Race Report: Ironman 70.3 Puerto Rico

Ok so if you are one of the few people that reads my blog you already know that this is my favorite race.  Despite the fact that I have yet to have a good race here, it remains by far my favorite 70.3.  This year was a little different.  I usually stay quite a bit longer, but I flew down on a Friday night after work and planned to return on a 4:3a.m. flight back to Miami so I could head directly to work.  This year was also a little different because I actually had a good race on this course.

A few weeks prior to the event, the Race Director reached out to me to see if I wanted to be featured in an article to appear in Un Nuevo Dia since I've been a devout Ironman 70.3 PR participant.  Ummmmm, sure!  It was such a fun experience, and I was truly humbled by the opportunity - you can read it here.

Once I arrived in San Juan that Friday night there wasn't a lot of time to relax.  We had to put our bikes together and get to bed.  Saturday we did a quick but treacherous ride (roads can be crazy in the San Juan metro area) and a few of my group swam, then we checked our bikes in after a carb load pizza lunch.

My Ironman 70.3 PR M3T crew

I did my usual "off my feet, legs up" routine and ordered room service that night. I got a good rest and woke up feeling positive about the day ahead.  We got ourselves situation in transition then walked over to the swim start.  Below is my breakdown of the race:

THE SWIM - 1.2 Miles:  31:56

Swim Start!

Of all the swim courses I have ever done, this is heads and shoulders above the rest.  It takes place in the Condado Lagoon - it is the perfect water temperature, the perfect salinity and a smooth body of water so makes for a fast swim.  I had a great swim, and enjoyed every minute of it.  I could see at least two girls in my age group ahead of me by about 15 yards the entire time.  I exited the water 4th and made the .25 mile run into transition.







THE BIKE - 56 Miles:  2:49:07

Bike course right as shooting was about to unfold

This is where things got pretty interesting.  I headed out of transition to begin the bike course.  This race has a beautiful bike course as well, but you can encounter some headwinds and cross winds along the way.  I got about 2 miles into the bike course when the most unbelievable event unfolded infront of me.  I was on the bike course where you leave the Condado area and head out on the highway.  I had just passed a photographer I knew (who took the picture to the right), when a white 4x4 hit the barrier on the other side of the road about 25 feet in front of me.  It looked at first as if the truck was going to flip over the barrier and come on my side, but thank god it didn't.  Debris from the crash flew in front of me and shortly after I heard gunshots.  I looked back and saw a handful of men on the other side of the road, and I heard someone behind me scream.  I did not really know what to do, except keep moving to try and get away from it all.  It was so surreal.  It took me ~20 minutes to regain my composure, get back in my aerobars and just focus on the race.  Sadly, I learned after the race that the driver of that vehicle was fatally shot (which is why he crashed) and that two race participants (who were a short distance behind me) were hit by stray bullets (El Nuevo Dia Article).

The beautiful bike course out to Dorado

I was able to get into somewhat of a groove and the really cool thing about the bike segment was I had constant company - me and a friend, Silvia Ribeiro, exchanged leading each other almost the entire bike course.  We kept each other going.  I came out of the final aid station, and got stuck behind a pack that I could not pass right away since faster bikers were passing - of course at that moment a race offical came by and handed me an awesome 5 minute penalty to be served at the next Penalty Box.  Anyone who rides with me knows I am not a drafter, so it was quite ironic ("it is what it is" is a phrase that always seems to get me by in situations like these).





THE RUN - 13.1 Miles:  1:53:42
This is where things can get tricky in Puerto Rico.  The run course is breathtaking, and takes you through Old San Juan and along the ocean, but it is challenging.  It is hot with hardly any shade, and there are some hills.  If you don't play your cards right, it can bring you to your knees.  Luckily for me this year, the pieces came together, nutrition was right, and I had a good run.  Since it is a two-loop course, I got to see my friends which made it even better.

Finish!

My time was 5:21:29 which was a six minute PR for me, and I finished 7th in my AG. I was happy with that, especially for this course.

I think one of the best parts of this year's race is getting time to spend with friends I usually train with.  Since all I could think of on the run course was beer, shortly after taking the bikes apart and showering after the race, our group headed out for some bebidas and first-class shenanigans.  This video pretty much sums it up (miraculously, we managed to catch our 4:30a.m. flight back to Miami and went directly to work):

Despite the incident at the event, BN Sports did an amazing job with this race.  I felt so badly for the people effected by such senseless violence, and I am extremely lucky and grateful that I had made it by the area safely.  Thank you to all of the race organizers, volunteers and the people of Puerto Rico for hosting us all.  Of course thank you to my amazing sponsor and team Wattie Ink.  And to a coach that rocks, Bolko De Pawlikowski.  A special thank you to Willy Larreal for making this race an amazing and truly special experience for me.  God willing, I will be back for 2016!

Next up:  Ironman Texas 45 days!