'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 XTRI Canadaman - travel and course recon

 

I booked an early flight to Canada on Delta which had us leaving the house at 3am (waking up at 2:45am) on Wednesday June 28th. We would have left on Tuesday but Karel flew home from Bend, Oregon on Monday after completing the 5-stage Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder and I wanted to give him a full day to recover at home before flying again. Karel came home exhausted after riding 363 miles with 32,681 feet of climbing. He finished 5th in his AG (45-59) and had his best placing on day 5. While the scenery was stunning, the event was very hard and the wild weather (sun, rain, hail, cold) added to the adventure.
Karel had a nasty crash near the finish of stage 1 when he was having a bit too much fun descending and overshot a turn. From sleeping in tents to climbing, climbing and more climbing, I ‘think’ Karel had a good experience but I know he’s relieved it’s over.

We arrived to the GSP airport around 3:45am and had no issues checking in and going through security. At 4:30am the centurion lounge opened so we were able to get a small meal and coffee. We boarded the plane around 5:15am and our short flight to ATL left around 5:30am - we both slept during the flight. 

When we arrived to ATL we made our way to the international terminal and went to the Delta lounge (which opened at 6:30am). Our Amex plat business card gives us lounge access to most lounges which has really made our traveling experiences a lot better. We had another bite to eat and got some work done during our 2 hour layover. 

We boarded our flight around 8:15am and left a little before 9am. We were both still really tired so we slept during our 2 hr and 45 minute flight to Montreal. 

The point of entry/border control process went smooth and didn't take us more than ~20 minutes. There were kiosks to scan our passport and take our picture and then we showed our receipt to the officer which let us through. Our luggage came quick and so did our bikes. The biggest delay was the rental car process which took us over an hour as the Budget/Avis (we had Budget) staff was very slow with the 3 customers ahead of us. Finally, nearing 1:30pm we had our rental car (Jeep) and made our way to Lac Megantic. 

We stopped at the IGA grocery store in Sherbrooke which was ~1 hour outside of Lac Megantic. Since the town we are staying in is very small, we did a big shop before arriving. Although everyone speaks French in Quebec (and some English), everyone has been really nice. The drive took us ~3 hours and we had a bit of rain on and off. I was worried about the forest fires and smoke but the air quality was fine. The scenery reminded us a lot of Lake Placid as we were driving which gave us a great feeling that we would like this area. 

We had a little trouble finding our Airbnb in Val-Racine but around 5pm we found our home for the next few days. The house I booked looked older online but it is actually very new and modern. It's on the top of a gravel hill and is surrounded by trees. After unloading groceries and our luggage, we were both extremely tired but we knew we needed to move some blood after a long day of travel. We went for a jog for ~30 minutes and it felt good to move the body.

Karel made some eggs and veggies for dinner and we had that with some bread and then we went to bed around 9pm and slept in until 6:30am....we both needed it! 

On Thursday morning we worked on the computer for a bit and around 8am Karel put the bikes together (he has his gravel bike, which he didn't unpack after Oregon) and around 9:30am we drove ~20 minutes to Lac Megantic (race venue) for a swim. 

I was a bit worried that the water was going to be really cold but it was actually perfect in the upper 60's. Karel brought his wetsuit so we swam together for ~20 minutes and then I did a bit more as I wasn't ready to stop swimming and needed a bit more time to get a good feel for the water. I wore my buoyancy float as it's required during the race (along with a light since we start the race at 4:30am). As we were swimming they were setting up the transition area and putting out the buoys for the sprint race on Saturday. Everyone was very nice and thanked us for visiting the area for the race. 

After the swim we got our bike stuff on and went for a ride. The plan was to ride the big loop outside of the lake which was miles 30-69. But to get to mile 30, we had to bike 4 miles to the town of Lac Megantic and there was some construction so it was a big of an adventure to get to where we needed to get but eventually we were on the course. 

The course is hilly. I wouldn't call it rolling as the hills are long and can be very steep. It was also windy as we were riding. The road surface was smooth in some sections and really rough in other sections. The scenery was incredible as it was a mix of mountains, lakes, farms (and cows) and wide open roads. The course is pretty straightforward in that there aren't a lot of turns so you see the road ahead of you for miles and miles. 

Having said all of this, I feel this course really suits my strengths, style of riding and what I love in a course. Karel rode his gravel bike and his legs are still pretty smashed from his race (and the travel) but it was good for him to also see the course as he will be driving as my "crew" and providing my bottles at the aid station stops (there are 4 of them) throughout the bike. The cars were really respectful as we were biking. 

After 45 miles and 2:43 and 3500 feet of elevation gain, we were back at the car. My legs were a bit tired to start but opened up nicely and I felt good throughout the ride. There was one big kicker of a climb (long and steep) around 81km but the view behind us was incredible. 

As we drove back to our Airbnb we were able to see the bike course from mile 70 until 86. More looooong hills. 

Here are a few more pics from the bike course. 

If you are interested in following me on Sunday, the event starts at 4:30am EST (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26 mile run). To follow, here's a link to live tracking.