Ironman St. George was once again memorable and jaw-dropping. You've probably seen countless pictures of the scenery floating around social media but the views are even more amazing in person - and that's one of the many reasons that makes this race so special. The Ironman staff puts on an incredible race - the course is well marked, easy to navigate and many sections of road are completely closed off from traffic. The community really supports this race and the volunteers are fantastic. I can't say enough good things about this race. Even the finish line area is fantastic - perfect for kids with the splash park and other activities. While a bucket-list race for many, it's certainly a challenging course that requires a lot of physical and mental strength.
Sharing the race course with eleven of our Trimarni athletes was so much fun - especially since most of us stayed in the same house together. We shared laughs, food and stories leading up to the race and of course, the fun race stories post race.
There's something about a challenging course that makes you feel very accomplished - regardless of the outcome. St. George 70.3 provided us athletes with the opportunity to explore our mental toughness while testing our physical abilities, which makes the finish line feel oh-so-rewarding.
Since this was our second time competing at St. George 70.3, we came into the race with a better understanding and appreciation of the difficulty of this beautiful course. I'm very pleased with my performance as I was racing against several very fast and tough ladies which brought the best out of me. I was more willing to take risks at this race compared to last year but I felt like I stayed in control all day and my body responded well at all times. I had a personal best on this course by 11-minute compared to last year by improving all three disciplines - swim, bike and run. I felt strong on the course all day with no low moments and I enjoyed racing for myself - determined to do better than last year to showcase my continued improvements in the sport. Karel was disappointed in his bike performance but thrilled with his swim and run. He had a two minute improvement compared to last year and we both ran much faster than last year (Karel ran 5 minutes faster and I ran 9 minutes faster). Challenging courses are difficult because you can't chase a time or outcome but you have to stay in the moment and be proactive and present throughout the entire race.
More details to come but for now, here are the final results:
Marni
1.2 mile swim - 29:00
T1 - 2:30
56 mile bike - 2:38.20
T2 - 2:49
13.1 mile run - 1:40.50
Total: 4:53.27
2nd/3rd AG 35-39 (I tied for 2nd but they gave me third place)
1.2 mile swim - 29:00
T1 - 2:30
56 mile bike - 2:38.20
T2 - 2:49
13.1 mile run - 1:40.50
Total: 4:53.27
2nd/3rd AG 35-39 (I tied for 2nd but they gave me third place)
Karel
1.2 mile swim - 29:30
T1 - 1:58
56 mile bike - 2:31.14
T2 - 2:30
13.1 mile run- 1:25.61
Total: 4:30.26
3rd AG 40-44
1.2 mile swim - 29:30
T1 - 1:58
56 mile bike - 2:31.14
T2 - 2:30
13.1 mile run- 1:25.61
Total: 4:30.26
3rd AG 40-44
Also congrats to our athletes who embraced the challenges and finished strong! It was so much fun to share the course with so many Trimarnis!