Boise Ironman 70.3 Report from Doug Connelly!



Doug Connelly’s Race Report:

I loaded my truck with a bike and bin of swim and run gear.  My wife and dog hopped in too, and we spent Friday driving to Boise.  Sounds like a lot of us from Fitzgerald’s were there this weekend.  I raced in the Ironman 70.3 – 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run.  This was a first of this distance for me, longer than past races and I loved it, a little sore but psyched to race another.

The day started off with the swim.  Sun felt warm but the water was 53 degrees . . . damn cold even in a wetsuit.  The pro field entered the water first and took off.  I was a few waves back, racing in my age group event.  Led Zeppelin cranked over the PA system as I tried to get my breathing controlled in the cold temps.  The horn blasted and the race was on.  A few people were plucked from the water by rescue boats, but most racers rounded the buoys and made it into transition 1.  I was glad to be out of the cold, and felt plenty strong for the bike ride ahead.  Pulled off my wetsuit to reveal orange and green beneath.

Onto the bike.  I had been looking forward to this for a while.  Thanks JayP for the new fit on my Cervelo.  It worked great, felt faster and I was able to hold position for the entire 56.  The course winded over flats, hills, bridges, and finished in downtown Boise.  People were out cheering.  Cops on motorcycles.  I saw one crash behind me as a guy came into a downhill turn too hard.  There were two massive downhills that let me tuck in and hold on – probably hit 40+ mph on those . . . pretty awesome.  About thirty miles in, I felt my glutes getting tight.  I passed lots of people.  Still, a handful of guys flew by on their bikes and I was tempted to chase, but knew the half marathon was ahead and would be the biggest challenge for me.

Bike shoes off, running shoes on.  At this point, hydration and nutrition were pretty big deals – It was getting hot.  I handled this well with gels and shots and the run course provided support at every mile.  When first trying to run off the bike, my hamstrings felt like tightened balls about to snap.  After a couple miles they loosened up and I was able to get into a decent rhythm, then eventually pick the speed up.

In the end I finished 49^th in my age group of 154 racers.  324^th of 1221 total racers with a time of  5 hours 23 minutes.  I expected the bike to be my strongest leg and was surprised to find that my run was slightly more effective.  I’m racing again in two weeks at the USAT Rocky Mountain Regional in Loveland, CO.