Ironman Canada 70.3 Race Recap
Read Me or Watch Me talk about my Ironman Canada 70.3 race recap. Thanks to Google for transcribing my words. I am the Celtic Aero
Hey everybody, hope you're having a good day just sitting in my office. Just, home from Whistler watching American Ninja Warrior. These guys are fit AF!
Back from Whistler I had a bit of time to reflect on what was a whirlwind a couple
of weeks But they were was absolutely amazing. I did challenge Penticton two weeks ago.
It was always a plan of going for a family vacation cheering on the full distance athletes because cheer hang on and being at the finish line is probably the best experience you can have. If you enjoy the sport or even if you don't you can just appreciate it.
I ended up doing a five and a half to six-hour workout and the early morning up. It was spontaneous and it took me five hours 55 minutes 26 seconds it wasn't the result
I wanted to have especially coming off of Victoria but it is what it is. I mean I did challenge Penticton the week before which I will try to link the race recap to that in the comments of this one or the description of this one that I did with my coach Nick Patenaude at the BC ferry terminals. Is if they say hurry up and wait because that's just the way they operate but as far as Whistler goes it was amazing!
Whistler is a beautiful venue, a gorgeous city up in the mountains lots of elevation but it's not a race for the faint of heart. It is billed as one of the toughest bike courses around for the full and I'm sure that holds true for the 70.3 as well.
The nice thing is with the 70.3 Started at 8:45 but there were still questions about what was happening with the transition when it was open, when it was closed when you could not get to your gear bag so I got up 5:15 not on her head for a triathlete just for training purposes so I'm kinda used to it.
I had some breakfast and then grabbed my stuff that was all ready to go and headed down to the shuttles. I got to t1 set things up and watched the full distance athletes take off and watch them come out of the water.
We had enough time, we started two hours later so got myself ready to head into the water, they've got a rolling start now which is amazing, not sure that I was gonna like it at first but it is by far my most favorite way to start a race now because you're not getting trampled over. I'm not a fast swimmer but I'm a strong swimmer and I'm confident so I don't care if you swim over me or touch me or you're pushing me I can recover from it doesn't bother me. I actually like
I actually like being grouped with more people in my time it doesn't matter what their age is and we sort of formed these little packs it was great. I was able to hop on somebody's hip right away made some good
time passed a few people water was a little choppy but it wasn't bad on the way out turned the first corner and got the sun beating right in your eyes couldn't see anything. Found the next buoy, kept going I made the left turn towards the beach ish area sort of the back probably 700 meters or so give or take. A little choppy but it wasn't bad found some open water it was great and then made the final turn to head back to the beach. It was gross, whitecaps and three foot swells, you could have surfed on the way back. I guess the wind kicked up and it was bad.I know of at least a couple of athletes got seasick ended up throwing up in the water and pulled out by medical it's an unfortunate way to end your day, so early in the day but I guess Mother Nature had different ideas. I skip
I skip the wetsuit strippers they have them there I skip them, I can peel it off pretty quickly. Quick transition and out to my It's a bit of a climb. I've done it before.Whistler for 2015 Full Ironman and it sucked. That year it was pouring rain and probably worst conditions in history to ever do an Ironman. Not just boring it was cold it was like four or six degrees celsius it was stupid but it is what it
is and I completed. I kind of knew the road out of Alta lake and felt comfortable. My goal was to be able to run when it got to the half marathon. I have an
I kind of knew the road out of Alta lake and felt comfortable. My goal was to be able to run when it got to the half marathon. I have an issue running off the bike so I didn't want to push myself too hard. The downside is is I like to bike so I have to push hard up some of those hills, got the rolled onto the highway towards the village.
You go flying through the village I hit the Callaghan Valley climb and took advantage of some of the
rollers. The way back to the village fans and cheer. Absolutely amazing! I hammered the bike hit some of the climbs out past Green Lake a little bit of a climb out and then the descent
towards Pemberton that was fast.
I was flying it was fun and I didn't have to work, I was doing seven kilometres an hour and I wasn't pedalling. I like going fast it's great highways closed, you got the road to yourself. However, Somebody had a really bad day, I saw the aftermath of a crash it didn't look pretty to whom
ever that person was I hope you're okay. It just it didn't look good.
But yeah,
I flew through to keep going in my groove, felt good, hit the turnaround, and that's when it
begins to suck. You've got essentially 25 kilometres give or take of the climb just climbing no real reprieve you just pray for the foreseeable future. I actually put smaller gears on for this race which was a smart decision. So thanks to OakBay Bikes West Shore, Victoria BC
Those guys are awesome and really hooked me up in short order after Penticton. When I left for Whistler they had two days. Yeah I did the climb back and then it's a bit of a descent through the village again a little loopy swoopy thing some roads and you're booming at t2. Awesome
Awesome volunteers, they're amazing you know I basically just launched off my bike at T2. I knew where I placed my bag, grabbed my bag in t2 got changed. Everybody's having
a good time. It was hot! That's all it's been. Changed out of the run left the t2.I saw my family and my girls, an easy boost of energy right there. Felt great Not really sure how far I ran before my legs decided to say "Screw you, we just did this last weekend." Which isn't entirely true because the previous week was so
damn hot that it could barely run at all.
It was run/walk/run walk or unlock which isn't unheard of for me except this time, at least I was running a good pace. I felt good about the run. I met some wonderful people on the course and this course is beautiful. If you haven't done it place it on your bucket list. People, out there were having a wonderful time.
I come out through Lost Lake back through a bit of the village area and then through some of the hard packed trails around by the golf course and through Green Lake, a few hills at the beginning. They send you through a little loop to do like they tease you because you come through and you're like oh look the finish line!
No, no you gotta go the other way and go back and around on the ridge, up
and over the bridge and then you're down the finish. I
I had the most fun I've ever had in a finishing shoot! I owned it I had the hands out I was on one side high-fives and everybody I was back to their side high-fiving back!
I shut my Garmin off because it's important, grab some water poured all of them onto my head because it was that hot I drank maybe two. We stayed right in the heart of the village and so
yeah bombed right back up to the condo, quick shower changed and went back down to cheer on the full distance athletes because that's what I wanted to go do. I watched a good friend of mine who I've watched grow up since he was a young teenager complete his first Ironman which was amazing, so Shelby McDonald, Catania and then I headed back out to cheer on one of my other friends.
Kevin Nuun crossed, this man is an amazing human being! he
raced for cops for cancer and raises funds for kids with cancer. If you ever get a chance to talk he could tell you more about it. I got to see him come through the finishing
chute.
Whistler was what it set out to be, it was a fun race I had a good showing for what I'd been through in the last two weeks. Standing at the finishing line at dark watching these athletes come through completing their Ironman. I can't say enough about it. I had a blast!
Thank you to everybody. If you have questions about Whistler and the race please
ask, the same thing goes for Challenge Penticton.
https://trinerds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/mike2.png The Celtic Aero A.K.A Mike McDougall is triathlete and coach in Victoria BC.
Comments