Kona Bound: IM Tulsa Race Report

Well, here it is. The race report of all race reports! Let's get right to it; I qualified for Kona!!! And, a huge shout out to my bestie and training partner Mitch for his KQ as well! We’ve been in this together for a while now, and I couldn’t be happier to accomplish this with him. Also, a massive thanks to Brent for getting me ready these last 6 months. Preparation was on point.

Incredible surprise from my neighbors and fellow Ironman athletes

Race Morning: 1 word - stressful. Waking up at 3:30 was the earliest start for any race I’ve done. There was a solid line of cars trying to get to the shuttles as we got close. I ended up getting out of the car and walking ½ mile. Shuttles were behind and as I got to T1, they were already calling the pros and 60 minute/faster swimmers to start lining up. I did my best to stay calm and not miss anything with my transition set-up. Once I had everything set, except for pumping my tires, they were calling swimmers 40 minutes slower than my projected swim time. They wouldn’t let us bring our own bike pumps to the swim start, and I knew my latex tubes were probably 20 psi lower than I’d want. I ended up asking an athlete if he knew where the pumps were and he just lent me his. Life saver! Mitch also bumped into me and we hoofed it over to the swim start. Once we got there, we had plenty of time to get our wetsuits on and take a breather before sneaking over to the faster swim lane.

WE are going to Kona!

The Swim (1:02:32 – 119th): My swim was great. It started with a fist bump from Mike Reilly before diving in. Water temp was 67 degrees and perfect for staying cool in the wetsuit. There was a fair amount of bumping in the first half, but things started to spread out after that. It started raining part way, but it barely affected the visibility. At the first orange buoy, I checked my watch and was on track to swim under 65. It had been so long since I swam a 2.4, and the swim felt like it took forever and half. I was very ready to be done and actually looked forward to getting on my bike in the rain. This was my fastest lake swim in a wetsuit, and I think there may have been a slight benefit from a current pulling from the Arkansas River.

T1 (3:39): It was still raining coming out of the swim, and the boat ramp was very steep. My bike was in one of the closer racks, so I had quite a way to run in my clips. They didn’t allow flying mounts, and with how rough the asphalt was, I opted to put my cycling shoes on at my bike. After 150 yards of clickity clack, I was on the bike. Moved up 3 positions in my AG.

Bike (5:11:58 – 75^th): With wet roads and rain, I took the first few miles nice and steady to settle in and get comfortable. The 2 worst sections of the bike were in the first 15 miles, so I focused on getting through them safely. 1 section was steep descents with sharp turns and potholes. The 2^nd was covered in mud from truckers leaving a quarry. Once I made it through that and found some better road, I was ready to dial in. There were only a few short sections on that course where I could more or less shut my mind off and ride. Most of it required a lot of focus and was more mentally taxing than anything. We did have a solid 30 minute break from the rain, and those miles clicked by. It was around mile 80 that I was feeling ready to get off that bike. I remember being pretty miserable and wondered why I do this to myself. Several times I throttled back on the watts and HR just to get some relief, but even so…I was very happy with my split holding 21.5mph.

T2 (2:09): With it raining again as I was coming into transition, I opted to take my flying dismount very slowly. Everything went smoothly and I took my time to make sure: my socks were comfortable, shoes were tight, and nutrition was accounted for. I stepped through my race belt (just like I see the pros do), grabbed my hat/Gu’s and was off.

Wife knew exactly what I needed and when

Run (3:02:53 – 34^th): I took off on that run feeling better than I ever have after the bike. I knew the first 2 miles were net downhill, but it still felt great averaging 6:40s below my target HR. Once the course flattened out, I settled in around 6:50 pace with HR right where I wanted it. I needed a GU very early on, and wasn’t going to be shy about taking them (lesson learned from Haines City). I was feeling great through about 9 miles, and then I remembered just how long a marathon actually takes. I started to bite off smaller pieces and focused on getting back to my family around mile 12. After I passed them and started my 2^nd lap, I was in 5^th place with a 7 minute gap to 4^th. Hoping he would fade, I just stuck to my HR numbers. I hit the first half in 1:30 (net downhill), and hoped I could hold on for a 3:05. This is where I found those dark places. Several times in that 2^nd half, I let off the gas. I kept my HR lower than my limit instead of pressing into it like I should have. My gut was also having issues, and I told myself I’d be fine just running 7:15s to close it out. “I’ll still be under 9:30 with a 3:10 run”. Despite those valleys, I stayed fairly consistent in that low 7:00 range but felt like I may have had more. Once I got to the last turnaround and was heading back, I focused on getting to coach Brent and my family. Brent was first with 5K to go, and he told me what I needed to hear. “Now is NOT the time to let up.” After passing him, he zoomed by me on a scooter and kept at me each time I passed him. That got me to 2 miles left. This is where I saw my dad, and he told me 1s out of 4^th. The last person I saw was my wife. “You know that moment you always talk about? Well THIS IS IT!” That was all I needed to hear in order to close it out. The uphill finish was rough, but none of that mattered. If it's hurting me, it's killing them. I closed in a 7:02 and 6:36 up the climbs. Once I rounded that last corner to the finish, I don’t remember a thing. I had tunnel vision and can't even recall the finish chute. I barely remember hearing Mike Reilly’s voice calling me across the line.

Post race: If I had to look back at my highlight of the entire race, it was grabbing hold of the fence after crossing the line to hold myself up. As I was dangling there catching my breath, I turned back at the finish arch and saw my name with my time. 9:23:10. This was when I had my first breakdown and cried. Once I picked myself up, I grabbed my finisher gear and made my way out. When I saw my dad, he told me I ran my way to 3^rd Age Group and 7^th Overall Amateur in those last 2 miles. This is the 2^nd time I broke down. Everything hit me, and I pretty much knew a Kona slot was earned.

Closing thoughts. I’ve already written more than most of you probably wanted to read, so I want to leave you with this. Know that no goal or dream is too big to achieve. This one required 3 years of consistent training and dedication to reach. Even now I am still processing the race and the accomplishment...so if you have any questions/want more detail PLEASE give me a shout. I’m sure I’ll be talking about this one for a long time.

Thank you to everyone for your love and support that helped me get to this point. I couldn’t have done it without you <3

Thank You!

    IM Tulsa is less than 3 weeks away! I started training for a Kona slot 3 years ago, and I am starting to feel the pressure as race day approaches. But, that’s not what this post is about. This is about everybody in my corner, everyone that has been backing me up. These last few weeks have overwhelmed me with gratitude from my friends and supporters.

My phone blew up while I was racing at Haines City a few weeks back. It took me nearly an hour to get back to everyone that was following along. There were also so many friends that actually read my race report, down to the detail of me throwing salt in my eye. I appreciate all of you, and I will think of everyone following along as I cross each timing mat.

          I also want to truly thank some close friends of mine. You brought me to tears earlier this week with your thoughtfulness, and that’s what led me to write this novel. This Tri-Trunk is one of the kindest gestures I have ever received. Not only will it make life easier packing/transporting my gear to races, it also takes a lot of stress out of the whole process. You already got me started with some stickers, and I plan on adding more and more until the trunk is covered. Each sticker will represent an event, team, sponsor, person, or memory. All these stickers will be memories that I take with me to every race, and they will serve as a reminder that I’m not doing this alone.

          I also borrowed a bike carrying case for my trip to Haines City. When I went to return it after the race, I was told to keep it as a gift for my hard work and effort. Triathlon is not cheap, and a bike case was something that has prevented me from traveling outside the Midwest. Plus, I am going to need for Kona someday! This couple also lent me a Kona finisher medal to hold onto until I have my own. I see it every single day, and it gives me constant motivation to put in the necessary work to earn one.

          Two of my amazing local sponsors are Quad Cities Marathon and J-Works Premier Pressure Washing Services.

I have been fortunate to develop a strong relationship with the local running community and have paced the marathon 3 times so far. The QC marathon has supported me with a new a pair of training shoes each year and they even let me snag a few boxes of nutrition. I love this community, and I’m so happy to have their support.

J Works is owned by a close friend and training partner who raced as a pro for several years. He loves giving back to the community and is so gracious to support me in working toward my goals of qualifying for Kona and eventually racing professionally.

Finally, my triathlon racing team: WATTIE INK. I was honored to join the Elite Team in 2020 when racing was almost non-existent. Despite the Vid, there has been overwhelming support from them virtually through our team page. I also had the chance to meet a few amazing teammates in person. One in particular… (who creeped on me via Strava) became my best friend and training partner. And he just so happened to move within 25 minutes of me within a year of that. Always pushing me to be better and making countless century rides fly by, I couldn’t have asked for a better buddy.

Alright, I think I’ve said enough. If you’ve made it this far, I am truly grateful for you hanging on and celebrating everyone in my corner with me. Someone once said it takes an army, and that’s no joke. ^This is proof enough =)