In one sentence Chattanooga 70.3 was a hot but great race! But of course let’s get into more detail! This is my third Half Ironman and after completing close by and flat Ohio as I did the past two years (recaps here and here) I decided to venture south and challenge myself. The swim was rumored to be easy, the bike to have rolling hills, and the run to be hilly. It is touted as a great race and excellent for spectators. The race was May 19th which was a pro and con. It was nice to get my big triathlon done early in the season and not have to do as many long rides over the summer but it meant that my training on the bike was mostly limited to the trainer (I completed about 5-6 outdoor rides). I ended up getting saddle sores from the less than optimal bike training and the temps on race day for the run were rough. Most of my run training was in the 60’s and race day hit 90 degrees. All that being said Chattanooga 70.3 is an awesome race and I would highly recommend it!
Okay let’s get into the specifics. We arrived in town Saturday morning after staying in Knoxville the night before (which was a great stop). Race morning wasn’t a super early one for me and we arrived in plenty of time for transition and busing over to the swim start. Pat was able to bus with me and hung out in line with me for about an hour (I didn’t get until right after 8:00). He watched me get in the water and made the walk back to the start- I predicted it would take me about 30-35 minutes to finish the 1.2 mile river swim. Well the swim was shortened after the professional athletes struggled to finish the upstream portion. I believe it was shorted to about .75 miles and I finished much faster so Pat missed me getting out of the water. It was wetsuit legal and the currents definitely helped push you along- I felt like everyone was spread out well and had zero issues with the swim.
Swim: 20:22
Since I didn’t see Pat when I got out of the water I ended up dicking around a bit in transition- hoping to spot him before I got on the bike for 3+ hours. I ate my Uncrustable, urinated (after also peeing in the water), and just took my time. I set a record high for time in transition for over 9 minutes. Most athletes are usually under 5 minutes. Insert crying laughing emoji here. But yes I know I should be rushing more in transition and taking about half the time.
I got on my bike feeling good and set out. The beginning of the bike course was a little crowded and there is a single file part as well but some jerks totally disguarded that and passed without even calling their passes. The bike course itself is awesome- rolling hills, neighborhoods, Lookout Mountain in the background (most of the course is actually in Georgia). My main issues is it being open to cars and not feeling super safe try to slow down or speed up and pass them. This is also created more aggressive riding and I had someone even pass me on my right on the side of the road without calling the pass. I lectured at least ten people on calling passes- let’s just be smart and safe friends! I nailed my nutrition on the bike and my saddle sores didn’t bother me terribly which was a relief. But as always after 3+ hours I was ready to run and pass all the people that had passed me on the bike. Overall I was pleased with my bike split.
Bike: 3:15 (17.5mph)
I had a slightly quicker transition although I did something I never do- I ate the second Uncrustable I had packed- I felt a little hungry and ate about half of it as I started my run. I also want to mention the sun lotion volunteers were awesome- I didn’t burn at all and it was very sunny and very hot. That definitely made a difference in energy levels for sure. The run is a double loop which is great because it’s more chance to see spectators.
I was averaging about a 10:00-10:30 minute/mile pace including walking through the aide stations at every mile. I was passing ton of people and that really motivates me (especially when I recognize them from passing me on the bike). I always try to strike up conversations with other runners and really enjoyed the company of the several people I talked to. I took in 2 gels throughout the run and took water, gatorade, and ice at every aide station. Since it was about 90 degrees at this point in the day I decided to be smart. There was one really large hill and everyone was walking it so I filed suit- not super long but very steep. We ran across a couple of bridges which was fun. I saw Pat about 4 times which always makes me happy- and he said I looked really happy and was having a great time. The last time I saw him was a little after mile 10 and he said I had a chance to go sub 6:10 if I pushed it. I ended up running around 9:00-9:30 minute miles- which is super fast for me for a half ironman.
Run 2:14
My final time was 6:07- which is personal best! Although with the shortened swim it would’ve been close but other triathletes told me to count it, so I am! I had a great time on the course and plan on going back next year to break my record at Chattanooga 70.3!
