Ironman Steel Head took place in a nice lake Michigan resort town. At the time of registration athletes were
warned that the water temperature was within a fraction of a degree of being
wet-suit legal. As of race morning the
water had risen the requisite amount and this would once again be a
non-wet-suit swim. The waves were large
but rolling and this made them look far more formidable from the shore than
they presented when actually swimming.
Swim times were slower than accustom for most athletes and I came out of
the water in 38:19.
The bike course was billed as flat and fast and did not
disappoint. The first couple of miles
trended slightly uphill but were of a grade allowable to steady speeds. This was not the most scenic bike course
taking in mostly farm land but it was safe and semi-sheltered from the
wind. I completed the bike in a time of
2:41 and took to the run course in once again sweltering heat in the upper
90’s.
With the conditions in mind I
started the run with a conservative mentality.
As the race went on I found myself feeling better and began to run
negative splits. This pacing strategy
payed off with one of my personal best run times at the 70.3 distance. The finish line was welcome at the end of the
day and I was able to finish in a time of 5:17 and another top 20 age group
result. Holly Sloan
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