Once again, our car was loaded with two bikes, two wetsuits, and an incredible amount of other gear for my first ½ Ironman in Raleigh, NC. My husband, already a seasoned Ironman, would participate as well.
The distance of an ½ Ironman is a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1 run to top it off.
Friday, May 29th – Arrival in Raleigh, NC
Our hotel was outside of Raleigh but within 15 minutes’ driving distance of the race start and finish. We checked in at the Convention center, picked up our race numbers, ankle straps that would track us during the race, swim caps, race t-shirts, and a small Ironman backpack filled with sponsor items.
Saturday, May 30th
We went to the pre-race meeting, as this race included several logistic planning stages. For instance, the bike was to be dropped off at Lake Jordan on Saturday, 40 minutes outside of town, and how we would get there in the morning for the race start was among the important things to find out.
Later, we drove to Lake Jordan and rode our bikes one last time before they went onto the bike racks provided by Ironman (the race organizer). My bike was labeled with my race number and a blue plastic bag that included all the bike gear I needed to ride the race (helmet, gloves, nutrition, sunscreen, shoes, socks, sunglasses, and glide to prevent chafing). This bag was to be put with the bike on race morning.
As the race setup was in full progress, we could not swim, but the lake looked beautiful and inviting.
Raleigh 70.3 Ironman Triathlon 2015 – Race Report
Sunday, May 31st – Race Day
We awoke at 3:30 am!!! We drove downtown to where the bike finish took place and dropped off our red bag (yes, another bag); this bag contained our run gear. We would finish our bike ride there, rack our bike, change into running gear, and start our 13.1 miler there.
Buses took all the racers to Lake Jordan for the race start, where we waited about 2 hours until it was time to swim.
The Swim Start
The lake was still beautiful, and it turned out to be 79 degrees. That meant no wetsuit swim for the 1.2 miles. Swimming this distance in open water without a wetsuit was a first for me. I took a deep breath, thinking of what my coaches, Greg Nelson and Debbie Kraut, taught me. I felt completely confident in my swimming abilities.
I got a bit lost on the orientation buoys that marked the way. In addition to swimming with many other swimmers next to me, who sometimes were in my way or maybe I was in theirs.
I guess that’s why the swim took me a bit longer than I anticipated, but I finished my swim in 1 hour and 2 minutes.
The Bike Start
“My legs felt steady coming out of the water, and I easily found my bike. Learning from previous race mistakes, I took my time to have everything in place for the 56-mile ride. I even stopped by the”sunscreen girls” to have more sunscreen applied. It was going to be a hot 92 degrees, with little wind or shade on the ride. I now left my blue bag behind; it included my swim gear (goggles and swim cap). One should know that you swim in a triathlon suit, and without changing out of it, you climb on your bike and ride off.”
The bike ride took us through the beautiful countryside of Raleigh, NC, with mostly rolling hills. I was surprised to see how many people came out to cheer us on and made the race that much more enjoyable. The ride became more challenging as the temperature rose, so I made sure to follow my nutrition/hydration plan.
I finished my bike in 3 hours 33 minutes and felt strong at the end.
The Run Start
After racking my bike, I changed out of my bike gear into my running shoes; everything else had gone into the red bag. (Now you see why we had to go to the pre-race meeting – so many bags). I started my run following my son’s advice; I had practiced running right after a bike ride to get my legs used to the change. My legs felt light and ready to go.
“After turning the first corner, I thought: “Oh, boy, is this hot”! The air was stifling, with no wind and uphill the first mile. I made it to the first water stop, put ice cubes under my cap and into my shirt, drank cold water, and grabbed sponges soaked in ice water and anything to cool my body temperature down. Due to the heat, I felt I could not run the entire time and opted to run/walk the distance. I ran the flats and downhills, then walked the uphills.
It was a brutal run/walk, but I finished my run in 2 hours and 19 minutes.
Overall, I finished in 7 hours 5 minutes and 27 seconds and was very happy with my result.
I want to thank my husband for all the support and guidance he is giving me; he still cooks for me, too.
Thank you to my incredible kids who still think their mom is crazy, but in a good way. To all my friends out there for your encouragement and friendship.
I could not have done it without the support of those who love me.
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