When I first heard about the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge in 2020, I was intrigued by the possibility that an Ironman branded half ironman would include a challenging bike course. When the bike course details described an "epic five-mile climb on Route 43 to the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance" and that "Athletes will experience breathtaking views of the valley, as they ride and descend 21-miles of completely closed roads" I never stopped thinking about this race. I love challenging race courses as the accomplishment comes in the journey to the finish line. My most memorable half Ironman races have been on really hard courses ( IM 70.3 St. Croix and IM 70.3 Branson quickly come to mind). For the past few months, Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge has remained my focus. Although my training has been a bit unconventional this year, I felt that I could do really well on the course as it suited my strengths of being a hilly and hot course. I didn't need to be fast, just healt...
3x Author, Board Certified Sports Dietitian, Master of Science in Exercise Physiology, 20 x Ironman finisher, 3x XTRI finisher, 6xIM World Championship finisher, Triathlon Coach, 32-year Vegetarian. Trimarnicoach.com