Kansas Half Ironman

Goodbye, so long, and farewell Kansas Half Ironman. In three years, my best race there was when I was at the worst level of fitness of my triathlon career. Between the wind, the hills, and the heat of Kansas, I must not be suited to race a competitive triathlon in this state. This tells me that I was not meant to race here; so, I do not plan to return.

As for today’s race, as you may already know, it did not go according to plan. The water was beautiful and calm at 6:30 a.m. for the pro start; however, at 7:15 a.m., it was very rough with winds and boat traffic making the calm lake have nice big waves that managed to rip the straps of my goggles off my head. Luckily, they are the TYR Nest Pro’s, so they stuck to my eyes while I readjusted. After checking my watch, I was very disappointed with my swim and took to the very windy bike course. Weighing 160 lbs and riding with a disc rear wheel, I had the pleasure of being whipped all over the roads. My favorite quote from the bike today was from two men, “What direction is the wind actually coming from?” “All of them!”

When I finally got to the run I was excited to be able to focus on my strength and make up some time. I ran a smart race as I slowly picked up the pace and picked off competitors. My feet didn’t start rubbing and bleeding until mile 9. By the time I finished, I was cramping so bad that I collapsed across the finish line where Chrissie Wellington saw me, and the medics carried me to the medical tent. While they stuck me with 2 IV’s (one in each arm), Chrissie checked on me and was kind enough to sign both of my shoes as she reminded me how amazing Brooks shoes really are. So, how do I feel about the race? Yeah, I am bummed to not have done better, but I did the best I could under the circumstances and am looking forward to Olympic Distance races in Colorado!

Thanks to Megan Rosa who I coached at Baker for coming out and working the race while cheering me on!