2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championships, St. George: Race Report
After taking a pause in 2020, the Ironman 70.3 World Championship is back! The stage was set in St. George, Utah, the same town that previously hosted the 70.3 North American Championships earlier this year. St. George showcases a beautiful and unforgiving course located in the high desert of southern Utah. It has been showcased as the "Land of Endurance", taking a foothold on the Ironman race circuit.
In 2021, we had 20+ athletes and coaches qualify for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship! Quite an impressive number, being this year our Team’s first. We are thankful to have racing back on the calendar and to compete as a team on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
The best amateur performance from our Team was achieved by our Coach, Chad Bykerk! To commemorate his performance, he put together the following race report. Check it out below!
I competed in my first Ironman 70.3 in Tempe, Arizona in 2020, qualifying me for the 2021 70.3 World Championship. This being my first World Championship, I was eager to show the field that even though I am a rookie, I belong here and that I am not going anywhere. Having raced with the Team just two months ago at Ironman 70.3 Oregon, I was excited to be back racing together again in Utah.
Living in Los Angeles, I decided to road trip to Utah with some teammates and arrive a few days early to train and test the course. After getting a few practice swims at San Hallow, a ride up Snow Canyon and a quick con ops of the run course, I felt well prepared for Saturday. I enjoyed the days leading up exploring local coffee shops, restaurants and the Ironman village while I wasn't training or laying low.
Before I knew it, Saturday was here as I woke up to my alarm buzzing at 5:30am. Accustomed to waking up at 3am for a 7am swim start, this was a nice change! My age group wave (25-29) was set to begin at 8:32am, allowing me to get in some good sleep the night before the race. I had my usual two slices of toast with PB and J, with a 1 serving of electrolytes (500 mg of sodium), followed by a STRONG cup of coffee. I then sipped on two servings of UCAN super starch (200 cals) leading up to the race to keep me topped off.
After breakfast, I headed off to San Hollow with some teammates and arrived to transition around 8am. I already had transition 1 and 2 set up from the day before, so there was little preparation to do that morning. I proceeded to check my tire pressure and load my nutrition on the bike. After getting set up, I completed a quick activation routine with light jogging to warm up, as no warm up swim was available. Making my way to the reservoir, I noticed two teammates in transition. We passed words of encouragement, which calmed my nerves as I headed to the swim start.
SWIM 26:53
The water temperature on race day was 78 degrees, making the swim non-wetsuit legal. This was my first non-wetsuit legal race and to be honest, I was excited about it. I wore a sleeved Roka swim skin and was very comfortable in the water. Age group packs were released with 10 athletes at a time, every 5 seconds, making the swim start a little less chaotic than a mass start. I lined up and hit the water fast, looking for a group to draft with. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the wave starts, it was hard to find any pack during the swim. My strategy was to swim long and efficiently, focusing on preserving energy for the bike and run. I made a distinct line for the buoy, however, the swim was heavily trafficked, making sighting very important. The water was not very windy or choppy, however still fairly technical due to all the swim traffic. As I rounded the last buoy, I felt good and decided to push the last 500 meters. I got out of the water feeling strong and ready to hit the bike. This wasn't my best swim, but solid nonetheless, ranking 7th in my AG.
T1 4:52
I made a long run up the beach into T1, which wasn't bad as it was all layered in soft plush carpet. It took me a second to find my bag with my shoes and helmet before getting settled. I took the extra time to put on my shoes, rather than mount with them on my bike. As I headed towards the sea of bikes in transition, I grabbed my Quintana Roo PR 5 and made my way to the line. This was a longer transition than normal, nonetheless a big area for improvement for me as a rookie. I find my transitions only get faster with each race and the more experience I gain.
BIKE 2:28 | ELEVATION GAIN 3,400 FT.
Hopping on my bike, I had to be cautious riding out of San Hollow with lots of bike traffic. As soon as I hit the first left, the road cleared and it was on! My legs felt good and I got out of the water fresh ready to drop the hammer. The course started out nice and flat with a small hill climb starting near mile 5 out of San Hollow. As I came down the hill, I quickly noticed my gearing setup was not well equipped for this course losing out on some watts. Despite the mistake I made, I used this as an opportunity to rest the legs and tuck in aero on the descends.
As I started to make my way to mile 20, dark storm clouds began to settle in above us. I looked up as I took a sip from my bottle only to see a bolt of lightning shoot across the skyline. As soon as I hit the U-turn at mile 25, the storm broke and it came down hard! Wind gusts of what felt like 40 mph began to hit from both a headwind and crosswind, providing minimal control of the TT bike. I had no other option but to get out of aero position and ride the best I could in a more stable position. I was literally grabbing the bull by the horns! Shortly after the storm hit, I had a minor mechanical, having to stop on the course for about 2 minutes. If that didn't make conditions hard enough, it began hailing...yes hail in the desert in September! I began to laugh at the situation, as I had spent the last two weeks doing "heat acclimation" training like most athletes on the course that day.
As the weather continued to come down, it became more about survival and riding safely than holding a good aero position and pushing high speeds. I was concerned for other athletes, to be honest, and was glad I didn't see any major crashes along the course. Luckily by the time we rode into Snow Canyon, it began to clear up. I took this as an opportunity to push on the uphill and make up for lost time. Climbing up the canyon I averaged 280 watts, making it up in 19 minutes. After making it to the top, the remaining 10 miles into town was downhill and fast, averaging 37 mph down the highway. Riding into the town square, I was relieved to be getting off the bike with no major incidents given the tough weather conditions.
* I finished the bike with 260 watts NP and Avg. HR of 144 BPM. This was a personal best in power on the bike in a 70.3 for me. I had just averaged 245 watts NP in Oregon 70.3 two months ago and feel like I am finally finding my legs on the bike.
T2 3:05
This was my first experience handing off my bike to a volunteer, as I am accustomed to racking the bike in T2. I waved to my baby goodbye and patted him on the seat for a good day at the office. Transition setup made for a clean and easy T2.
RUN 1:28 | ELEVATION GAIN 1,293 FT.
I ran out of transition with the goal of keeping the first 3 miles fairly relaxed, knowing the elevation would have an impact towards the end of the race. My strategy for the run course was simple, steady and strong on the uphill, full send the downhill. As I came up the hill from mile 1-4, I made a pretty good pace just shy of 7:00 per mile. The first 4 miles featured a lot of elevation gain; however, the next 3 miles were quite the opposite. One portion of the course even featured a 14% grade downhill! I was able to really pick up the pace on the descents, trying not to overstride and stay controlled, pushing at 5:45 per mile.
As I came around for the second loop, I began to experience side stitches and really had to push through miles 7-9. I kept telling myself, "Just make it to mile 11 and it's all downhill from there". Over the next few miles, I made an effort to hit every aid station and get adequate fuel and some extra sodium for my last push. I held steady to my pace and finally hit the last descent pushing it as fast as my legs would let me. The quads were screaming, but I refused to listen to them knowing I only had 200 yards to go. As I got to the bottom of the town square, the crowd flooded the streets cheering athletes along the course. I veered towards the red carpet, only to spot my family as I headed down the chute. All I could do at this point was smile as I crossed that finish line celebrating my first World Championship!
TOTAL TIME: 4:31:18
The goal going into my first World Championships was to enjoy the moment and to soak it in, while still putting in the race I knew I was capable of. Crossing the finish line, I was ecstatic knowing I had left everything out there on the course. For me, it's not so much about placement, but beating myself on the course that day. I can happily say I did that, putting in my best effort to date. I was shocked to find out my time had earned me 15th place in my Age Group on the day amongst a very strong field!
This was by far the toughest day I had experienced on a race course, fitting for my first 70.3 World Championship. Racing alongside my Mauna Endurance teammates and seeing everyone crush it on the course, fueled me through a tough day. The support was felt all weekend and having my family in my corner watching me do my thing made it extra special. An unforgettable weekend filled with friends, teammates, and family is what it was all about for me, not the result. I am excited to be back in St. George next year for round 2!
Recovery the first few days after this race was tough, as the legs definitely took a beating on that run course. That said, I am starting to feel back to myself and getting back into my training routine. For me, the job is not finished yet. I have my sights set on my A race of the season, Ironman Waco, in just 4 weeks!
