping the colder weather and spending a few days in Florida with our athletes. 

Karel has the disc wheels inside the car to put on when we arrive.

We traveled to Daytona on Thursday. We left around 7:30am and made the 7+ hour trip to Daytona. Karel drove most of the way. I drove ~2 hours through Jacksonville (where we used to live for 6 years). We had Honza (our athlete from Czech) visiting us and sharing the car ride with us. Our friends/athlete Alvi and Yannick left an hour after us. Yannick recently had surgery to fix his collarbone after a bike crash so we invited him to stay with us to enjoy a change of scenery and warmer weather. 

We arrived a bit before 4pm and after unloading the car, we did a ~30 minute run. I didn't feel good running after sitting for 7 hours in the car but I really enjoyed the humidity and warm air. 

Our Airbnb was amazing. A huge kitchen, backyard pool and lots of space. It was also really quiet and the beds were super comfy. We stayed ~5 miles from the Daytona Speedway. After our run, we picked up Chiptole (ordered online for quick pick up) and ate dinner at the Airbnb. Honza (and his daughter, who drove up from Miami, where she plays Volleyball in college) got some groceries while we ate. 

On Friday we drove to Target (across from the Speedway) to start our recon ride. Sara, Alvi, Karel and I rode ~30 miles of the race course. The ride was pretty eventful as we were on a highway type road so cars and trucks were flying by at 80 mph. I got a flat tire after running over a nail and Alvi also got a flat tire. Nearly 2 hours later, we finally ended up (safely) back at our cars and drove back to our Airbnb (and skipped our brick run).

Here's a video explaining how Karel fixed my tire with the dyna plug and CO2 after it flatted due to a nail. 

 We ate some food at our Airbnb and then drove to the Speedway to pick up our packet and then do the practice swim. 

I'm loving my new bike :)

The water was a chilly 63 degree. The lake is man-made and the water is controlled to prevent bacteria/algae from growing. We got into the water a little after 2pm (practice swim was 1-3pm) and we swim ~1500 meters. We couldn't swim the entire course but did several shorter loops. 

After the swim, we stopped by a local bike shop and then picked up pizza from Guiseppess. It was delicious. 

We ran into an old friend from Jacksonville who is now working at the bike shop. He took this picture of us. So nice to see you Kent! In the evening, Karel fixed my wheel by installing a new tubeless tire with sealant. 

On Saturday, Karel and I went for our shake out ride around the neighborhood streets. This was a familiar scene for him as this is how he used to warmup for his cycling events back in the days. We rode ~50 minutes and did a few 1/2 mile efforts on a quiet stretch of road. As soon as we started the ride, Karel realized his shifting battery was completely dead so he had to ride only in the small chain ring. 

After the ride we went for a run. I felt a little better than I did on Thursday but not peppy. I ran ~10 minutes. Karel ended up running ~3 miles as he was undecided if he would wear his Nikes or his new pair - New Balance Fuel Cell (which is what I've been wearing for 4+ years). He ended up going with the New Balance. 

After the run, I ate breakfast. The rest of the day was pretty chill. I watched Youtube/TV, got my bottles and gear ready (which was relatively easy compared to XTRI and Ironman events) and bottled up my energy for race day. We laid down in bed around 7pm and went to bed close to 8pm. 

We woke up around 4:15am. I was excited to race. I didn't feel any nerves but rather, a lot of energy to get the race started. I had my typical pre race meal of bagel w/ PB, syrup and banana. Karel had oatmeal. It was nice having our bikes with us overnight and being able to bring them on race morning. One less thing to do on Saturday and less stress on race morning. 

We arrived to the venue a little before 6am. It was an easy 15 minute drive. There was a little traffic getting through the speedway to parking. After parking and setting up our transition area, we spent the next 20 minutes stretching and getting ourselves ready for the race.

I used a small plastic bag for my flasks, sunglasses and hat to carry out of transition and to put those items on as I was running. 

Race Gear:

• ROKA WOMEN'S MAVERICK X2 WETSUIT
  
• Rudy Project The Wing 
  
• Bont triathlon shoes 
• Compress Sport R2V2 compression sleeves
• Compress Sport Pro Racing Socks v4.0 Ultralight Run High
  
• ROKA R1 Goggles - Combat mirror 
• New Balance Fuel Cell Elite 
• Naked Running belt + 2 Nathan 10 ounce flasks
• Roka SL-1x Sunglasses (run)
• Cervelo P5

I loved seeing some familiar faces (like our athletes) as well as having Alvi, Honza and Yannick there. There was so much positive energy around us. I was really excited to get the race started. 

After the race, we went back to our Airbnb to cool off in the pool and then shower.

We returned around 2:30pm for the 3pm awards. The awards were moved indoors due to an afternoon rain shower. 

Here's a detailed video recap of our race: 

RESULTS

2023 XTRI ICON - Behind the scenes

  
It's been almost two months since I competed in XTRI ICON in Livigno, Italy.

Here's a video that I made, capturing the highlights of the day. 

It feels so long ago but the memories are still sharp in my mind. I really enjoyed writing my race recap and sharing my thoughts from the race. I thought it would be fun to share some of the behind the scenes details from my training, my gear and equipment, how I paced the event and Karel's role throughout my 16 hour race. Here's a video that we put together. Enjoy! 

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. 

XTRI ICON Race Recap - Pre race and swim

 

1.8 mile SWIM: 56:57
2^nd female

Although ICON was only my 2^nd XTRI event, I’ve learned that a lot of preparation is needed going into the event (much more so than a normal Ironman). I checked in for the race on Wednesday (race on Friday). Karel (my support) had to be there with me. We checked in our mandatory T3 bags which had to be left with the staff until race day. Inside, each bag was required to have; headlamp, shirt, pants, gloves, hat, waterproof jacket with hood. On Thursday we attended the mandatory English race briefing at 4pm. We were notified that the swim would be shortened from 2.4 miles to 1.8 miles due the combination of the air and water temperature.

I was extremely nervous on Thursday. Karel suggested that we swim at the pool as that is a happy place for me. He was right, I felt so good swimming and it relieved a lot After a 33 minute, ~2200 yard feel good swim at the aquatic center (long course meters), Karel and I went for a short ride to spin the legs. I wanted to see the first part of the bike course so we rode 4 miles (slight uphill) and then turned around. As for the rest of the day, I packed my T1 and T2 bags for the event. The race provided athletes with very nice large zipper bags (black and white) to use for the race. We also received two shirts (tank and shirt) for the support crew, a bib number for the support crew, banquet tickets, a shirt and a large poster with my name and bib number on it to put inside the support crew vehicle.

I prepared 6 bottles, each with INFINIT fructose (some with grape flavor and some with fruit punch flavor). I also prepared a few 10-ounce flasks for the run (each with Never Second C30 berry). I prepared a gel flask with 2 Never Second gels in it and had a bag of other sport nutrition. Karel bought some coke, water, pretzels and bananas at the grocery store (along with food for him and Honza to eat throughout their long day of supporting me). I had a variety of clothing options for the bike and run. I went through all the bags with Karel and he loaded the car with everything so that I could rest.

I didn’t sleep well (as to be expected). I laid in bed from 6:30-7pm and tried to fall asleep around 8pm. It took me over 2 hours to fall asleep as my mind wouldn’t shut off about the race. Once I finally went to sleep, I slept well. When my alarm went off at 3:30am, I woke up feeling rested.

Starting a triathlon at 5am is still an adjustment for me but I feel a bit of relief when I wake up in the morning and know that the day is finally here.  Karel and I went downstairs to the restaurant for breakfast. We were joined by two other athletes (one female and one male) in the seating area. I could feel the nervous energy. The hotel staff got up super early to prepare food and coffee for us. I had a pop tart, banana and yogurt, cup of coffee and water.

After I ate, I went upstairs to change into my swimsuit and put on my warmest pants and hoodie, along with gloves, a hat and warm socks. Karel put my bike in the car and we left the hotel around 4:15am. We drove a few miles to the aquagrande parking lot (pool across from the lake) to park. I walked my bike to the transition area by the lake. There were a few fire pits by the lake and a few lights but otherwise, it was very dark out. The lake was pitch dark. My bike was inspected (front and back lights were required) and I dropped off my bike on the rank in my spot (number 11).

After dropping off my bike, I picked up my chip and GSP transponder outside of the aquagrande building. I went inside the aquagrande center and went to the bathroom one last time. There was no line for the women’s restroom seeing that there were only 10 women competitors. (out of ~112). I put on my swimskin for an added layer, then booties and then my ROKA wetsuit. Karel helped me put on Vaseline as well as AMP lotion. I put on my thermal cap, ICON swim cap and gloves. I made the decision before the race to put my gloves on under my wetsuit (as that is what I had practiced in the recon swim on Wed) but last minute I changed it and had the gloves over my wetsuit. It was a mix for how to wear the gloves (I was looking around) so I wasn’t sure what to do. It was my fault for not practicing with the gloves until race week. Karel inflated my buoy and we turned on the glowsticks and then walked to the lake around 4:45am. 

Karel didn’t want me to get too warm by the fire so I stood there for a minute and then made my way to the transition area when we were all called in there for the race start. We then walked toward the water with the sound similar to heart beats pounding from the speakers. The energy was intense. This was really about to happen. 

My mind was calm and I was ready to get this race started. The air temperature was 32 degrees. The water temperature was 53 degrees. My greatest worry was the cold water as I know that would be my greatest struggle. But I was here to test my limits and to discover my capabilities.

I liked the in-water start as it gave me a chance to acclimate to the water and splash some water down my wetsuit and get my face wet. I didn't love the feeling of the thermal cap around my chin but I didn't mind it. I love my booties keeping my feet warm.

When the race started at 5am, I took my time settling into a rhythm. I knew I needed to take my time easing into an effort. It was a bit chaotic with the mass start but it settled out after a few minutes. But suddenly I found my gloves filled with water. I thought I would be fine but they got so heavy I couldn’t move my arm through the water. I quickly reacted and took off the gloves and put them inside the chest of my wetsuit. The water was so cold on my hands. They felt tingly right away. But I remained calm and thought to myself “at least you can feel the water.” I don’t really like the glove feeling when I swim but I knew it was necessary in these conditions. I had to keep adjusting the gloves in my chest because it was causing some restriction around my neck. Once I got it comfortable, I could finally settle into a rhythm. There were only 3 lighted buoys on the course. One sighting buoy before the turn buoy (left around the buoy) and then one more turn buoy. There was a big light on the shore. It was so hard to gauge how far I had to keep swimming before the turn. I really struggled with the dark conditions and cold water. I found myself by another swimmer which was comforting. I had to keep stopping every now and then as I needed to catch my breathe. Once I finally made the turn buoy, I was so relieved. After the second buoy, I was so happy to finally be heading back to the shore. I couldn’t wait to get this uncomfortable swim overwith. Even though I love swimming and it’s a strength of mine, I feel I’m really challenged in dark and cold conditions (thus my desire to test my limits in these XTRI events). As I was making my way back to the shore, I started to get really cold. My face was numb and my body was shutting down. It was getting harder to take strokes. I was having trouble warming up because my body wouldn’t let me swim hard. I was alone and I kept swimming into sticks which would freak me out. I was so relieved when I finally saw the shore. I felt like I only had a few strokes left in my body before it was ready to shut down.

 

Our friend/athlete Honza (from Czech) was there to help me as I walked from the swim to the T1 tent. I was so cold I could barely move. Karel was in the tent with all my clothes ready for a quick change but what none of us planned for is me developing hypothermia during the swim.

I was shaking uncontrollably and so cold. As Karel dried me off and started to take off my wetsuit, swimskin, booties, cap, goggles and swimsuit, I told him “Karel there is no way I can do this. I am so cold.” After a few minutes, one of the staff came over to me and asked if I was ok. 

Karel said “she will be fine.” Then a few minutes later, a female medic came over and watched me for several minutes. Karel whispered in my ear “you need to stop shaking or else they are not going to let you continue.” Karel was so worried about me but he was also trying to help me. There was a competitor next to me on the bench and he offered Karel some warming lotion for me. I was also offered warm tea so I sipped on that as Karel tried to dress me. My body was so stiff and I felt like my legs would cramp at any moment. Karel had such a hard time dressing me but after a while, he got it done. I could see the other competitors dressing in the tent and everyone looked cold. But what I noticed was that everyone was leaving and I was still in the tent. I couldn’t think for myself so I was just sitting there as Karel took charge and got me dressed in my layers. He even gave me his jacket for one extra layer.

After 28 minutes (and the longest T1 in the race) and one of the last people in the tent, I stopped shaking and was able to slowly walk to my bike. Karel suggested that I just start riding to create some body heat and to just take my time. Anything after this struggle was a bonus so our goal was just get on the bike and see what happens. I walked my bike to the street, got on my bike and started riding. Karel had my computer, course map and lights already turned on for me.  

My mind instantly focused on the bike as I knew I needed to stay present to keep myself safe. I also needed to really focus on my fueling as I knew body expended a lot during that cold swim and in the transition area. I had a Maurten gel before I got on the bike to give me a little more energy before starting my ride since it had been almost 90 minutes since I started the race.

A few miles down the road, Karel and Honza drove up next to me and asked if I was ok. I told Karel (in the passenger seat) that I was getting warm and needed to remove a jacket. It felt so good to finally feel somewhat warm. We made a quick stop in a driveway just outside of the town of Livigno so I could remove Karel’s jacket. Since I was one of the last athletes out of the transition area, I felt a little boost every time I would see or pass another athlete.

As I started to make my way out of town and toward the first mountain pass of the day, I thought to myself “my only goal now is to finish.”

Bike recap coming soon. 

I'll also be sharing a future video discussing my nutrition, gear, equipment and training for each discipline. 

'23 Breck Epic - Stage 5 and 6

 

Stage 5: Wheeler Mountain
25 miles
5300 feet
5.89 mph
4:15 time
21st 40-49

Karel heard the horror stories about Wheeler. Although his body was extremely tired, he mentally prepared himself for a lot of hike-a-bike up the Wheeler trail. The state was set up as a "time trial" so that the early single track wouldn't get too crowded. Although his mind was in a good place for the uphills, he was not mentally (or physically) prepared for the downhills. He said it was the scariest routes he has ever done and he just wanted to finish. I think his stats tell the most. When it takes over 4 hours to ride 25 miles and when you can accmulate 5300 feet in only 25 miles, you know it's a really tough course. Here's Karel's recap of stage 5. 

Since I had completed my big workouts, I was really looking forward to seeing Karel in action today. I left our place around 7am and drove to the trailhead on McCullough Gulch Road. A little after 7:30am, I started my 3 mile, 2300 feet hike up the mountain. It took me around an hour to make it to the first top of the mountain (~12,750 feet). I had my USWE hydration pack with Skratch Clear to stay hydrated and also brought some snacks and a bagel sandwich with PBJ. I waited around an hour before I could see the pros far in the distance. 

I didn't know what to expect but I have never see so much suffering. Although almost everyone was in good spirits, there was a lot of huffing and puffing to ride, walk, push the bikes up the mountain. 

I had a lot of fun cheering for the riders. The scenery was incredible. 

Eventually I saw Karel and he was in a group of 6. He wished he had different shoes as his MTB shoes are very stiff which makes it hard to hike. But he felt pretty good walking his bike up the hill. Although some sections were rideable, it was either too steep or too rocky to ride through. Some of the male pros were able to ride most of the way but the majority had to get off the bike and walk. 

Around 10am I made my way down the mountain. I had a lot of fun cheering for everyone as I was jogging down. The trail was narrow so I did a lot of stopping to make sure the riders had plenty of room to push their bikes up the mountain. It took me ~43 minutes to run down the mountain. I ended up with 6 miles of run, hike, walk. 

I drove back to our place, got my bike and rode to the finish of the stage, ~3 miles away (up Ski Hill). I waited and waited and waited for Karel and I was surprised that it took him so long to finish. I was really worried that he crashed or had a mechanical. When he finished, he rode over to the field and couldn't wait to get off his bike. He said that he got very dehydrated and messed up his fueling. He also mentioned how scared he was on the bike during the descends. He was completely empty - mentally and physically. 

We rode the 3 miles back to our place and as Karel rested, I drove to the pool around 3pm for a 3600 yard swim. I picked up Chipotle for Karel (and me) on the way home and also stopped at the grocery store to get a few things. Karel was really exhausted, he didn't sleep well and had no idea how he would get the energy to complete the last stage. 

Stage 6: The Gold Dust Trail
31.8 miles
3500 feet
11.6 mph
2:44 time
11th 40-49
16th GC (overall in AG after 6 stages)

Karel woke up very sore, tired and exhausted. But with his stage racing experience, he knows that you can never count yourself out, no matter how horrible you feel. You just have to show up and do the best you can. I had a really good feeling about stage 6 as I felt like the course suited Karel was some long steady climbs up gravel-like roads and single track to start and finish (and throughout the stage). Plus, no matter how tired Karel is when he races, he always finds a way. I felt like he was going to deliver something great on this last stage. 

Here's his recap of stage 6. A completely different Karel from the previous stages :) 

Karel left our place around 8am as his start time was in the 7th wave. This stage had a "time trial" start in groups of 10 because of the tight single track to start. 

My plan was an easy 2-3 hour ride. I hadn't made my way all the way around Dillion Res so I was looking forward to riding on the bike path that I hadn't seen before. 

I surprised Karel and watched him start the race and a little before 9am, I headed out on my ride. 

I really enjoyed my ride. I still can't get over all of the bike paths that connect from town to town. 

I rode 36 miles and less than 5 of those miles were on the road. Everything else was on a bike path. 

I returned to Breckenridge at the ice rink before 11am and waited ~45 minutes until Karel crossed the finish line. I was so relieved to see him as every stage had me nervous about a crash or mechanical. 

I could tell with his riding style and expression that not only was he happy to finish Breck Epic but he had a great stage performance. 

Karel placed 11th in his age group on the last stage and he said he felt pretty good and was able to pass several riders in the last climb. 

After hanging around at the finish for a little, Karel was eager to get to the local french bakery. The service was slow but the pastries were worth it. 

We rode back to our resort (one last time up the hill). 

And Karel was officially DONE. 

Although it was incredibly difficult, Karel said he would do it again. He learned a lot and he would have approached it differently with training, gear/equipment and tactics. 

At 6pm he went to the finisher banquet/awards. I walked around the town while Karel was at the banquet in the hotel. Karel received two black and white pictures of him after the first and second stage, as well as a cardboard cut out to frame the picture and bib plate. 

He also received a belt buckle as an official Breck Epic finisher. 

6 days
~227 miles
~26 hours
~33,330 vertical feet
relieved, exhausted, broken, sore, proud.

The only way to discover your physical and mental limits is to pursue challenging goals.
Doing something hard will quickly expose your weaknesses and reveal your strengths.

Breck Epic tested Karel’s mind, body, fitness commitment, character, problem solving skills and abilities. Although it was incredibly hard, he rose to meet the mental demands and physical rigors of the 6-day Breck Epic mountain biking event.

Push past your self-imposed barriers and crush those hard, scary goals.

2023 High Cascades 100 MTB event

Pre-Race
I was a bit nervous going into the High Cascades 100. We had reconned the back half of the course but the first ~45 miles were all new trails for me. The routes in Bend are incredible. Over 900 miles of single track MTB trails! But the conditions are very different to what I am used to – sandy, jagged pointy rocks and loose dirt. I was also nervous about the start of the race and having 350+ athletes to navigate around going into the single track. I prepared my bottles the night prior and got 2 bags ready for the bag drop (aid station ~45 and ~81). I used a 1.5L plastic water bottle for my hydration pack (either INFINIT Fructose 360 calories/hr or Never Second C30 Berry, 360 calories per bottle/hr) and a sport bottle of Mexican coke (diluted with water). I started with my USWE hydration pack with INFINIT Fructose and a bottle of Never Second C30. I also carried a Power Bar, PB Clif Bar, Power bar chews, Gu aminos and a Never Second Gel.

We woke up at 3:45am and ate our normal pre-race foods. We got ready around 4:45am, did a bit of foam rolling/mobility and left our Airbnb on our bikes, just before 5am. The sun was starting to rise so it wasn’t completely dark. We were in the company of other athletes riding to the start. It was a little cool in the morning (mid 50’s) but it wasn’t too bad for the 1-mile bike to the race start at the Bend Athletic Club.

We dropped off our bags in their respective UHaul trucks (Karel only used the 48-mile bag drop) and then I went to the potty once more. We lined up near the front, in the company of some well-known names like Heather Jackson, Sarah Max, Eric Lagerstrom and Sonya Looney. It boggles my mind to think that over 350 people register for this event. And the only distance is 100 miles! And the event had over 40 females! The race director (Mike) is phenomenal. His communication via email was incredible. We would receive emails almost daily on the week of the event with updates on the course, event and any other important/safety details.

The ride started at 5:30am and it was a neutral start for a few miles until the road went up.

Miles 0-20
The first ~9 miles were all climbing. The route started off ~6 miles on pavement and it was a beautiful start as the sun was rising and we were riding through Tetherow on Skyliners Road. We then turned off onto a fire road (gravel, dust, dirt) for ~3 more miles. The first 9 miles were fairly fast, averaging around 17 mph. I was in the 3rd group from the front and it was a small group, with Sonya Looney. There was ~10 of us and the effort felt manageable. My legs were feeling really good climbing. On a steeper section, Sonya rode away. We then took Tumalo Creek to Mrazek Trail for ~6 miles which was all single track. My skills weren’t the best and I was passed by several guys on the twisty/technical sections but I was able to always catch back up anytime there was a steady climb. Everyone was very nice and would ask to pass when there was a chance to pull over. It was back on another forest road (where I caught up to all the guys who passed me) and then back on Mrazek Trail. At this point, we had been climbing (with just a few quick downhills) for 20 miles and ~1:43 (11.7mph).

Miles 20-48
I had been doing a good job staying hydrated, even though it was cool out. It’s very dry in Bend (low humidity) but it was super dusty which made me thirsty. Karel was in the 2nd group to the front but he was careful to not overdo it. He wanted to pace himself so that he wouldn’t blow up or aggravate his back so he made sure not to do anything crazy in the first few hours. There were several sections that Karel had to walk his bike over and many that I had to walk my bike over throughout the event as there wasn’t a clear line to take and we didn’t want to jeopardize a fall or something breaking on the bike. Luckily, there wasn’t any hike-a-bike. All the obstacles were relatively short and required a quick hop off, carry the bike over and then back on the bike.
The first technical descend was Farewell. And as the name implies, it was technical for me. There was a drop off on the left and a tight single track with many loose rocks and tight (very tight) switchbacks. I stopped several times to let other riders pass me. When I finally made it down this 3.4 mile, 20-minute technical section, I was relieved.
The next few single track trails included Tumalo Creek (which had a .3 mile required Chill Zone due to hikers), Skyliners Trail and Upper Whoops. This was a mix of twisty single track through the trees, beautiful views and then some fun jumps and berms. Then it was on to another forest road to Swede Ridge Loop Trail, Swampy Loop Trail, Flagline trail, Swampy Dutchman Trail. Although my skills were not the best, I found myself in a similar group of riders (all guys) where they would pass me on the technical sections (specifically downhill) and then I would catch back up anytime the road went uphill. I really worked the uphills as I felt that was where I could gain the most time and be competitive in my age group.
When I got to the first aid station, the volunteers were incredible. They grabbed my bike and helped me refill my hydration pack. I needed to pee but I didn’t see anywhere to go (there were a lot of people there as spectators were allowed) so I waited until the next stop. I grabbed my bottle of coke to put on my bike. We received chain lube in our welcome packet and Karel advised that I put some on my chain if it starts to sound like it’s getting dry. I decided to lube my chain at this aid station to be on the safe side. I also had tools, a spare battery, CO2, tube, and a plug in my hydration pack in case of an emergency.

Mile 48-70
After a few miles of descending, we got onto the main road (Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway) before crossing the road and making our way to Funner. Funner made its way into Lower Storm King and at this point, I was in familiar territory. There were still a lot of sections that were too technical/rocky for me to bike over so I had to get off but overall, this section was fun. There were a lot of berms and jumps (I don’t jump, just roll over). Then we went into Catch and Release for more climbing. I felt a bit more confident in the back half of the ride as I knew the route and there was a lot of climbing. It was starting to get a bit warm out as it was nearing the upper 80’s and I had been riding for almost 6 hours. Karel likes to know where he is at while he is riding so he leaves his computer on a screen that shows mileage and time but I don’t want to know. I leave my computer on the map setting and just focus on the distance for each segment that I am in. Neither of us have power so we don’t go by any metrics other than feel. The course was really well marked. Mike did a great job putting arrows and ribbons for the course and a big yellow NO sign for any other area that we shouldn’t take. There were also signs letting us know that an aid station was ahead. After passing the 58 mile/88 mile split sight (heading the 58 mile route), it was time to climb. Almost 13 miles of almost non stop climbing on single track for almost 90 minutes and almost 1800 feet of elevation gain. Much of the race was held at ~5000+ elevation, getting close to 6000 a few times. The next 3.5 miles were on Dinah Moe Humm and took us to the next aid station. I was running low in my hydration pack and even though the next aid station was 9 miles away, I didn’t want to ration my fluids, especially with it being so hot and dry out. I filled my pack with Heed (which did not taste good) but sipped on it anyways. I was still feeling really good with my energy and my mood was good. I used a bit of water to cool myself at the aid station and also finally went pee (in the bushes).

Mile 80-103
I was looking forward to the next 3 miles as they were on the road with a beautiful view of Mt. Bachelor (with snow on top). It was warm with the sun beating down at 95 degrees. But thankfully there was a bit of tailwind. I passed a lot of guys on this climb and at this point, I was passed by two females but passed one who was at the previous aid station. I really worked these 3 miles as I knew we had some descending on a fire road after the climb. Somehow I got off course for a few minutes and turned myself around. I have no idea how I missed the big pink arrows but I think I was getting into my pocket to get some chews and must have looked down for a second and missed it. I’m so thankful I had the gut feeling that I was off course. I was a little upset that I had worked so hard on the climb to get off course for a few minutes but I was back with the guys that I had passed. The next almost 6 miles were pretty fun. A lot of descending on fire roads. Although it was still hard to descend as you are in a squatting position which puts a lot of weight on the legs. My neck was getting a little sore so I would stretch it out every now and then. Karel was feeling pretty good throughout the ride and he also didn’t have any low energy issues. He did a great job with his hydration and fueling. He had a lot of fun in the technical sections and anytime there was a sign that read ‘Danger’ I would think “don’t die!” and Karel would think “fun!”
Tiddlywinks was a very fun trail which then brought us back to Lower Storm King. Finally I was back to the split and took Catch and Release back to the main road. I stopped quickly at aid station 81 as I wanted to make sure I was well hydrated for the final stretch. My refill stops were at 5:13 hrs, 7:53 hrs and 8:49 hrs. I made all my stops really quick. Once I got back on the paved road, there was a little incline before a long stretch on Cascade Lakes Hwy. The roads are extremely bike friendly and there were even people in their cars honking and cheering as we were racing. The last 5 miles were fast – I time trialed it and pushed as hard as I could (19 mph for almost 5 miles). The final stretch was a small path/trail behind the Athletic Club and then I crossed the finish line after 103 miles and 9:29.48 moving time (9:49 total time with stops).

Karel went back to our Airbnb to shower (we were so dusty and dirty!) and then came back to see me finish. A friend, Kristen Yax, who lives in Bend came to the finish and we chatted with her for a while. We got a free burrito at the finish and then biked back to our place to clean up and rest before the awards at 6:30pm. 

I still can’t believe we rode 103 miles off road on our mountain bikes.

Prior to the event, we couldn’t believe that over 350 people sign up for this event. But now we know why.

The trails in the Deschutes National Forest are incredible. The nature is beautiful, the volunteers were awesome, Mike (the race director) was amazing with his communication, course signage and attention to detail and the people are so nice (and love being outdoors).

My skills were not the best on the technical features, as I’m not used to riding on dusty, sandy and jagged rock trails, but my climbing legs showed up so I took advantage of my strength any time the trails went up.

Karel paced himself well. No crashes and felt stronger as the race went on. He squeezed into third place in the last hour. 

We both fueled and hydrated well and didn’t have any low moments throughout the race. There were five aid stations. We both utilized the bag drop (our own nutrition) at mile 47, stopped to refill hydration at mile 72 and I used the bag drop at mile 81.

I love the heat (dry or humid) so I welcomed the 90-degree temps. With much of the ride above 5000 feet, we didn’t feel affected by the altitude.

Karel placed 3rd age group (40-49) in a competitive field in a time of 8:24.07.

I placed 1st age group (40-49) and 6th overall female in a time of 9:48.56.

It was a challenging and fun day.

This year has been all about stepping out of my comfort zone. Off-road racing (gravel, Xterra, MTB, trail running) requires a tremendous about of strength, skills, durability, resiliency, mental toughness and endurance. In these events, feeling a sense of accomplishment doesn’t come from metrics, paces or overall placement but in overcoming the challenges of the day and reaching the finish line.

If you are feeling complacent with your sport or struggling to find your “why” for training and racing, I encourage you to explore what lies slightly out of your comfort zone. You’ll still have to train very hard but you’ll be motivated by self-improvement and feeling like a beginner again.

RESULTS

 

Here's a video I put together on another ride that we did later in the week. We did 3 x 4+ hour MTB rides while we were there. We love Bend! 

'23 XTRI Canadaman Race Recap - 26 mile run/hike, 4500 feet

 

26 mile run, 4545 feet – 6:00.00

• New Balance Fuel Cell Shoes
• HOKA trail shoes
• Women's Distance Carbon Z Trekking/Running Poles (105 cm)
• Naked Running Band
• Naked Running Vest
• Camelback
• Nathan hard flasks (10 ounce)
• Naked running soft flasks (17 ounce)
• 100% gloves
• Roka sunglasses
• Cooling towel
• Marmot Women's GORE-TEX® Minimalist Pro Jacket
• Nutrition: NeverSecond C30, NeverSecond Gel, Powerbar chews, Skratch Orange, Gu Aminos, Pretzles, Coke, water

Mile 1-3.7 – 219 feet, 9:51 min/mile
Woods and gravel

As I left the transition area, I was looking forward to the first off-road section. I assumed it was all gravel but first I had to make my way through the woods. There was barely a path in the woods. The ground had a lot of roots to run over. It was actually a lot of fun but it required a lot of work to get through. The course was really well marked with pink flags at every turn and keeping us on the path. Once I got through the woods, I was looking forward to getting on the gravel. Only to see a super steep hill. I walked up the hill as it was very steep and I wasn’t even a mile into the race. The gravel was also very rocky and loose. Once I got to the top, I was looking forward to finally running but I found myself shuffling my legs down the steep, switchbacks lined with loose rocky gravel. Finally after almost a mile and a half, I was able to settle into a normal running rhythm on packed gravel. The next 2 miles went by pretty quickly as it was a straight gravel road (net decline) and I could see Karel and the parked car in the far distance. He ran over to me asking if I needed anything and I told him I was good and he could drive ahead for a mile and recheck there. Our plan was for him to leap frog me in the car and to drive ahead each mile on the road and also before/after each gravel section. I was sipping my sport drink flask along with water. It was humid and a little water (low 70s) so I was glad I had my cooling towel on. Karel would wet it every now and then it helped tremendously.

Mile 3.7-10.5 – 138 feet, 8:41 min/mile
Road
Although my trail shoes would have been helpful in the previous section, I was happy to have my road shoes on for this road section. Looking back, I would have made the same decision to keep my road shoes on until mile 18. This section was all road, slight decline with a few long uphills. The nice thing was that there was tailwind and it was fun to see the other athletes riding on the other side of the road. I had one quick potty stop in the woods (normal BM) but no nutritional issues. I was dealing with some side stiches in this section – likely from being crunched in the aero position in the last 10 miles and also navigating through the woody/gravely section before the road. Karel was strategic with where he parked the car and I would continue running, only grabbing what I needed. I had all my flasks filled so Karel only had to hand me things. I had a few sips of coke throughout this section and continued to sip on my sport drink and water. I thought I was going to feel more tired (sleepy) but I think taking 3 Gu Aminos every hour on the bike and then a few throughout the run helped my brain stay focused. This part of the marathon was the only section that felt similar to a stand alone Ironman. I was a little nervous about the next off-road section as it was the longest section that I would be without Karel. At mile 10.5, before turn on to the gravel road and saying good bye to Karel until mile 15, I took off my Naked Running band and put on the Naked Running Vest with 2 x 17 ounce flasks (one sport drink and one water). I also had a few chews and a gel with me if I needed it. I found myself only wanting liquid calories. It was also really nice to see my friend Mary along the course and also to see Trimarni team member Jeannie on the bike as she was riding strong in the headwind. 

Mile 10.5-15 – 516 feet, 11:19 min/mile
Gravel, grass, field
This section was very pretty. There were times when I was in a wide open field, sometimes running by a creek. Other times, running on a tractor-groomed grass trail with trees hanging over me. These 5 miles had everything. There were two big hills (a 1.5 mile gradual rolling climb to start and then another mile climb near the end which was up and down) but otherwise it was fairly flat. I was surprised to see an aid station before the grass/field section but it was welcomed as I was by myself and had only been passed by one guy since I started running (on the road). I walked, shuffled and ran the 4.5 miles and I was really looking forward to seeing Karel and knowing that I only had ~2.5 more road miles until the trail started. The funny part in this section was a volunteer at the aid station telling me (first in French until I asked in English) that the bridge looks broke but a man fixed it so it’s safe to go over and I don’t have to run through the creek. I laughed as I was carefully running over the wooden bridge. I never thought about what mile I was on or how many more miles I had but instead, just focused on each segment (off-road, road or trail). Although my legs were starting to really struggle by mile 15 (~2:25 of running), I worked through all my niggles/side stiches and I felt like my form was much better and it was a lot easier to run (minus my quads screaming at me).

Mile 15-17.6 – 174 feet, 10:28 min/mile
Road
This 2.6 mile road section was hilly. I had Karel load me up with two fresh soft flasks and I didn’t need him much throughout. It was actually better for him to keep driving so that I could keep my rhythm and just make it to the trail section. Although my legs were hurting, I feel like these miles went by the fastest (mentally). 

Mile 17.6-20.3 - 572 feet, 19:35 min/mile
Hiking Trail
Across the street from the trail entrance, I changed into my trail shoes, put on a visor (less warm than the hat), wet my cooling towel and got two filled flasks (one sport drink and one water). I had a gel and chews with me. I wasn’t allowed to sit in the car (per the rules). I was really looking forward to tackling this section knowing that in a few miles, Karel and I would be finishing the race together. This section was very hard. It was muddy, slippery and very technical. The rocks were loose and big and there was a lot of climbing. I tried to run when I could but most of it was shuffling. I was passed by a group of guys near the end which was nice to have some company. The trail was very beautiful and I tried to put myself in a place of going for a hike and just enjoying the scenery (while still “racing”). I had given Karel my phone as I didn’t want to carry anything extra but maybe it was good that I didn’t have it because I would have been tempted to take pictures of the creek. I picked up two small rocks for my dad (I like to collect rocks from places I visit and put them on his grave site). Finally, after almost 50 minutes (and ~2.5 miles later), I saw Karel standing outside of the woods. We shuffled to the aid station which was right before the actual trail up to the observatory. All I had left was ~5 miles and over 2500 feet of climbing. 

Mile 20.3-26 – 2566 feet, 24:19 min/mile
Hiking trail
I put on my camelback (with skratch) but looking back (after running past two aid stations up the mountain), I would have kept with only two flasks and had Karel carry a bit more and relied on the two aid stations for refilling. My quads were absolutely screaming at me (similar to the last few miles of an Ironman) but the difference here was that I had to climb up a mountain – over slippery roots and up and over big boulders. Karel was super supportive and he was really keeping me going. The first mile took me 20 minutes and then next mile was the hardest and it took me 30 minutes! These miles were never ending. The trails were really technical since it had rained so much earlier in the day but there were still several places where you could run. The backpack (and my tired body) made it hard to run but I tried to shuffle whenever I could. We were stuck behind the group of 4 guys (who were chatting) and while it was nice to have some company, once we passed them, I really started to pick up the pace. Perhaps that took up some time. The hiking poles really helped me get up and down the big rocks as I was using them for stability and also to help my tired legs move forward. I wore light gloves to help protect my hands in the case of a fall and to hold on to trees. Karel sprayed bug spray on me before the previous section. The air was warm/humid and it was cloudy so we couldn’t see any of the views. Karel was somewhat familiar with the course as he ran it all the day prior so he was helping me stay focused. I was passed by a few speedy male runners and kept looking over my shoulder wondering if the 2^nd place girl was getting close. Although I had a 30-minute lead, I was still worried. Although I was running (well shuffling/walking) as fast I could, with less than a mile in the race, I was passed by a female. It really hurt me mentally and I felt so defeated. I had led the race for over 13 hours and with less than 20 minutes to go, I moved into 2^nd. Karel was helpful as my mind was just as tired as my body and we kept on fighting. 

Even though it was nice to have Karel’s company, we didn’t do much talking. It took me over 2 hours to climb this final section and I could feel it. When we got out of the woods/trail and on to the road, it was so foggy I couldn’t see the finish. I kept asking Karel “where is it??” and he would say “it’s right there.” I power walked my way up the hill until I could finally see the finish and started shuffling/running. I finally crossed the finish line and couldn’t wait to sit down and collapse after 13.5 hours of racing. I ended up being the 2^nd female and 8^th overall. Missing the overall win by 5 minutes.

I was interviewed by some of the media/staff and changed into some dry clothes (which we brought with us in Karel’s hydration pack). I couldn’t believe what I had just accomplished – it was harder than I imagined. We waited until the 3^rd place female finished and took a podium picture. We then waited for our friends Russ and Mary to finish. We then boarded a bus to take us down the mountain to get to our car. And just like that, my first XTRI event and 20^th Ironman was complete.

This was the finish of the race - the ASTRO Lab of Mont-Megantic. Karel took this picture on Saturday. Sunday (race day) was very cloudy. 

Total: 13.37.59, 8^th overall, 2^nd overall female, 2^nd age group (40-44)

We arrived back to our Airbnb around 8pm. It was a long day after leaving the house at 3am. Karel unloaded the car with all the stuff that he collected throughout the day. As part of his crew responsibilities, he had to collect my swim gear in T1 and all my bike gear (and bike) in T2. I ate some leftover pizza with a glass of milk when I returned home and took a shower and then went to bed. I slept a little throughout the night but my legs were throbbing. Spending 6 hours on my feet for the run was tough. It was a similar soreness feel to an Ironman but I didn't have the empty feeling inside like I do after digging so deep in the Ironman run. Because of all the walking, steep uphills and downhills and terrain changes, it wasn't the same effort of an Ironman run. I was also really sore in my neck muscles. I felt a little down about not getting the overall win but I kept reminding myself of the achievement of finishing and doing something for the first time. I could not have done this without the support of Karel. This is one of the perks of XTRI - your family/friends can be very involved in the race. Karel said he was emotionally and physically exhausted as if he did the race because he was so invested in my race all day. He knew without his help, I couldn't finish but he also got to see me race up close all day. That's a very different feeling to a normal Ironman where family/friends can only see you a few times throughout the day. 

I got out of bed around 6am and shortly after, we started to pack up the house. I was moving very slow and it was very hard to walk downstairs. My quads were so sore, I had trouble making steps. I remember a similar feeling after 2017 Ironman Chattanooga. Around 11am, Karel packed up our bikes and we loaded the car and cleaned up the Airbnb to leave for the awards ceremony at 12pm. I loved our Airbnb - it was the perfect home away from home for our race-cation. 

The awards ceremony was mostly in French. I think they gave up translating into English 😄. We had some light food at the banquet before the awards were given out for the Solo Point Five and the Xtreme tri. We also watched a great recap video from the race. I received the most amazing gift......all things Maple! 

Maple butter, maple syrup, maple candy, maple water and a $500 gift card to a local bike shop. 

After the awards ceremony, we said good bye to Jeannie and our friends Mary and Russ and we made our way to Montreal to the airport hotel (Marriott - I used points from this credit card and booked via the hotel portal on the CC website and got a great deal - the room was just over $125 when normally it is over $350!). I was hoping to be at the hotel around 5pm but after a very long drive to Montreal (over 3.5 hours), we decided to stop for dinner in downtown Montreal at a vegan restaurant (Archway) that I found while driving. It was nice to stretch the legs and get some fresh air. I really wanted a veggie burger with fries but this place didn't offer it so we both went for the mushroom "steak." It was super flavorful! 

We arrived to the airport hotel around 7pm. Checked in, unloaded all our stuff in the room, returned the rental car and walked back to the hotel. The reason for booking the airport hotel was our 6am flight on Tuesday (July 4th) morning. The hotel was attached to the airport so it was worth the convenience after getting up at 3:15am to check in at 3:30am (you go through customs in Montreal to get back to the US so always plan for extra time). The flights to JFK and then to GSP went smoothly and we were back home by 1:30pm. 

We flew in Karel's mom (from Czech) in early June and she will be staying with us until mid September (89 days - she can only stay 90 days on her Visa). She is taking care of our furry crew when we travel this summer. Plus, she's great to have around :)

If you'd like to listen to my entire race recap, you can check it out here.

'23 XTRI Canadaman Race Recap - 111 mile, 9000 feet bike

 

Photo: Triathlon Canada

111 mile bike, 8993 feet elevation gain – 6:33.10 (6:21.03 riding time, 17.5 miles), fastest female, 6^th fastest overall

• Ventum One w/ Podium 90 rear and Podium 60 front Boyd Wheels
• Gearing: Front 39/53. Rear 11-32
• Tubeless: Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR 700x25
• Giro Helmet
• Bont Cycling Shoes
• Nutrition: 3 x 26 ounce of 360 calories Infinit Fructose, 2 x 26 ounce of 360 calories Neversecond c30 Berry. 1 Never Second bar, 1 bag Powerbar chews, a few sips of coke, 1 bottle water.

I had the course downloaded in my Garmin Edge computer and I knew every mile of the course from our recon the previous days but the course was still very well marked and there were plenty of volunteers at the intersections. There were also kilometer markers every 5K. I was very impressed with all the signage on the course and around the venue. Some of the roads were very smooth and well-maintained but overall, the roads were semi to very rough. 

 

Mile 0-9 (16.5 mph, ~1000 feet)
Pouring rain and very hilly. The climbs were between 1-2 miles and the grades were around 11-14%. The hills were long and steep and the downhills were steep and fast. I focused on heavy feet and light hands as I was descending in the rain. It was hard to see because of the strong rain. I kept my shield on my helmet (magnet) until the rain stopped. My legs felt good and I was passing several athletes from the half distance (they started at 4:45am and their course started the same as the xtreme but had a turn around mile 25ish). 

Mile 9-28 (21.6 mph, ~310 feet)
The rain was still coming down hard but this section was fairly flat. I was able to settle into a good rhythm and I focused on riding strong to cover this section as fast as I could. I was looking forward to seeing Karel around mile 28 as he was waiting for me at aid station 1 to hand me another  bottle. I had finished my first bottle between the aero bars by the time I got to Karel and tossed the bottle and grabbed my next one.

Mile 28-62 (17.7 mph, ~2266 feet)
Karel and I rode this segment on Thursday and as I approached it on race day, I felt like this was going to be a long segment. While it took me almost 2 hours, it was actually one of my favorite sections of the entire course. Once again, the hills were steep and long and the downhills were fast but the rain had started to stop. I really enjoyed the scenery of farms and riding through the small towns (each with a beautiful church). The roads were really quiet and I never thought about the fact that I was racing the bike starting at 5:30am. By the time I reached Karel at the next aid station (mile 62) it wasn’t even 9am.
Once the rain stopped, the wind started to get stronger. We had a bit of headwind and sidewind but I felt like I was able to stay in control and ride strong. My legs still felt great and I was in a great headspace. Even though I hadn’t seen another rider since ~mile 20ish, I still felt like I was racing. I would check in with my metrics every now and then but I was more focused on riding well and keeping up with my nutrition. Around mile 50 there was a very steep and long (~1.5 mile) climb with a super fast and bumpy downhill (I lost a bottle on the downhill). Between mile 50 and 62 I started to chew on my Never Second Bar. I also took 3 chews every hour. I sipped my sport drink every 15 minutes (4-5 gulps).

Karel stepped out in the middle of the road to let me know where he was at each aid station. This  made our stops/hand-offs very efficient. He did a great job navigating the side roads (driving) to get to each aid station. He had all of my nutrition ready and I got off my bike at this stop to stretch and have a few sips of coke from a bottle. Karel refilled my hydration system on my Ventum with sport drink and I opted for a bottle of water between my aero bars as it was started to get a bit warm and I also wanted to sip on it to digest the bar that I was chewing on.

Mile 62-85 (17mph, 2083 feet)
This section was hard. I was passed by one guy and it was really nice to see another athlete on the course. At this point I was the 3^rd athlete on the course and I had a lead of over 20 minutes on the next female. One of the race favorites (Lynn B, a previous Olympian) got off course and she eventually DNF. Once I got back to the area by the lake, it was time to tackle those 8 miles of long hills once more. Then it was more long hills (most of which were over 12% grade and over .5-1 mile) to get to the town of Val-Racine. Although this was a tough section, I was still feeling good. I didn’t have any low moments and I felt like I was riding really well. I was also really enjoying the bike. I made sure to say hi to all the cows. I felt like I could hold good power up the hills and I was taking advantage of each downhill. There was a gravel section (~10 yards) in the road (road work) and a wooden bridge to cross before getting to the town to see Karel and I was a little nervous about a flat tire but all was good. I wasn’t planning to stop when I saw Karel at this aid station but I opted to stop and fill up my hydration system (instead of doing it as I was riding) and get another bottle of water.

Mile 85-101 (19.3 mph, ~991 feet)
This section went by where we were staying and I knew I was nearing the final stretch. I wanted to get as much of a gap as I could to the 2^nd place girl so I pushed this section. There was a lot of wind but I was feeling confident with my skills. It was only in the upper 60s (temp) but it was humid and I was feeling warm. I was prioritizing my liquid calories and taking a few sips of water to wash down pieces of bar or chews. I felt like I was doing a good job with my nutrition as I had peed a few times (on the bike) and I hadn’t had any low moments. It was cool to see the solo point five (half distance) athletes running on the road as I was biking. I was getting cheers from a lot of the runners. When I saw Karel at the final aid station, I tossed my water bottle and didn’t grab anything from him. I didn't want any extra weight going up the final climb. It really helped to look forward to each aid station to see Karel and he did such a great job “feeding” me.

Mile 101-111 (13 mph, ~1197 feet)
This section was very tough. Straight headwind and it was getting stronger as I got closer to the final climb and transition area. I tried to stay as aero as I could, which was tough as all I wanted to do was sit up and stretch. The nice thing was seeing some of the run course (miles 3-10) and knowing that I would have tailwind for this section. I was really happy that even with this strong wind, I didn’t have any low moments and I was feeling energized and strong (just moving slow through the wind). Throughout the entire race I kept getting cheers from other support crews and the support really helped in this final stretch. This was the only stretch of road on the course where the support crew was allowed to drive on the same stretch of road that the athletes were biking on. I saw the sign to New Hampshire (4K) and knew I was close to the final climb. The last climb was so hard. Over 18% and almost a mile in strong headwind. I knew I wouldn’t gain anything by going hard up the climb so I tried to take it easy as I slowly pedaled my way up the climb. Karel was there cheering for me and since I was the 2^nd athlete nearing the transition (one guy ahead of me got a flat tire a few miles from the finish and he was changing it on the side of the road) I also had a small group of spectators giving me a cheer to get to the top.

The end of the bike was pretty spectacular. There’s a huge cross and it’s on the top of a hill and the wind was howling. Karel had all my stuff laid out in the white tent (I wish he took a picture, it was so organized!). I changed into compression socks, changed out of my kit and into tri shorts, a clean sports bra and a tank, put on a hat, grabbed my sunglasses and put on my Naked Running belt w/ 2 flasks. I also put on my cooling towel. Karel rubbed PR lotion on my legs as I was putting on my NB Fuel Cell Running shoes. I used the port-o-potty at the transition area before starting the run. The organizers did a great job with potties all over the bike course and also put signs out any place there was a public restroom for us (or the crew) to use. I was a little nervous and a lot excited to start the run.

If you'd like to listen to my entire race recap, you can check it out here.

'23 XTRI Canadaman - Race Recap pre-race and swim

 

Pre Race
I was nervous. Very nervous. I was about to do a lot of things that I’ve never done before. Even though this was my 20th Ironman distance triathlon, the event felt very unfamiliar to me in many ways. But that is exactly why I signed up for XTRI Canadaman – do challenge myself and to do something that I’ve never done before.

Come race day morning, we had seen almost all of the race course. We either drove or biked every mile of the 112 mile course. We swam in the lake (twice) and we drove the run course. There were ~8 miles of the run that were on private land (and off-road) so we weren’t able to see those miles. The last ~8.7 miles were all off-road, on very technical (and hilly) trails. Karel did his “long” run up and down the mountain on Saturday so he was able to tell me all about miles 18-26.

We had to attend a mandatory pre-race briefing at 3pm at Centre sportif Mégantic (downtown, by the lake ~25 min drive from our Airbnb in Val-Racine. The meeting was not very informative as it was mostly in French and only provided a few pieces of info about gravel on the road in a few sections and wearing the live tracking device. I picked up my timing chip and the meeting was complete at 4pm.

I didn’t sleep too well the night before the race (which is to be expected). After a full day of carb-loading, I laid down around 6pm and tried to fall asleep around 7pm. When I finally fell asleep, I woke up around 11pm and then tossed and turned until my alarm went off at 2:15am.

We woke up to light rain (which I expected thanks to the Epic Weather app) and although it was a restless night of sleep, I woke up feeling less nervous. The day was finally here.

I had organized all my gear the day prior and Karel had everything loaded in our rental SUV. I also prepared all my nutrition the day prior and kept in the fridge in different bags and on race morning, Karel put everything in the SUV, along with his gear, nutrition and snacks for his day of supporting me. I put on my bib number tattoos in the morning after putting on my race kit.

Karel said all the right things to keep me positive and calm as we drove to the race. I ate my pre-race meal in the car around 2:55am (2 Belgium waffles topped with PB and syrup and a side of cherry yogurt) and then braided my hair. When we arrived to the race venue, parking was easy. Karel parked near the exit so that he could easily leave the race venue to make his way to the first aid station after I got on the bike. It was raining when we arrived, then it stopped, then it poured. I put my bike on the closest transition rack near the exit. With only ~80 athletes in the xtreme distance and ~100 in the solo point five (including relays – this was the half distance), the transition area was small and there was plenty of space (although somehow the racks still seemed crowded as everyone wanted to be near the exit). I had my bike gear in a bag as Karel was going to lay out my T1 gear as I was swimming. For the next 30 minutes, we hung out under a tent and listened to the pouring rain come down. I put on my wetsuit, inflated my buoy (with light inside) and grabbed my cap and goggles.

I walked down to the water edge around 4:15am and stepped in the water. It was the perfect temp – upper 60s. The air was also around 60 but it didn’t feel warm.

I lined up on the front line and at 4:30am, it was time to start the race.

                                         

Swim – 1:04.49, 3rd overall

• Roka Maverick X2 wetsuit
• Roka F2 goggles
• New Wave Swim Buoy
• White light (for inside buoy)
• Castelli Tri kit
• Compress Sport Calf Sleeves
• Born Primitive Sports Bra

The swim was a two loop swim with a short run on the beach between each loop. When I started the swim, I felt a bit of panic. My body was not comfortable with swimming in the dark and it was early so I needed to give myself time to settle into a rhythm. After a few minutes, I found myself feeling much better. I felt like the swim was slow and hard. Although the buoys had lights on them, there were also kayaks with lights. This required a lot of sighting to stay on course. Once I made my way around the two turn buoys and started to head back to the shore, it started to get a bit brighter out which made it easier to sight. I wasn’t sure where to exit the water so I needed to sight a lot as I was nearing the shore. I exited the water and jogged along the shore before getting back in the water. I felt a lot better on the 2nd loop but it still felt slow. And when I saw my time of 32 minutes after the first loop (I don’t wear a watch when I swim the full distance because I don’t want to see my swim time but I noticed my time on the official race clock) I knew this was a slow swim. I usually like to build my effort in the back half of the swim but I felt like I only had one speed. I thought I was behind the lead group of swimmers but when I exited the water and ran to my transition area, Karel told me that I was 3rd out of the water.

Karel had my transition area laid out perfectly with my shoes, helmet, socks and tracking device. He put the tracking device (which we were required to wear) in my left rear tri kit pocket and my nutrition (gu aminos in a baggie, Never Second bar and Power Bar chews in my right rear pocket). As I was swimming the 2nd loop he turned on my computer, turned on the navigation (bike race course) and turned on my front and rear light (both required).

Although it was raining on and off during the swim, it had stopped raining when I got on the bike. But that was short-lived as it started pouring within a mile of the bike.

If you'd like to listen to my entire race recap, you can check it out here. 

2023 Xterra Oak Mountain Race Recap

 

Oak Mountain Alabama is a special place as it was the location of Karel’s first off-road triathlon in 2021. We actually drove to the race without his mountain bike as he bought a new bike online on race week and we picked it up in Birmingham, two days before the race. Karel had so much fun racing a triathlon off road. Karel’s excitement initiated my mountain biking journey (on Karel’s old mountain bike, until I got my own in 2022), which has been humbling and fun.

Although we were very excited to participate in Xterra Oak Mountain, we were sad that we wouldn’t be able to race IM 70.3 Chattanooga. However, since Chatty was a team race for our athletes, we would still be able to spectate the day after our event.

The days leading up to our Xterra event were a bit stressful. Campy wasn’t feeling so great, the night before we were supposed to leave, a tube got disconnected from our 70-gallon fish tank as Karel was doing a partial water change and it caused water to leak from upstairs to downstairs (this made for a very late and stressful evening). We planned to arrive mid day on Thursday to pre-ride the course but predicted storms changed our plans to arrive in the evening.

Once we finished the 5 hour drive (that took over 6 hours due to rain and traffic), we were so relieved to finally be at our hotel. I had Chipotle delivered to our hotel so after we unpacked, we relaxed and yummed. We had a somewhat restless night of sleep but we were both excited to get on the course on Friday morning.

We met a local friend Steve at Oak Mountain State Park around 9am and we went for an open water swim. We swam ~1500 yards (~2 loops of the course) and the water felt warm with our wetsuits on.
After the swim, we changed and went for a mountain bike ride on the back half of the course. We did a private skills camp with Lon in Feb 2022 and although I was somewhat familiar with parts of the Xterra Oak Mountain course, I had never ridden on Blood Rock (the most technical feature of the course). Karel and I biked to the Blood Rock section and I worked my way through parts of it but we didn’t have enough time and didn’t want to take any risks the day before the race, for me to section each part of this part of the course. Although I was able to make it 3/4ths down, I decided that I wouldn’t take any chances on race day and would only ride ~1/2 way and then walk my bike down the rest of the way. It was good to see the last 10 miles of the course and we were both really excited for race day. I often find myself making a lot of mistakes over rocks and roots when I pre-ride a course the day prior as I’m trying to not overexert myself but every feature requires a bit extra power – it’s a careful balance the day before an off road event. We rode 12.4 miles in 1:20 and it was a good confidence booster for the event.

Walking up Blood Rock to descend down.

We went back to the hotel, ate some lunch and a few hours later, we went back to the park to pick up our packet. Karel picked up some food from Publix for dinner and I had Amy’s No Chicken Noodle Soup + cup of 90-sec basmati microwave rice (my go-to pre race meal). We slept somewhat ok but thankfully, we didn’t have to wake up too early for our 9am race start.

I got my period the night before the race, which had me feeling a bit blah in the days leading up to the race. I never know how my body will perform when I have my period on race day so I just put it out of my mind and focused on what I could control for the day.

We woke up around 5:45am and had our pre-race meals shortly after. I made a waffle downstairs in the hotel breakfast room and had a yogurt with it and Karel had oatmeal. We did a bit of mobility/foam rolling in the room before packing up the car, checking out of the hotel room and making our way to the race venue around 7am. We had a short 2 mile drive to the race venue and parked around 7:20am. Originally we were supposed to start our race around 8:35am but they pushed it back to closer to 9am to let the pros finish 1 full loop of the 2 loop swim course.



I used the Epic Weather app to check the weather and it was looking to be a humid day with only a small chance of rain.

The transition is first come first serve so Karel and I set up our bikes on the 2^nd row near the finish. After racing 4 off road tris in the past 10 months, I am getting more comfortable and familiar with setting up my gear for mountain biking and trail running. I’ve also really improved my transitions and have made them a lot quicker with practice.



We picked up our swim caps and timing chips and spent some time at the car getting ready. I did a bit more foam rolling by the car, did a short jog (which my legs felt horrible), went to the bathroom and then got my wetsuit on around 8:15am. Karel was feeling pretty good before the race and he was really excited to race. He has a friendly competition with Michael Dorr from CO and he knew he would need to be on the top of his game to beat him (he has never beat him before). I walked down to the swim start to watch the pros start and Karel walked down to the other side of the swim start to warmup in the water.


After the pros started, I warmed up in the water. The water was a bit warm for me in my wetsuit but there was a short sprinkle of rain which helped cool me off. It was really nice to get in a good warmup before the race start – I always swim better when I can swim before the race. Since it was a two loop swim with an Australian exit (get out of the water and run back in) I wanted to see how the pros were getting out and back in the water for any shallow spots. I gave Karel a kiss before he lined up to start 2 min before my wave.

SWIM (1.5K)

Marni – 22:24
Karel – 23:48

Karel started with the 49 yr and under male wave and everyone else (including me) started 2 minutes later. My goal was to try to catch Karel but that would be a big ask. Karel had a good swim. He felt strong the entire swim but he wasn’t able to get up to the front group of swimmers. It was fairly easy to stay on course with only two turn buoys and a big arch at the exit. I really went hard from the start and my take-out speed left me really out of breath. I don’t think I’ve have ever swam that hard before to start a triathlon but Xterra racing is more like an Olympic distance than a half distance triathlon so it requires a lot of intensity, which means tolerating a high heart rate throughout the entire race. After a few minutes of take out speed, I settled into a strong steady effort. I wasn’t able to catch the front 3 guys who got away from me so I was by myself for the entire swim, passing a lot of athletes who started in the wave ahead of me. It was fun to get out of the water and get back in and the swim went by pretty quick. I was able to see Karel get out of the water as I was nearing the shore. I exited the water first female and quickly made my way to my bike.

I had a quick transition by putting on my helmet and sunglasses and then my socks and shoes. I don’t buckle the Boa on my shoes until I am riding to help save time. I also put on my UWSE hydration pack and didn’t buckle it until I was riding (which required me to ride with both hands off the handlebars).

BIKE – 22 miles (~2000 feet elevation gain)

Marni – 1:54
Karel – 1:39

After participating in 4 off road triathlons in the past 10 months, I’ve learned a lot. I was able to apply a lot of lessons learned to this race.
1) Don’t worry about the people behind you. They will let you know when they want to pass and you just move over when it’s safe/clear to do so. Everyone is always very nice about it.
2) Ride hard on fire roads and anywhere that is not technical, especially hills.
3) Controlled is fast. Reckless is not.
4) If something scares you or you aren’t able to ride over a certain feature, don’t.
5) Don’t get frustrated when you make mistakes.
6) It’s you against you. Your skills, your effort, your race.
7) Have fun!

I had so much fun on this course. It had the perfect amount of elevation throughout the course and included a 3.5 mile fire road climb. The 2^nd half of the course was a bit more technical than the first half but the entire course flowed well. This course kept me focused and I felt I rode stronger and better than ever before. I walked my bike down the bottom half of Blood Rock and there was one rocky step up in the first few miles that I didn’t clear and had to unclip but other than that, I successfully made it over everything and didn’t have any falls or issues. I’ve been working on my cornering and I could feel me improvements throughout this course. Karel had one hard fall where a tree attacked his handlebar in the first few miles of the ride. He flipped over his bike and scuffed his hip and upper back. Other than that, he rode really strong and stayed ahead of Michael Dorr throughout the entire bike. Karel was near the front of the age group race with only a few guys ahead of him and he was back and forth with one or two other guys throughout the bike. The course was really well marked and the volunteers were great.

Throughout the bike, I consumed 1.5 liters of fluid which had ~130g carbs of Never Second Berry (~520 calories). Karel had 1.5 liters of fluid with 320 Maurten along with 1 Maurten gel (~420 calories).

Although I was focused on myself throughout the ride, I couldn’t help but think that at any moment I would be caught by other females in the race. My mind was playing a lot of games with me as I wanted to be competitive but I also needed to focus on myself to have a safe race. I really love the dynamics of mountain biking in a triathlon because it’s the perfect combination of fun and competition. People are so nice, everyone is supportive and you can tell that athletes are having fun in nature.

Run – 6.2 miles
Marni – 52:23
Karel – 45:21

I dismounted my bike really quickly (I keep my shoes on but did a flying dismount as mountain bike cleats make it easy to unclip) and ran my bike my rack. I saw Karel’s bike hanging there and his run stuff removed so that was a good sign that all went well during his ride (minus his crash with the tree). I quickly put on my Hoka trail shoes and grabbed my visor, two Nathan 10 ounce flasks (each filled with ~3/4 scoop Neversecond berry, ~100 calories each) and my bib belt and put everything on as I was running. I stuck each flask in my back pocket of my tri suit. Karel opted no trail shoes for this run and wore his road shoes.

The run had a little less than 400 feet elevation gain for the 6 miles which gave the course a good amount of undulation. The first ½ mile or so was on the road and before turning on to the trail I took a look behind and didn’t see anyone. But as I made my way into the trail, I looked behind at the road in the distance and could see another female who looked like she was running very fast. I continued to run as hard as I could, which made for a high heart rate run in the warm weather and high humidity. I sipped from my flask around every mile (when I could get my HR to drop on a downhill) and used water from the aid station (2 of them) for cooling my body. I really liked this run as you could run it all and it had a few fun sections of going over wooden bridges, jumping over trees and zig zagging across roots and tight turns. Around mid way, I could see the other lady getting closer to me. I kinda expected it as I always get caught on the run but after a mile, I was surprised that she had not caught me yet. Part of me was thinking “2^nd place overall amateur female isn’t too bad” but then I would immediately think “but who says you will get 2^nd!” I decided to keep running as hard as I could so that no matter what happened, at least I knew I gave it my absolute best. As I passed mile 5, I didn’t see her behind me but I didn’t want to give up. The last ½ mile was fun as I ran by the lake and gave everything I could until I crossed the finish line. Karel was not expecting me so quick behind him so he was at the finish line when I finished. Karel had one fall on the run as he tripped when a casual biker was passing him and he was passed by Michael Dorr with a mile to go and he couldn’t hang with him. The fight to win his age group is keeping Karel hungry for more.

I immediately told Karel how much fun I had. We both really enjoyed our race experience as the Xterra Oak Mountain course has exactly what we love in off road racing – technical and fun.
Although I've improved my skills over the past year, this was one of those days when I just felt strong from start to finish. 

When we checked the results, it was official. I was the overall female amateur. Since I am new to the Xterra race scene, I was told that I beat “the legend” Deanna Mccurdy. I congratulated Deanna at the finish and we talked a bit more at the awards and I’m looking forward to meeting up with her in Breckenridge in August when I go to support Karel at Brek Epic. Karel finished 5^th overall amateur male and 2^nd age group (1 min behind Michael).

After we did a quick change and received our awards, we packed up the car and hit the road to make our 2.5 hour trip to Chattanooga to cheer on our athletes at IM 70.3 Chattanooga on Sunday.

RESULTS
Marni – 1^st overall amateur female, 10^th overall female. 3:13.17
Karel – 5^th overall amateur male, 22^nd overall male. 2:51.15

If you are searching for a new or different way to train and race, I highly suggest Xterra and off-road triathlon. It's so much fun! 

Whitewater Off-Road Triathlon race recap

 

Keeping with our theme of the year, the Whitewater triathlon on May 6th was looking to be very rainy (we've experienced rain for all five of our off-road events this year). We debated if it was worth doing the race but on Thursday of the race, we decided that we would still gain a lot from the race experience. After we registered online, the weather started to improve and based on my Epic Weather app, it was looking like the weather would work out for a dry day of racing. 

Although this race had a small participant list, it didn't make the race any less important to us. We still felt the nerves/anticipation for anytime we show up to a start line, we want to give our best and we know to do so, the effort is going to be uncomfortable and there will be obstacles to overcome. The really cool thing about off-road triathlon racing is that the entire race experience feels more like playtime than something serious like on-road triathlon racing. Swimming in open water, riding a mountain bike and trail running is fun and we love the vibe of racing off road. 

After a tough group swim in the morning, we left for Charlotte/Whitewater center around 1pm, shortly after my mom picked up Campy so that he could enjoy 1.5 days with her. There was a little bit of traffic during our 2:15 hr drive so we arrived a little later than we had planned. We paid the enterance fee and changed into our bike gear and around 4pm. With the issues of getting off course at the Whole Enchilada a month ago, we wanted to recon the course to make sure we knew exactly where we were going. The course was mostly well-marked and Karel also had the course in his computer to follow. After around 8 miles and an hour of riding, we were having a lot of fun and completely lost track of time. At 10 miles into our 15 mile ride we decided to stop the ride as we somewhat familiar with the last 5 miles. 

After picking up our race stuff, we made a stop at Harris Teeter to get some items for dinner (I had a bag of microwave basmait rice mixed in Amy's No Chicken Noodle Soup - a typical pre race meal for me) and then we made our way to our friends house (Christi) for the night. Christi and her partner Pam were out of town so we had her house to ourselves. I've known Christi since we met in a running race in 2005. 

We both slept ok (tossed and turned) so we were not feeling really rested when we woke up at 5:15am.
Karel had his typical oatmeal concoction and I had my typical waffles (3 of them) + PB, Jelly, Banana. 
We watched some of the PTO race on the computer as we were doing mobility/foam rolling and then left around 6:30am to make the 20 min drive to the Whitewater center. If you are ever in this area, I suggest checking out this place. It's really cool to see people rafting/kayaking on the rapids. There are also a lot of great trails and activities. And it is dog friendly! 

We set up our transition area and then got warmed up with some jogging. We each did our own thing and met near the lake around 7:45am for the pre-race meeting. There were only ~50 athletes in the full distance with only a few girls. Although every off-road triathlon race seems to have something unique to it, this was the first race that we've done where we had a 1/2 mile gravel run from the swim to T1. We wore a pair of trail shoes to the swim and left them on the bench by the dock to put on after the swim (since I wear socks on the bike, I also had my socks with my shoes). I wore my compression sleeves under my wetsuit. 

The water was 65 degrees and I was a little worried it would feel really cold but it was absolutely perfect. We had an in-water start which we both really like as it gives us a chance to warm-up in the water and adjust the wetsuit. 

The swim took us out to a buoy, around the buoy (to our right), then a long straight to another buoy (turn right) and then back to the dock. When we started, I found myself in a group of ~4 guys along with Karel. I was shocked to see Karel there with me as he hasn't been feeling good in the water. Karel has great take out speed where it takes me about 10 minutes to get myself into a good rhythm. After the turn buoy, I was able to pick up my effort and Karel stayed behind me. I was able to get a little away from him but he was doing a great job trying to stay on my feet. I exited the water first overall and Karel was right behind as we pulled ourselves up the ladder on to the dock. The sprint distance athletes were gathered for their pre race meeting as we got out of the water so it was encouraging to hear their cheers. 

I removed my wetsuit and sat down on the bench to put on my socks and ON trail shoes. Karel stood up and put on his shoes. I grabbed my wetsuit and left the area before Karel but he quickly sprinted by me as we ran up a steep trail before making our way to the gravel. I actually really enjoyed running to T1, it was different and a fun way to clear the mind after the swim. We weren't sure if we should run with our wetsuit on or carry it but after trying to run with it on in the pre race warmup to the lake we knew carrying it would be the smarter option. I wrapped mine around my neck and Karel opted to hold his in his arm. 

Karel was out of transition before I got there. I felt like I had a good transition and put on my shoes, helmet, sunglasses and hydration pack. In past races, I had my helmet on my handlebars and would forget to put it on until I grabbed my bike so I had my helmet on the ground and everything went smoothly. I ran my bike to the mount line and started riding. 

The mountain bike course was around 23K (or 14.2 miles) with around 1100 feet of elevation gain. Most of the elevation came in the back half and it was much more technical in the last 8 miles of the course. The course was really flowy and fun with a lot of roots, ups and downs and tight corners. I struggled on some of the obstacles in the last 8 miles as I was getting really tired and they are very technical. I only saw Karel once and he gave me a cheer. I was passed by several guys but nearing 10 or so miles, I found myself alone. The course was really well marked. 

I had a total of 90g carbs of NeverSecond Berry in my USWE hydration pack along with about 1 liter of water (33 ounces). 

Karel led the entire race from start to finish and had a great time on the course. I also had a lot of fun on the bike as I felt like I was just playing in the woods. The hard part about mountain biking (especially in a triathlon) is that the heart rate stays elevated the entire time. It's like a short distance triathlon. You need a lot of strength, power, stamina and skills to negotiate the terrain. It's a very different change from long distance racing where it's all about riding your own steady state effort and dealing more with muscle fatigue than cardio stress. The course ended up being close to 17 miles on my Garmin (1:42 ride time). 

After arriving back to the transition area as the first female (there were only 3 of us, which means we need to get more females into off road triathlon racing!) it was time for the run. My legs felt really good and I really pushed myself on the run. I loved the flow of the trails and it was constantly up and down for 4 miles and 400 feet of elevation gain. I had 1 flask of C30 Neversecond berry that I kept in my trisuit pocket. I don't wear sunglasses on the trail run but had a visor on. I wore Hoka trail shoes. 

As I made my way to the finish line, I smiled big as I had so much fun. This race wasn't about winning or needing to prove anything but just having fun. I love that off road triathlon racing can be hard and challenging but also bring us so much joy. This was a good tune-up for us as we will be participating in Xterra Oak Mountain this weekend and we expect a lot of tough competition. Although I'm just doing the off road racing for fun, Karel is hoping to put together a really good performance this weekend. 

Overall Results

Karel Results                                        Marni Results 

Xterra South Africa Race Recap

 

We had a really great night of sleep. There was something special about this race course that had us both really excited to race. With this being only my third Xterra event (previously Xterra Czech in August and Xterra World Championship in Molveno in October), I continue to feel a little nervous about the start of the bike and I worry about holding up other riders behind me on single track. But I'm learning to just focus on my own race. The biggest confidence booster was knowing that we had ridden the entire bike course and I was able to safely get through everything. It was not overly hilly (~2000 feet) and it flowed really well. There was a legit rock garden and several fun obstacles to go over. The race director gave the option for those who didn't feel comfortable in the rock garden could go the "chicken" route which was around 4K longer. 

After we ate our pre-race meal, we double checked our gear, loaded the car and left our Airbnb around 6:15am and arrived to the venue around 6:45am. We parked in a grassy field and rode our bikes to the Elgin Valley Country Club. 

The air was much cooler than the past few days (in the upper 60s) and there was a bit of mist. We were thankful it wasn't raining as we wanted to really enjoy the course and all of the technical elements. The race field was relatively small but with the full and sprint distance along with relays, there was a lot of good energy. 

Shortly after we arrived we got word that the swim would be non wetsuit legal. I made the mistake of having my calf sleeves on (as I expected it to be wetsuit legal) so after setting up my transition area, I needed to go back and take off my calf sleeves and put my compression socks by my shoes. I had prepared for both scenarios before packing my transition bag. I hung my helmet on my bars but in future races, I will put it on the ground so that I put it on first before putting on my shoes. Karel and I both used our USWE hydration packs. I used 3 scoops Berry C30 from Never Second and Karel used 1 packet C90 (citrus). 

The race started at 8am. After the pre-race briefing, we lined up near the front. It was a mass start and a two loop swim with a short run between each loop. The water was the perfect temperature around 73 degrees. Xterra uses World Triathlon rules so with this race being a 1500 meter swim, it's considered "short course" so the water temp is different compared to long course. 

I wore my light tint Roka goggles since the water was dark and the sky was cloudy. I found myself near the back of the front group and swam alongside another girl for the entire swim. There weren't a lot of ladies so I wasn't sure how the competition would be but my focus was on giving myself and being as competitive as I could. I'm still learning how to race Xterra and I know my off road skills are still a work in progress. At least in the water I am comfortable. 

I swam the 1500 meter course (~1731 yards per my Garmin) in 25:45 minutes. Karel swam 27:01 (he had 1622 yards on his watch). I felt like I had a good transition and made my way out on the bike, excited for the ride. With 80% single track I was really looking forward to the bike course. 

Karel loved the bike course. It was exactly what he likes when riding off road. He felt really strong and he was able to ride really well, feeling competitive throughout the 28K course. The course was broken into two segments - a long loop and a short loop. The long loop had the rock garden. I was passed by Karel in the first climb (switchbacks) and I passed the girl that I swam with but she later passed me and I never saw her again. I wasn't passed by any other females. I made a few mistakes throughout the course which caused me to unclip and stop but they were more because I was tired. Although riding on the sand is still new for me and I'm still working on my tight turns. There was a little rain near the end of the bike but it felt really refreshing. The weather was absolutely perfect in the low 70s. The nice thing about this course is that even the Jeep trails were technical so it kept us engaged the entire time. It was so much fun and I didn't want the bike course to end. 
Karel rode the 17.8 miles in 1:32 and I finished in 1:51.27. 

After putting on my Hoka trail shoes and putting my Nathan 10 ounce flask in my trikit pocket (we each had 1 x 10 ounce flask with 1 scoop C30 from NeverSecond), I grabbed my hat and sunglasses and headed out on the run. I usually don't wear sunglasses when I run on the trails but I grabbed them just in case as I wasn't sure what the run course would be like. 

The 6.3 mile run course had ~1000 feet of elevation gain and it was everything that I could have dreamed of in a run course. We ran in sand, up and down rocky trails, crossed over wooden bridges and even "ran" in a creek. 

As you can see from the pic, the creek was about waist high in certain sections. I opted to "swim" through the creek. It was fresh and clean. It was so much fun. After we exited the run, we went through a beautiful forest that felt like a jungle. I was able to run really well and stay really strong throughout the run. I wasn't sure what place I was in but I wanted to give my best all the way to the finish line. 

This course was everything that I imagined Xterra racing would be. To be honest, we have been a bit dissapointed in the past Xterra races that we've experienced in that a lot of the bike courses are steep and on Jeep trails with just a little single track. This was a legit bike course and the run was true trail running. I couldn't stop smiling. Karel ran the 6.3 miles in 48:17 and he was able to pass one guy near the end, who he had been battling with throughout the run. I ran 56:49. As I was nearing the finish, I heard that I was the 4th female. A bit bummed to miss out on the overall podium but really proud of my finish. I felt like I was really racing and I had so much fun. 

Marni: 4th overall female, 1st age group - 3:18.5
Karel: 7th overall male, 1st age group - 2:50.45
Full results HERE.

As we were waiting for the awards, we had a nice meal. There was no food after the race, just water and a sport drink in cups. You could buy beer or water and there were several food trucks. We also ran into Richard Murray and Rachel Klamer - two triathlon Olympians and the nicest people. We talked for a while and enjoyed their company. 

Karel had a burger and I had a delicious vegan wrap. I was surprised to see so many vegetarian/vegan food options. Although I would have been just fine with some french fries and pizza ;) 

Karel and I both won our age groups and qualified for the 2023 Xterra World Championship in Molveno, Italy but we turned down our slots since we planned other events in August/September. 

We highly recommend Xterra South Africa. We loved the nature, the scenery, the food, the people and the course. Everyone was so friendly and nice. 

Paris Mountain 20K Road Race - recap

 

Most popular running races occur in the winter and spring, which doesn't work well in our triathlon training. We are either working on building our foundation for the upcoming season or we are deep in a training phase in route to the first race of the year. However, there's one race that always gets us excited - the Paris Mountain Road Race. As the oldest and most challenging road race in South Carolina, we are lucky that this event starts less than 2 miles away from where we live and it is usually held in Nov/December. Not only doesn't this make for a logistically easy race to get to/from but we know the course very well (primarily from biking it). The reason why we love this race is that it suits us as triathletes - it's a strength-based course. 

My training has been going really well over the past few weeks. On average I swim 4x week, bike 3-4x week (one trainer session on the tri bike and the rest road and mountain bike outside) and run 3x week. The focus has been on building a strong foundation with lots of strength focused workouts and neuromuscular firing. I also do mobility work every day as well as a few ECFIT strength sessions. As I enter 17 consecutive season of long distance triathlon training, I'm feeling incredibly strong and healthy. 

Two weekends ago Karel and I did a recon run on the Paris Mountain Road Race course to see how our bodies handled the course. We started at our house which added an additional 4 miles to the 20K course. With 1600+ feet of elevation gain over 12.4 miles, it's not so much the uphills that hurt but the downhills make the quads and calf muscles work so hard because of the eccentric contractions. The run really crushed us and we felt a lot of soreness and niggles after that training run. It took us several days for us to shake off the damage in our body after that training run. 

We kept the race in our mind for the next two weeks but resisted to register until the last minute. We didn't want the race to negatively impact our consistency with training so after we finished a quality week of training, we were driving home from a mountain bike ride at Pleasant Ridge on Thursday evening and decided we would register for the race when we got home. For the $65 registration fee, we received a pair of socks (super comfy), a soft and light hooded long sleeve shirt and for awards, a big coffee cup. 

To help loosen out our legs (and wake up after a really tough upper-body focused masters swim that morning) we got on our road bikes in the late afternoon. We first dropped off a package to mail at the post office in Traveler's Rest and then went to the church to pick up our packets. We then rode some of the run course (the backside of Paris Mountain) to recon one section of the course that we wanted to double check. 

We woke up around 5:45am on Saturday for the 8am race start. We spent some time working in the morning on the computer (typical Saturday) while eating our breakfast/pre-race meal before doing some mobility and light jogging outside. The weather was perfect, in the low 50's and a light chance of rain. We both had on compression socks and a short sleeve shirt. Karel wore arm warmers (technically arm coolers) and I had one gloves. Karel had 1 scoop Never Second C30 in a flask and had a C30 gel for during the race (on the way down from Paris Mountain). I had two flasks, each with 1 scoop C30 from Never Second. We had no issues wearing our Naked Running belts to a road race as it's what we do in triathlons and in training so even if it's not "normal" to wear a hydration belt in a running race, we always do what works best for us. Karel wore Nike Alpha Fly shoes and I wore New Balance Fuel Cell. 

We left our house around 7:30am to arrive a few minutes before the 10K start. The overall field for the entire race was small but we wanted to be in a race environment during a training run - it adds a little bit of pressure to give your best. 

The first 2.5 miles is uphill - from the start to the top of Paris Mountain. There are two kickers (one near the beginning and one at the top) that are steep but otherwise it is a gradual climb averaging around 6.4%. Karel and I focused on being steady on the climb as that was just the "warm-up" for the rest of the race. After climbing for almost 25 minutes, it was time to tackle the next section of this course. While there was a lot of downhill to look forward to, there was still almost 300 feet of elevation to gain over the next 4.37 miles. Karel found himself in third place at the top of Paris Mountain and I was also in 3rd place overall. There was girl ahead of me that was too fast for me to run my steady effort with and then my friend Allison passed me on the kicker before the top. She was running super strong uphill. I've really worked on my downhill running so I knew that was an area where I could try to move up. I passed Allison on the first downhill and managed to inch my way closer to the first place girl. Nearing the top of Paris Mountain, it started raining but it was a nice rain - not too cold. The rain stopped after a few miles and the temp felt comfortable for the entire race. I noticed on one of the slight uphills that the first place girl had stopped and was managing some cramping in her stomach/sides - which is pretty normal with downhill running and something I was needing to be extra careful about with my breathing, form and gait. I passed her as she was trying to work on the cramps and within a mile, she passed me again. I was happy for her that she was able to work through the cramps and didn't give up. 

There was one new section of the course that surprised me as we turned left off Altamont and it was a steep downhill with switchbacks (familiar with it from biking) so that kinda messed with my mind as I was preparing to run straight. The volunteers were great and there was someone at every corner/turn, even though the course had orange arrows on the ground. I didn't use the aid stations since I had my nutrition with me. 

Once I was done with the "Paris Mountain" part of the race (7 miles and ~1000 feet of elevation gain), it was time for the third and final section of the race. In my opinion, this is the hardest part of this road race. For the next 5.4 miles, we had over 500 feet of elevation gain with very steep and punchy up and downhills. I was still feeling really strong although I could tell that in the last few miles, my legs were getting tired, especially my right leg which tend to fatigue faster than my left leg. I did a quick stretch to pop my right hip around 11.5 miles and that helped me correct my form for the final 1.5ish miles. With a very steep uphill of ~.25 miles with less than 1 mile to go I was on my tip toes working my way up the hill. I was really happy to finish the race feeling strong and healthy. 

Our athlete Yannick won the race in a speedy time of 1:14. Karel placed 3rd overall in a time of 1:22 and I was 2nd overall female in a time of 1:38. We had a lot of fun and it was a great way to get in a quality strength-focused training run. Sure enough, the DOMS hit us hard today. Our legs were talking to us during our 3-hour ride. 

Marni Garmin splits

8:50
9:07
8:39
7:31
7:25
7:01
7:24
7:54
7:41
8:20
7:51
7:47
7:36 (.42 miles)



Karel Garmin splits

7:06
7:38
7:15
6:14
6:03
6:03
6:22
6:39
6:29
6:42
6:42
6:39
6:31 (.42)

2022 Xterra World Championship - travel and race week

On Monday morning, we went for a swim at the aquatic center and then packed up the car to head to Atlanta, Georgia. This trip to Europe felt a lot less stressful than our last trip as it was only a week and logistically, a lot easier than our month-long trip in August.

We made the ~2.5 hour drive to the Atlanta airport and parked in the Park n’ Fly lot. I reserved a parking pass for the lot for only $88 for the week, which was very affordable compared to the other parking options. Logistically it's a bit more complicated as we have to take a shuttle from the parking lot to domestic and then to the international terminal. But instead of using the parking lot shuttle for our luggage and bikes, we parked at the hourly parking, checked our bags and bikes in at the airport, then drove to the parking lot so that all we had to bring with us to the airport was our carry-ons. We had to then take the domestic shuttle to the international shuttle so having only our backpacks was a lot easier than 2 bikes + 2 suitcases. 

I like to give us ~3 hours at the airport for international flights so that we aren't rushed, so once we went through security, we had ~90 minutes before our flight was boarding. Our flight was a little delayed but we had plenty of time so we had a small meal at the airport before heading to our gate. We got a bit of work done before our long flight to Milan. The nine-hour flight left around 6:30pm.

I was able to book a very affordable one-way flight to Milan (MXP) and comfort plus seats. After being served dinner on the plane (I requested a lacto-ovo vegetarian meal in the Delta app), we tried to get some sleep. I was able to sleep a bit better than Karel as his back was bothering him.

We arrived to Milan around 9:30am and after getting our bikes and luggage, we walked to the car rental (Stix). I heard great reviews from this rental company and it was in Terminal 1 – just a short walk from baggage. We were surprised how nice the agent at the car company was to us – she was worried that our bikes wouldn’t fit in the car we reserved so she had Karel bring a bike case to the car just to make sure. This was just our first trip introduction to the kindness of the Italians. 

Karel did all the driving throughout our trip as we had a manual car (I don’t know how to drive a stick shift). Shortly after leaving the airport we made a stop at a gas station for the bathroom and coffee and we were once again, delighted by the kindness of Italians (and the great coffee from the gas stations). The gas stations in Europe are not like what we have in America and you can expect great coffee (in real cups if you choose) and delicious bakery goods and sandwiches. I got an egg plant and veggie and cheese sandwich and it was amazing.

After loading the car, we decided to make a slight 1 hour detour and visit the Ghisallo Cycling museum. I found this museum online prior to our trip and after telling Karel about it, we knew it was something we needed to see. Our museum tour had a radio guide (English) to walk us through each of the 20+ exhibits. For only 6 Euros each, it was well worth it! We even bought a few souvenirs and had lunch just outside the museum. Compared to France, the food was much cheaper, better quality and there was much less smoking. We were already falling in love with Italy.

If you'd like to see more pics from our museum tour, you can check out all my pics on my Facebook page from September 27th.

We had a long 4-hour drive to Molveno and although the sites were beautiful, we were getting really tired after being awake for over 30 hours. Although we usually stay in Airbnbs during our race-cations (for the kitchen and extra space), the Airbnb that I booked for our stay was only available from Thurs – Tuesday. I booked two nights in the Apotel Dolomite in the town of Molveno and we instantly fell in love. The staff was so nice and helpful. When we arrived, they gave us the option to “upgrade” our room for only 10 euros – a bigger room and lake/mountain view. They gave us two key cards to check out the rooms so that we could decide which room we wanted. The hotel was already very affordable at only $120 euros a night – which included a buffet breakfast and 4 course dinner (for both of us!). Of course we took the nicer room 😊 We couldn’t believe how kind and helpful everyone was in the hotel. After we parked our car in the tiny garage and unloaded our stuff in our room, we made our way to our hotel dinner (which started at 7:30pm). We assumed we were getting a few appetizers to make a small meal but after enjoying our appetizers, it was time to select our 2nd course…and then 3rd course…and then dessert. We didn’t finish dinner until almost 9:30pm but it was absolutely amazing. The chef even prepared me my own special vegetarian dishes. They were so accommodating and nice.

And if you've never been to Europe, the food is extremely tasty. Meals are celebrated. Stores shut down for lunch. Meals are not rushed. There are several courses and it often takes 2+ hours to complete a "meal." The desserts are not sweet and leave you feeling satisfied, not uncomfortable. It's a very different food culture compared to the US and after a few trips to Europe, I can see why American's can often struggle with their relationship with food. 

It was nearing 10pm and we were so tired. We cracked the windows as it was a cool 50-degrees outside and we slept amazingly well (a big difference from the warm temps and no AC from our Czech/France trip in August). We ended up sleeping for almost 12 hours and woke up around 9:50am. Oops – we were going to miss breakfast which was from 7:30-10am. We hoped to get some coffee so we hurried downstairs for some coffee and they kept the breakfast open for us (and a few others who were still eating in the restaurant). The breakfast spread was incredible – although it was something that we had gotten used to from the Haute Route Alps. The breakfast options at hotels in Europe are incredible.

After a delicious meal, we decided to get on our bikes to ride one loop of the 30K bike course. With it being in the 50’s, I was a nervous about the cold water and I was not quite ready to be cold. Plus, I was feeling a bit anxious about a new bike course so I wanted to ease my nerves and check it out.

It was nearing noon when we headed out for our ~10 mile ride. There was a lot of climbing, a lot of fire roads and a few technical sections with roots. After making our way around a drained pond, we approached a steep downhill with a 90-degree right turn and then left turn. I really struggled with this as it's something I am still learning and as much as I tried to face my fears, I wasn’t able to conquer it – so I slide my way down the hill with my bike. Karel showed me what to do but I was still too nervous.

We then approached the “downhill” part of the course which started off with several berms – it was a lot of fun. We then got to a more technical section with rocks and tight turns and although I wasn’t afraid for this section, I wanted to be careful not to hurt myself. The end part of the course was a steep gravel road into town and then onto the cobblestone roads of the town. I bravely went down the stairs without thinking twice – which was my first time tackling something like that.

After riding the loop, we headed back to our hotel, got cleaned up, had a snack and made our way to the race venue to get our stuff. Here's a video from our ride. 

  

After checking in, it was time to brave the cold water. We heard the water was 17 degrees Celsius which is similar to St. George – which is a venue we have a lot of experience with. I was very nervous about getting cold as the air was cold (50’s) and the water was cold. I was also upset because I forgot my booties in the hotel room.

Karel made his way to the water first and when I saw him get into the water and submerge himself to his neck without moving, and then he gave me a thumbs up. Karel’s feet hurt him in cold water so I knew if he was ok, I would be ok.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t as cold as I imagined and although it was a bit cool, it was a beautiful lake to swim in. The water was blue and clear and very fresh. We swam along the buoys that were set up to get familiar with the course.

After the swim, we bundled up and walked back to our hotel. We had a little time before dinner so we made a quick stop at the local store for a few items and then met our friend John for dinner at our restaurant at 7:30pm. We had another amazing 4-course meal from 7:30-9:30pm and then it was time for bed. We didn’t sleep as great on Wednesday evening as we did on Tuesday but it was still a good night of sleep.

On Thursday morning we set an alarm to get up at 7am as we needed to check out of the hotel at 10:30am. We were really sad to leave the hotel as it was in the perfect local in town, it was super cute, the staff was so nice, one of the staff had a dog (which I loved on) and the restaurant food was amazing. After breakfast, we went for another swim in the lake and then finished packing up our stuff to load our car. The hotel let us keep our bikes in the bike room in the garage since we didn’t have room for luggage, bike bags and bikes. With the city being very safe, we left our luggage in the car and parking at the on-site event parking and went for a run on the course.

I learned my lesson from Xterra Czech not to do too much before the race so my run was a combo of running, jogging, walking and hiking. The first and last part of the course was on gravel/road but the middle was very technical on dirt, over roots and rocks. There was even a rope to help climb up a 30+ % hill. After the ~3 mile run, we checked out the expo, bought a few things (we couldn’t believe how affordable everything was – from food to clothing!) and then went to check in at our Airbnb, which was less than ½ mile from the venue, right on the lake. After our run, it started to rain so we warmed up with coffee and strudel at a cafe near the venue. 

With the grocery store not open between 12-4, after unloading our stuff we drove back to the grocery to pick up some food for our place. Once again, wow – the food was really affordable and we bought a lot of local and fresh food for less than 40 euros! The weather was getting cool and it was starting to rain. The rain continued from Thurs until Friday evening.

After we ate dinner in our Airbnb, we watched a few YouTube videos from pro athletes in Kona, finished up some work and then went to bed. The next morning we tried to time our ride for when it wasn’t raining as rain was predicted all day. It was barely 50 degrees out and I bundled up for our shake our ride. I was very nervous and feeling anxious about the conditions after/during the rain so Karel thought it would be a good idea to ride up the paved path to the “downhill” section to get more familiar with it. We reversed the route on the path (which included several miles of climbing) and then made our way to the pond and steep technical downhill. The trail was muddy and slippery and I couldn’t get myself to ride the steep downhill with the two tight turns so I made the decision that I would just slide down it on race day (I wasn’t able to walk it as it was too steep and I was sliding anyways). The rocks and roots were challenging so I rode only the sections that I felt most comfortable with as I didn’t want to hurt myself. There were other riders on the course and we were all getting a bit muddy. This was my very first time riding in these conditions so it was all very new to me. My biggest worry on race day was slowing other people down or getting in the way of other riders.

After our ride, we rode to the bike wash to clean off our bikes and then went back to our Airbnb. We ate lunch at one of the (many) local pizza places with our friend John (it was amazing – just like all the food in Italy – so fresh!) and then got our stuff ready for the race. With the weather predicted to be 48-52 on race day (and cloudy), I wasn’t sure what to wear so I decided to wear a two piece kit (to put on a dry jersey after the swim). I also packed shoe covers, arm warmers, “hot hands”, a piece of a space blanket, glove, knee warmers and a vest just in case (I ended up only using the gloves and jersey).

After dinner, I laid down around 7pm to watch a show on Netflix and really struggled to fall asleep. I could feel my heart beating hard and I felt a lot of anxiety about this new, unknown experience. Whereas I’m normally really confident going into triathlon events, this one had me extremely nervous – the weather, the course, the cold, the other athletes. On one hand, I wanted to embrace this new adventure but on the other hand, I wanted to be on the sidelines (warm and safe) and just cheer for Karel. I had a lot of inner dialogue going on in my head but eventually I felt asleep. Thankfully, Xterra races start later in the morning so I woke up feeling rested to my 7am alarm. 

I had to modify my typical pre-race meal as there was no waffles, bagels or peanut butter in the town so I had bread with hazelnut spread and jam. Karel had his normal oatmeal. We ate around 7:30am and then each went for a short jog around 8am. It was nice to get the blood flowing and to warm up a bit. I bundled up to ride to the venue as I didn’t want to be cold before the race. We left our place around 8:45am and rode on the gravel road (which was also the start of the course) and followed the reverse of the course to the transition area. We arrived just after 9am, which was when the pros started (Men at 9am and Women at 9:03am). The transition closed at 9:30am so we had around 30 minutes to set up our stuff. They were very strict with the transition set up and only gloves and helmet were allowed on the bike and everything else needed to be in the box or on the ground. We each had our own box and we were required to put our previous used gear in the box, otherwise we would get a penalty. According to Europe/Xterra rules, no booties allowed for 62 degree water temps but thankfully, we had gotten used to the water and we were ok to be without our booties.

After setting up my transition, I met Karel outside of the transition area. We did another short jog and bathroom stop before putting on our wetsuits. We dropped off our bags at the bag drop and then Karel told me to have fun and to be safe. I told him the same. I could tell he was much more calm going into this compared to myself. Karel’s wave went off at 10:05am and my wave went off at 10:15am. I decided to wear my Hoka sandals on the rocky ‘beach’ as I didn’t want my feet to get cold. I put my sandals in a plastic bag and left them to the side of the corral (I felt safe leaving them there as Molveno is a very safe area). We lined up by the water and I put a few handfuls of water down my wetsuit to adjust it and then the official gave the 1-minute countdown.

Whereas in an Ironman and half, I can’t wait to get on my bike, I was really nervous about the bike. Once the gun went off, I stumbled over the rocks, made a shallow dive and started swimming. This was really happening. My second Xterra and first Xterra World Championship.

Race Report coming soon......