IRONMAN 70.3 SANTA CRUZ- 3rd

2018 has been all about taking the good with the bad... The first half of the year did not play out how I expected with a DNF in Oceanside, an injured 5th place in China, a rough 10th place in St. George and a slog to the finish in my first Ironman attempt in Boulder. After 4 disappointments in a row, I was left at a crossroads- an uncomfortable place that I have been before. I could have either written off the year and taken the "L" or fought back and turned it around. I took some time to contemplate the decision but ultimately did what I always do- pick myself up and make my next move but this time, without the self imposed pressure of trying to win a 70.3 or my Ironman debut. The pendulum then shifted with win at Challenge San Gil, a redemptive 5th at Ironman Canada and last weekend, a podium 3rd place at Ironman 70.3 Santa Cruz.

One of the biggest issues with the first half of the year was trying to nail down my pre-race taper and training. Those that tuned into my blog regarding my unique physiology will have a better understanding of the challenges Jesse Kropelnicki and I were presented with. We tried something totally different for San Gil + Canada and it worked. Both of those races were more about testing the formula than focusing on racing. After a bit of a break post-Ironman, I was able to go into Santa Cruz with complete confidence in my training and taper knowing it had worked well the last two attempts. I was by far the most composed I have been on a race week leading into Santa Cruz and that allowed me to be more present, focused and happy.

This race brought together a very competitive field with a group of 70.3 specialists and serious Ironman contenders in their fittest form building towards Ironman Hawaii. With the likes of Ben Hoffman, Eric Lagerstrom, Kyle Buckingham, James Cunnama and Andrew Talansky, it was going to be a battle to even be competitive. I had zero expectations and went in with the singular objective of going absolutely full tilt from the start cannon to the finish line.

Despite the goal of going "full tilt" I didn't expect to need to tap into all of my adrenaline within the first :03 seconds of the race. All of the men lined up on the beach about 30 feet away from waters edge. The cannon fired and it was a mad dash through the sand. There was a jostle for position and a matter of too many bodies charging to the same point. There was bound to be at least one casualty....

That's me! Video/ edit: Nick Hetro. 

So, yeah. That wasn't how I wanted to start off the day! I bounced off the ground with my adrenaline pumping. I charged into the water and went as hard as possible for the first 800yd. I bulldozed my way through the entire field, picking up a nice train behind me. I did my best to try and make my way back to the front but ultimately could not bridge the gap. I came out of the water in 5th place, 1:15 down from the lead. Not perfect position but not bad considering my snafu.

Photo: Paul Higgins 

Our group navigated the more technical piece at the beginning of the bike and once onto the highway, the pace got stiff. Hoffman went to the front and went full beast mode, asserting his dominance and showing why he is one of the top Americans to watch in Kona. He dropped our group and went in hot pursuit of Lagerstrom who was TT'ing off the front. Our group kept on the gas trying to limit losses but around the halfway point, we were caught by the chase group to form one large pack for the return back to T2. James Cunnama and Elliot Bach did the majority of the pacemaking heading back home and I was pushing very hard to simply stay in contact. I was able to weather the storm and enter T2 with the group currently in places 4-10 with Lagerstrom, Hoffman and ex-Tour de France cyclist Andrew Talansky already off the bike.

Photo: Justin Luau

I slipped on my run shoes and knew by the first few steps that it was game on. I figured the Ironman guys like Buckingham and Cunnama would have the durability to throw down a consistent run but potentially lacked the speed. After a bit of a slower transition I ran through all of those guys in the first mile en route to a much too fast 16:30 for the first 5k. Despite going out too hard, my goal was to get a gap and try to hang on. I got the separation I was hoping for, felt good and was able to keep up that pace through the technical trail section and pass Talansky around 10k to move into 3rd.

Photo: Paul Higgins

After passing Talansky I knew that I had put in a solid gap to the guys behind and that I didn't have enough real estate to catch Lagerstrom or Hoffman. But it was one of those days where I pushed all out to the line simply because I could. So many races this year I felt like my body was not responsive. To have a day where I felt like I could be on top of the effort and completely go for it felt great and I took advantage. That attitude got me to the finish line with a 1:15:10 run split and the final spot on the podium.

Huge congrats to both Eric for the WIN and Hoff for his great performance while in the thick of his prep for Kona. Photo: Paul Higgins

I am proud of this race and excited to take on a few more this year. Next up will be 70.3 Augusta this weekend in a similar field of pre-Kona contenders. I'll try to take a similar approach in hopes of getting a similar result!

Huge thanks to my team- Jeanni Seymour, Jesse Kropelnicki, Amy Quirion, Erin Carson and my family. And my sponsors and partners- Timex, Juice Performer, Castelli, Trek, Shimano, Boulder Sports Chiropractic, Oakley, Normatec, Stages, Feedback Sports, ICE Friction, Zealios and Blueseventy.

Thanks for tuning in.

Cheers,
Justin

Photo: Paul Higgins