Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas - 4/10/11

The Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas was held in Galveston, Texas on April 10th, 2011. The race was a half-iron distance triathlon consisting of a 1.2mi. swim, 56mi. bike and 13.1mi. run.

After a disappointing race at the Oxbow sprint triathlon one week earlier, I was primed and eager to redeem myself at the race I had spent months training for.  Ironman 70.3 Texas would mark my "official" foray into long course triathlon. I had some exposure to the 70.3 distance at the Iron Star Triathlon a few months prior, but I was a part of a relay team there; I had a friend swim while I biked and ran.  Ironman 70.3 Texas would be my first complete half-iron distance race.  It was also my first exposure to a WTC Ironman branded race.

About the race:

The race is centered in and around the Moody Gardens Galveston Island complex. Moody Gardens is pretty much the largest attraction in the Galveston area. The huge rain forest Pyramids are what the place is best know for. The transition area is next to Moody Gardens, and the run course winds in and around the various facilities, making this a very spectator-friendly venue. The swim is in Offatts Bayou; a salt water estuary protected from the Gulf Coast. The out and back bike course takes competitors away from Moody Gardens and along the coastline.

The noble steed racked and ready.

This was my first WTC race and I quickly found out that things are a bit different at these "larger" races. First of all, I was a bit surprised to find out that competitors must check their bikes in to the transition area the night before the race. At first, I was a bit sceptical of this concept. I could think of all kinds of reasons why this seemed like a bad idea: rain, wind, salt air, theft, etc. But, I was assured the area is guarded well all night and they did allow us to place covers over the saddle and handlebar areas of the bikes to guard them from weather (complete bike covers not allowed, however). No one else seemed too concerned, so I hesitantly complied. The thing I was most concerned with was the strong Galveston winds blowing my bike off the transition rack. I solved this by racking my bike backwards and hanging it by the brake levers for the night. I have to admit, it was very nice arriving to the transition area on race morning without having the hassle of dealing with a bike. I can also see the wisdom in their decision just based on the sheer number of athletes trying to get into the transition area in the morning. In terms of athlete participants, this was definitely the biggest race I'd ever seen, and I was a bit overwhelmed with it all.

Despite not needing to check in a bike on race morning, I still arrived to the race site very early. I've found that this is the best way for me to deal with my pre-race nerves. I like to get my transition area set up, triple check everything, obsess over a few pointless details (Ex. - "I just put 118 lbs. of air in my tires, but what if the cool weather has made it drop to 115? I'd better check it again..."), and then go find a quiet place to chill out for a while. Still, no matter how early I get to the races and no matter how many times I check and re-check my gear, I get extremely anxious when they're about to close transition. "Do I have everything I need? What if I forgot something? What if my aero helmet fell off my bike!?! They can't close it yet...it's too soon!?!" I eventually have to just walk away and let it go or I'll drive myself crazy.

The swim start was very interesting. It was my first deep water start, meaning everyone has to swim out to the start line and tread water for a few minutes until the horn blows for the swim wave to begin. To get in the water, everyone is corralled down a long dock and then competitors have to jump off the end of it when their swim wave is called. Out of nervousness and apprehension, I pretty much waited until the last possible moment to jump in the water and swim to the start line. The water was cooler than I expected and it caught me a bit off guard. But, the thing that really caught me off guard was the taste of salt water! It seems obvious now, but somehow I never really thought about the fact that swimming in salt water would taste different than swimming in the pool.

Note to self: try to swim in or near the swim course a day or two before the actual race just to get acclimated...surprises on race day are no bueno!

This was, by far, the longest I'd ever swam in open water. To say I was nervous is an understatement! But, a few hundred meters into the swim I remember a calm coming over me. It was like I sub-consciously decided that, like it or not, I was doing this race so I might as well calm down and start concentrating on it. At that point, I felt super comfortable and I actually remember smiling in the water. I remember thinking how improbable it was that I was doing my first half-ironman when just 9 months earlier I couldn't even swim a complete lap in the pool! I knew I wasn't going to be very fast, but I didn't care; I knew at that point that I'd finish the swim and everything else would be a breeze once I got out of the water.

My smile did briefly turn upside down when I get kicked in the eye by a fellow competitor. I've been grabbed and swam over before, but this was a solid heel kick square on my goggle. I think even he realized how hard he kicked me because he was nice enough to stop swimming and check to see if I was ok. I was fine, and after the stars I was seeing disappeared, I was able to get my goggles back on and resume my crawl to the swim finish. After that incident, it seems like time sped up and, all of a sudden, the swim was over and I was getting out of the water and stripping my wetsuit. After a long run from the water to the transition area (I'd say ~.25 miles), I let a volunteer quickly put a splotchy, uneven coat of sunscreen on my shoulders, then I hoped on my noble steed to begin my 56 mile dance with the wind.

The bike course is quite nice. It's very scenic as it parallels the Texas Gulf Coast. However, the theme of the Texas 70.3 bike course is: WIND! It didn't take me long to realize that the Galveston winds don't play around. On race day, the winds were easily sustained 15 MPH with gusts well over 20 MPH. With the wind coming out of the South, it made for a head wind/slight side wind. At first, it didn't seem that bad, but it didn't take many miles before I could really feel the effects that fighting the wind was having on my energy levels. At one point, I looked at my speed and was really disappointed, so I started to push harder to get my speed up. In retrospect, that was a bad move. I used up way too much energy fighting the wind. Once I reached the turnaround the wind direction created a slight tail wind, but I think I was too tired to properly take advantage of it. As I neared the end of the bike course, I was sitting up quite a bit to stretch my lower back and take a break from working hard. Of course, my bike split suffered and I ended up a bit slower than I had hoped for.

*An important note about the bike course: There is a large overpass/bridge that you must cross on the bike course. There are speed bumps at the foot of the bridge on both ends. I personally saw one athlete, and later heard about several others, that went down on those speed bumps because they didn't see them coming. A few got a free ambulance ride. If you are participating in this race, heads up!

In my opinion, the 13.1 mile run course is one of the best parts of this race. It's a flat multi-loop course (4 loops in 2011) that winds in and around Moody Gardens. There are tons of places for spectators to get a view and cheer for the athletes. This makes the atmosphere very exciting. I know a lot of people dislike a multi-loop course, but I don't really mind it. I find it easier to pace your effort and accurately judge the distance you've covered. Plus, seeing my family cheering for me each time I pass them on the run course gives me a bit of a boost. I was actually looking forward to this segment of the race, as I was beginning to figure out that running is my strength (relatively speaking). After completing Iron Star Triathlon a few months earlier, I had a much better idea of how to pace myself during a half marathon.

I finished the race in 5:25:32. My goal was 5:30:00, and considering that this was my first complete half-iron distance race, I was thrilled with that result. All-in-all, I raced fairly conservatively because I didn't really know what to expect. But, I gained a lot of confidence and experience from this race. Once it was over and I analyzed my performance I realized that, with more training and experience, I had the potential to go much faster in a half-iron distance race. I really feel like longer distance races suit me better than short sprint races.

Overall, the Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas 70.3 is a great race venue. The typically windy conditions make this race tougher than it appears on paper. Being a WTC event, the registration fees are expensive ($300+). That is my least favorite aspect of their events, but I suppose it is true that you get what you pay for. I admit they do a great job of making athletes feel like they are part of a huge sporting event. The presence of pro athletes gives the race a certain buzz that you just don't get at smaller, local races. Combined with a top quality expo, I suppose the cost is worth it.

Venue: 10 out of 10

Value: 6 out of 10

P.S. - One more note of caution if you're considering this race venue. The UV rays in Galveston are super intense. Use sunscreen, especially if you're a nearly albino white guy/girl like me!  Also, if you decide to run with your hat backwards like a Michael Raelert wanna-be, prepare to get this sweet looking race souvenir.