Great Illini 70.3 Race Report

4 weeks after winning the 70.3 in Springfield, I had another chance to check my fitness. The humidity was about 20% less, and the temp was 5 degrees cooler. I plan on going into a fair amount of detail, so as always, cliff notes will be at the end 😉

Pre-Race: I continued the tradition of eating Taco Bell 2 nights out, and I am officially making this a thing based on the results. We drove the course beforehand and noted the bike route was smooth, and there were 5 hairpin turns. I showed up to transition early race morning and grabbed a bike rack 1 from the end.  

Swim (27:14 – 3^rd): The swim was wetsuit legal and a rolling start with 2 athletes every 5s running down the beach. My buddy Mitch and I started together about 10-15 deep. The swim was 2 loops and the water calm. After settling in, I found 2 swimmers to draft behind. Unlike last race, I decided to sit back until we completed the first loop before making my move. I passed on the inside around the lap buoy and pushed for 200 yards to make sure I wasn’t pulling anyone this time. I came out of the water in 3^rd with a 3-minute gap and split 27 minutes on my watch. After the race, Garmin showed it about 300 yards short, and I confirmed with other athletes. My actual pace was 1:29/100yd, which would have been 31:40.

T1 (0:49 – Tied for 1^st): The timing mats were at the edge of transition, so my time did not include the run from the water. I botched the flying mount and looked like a fool, so please enjoy the horrendously awkward video. I also had the hardest time getting my cycling shoes on. They kept collapsing and took ¾ mile to get them on, so I need to reassess that. Both “issues” factored into my bike split.

Bike (2:23:33 – 4^th): The roads were smooth, but there were 5 hairpin turns that hurt the average pace. Out of transition I was in 3^rd with a 3-minute gap. I passed the female winner around mile 10 but was not able to close the gap on 1^st. With 5 turnarounds, I was able to see where he was as well as everyone behind me. I lost about 2 more minutes by the end of the bike and wasn’t sure I’d catch him. I used more liquid based nutrition for the first time putting 300 calories in my 1 bottle. This was a good strategy until the aid station at miles 16 and 48 were nonexistent. At the start of loop 2, I barely snagged a water and nearly took out a cone (and myself). I ate ¾ of a Cliff bar and 4 of my 6 shot blocks. No emergency gel needed this time. I averaged 227 watts at 23.9mph with an average HR of 154. This was 9 watts higher than 4 weeks ago and a few BPM lower HR. I felt like I could have pushed it harder, but my legs were limiting me. Knowing I had a 4-5 minute gap to close, I focused on saving them for my specialty, the run. The bike ended up being a mile long, so that kind of offset the short swim =)

Receiving Information from Dad

T2 (1:01 – 2^nd): After rubbing my Achilles raw at the last race, I decided to roll my socks on. 10/10 would recommend! Nothing special here, but I bolted out of transition ready to run this guy down. My dad told me 4 minutes, and he isn’t the greatest runner. I felt strong but made sure I settled into a comfortable pace.

Literally Flying out of the Gate

Run (1:21:09 – 1^st): My plan for the run was to go out at a 6:30 and slowly drop down to 6:10-6:15. I wanted to keep HR under 170 for the first 4 miles and slowly bring it up until I cut loose with 5K to go. I hit a 6:26 to start and grabbed a Gatorade at the first aid station. 1.5 miles in I caught my first glimpse of 1^st as he was making a turn. I noted the time on my watch and saw my gap was 2 minutes when I got to the turn. Closing about 1 min/mi, I knew I didn’t need to do anything heroic to catch him. At the first turnaround 3.25 miles in, I was 50 yards back. I made the pass at mile 4, exchanged some words, and pulled away. I loved the 2 out and backs because it allowed me to check gaps and see my teammates throughout the run. I felt I had the race won with 3 miles to go and was ready to coast her in. As I ran by Mitch he yelled, “Don’t let up. Hammer that mfer!!!” And with that extra push, I closed the last 10k in 38:01, 5k in 18:31 and 1 mile in 5:40. 1:21:09 is now a stand-alone PR for me.

Post-Race (Race Time - 4:13:45): After crossing the finish line, I knew I was under 4:20. I had no idea I’d be under 4:15! I quickly grabbed a cold water, I started my cooldown back onto the run course to find Mitch. Last I saw him, he was still ¼ mile behind 2^nd with 4.5 miles to go. I was almost a mile back into the run and saw he already took 2nd. I met him back at the finish line ready to celebration. As training partners and teammates, we had set a goal to take 1^st and 2^nd, and that’s exactly what we did.

1st and 2nd / Matchy Matchy

Summary: I was very happy with my swim and got to wear my wetsuit for the first time this year. I held back a little to save more for the bike and was still 3^rd out of the water. Transitions were short, and I posted 2 of the fastest splits. The bike course was smooth with 5 turnarounds. I held 23.8mph and was very happy with the ride as well. I made it into 2^nd going into T2 but lost another 2 minutes to 1st place. Starting the run, my dad told me I had a 4-minute gap and the guy wasn’t the strongest runner. I opened in a 6:26 mile, and that ended up being the slowest mile split of my run. I took 1st 4 miles in, gaining 1 min/mi. I widened my lead to over 2 minutes at the halfway point and took the win by over 13. I closed the last 5k in 18:31 and logged a half marathon PR of 1:21:09. My buddy Mitch took 2^nd making his pass at mile 11, and the rest is history.

Keystone Shower from Matt: Finished Smooth ~

Overall, I am blown away by what I was able to do in that race. My goal was to win and break 4:20, and I wound up under 4:15. *I would attribute about 2 minutes to the short swim/long bike, which would put me just under 4:16. Whether a course is long or short, the improvement I saw from my training is paying dividends.

Not sure who reads this far but hit me up with any questions or if you just want to chat!