Typically, these posts just end up as one long one on social media instead of here. I decided to write a full post to capture the detail I wanted. Every race has a couple of things that happen throughout the day that make the experience new and something you can learn from. This one just happened to be jam-packed with those times.
When I signed up for Rockford 70.3 last year it was almost a calm feeling that I had. I’ve done the 70.3 distance back in 2023 in Madison and in 2024 I essentially trained for the same distance in order to complete the Chicago Triathlon Triple. In my head that meant I knew I could do it, I just needed to structure the plan the right way for a long distance still early in the overall season. After the holiday’s the training picked up and in May we were swimming, biking, and running just like we had been in August of last year, so right on schedule.
Naturally, since my training buddy (Eleanor) and I didn’t have the distance scaring us this time around, we put some more goals around our race. About a month out, she calculated that, given our training splits, 5:30–5:45 would be achievable. When the weather report came out 10 days before the race and we saw the heat show up, it turned into more of a let’s try to get under 6 hours. By race week it turned into an excessive heat advisory with the heat index in the triple digits. It was clear that the goal was simply to finish, as it would be both a physical and mental battle.
Registration & Bike Check-in
With this being the first Rockford 70.3 race, I didn’t have a clue what we were going to walk into. The good news is, IRONMAN has done races all over the world and it showed. The village and transition areas were setup and ready to go, registration went smoothly, and it seems like they didn’t run out of merchandise like past races I have been to.
I was able to meetup with my training group and ensure we got numbers all next to each other so we had some friends along the way on race day but also wanted to just get out of the sun and back home to rest. It was the hottest part of the day, and the sun and wind were just brutal. We knew it was going to stick around all weekend, so it was great to see and feel it first hand but knew that we needed to be smart in those kinds of conditions.
Going back the next day to bike check in was much of the same. Get in, see the area, and then get out. It was great to see our friend and volunteer legend Chris Haff at bike check in, but we quickly retreated to our hotels to rest before dinner and an early bedtime.
Race Morning
4AM came along too quickly but surprisingly I actually got almost 6 hours of sleep, so between that and the pre-race nervous energy I was ready to go. Jumped in the car, hit Dunkin on the way to ensure my Sherpa was fed and caffeinated, and then parked just a couple blocks away from transition. I scoped out a parking garage the day before so the care wouldn’t be baking in the sun all day.
As the sun came up and I setup everything in my transition area, it almost felt calming. That’s a good thing given that I was already sweating from the 80 degree temp and high early morning humidity. Just going through the motions to ensure I had my day setup the best I could and chatting with my training group and others made the morning fly by. They announced that the water temp was 79 degrees so no wet suits. Not a surprise given the temperatures from the previous few days. Next thing I knew, it was time to get on the shuttle to head up to swim start.
About to get on the shuttle up to the swim start so the obligatory “first day of school” photo.
Typically, I wouldn’t think that a shuttle ride would be worth talking about, but this one was. There was a mix of nervousness and excitement in the air over the 10-minute ride as we made our way upriver. We ended up having to cross the river a couple times, probably because of road closures, and one crossing was about halfway. At that point I looked up and down river and realized that I couldn’t see the start or the end clearly given the bend in the river. That really screws with your head. 1.2 miles doesn’t seem like a lot when you’re doing it 20 yards a lap in a pool, but seeing it stretched out into one long path was a sight to see.
After getting off the shuttle, we made our way to the staging area, hit the porta potties, dropped off our morning clothes bag and heading to the staging lines. At this point I was now blind given that I had to drop my glasses, so I ended up just following my training buddy along the path while sometimes holding my googles up to get a better sense of where we were. We were able to find the rest of our group, say good luck, and then find our place in the pacing groups.
The line moved slowly at first but as we turned the corner and got into the real starting chute the pace picked up along with the energy. The crowd was into it, the racers were getting ready, it was go time. I gave my training buddy one last hug and high five as we were on the dock, and then it was time to go.
Swim
This was the first river swim I had done, so that was a fun new thing to check off the list. Originally, we thought the current was going to really be pushing us hard, but with the dam partially up, it slowed it down to a crawl. Add in the wind picking up and while we got help in forward motion, it was far from the “just get in and float” that some people expected.
By the time I got to the second buoy, I could settle in. Breathing on the left side where the buoy line was made it easy to spot and range find where I was at. Good for me as you couldn’t see anything past 2 feet in the water. I noticed pretty quickly that I couldn’t see my hand when it was out front of me, so that meant a lot of extra sighting overall. If I couldn’t see my hand, then I for sure couldn’t see the feet of anyone that I was coming up on.
During the Swim, from one of the bridges we crossed under.
I noticed the buoy color changed from yellow to orange and thought maybe that means I was about halfway. Note for next time, check that beforehand so you have something to look forward to rather than just guessing. At that point, I was in a solid rhythm and just kept my stroke smooth. I knew I had more pace in my arms but also didn’t want to go too hard, given how long the day was going to be.
After crossing what I thought was the second to last bridge, I noticed a sizable group of pink volunteer shirts. It was the dock! I thought I had at least one more bridge to go, but was pleasantly surprised that I was almost done. The dock was super nice in that there were three ramps they had lowered into the water. All you had to do was swim to it, grab the railing and walk right up. Super smooth and I hope I see that at more races in the future.
Out of the water feeling good and on to T1.
I clicked my watch on the timing line and saw 33 minutes. That’s 4 minutes faster than my previous time and I felt great coming out of the water. It was shaping up to be a good day. We had about a quarter mile jog from the swim exit to our bikes and could jog the whole time without issue. Getting into T1, it was a mixed bag of “let’s get outta here” combined with “slow down and make sure you’re all set”. I noticed that Eleanor’s bike was already gone, and she was nowhere to be found, so I had something to chase when out on the bike. With all my gear on, I did one quick spray of sunscreen, loaded the route on my computer while jogging out, and it was time to clip in and go.
Bike
On the Main Street out of transition and onto the course I was able to see my wife, give her a thumbs up, and ask what my gap was to Eleanor. The answer was 4 minutes. Doing some quick math in my head, I thought eating one minute per 10 miles into her pace would doable so I went to work.
In my first 70.3 in Madison, I was only on my new Cervelo P Series for about 6 weeks before the race. It was an outstanding upgrade, but it takes more than that amount of time to really learn what works and what doesn’t work on a new bike, especially with different frame geometry. In that race I rode 220 watts normalized power for the bike and my legs were exhausted. At the time that was close to my FTP, so I just overdid it given the excitement of the day. With more time on the bike and raising my FTP over the last two years, I thought 210-220 was actually a suitable target, but wanted to make sure I had legs left for the run, so mentally I brought my target down to 200.
Around the 5 mile mark, I noticed that something was rattling on my bike pretty good. Every bump I would hear it and I knew it wasn’t there the previous day during my shakeout ride. I figured I had a rest stop in 10 miles so I would try to stop and look then and in the meantime I would try to listen more and see if I could pinpoint it. My first guess, something in my gear pod got loose and was rattling inside the bottle. Maybe the multi-tool or CO2 canister. Either way, not critical at this moment.
Well it didn’t take long to change my mind as around mile 8 I was going downhill, hit a seam in the road and then heard a loud bang off my left shoulder. I looked back to notice my gear pod skidding off into the middle of the road while I was doing 20+ mph in the opposite direction. I wasn’t going to slam on my breaks and so I made the split second decision to just keep going. Was it the right call? Honestly not a clue at that point in time. Sometimes I just rely on being more lucky than good. Either way I figured that opened up another spot for a water bottle at the aid station and that’s not a bad call given the conditions of the day.
At this point, we have the wind on our backs, so I’m feeling great. The sun was hitting but in moving so fast and having the breeze, I didn’t really feel the heat. Suddenly we were at the 15 mile aid station and it was time to grab a banana and a bottle of water. Easy pedaling through made it simple to grab what I needed, and I figured I would pause at the end to get resettled quickly. When I came to a stop I finished the banana, and then went to go put the fresh bottle in my empty cage. Except for a slight problem, the cage was gone. Instantly I realized that the rattling I heard before was not my gear pod but the cage itself. Well, not much I can do about that now. I stuck the water bottle in my back pocket and keep pedaling.
All smiles through 30 miles on the bike but things were going to be changing quickly.
Everything felt great through about mile 30. The course was rolling, the wind wasn’t too much of an issue, and I was staying on plan with hydration. I made a quick stop at the aid station, which was on an uphill and not sure how I feel about that, and got rolling quickly again. We then made the turn to make our way back around mile 32, and everything changed. We were now heading directly into the wind and it was starting to pickup. It was a decently consistent 15+mph with incredibly powerful gusts. Right away, I knew the plan had to change.
When I did the preview ride back in May, I never had to shift into my small ring. As soon as I saw my power spike in the wind, I knew that would not be the case today. I swallowed my pride, made the shift, and just put my head down to make myself as small as possible to the wind. Thankfully, this part was broken into three 3 mile sections so I could put some effort in and conserve in the flats. I kept an eye on my power reading, but in reality, I was just trying to ride comfortably and make sure that I get back to transition.
The mile 45 aid station was quick and easy and soon I found myself back in downtown Rockford. In dismounting, I could see some of my training crew and made my way into transition. I purposely took my time and ensured that I would be ready to go for the run. The last thing I did to give me a brief signal of how the run was going to be, check my ride summary to see my normalized power. I knew I was going to be close to my plan, but didn’t know just how close. It was amazing to see 199 watts there and it for sure gave me a confidence boost knowing that my plan was working.
Run
Getting out of transition and onto the run course was super easy, and I knew there was an aid station right there, which was great. I grabbed some ice, Mortal Hydration, and water and started to jog. I figured I could probably start with a 10-ish minute mile without too much of an issue and see how I felt after a mile. Well, that lasted maybe a quarter of a mile. Suddenly the wind stopped, the sun hit me, and I felt like the concrete was just radiating heat back on to me. I had to walk just to recompose myself and come up with a plan. Yeah, that didn’t happen.
Instead, I barely jogged and mostly walked the first mile and a half with an opening mile of almost 15 minutes. At a mile and half I found Sarah on the run course and stopped to tell her it was going to be a long 13 miles and she reminded me I paid for 8.5 hours of course time so might as well use it. At that point, I resigned myself to walking most of the run. I knew I would not put up a great overall time, so the goal of just finish was now the main thing in my mind. While it was difficult to make the switch, I also knew it was the right thing to do in order to make sure I stayed out of the medical tent.
Just 5 minutes after that moment, everything changed. We ran through a small one block neighborhood where a man was out with his hose and sprinkler wand just soaking people. When I finally got to him I stood there for a second and he just showered me with cold water. Instantly I felt better and realized OK we can do this, just need to focus on cooling more than I originally thought. I held onto that thought for the next few aid stations as I continued to grab 4-5 cups of ice to dump into my tri suit and my hat. I dragged myself through three and a half miles still floating in that 14 to 15 minute range.
Pretty much sums up how I was feeling at this point, beaten down but not out yet.
At this point, I was at the “top” of the loop, and it was time to turn south and head back in. In changing direction, the wind was now hitting me instead of on my back, which was a welcomed change, but that was just the start. This part of the loop was in a friendly neighborhood that had trees, which meant shade. As I looked down the street, I also noticed the crowds that were lining the street. The energy they were providing was amazing but paled compared to the best sight of the day: literally a dozen sprinkler and hoses all throughout the next mile. I took every chance I could to get anything from just a few drops of water hitting me to getting completed soaked. And soon I realized it was working. I wanted to run. I knew it was going to have to be a mix of walk/run, but it’s progress.
Over the rest of the first loop, I worked my way down to 12 and even some 11 minute miles. When I started the second loop, I finally had a plan. Keep up the walk/run to hold on to those 12 minute miles and take my time in the aid stations to soak in all the cooling I could handle. The first 3 miles of the loop were the worst part, so if I could make it through that the neighborhood, dubbed sprinkler alley, could get me through the last bit to the finish line.
The start of the second loop on the run, possibly having this thing figured out finally.
About a mile into the second loop, I was able to see Sarah again at the same point on the course from before and gave her a bit smile to show her “hey I’ve this figured out now”. I think she had a sense of relief after watching the tracker app all day and just assuming how I was doing. I stuck to the plan and soon enough I hit the 10 mile marker and realized it was the home stretch. My pace picked up as the excitement in me picked up as well. It took 10 miles to get there, but I realized the plan was working and that we were gonna get this done.
Coming back into the downtown area, the crowds continued to grow. I could hear the music and announcer from the finish line as I was getting ready to get to the final split. I was coming up onto the street with a big group of people and as the lane split they all went left to start their second loop, I was alone in the finish chute. All the spectators that lined the course knew they were on the finish path and they got loud. It was incredible.
Heading down the magical red carpet to the finish line.
Just two quick turns and the finish line was in sight. I ran for the first time since that first mile, throwing my hands in the air, and hyping up the rest of the crowds as I yelled in just sheer excitement. I crossed the finish line with a huge smile, knowing that I made it and that I could finally stop moving after six and a half hours.
Heading down the magical red carpet to the finish line.
What’s Next
With many races, I end them and think of all the things I could have and should have done differently. In having some space from this race now, I’m really struggling to come up with that list. Physically, I performed well in that I had zero stomach or cramping issues. I had a smooth swim, a controlled bike, and just got bit by the elements on the run that were out of my control. But maybe that’s just the case with early season racing. We haven’t had the time to soak in the heat yet, so the first time we hit it during a season it’s like hitting a brick wall. The wall just happened to be right there for the race weekend. The saying goes “you can pick your race, but not your day”.
All smiles now that were done and had some real food for the first time today.
The good news is, after that race, there isn’t much that a course could throw at me I wouldn’t be ready for. While I have no more long course races on the schedule this year, just a couple Sprint and Olympic distances, I know that I’m primed and ready for the rest of the year to not just perform well but also have a lot of fun.