Ironman Cozumel - spectator recap

 

Although we didn't race Ironman Cozumel, we had an incredible time on the island, sharing the experience with our athletes. 

November 13th - Tuesday

We flew GSP to CZM on Tuesday the 13th. Normally, we would encourage our athletes to arrive Wed for a Sunday Ironman but with this being an international race (and a very hot and humid one), we decided to arrive a day earlier. We flew out of Greenville at 5:25am (arriving at 4am). A few weeks prior to the flight, I checked my Delta app and there was an upgrade to First Class (from the main cabin where we were sitting) for only $5! I jumped on that offer which gave us two free bags (each) up to 70 lbs. We used our TSA Pre-check to breeze through security and got a coffee in the centurion lounge at 4:30am (lounge access with Amex plat biz CC), before boarding our flight. It was a quick 35 minute flight to ATL. We had a 5 hour layover in ATL so we waited until the Delta Sky Club opened at 6:30am (lounge access with Amex Plat biz CC although I think we could have had access with our First Class tickets since it was an international flight)  and spent several hours working on the computer in the lounger, while enjoying delicious food. I personally enjoy the B terminal Delta Sky Club lounge in ATL over the F terminal lounge but thankfully it wasn't too busy as the lounge is rather small compared to the B terminal. We boarded our 2.5 hour flight to Cozumel around 10:25am. We enjoyed the larger seats and extra legroom, along with the free snack box (I got a fruit and cheese box, which was delicious and Karel had a Turkey sandwich box) and free WIFI for skymiles members. The plane was an older plane with a very small TV and limited shows/movies but it was only a 2.5 hour flight. We enjoyed having three of our athletes on the flight as well. 
When we arrived, it took about 20 min to get through customs. We had to fill out a paper form, show our passports and then our bags were sniffed by a security dog. It took about an hour by the time we landed until we got into the taxi. I wasn't sure how the taxi process would go (there were plenty) so I went ahead and booked one online prior to our trip. I used Cozumel Tours. They were very responsive and nice in the booking process. It was $9 person + $9 per bike. It was raining when we arrived and continued to rain on and off for the next two days. 
Although our Airbnb was only a few miles from the airport, it wasn't a direct drive as we had to drop another athlete off as his Airbnb and with all the one way streets and tourists, it took about 20 min to get to our Airbnb. Our Airbnb was incredible - I'd call it a compound. Donna, the owner, gave us a tour and we had plenty of room for the 9 of us (plus extra beds). The location was perfect as we were within walking distance to the grocery store, race packet pickup/T2/finish line and pool. We didn't rent a car and we were fine without one as there are taxis everywhere (easy to pick one up by the ferry port). 
After unloading our stuff in the Airbnb, Karel built our bikes and Claire and I went to the Mega to grocery shop. Throughout the week we each made several smaller shops since we were walking with the groceries. We shared the costs of food at our house. 
For dinner we went to a local restaurant - El Foco. The owners had run the restaurant for over 40 years (their daughter was serving us - and her two dogs were extra cute). We enjoyed the local cuisine and I had cactus on my vegetarian tacos. Yum! Tasted like green peppers. 

Pastries from the Mega grocery store. 

Our Airbnb pool

We were instructed no paper in the toilets (only in the trash can), you can't drink the tap water (our Airbnb supplied us with 8 huge jugs of water and she refilled throughout the week) and you need to keep the Airbnb extra clean due to ants. 
I was told about the animal situation that there were a lot of stray dogs and cats. As a big animal lover, this was hard for me to see but thankfully the ones we saw didn't look like they were suffering. We fell in love with a tortie cat who was very skinny so we temporarily adopted her and fed her two packages of wet cat food every evening. 
We slept great the first night (we had AC) and we were excited for our first official day in Cozumel. 

November 14th - Wednesday

A little before 9am, we walked to the pool (Sports Unit Independence). This was my first time walking through the streets of Cozumel and it was neat to have a close look at local life. It took ~15-20 min to walk to the pool. We paid $4 (or 60 pesos) each to access the pool. The 25 meter pool had 8 lanes (I think) and it was salt water. It was warm and felt amazing. I did a swim workout with our athletes. Karel wasn't able to join because he sliced his finger with a knife as he was cutting a zip tie off our bike case. He went for a run while we swam. I ended up swimming 3773 meters. It felt so good - I wanted to keep swimming. The pool was open 9-1pm. After getting a light snack at home, several of us went out for a bike ride around the island (one loop of the course). The 6 miles getting out of town were very busy. Although it was flat and a bit windy, it was so beautiful to see the ocean. There was a road just for bikes but for this ride, we stayed on the road so our athletes could see the entire course. It got busy again as we made our way back into town. We rode 44 miles in 2:13. It was very warm and I loved it. I brought three bottles (2 sport drink and 1 water) and it was nice to have the water to cool my body. I went through my two sport drinks bottles. After the bike, I went for a 3.5 mile run on the run course. It was very hot and humid at almost 4pm but I loved running by the water. 

A few of us went to a vegan restaurant called Nutty Treesome. It was delicious. 

November 15th - Thursday

Around 8am, our crew walked a little over a mile to Stingray Beach for an semi-organized open water swim. It was very choppy but it was so fun to swim in the ocean. Karel was able to tape his finger so he could swim and we did a few out and backs for 25 minutes and ~1500 yards of swimming. After the swim, our athletes each had their own training to do. Karel and I went out for a bike workout. We took advantage of the different terrain and spent a lot of time in the aerobars for our bike workout (which felt like a trainer session - just with better views). We started off through the town and biked the course but turned around before returning back to the town on the other side of the island. It was a bit more windy than the day prior. 
For our workout we did: 
~40 min warm-up
4 x 3 min build w/ 2 min EZ
2 x 15 min HIM effort w/ 3 min EZ
~40 min IM effort
4 x 3 min build w/ 2 min EZ

It was really hard staying in aero for so long. Our legs were toasted at the end. There were several places to refill our bottles with bottled water (we stopped at Coconuts bar) along the other side of the island. We finished with 3.5 hours and 72.5 miles. I did a 20 minute/2.5 mile run off the bike. Once again it was really hot and humid. I always run with my Naked belt and 2 flasks but this time I wish I had some aid stations available to cool myself with ice. Although it felt like running in a sauna, I was loving it. I was so happy training in the hot conditions. 


November 16th - Friday

Karel and I went out for a long run while our athletes had a bit of a chill day with their workouts. I ran 11.6 miles (1:33) and ran one loop of the run course. I needed to stop on the way back to buy water to refill my flasks. I included 4 x 1 mile stronger efforts on the way back but with the heat and humidity, it was difficult to pick up the pace without overheating. Karel ran 1:35 and covered 13 miles. Surprisingly, we both do really well training/racing in the heat although Karel prefers cooler conditions. I love the heat and humidity. 

After the run, we did a quick shower and change and walked to the pool for a short recovery swim. It felt so good to loosen out for 2400 yards. 

In the afternoon we watched the athlete briefing on YouTube as well as some past videos from IM Cozumel. It was good for our athletes to familiarize themselves with the course now that they were at the venue. 

Our adopted tortie cat that we fed every night. Two packets of Whiskas. 

At 5:30pm we had our team pizza party and course talk. I ordered pizza from Rolandi's (although it has a new name). When I went back to pick up the pizzas around 5:00pm, I realized the pizzas were small so when I picked up the pizza, I had to order another order for 10 pizzas total. Karel and I enjoyed sitting by the ocean in the restaurant as we waited for the pizza. It as worth the wait as the pizza was delicious. 

November 17th - Saturday

With only one more day until the race, our athletes did their assigned pre-race warm-up and got their stuff ready for the race. Because the swim start/T1 is ~6 miles away, the athletes used a taxi to transport their bikes and gear bags to the transition area. Karel and I went for our long ride around 9:30am. Although our last race of the season (Clash Daytona) is a half distance, we wanted to take advantage of the nice weather and plenty of time in our aerobars with a longer ride. We reversed the course so that we didn't have to ride through the busy streets of the town. We were surprised all week to not see more athletes on the back side of the bike course. It was a lot more windy today for our ride. We took our time warming up for ~1:40. We stopped outside of the transition area to refill our bottles at a small store. We then rode steady for ~35 minutes until we got on the bike path to start our intervals. We did 2 x 30 minutes as (4 min steady, 1 min strong). It was nice having the intervals to break up the effort. We rode 43 minutes between the intervals as IM effort. We did the two 30 min intervals into the wind and used the IM effort as active recovery in the tailwind. We stopped shortly after the last interval at the last store on the backside of the island before turning left to head back to town. We refilled our bottles and made our way back to our place. We rode 4:34 and 92 miles. After the ride, Karel went out for a short run (30 minutes/4 miles) but I wanted to go a bit longer. I did 1:07/8 miles and ran a loop of the run course. I started the run around 3 so it was very hot and humid but I wanted to experience the run as if I was racing as I knew this would give me a better understanding of what my athletes were going to experience and I'd be able to give them better nutrition/hydration and pacing advice. I was pretty proud of myself for completing that run. I could have used a bit more water for cooling but I was thankful to have my two flaks of nutrition on me. 
For fueling during my workouts in Cozumel I used: 
Swims - Skratch orange flavor
Runs - Never Second C30 berry 
Bikes - Infinit Fructose 90g

Karel and I went out to eat after our workout. We ate at Rock N Java Cozumel Carribean bar and grill. The veggie burger was so good. And the fries hit the spot. We also got chips and gauc, which was delicious.

 

Sparkling water lemonade w/ lime. 

Feeding our island kitty

It was nice to hang with our athletes in the evening as they were relaxing before going to bed. 

November 19th - Sunday Race day!

4:30am group pic!

We woke up at 4am and Karel drove the athletes (Ashley and Zach had a rental SUV) to the race start at 4:30am. We waited and waited for the athletes to start and eventually we heard the race was delayed due to water conditions (wavy) and then eventually it was cancelled. The athletes started in a time trial setting from T1 with their bike stuff. We were relieved when they finally started the race, over 2 hours later (~9am). We walked a few blocks on the bike course in the middle of the town to watch the athletes come in for their first loop. It was awesome to see the pros and all the age groupers. We were able to give all of our 7 athletes a big cheer. 

Our good friend Katie was there supporting her friend and it was fun to hang out. I was so excited to introduce her to our neighbor Chihuahua (4 months old) across the street from where we were staying. After seeing our athletes on their 2nd loop, we made our way to the start of the run to watch the pros exit T2. We then spent the next 6+ hours on the run course, cheering for our athletes. Although the race was delayed, the positive was that the sun was setting as our athletes were on their 2nd or 3rd loop of the run, which made for a little more tolerable conditions. Karel and I were able to find a restaurant to eat on the run course so we could cheer for our athletes as they were racing. 

I love this pic that I took of Sebi. This was his last pro race of his career. 

We ate at the Thirsty Cougar. The burger wasn't as good as the one from the day before but it was still good. We became obsessed with the sparkling water lemonade that was offered at all the restaurants.
So freshing.

Karel got ice cream at Flamingo Ice Cream Bar. We don't recommend - it was overly priced and a very small portion. 

We watched all our athletes finish and the finish line was incredible. We loved the local music and all the spectators cheering for the athletes. It was nearing 11pm when we made our way back to the Airbnb. We chatted with our athletes to hear about their race and nearing midnight, we went to bed. 
Here are some of my favorite race day pics. 

Bags of water instead of cups of water.

Marek

Sara

Ashley

Diane

Zach

Ashley

Claire

Kevin

Sara

Diane

Claire

Zach

Claire, Diane and Zach

Ashley

Ashley and Zach

November 20th - Monday 

Karel and I were pretty tired and sore from spectating all day so we went to the pool for an easy swim. However, because it was a holiday (Mexican Revolution Day), the pool was closed. We walked toward the ocean and decided to meet some of our athletes who went to Money Bar Beach Club for snorkeling. There is a small beach area that you can enter the water for free, or you can sit at a table (or beach chair) if ordering drinks/food. We took a taxi instead of walking the 3 miles to get there. The water was super clear and we saw a lot of fish. Karel and I ended up swimming ~2000 yards while also looking at all the fish. There were some tiny jellyfish but thankfully they didn't sting too bad - more like a little itch. 

After our time in the ocean, we all ate lunch at the restaurant before heading back to the Airbnb to start packing up. We did our laundry at the corner Lavendaria. We went to the awards ceremony at Senior Frogs at 5:30pm. It was chaotic and crazy. With people already there eating (likely getting a table well in advance), athletes and family had to find a place to stand inside the restaurant. It was hot and crowded. Although the award ceremony was special, it would have been better to have the awards in a more open and more spacious location. 

Sara - 1st 45-49
Diane - 2nd 55-59
And Kevin - 2nd 65-69

4th place Tri club award

November 21st - Tuesday 

I went for a swim with our athlete Claire around 9am (~2700 meters). The pool was a bit more quiet compared to race week. I was sad leaving this incredible outdoor pool. After the swim, I went for a run. It was really hot and I found this run to be a challenge. I ran 53 minutes, 6.7 miles. I decided to run the other direction from the race course to change up the scenery. I saw several Iguanas as I was running. 
Claire ordered us a Taxi van from the Ferry port area to pick us up at 11:45am. Even though our flight wasn't until 3:20pm, I wasn't sure how busy the small airport would be and from our experience in Kona, I thought getting their early would be less stressful. Thankfully, no line and we were able to quickly check in. Actually, we did have to wait but only for the Delta staff to turn on their computers to start checking people in. Security was quick as well. Around 12:30pm, we went into the VIP lounge with our Priority Pass/Amex plat Bix membership (and since we can have a guest, we took Claire in with us). We enjoyed some snacks and water while working on the computer. Claire left for her flight a little after 1pm and we left the lounge to board our flight around 2:25pm.

The flight to ATL was uneventful. We had a long layover in ATL (almost 6 hours) and since I used the Mobile Passport Control app (it's free), we breezed through customs with almost no wait. Our plan was to inquire about doing the Global Entry Interview upon arrival (we have been conditionally approved for a few months but haven't been able to get an interview appointment). After exiting customs (before leaving the area to get our bags) we asked about getting an interview and he said it would be ~90 minutes. We decided to wait and after 90 minutes and a 10 min interview, we were approved for our global entry. We got our bags and bikes, dropped them off again, went through security and then took the plane train to terminal B. We spent the next 3 hours in the Delta Sky Club. We were super hungry and it was so nice to have an assortment of delicious fresh food to enjoy while working on the computer. It was a very late night. We arrived to Greenville around 11:55pm and made it home just before 1am. It was so good to reunite with our furry crew. 

Speaking of furries, here are some pics of my new Cozumel friends.