Macon Race Report & New Sponsor Announcement!

I had planned to return to race Eagleman this year, but due to a lot of changes taking place (stay tuned), I had to make some adjustments in the schedule. Travel for a race was no longer an option, so I turned to the local/regional favorite: The GA Rock ‘N Rollman Half Ironman in hot, sweaty, and sultry Macon, GA.

There is probably a reason why I never considered this race before.  Perhaps it has to do with the 5000% humidity, combined with the hilly course with zero shade.  Suck it up, Buttercup. I jumped in.

As a side note, I would just like to mention that the volunteers were awesome at this race. It’s not easy to get people out there in those conditions.   Volunteers can come in all shapes and sizes, and from any demographic. I thought I had seen it all . . . until I saw these guys.  They were awesome!  Hey, what’s more morale-boosting for an inmate than to get to spend the day with half-naked athletes?

There was not an official “pro field,” but rather an Open/Elite wave to qualify for the smaller prize purse; about half of the Open/Elites on the men’s and women’s side had a pro card. It’s a cool opportunity for amateur elites to also race for some prize money.  So it was a bit of a surprise, to say the least, to see Nina Kraft’s name on the start list.  I raced at Steelhead with her last year, and she stomped me on the swim (as did most), I passed her on the bike, and the returned the favor on the run.  I figured it would be a fun chase at the very least.

My coach, Matt Russ, has killer skills when it comes to motivational pep talks. Two days before the race, he was in top form when he delivered one of his best lines ever:  “Shut the ____ up and just get out there and race!” Girls can be so whiney (just sayin’).  He is pretty good at dealing with me.

Coming off of my wretched swim at Gulf Coast, my aquatic confidence was a bit shot.  So you can understand my delight to see my good buddy, Mark Maclachlan, at the swim start. I had no idea he was racing in the Open wave!  Mark and I are perfectly matched in the pool. We swim masters together and share a lane, and I have been known to actually beat him on occasion!  However, I am “open water special needs,” so I knew my best bet would be to stay on his feet and draft like a champ.

I am pleased to announce that Mark accepted my proposal and kindly came on board as my NEW SWIM DRAFT SPONSOR. I cannot believe I waited this long to pursue this important type of sponsorship.  He was FAB. I tickled his toes all the way around that gorgeous, flat-as-glass lake, and emerged from the water in a SHOCKING 28:24.  Shocking for me, that is.  My previous PR was 30+, and that was with a wetsuit and a current at Steelhead.  I didn’t care what happened the rest of the race; I finally wasn’t cussing coming out of the water, so it could only be a good day!

I jumped on my bike and screamed to Danny on the side of the road “CALL MATT AND TELL HIM MY SWIM TIME!!!”  — that was my only concern at that point. I wanted my coach to know the freakish swim performance I just miraculously pulled off.  Again, whatever else happened was a moot point.

I passed my good buddy April early on (another testament to the power of a Drafting Sponsor– April can crush me in the water and I didn’t expect to see her so soon) and yelled something to her cute pink ass about LET’S GO.  I had never ridden that course before but it was pretty much all up or down.  After about 40 miles I was irritated that I hadn’t caught anyone else, because I can usually reel in some more women by that point.  Then at mile 50 I caught Nina and it occurred to me–  I was 3rd out of the water.  This was like an act of God.   I put as much time on Nina as I could in the remaining 6 miles, and came into transition with a 2:30 bike split– very pleased as this was a tough course, and it was the fastest by over 5min.  As I rounded the last corner into Transition, I saw Danny, Sam, and Matt and they were all screaming and jumping up and down. I was cracking UP!! I don’t think they expected to see me come into T2 first– it was pretty cool.

I’d need that cushion, though (and more!), because the run was just miserable!  Macon is like The Trifecta of Hell:  Hot, Hilly, and Humid.  My goals of a run in the low 1:30s were soon dashed as I struggled to hold a pace at least 20sec off my goal pace.  No biggie– the conditions were very tough and I was still grateful to pull that off with the crazy schedule I’ve been maintaining the last few weeks.  I ended up with a less-than-stellar 1:37, and Nina beat me by just over 4min.  4:38 overall time and 2nd place.  Always the bridesmaid . . .  ha!

I’m actually thrilled. I’ve been juggling things like a circus performer lately with a LOT of changes going on.  This was a great race given the conditions and the amount of focus I’ve had on triathlon lately.  There is no such thing as balance in my opinion; it’s just a juggling act!

My teammates rocked it out in the Sprint race and it was just awesome to race (again) with so many friends and acquaintances out on the course.

Dr. Sadri and super ultra-marathoner bad-ass, Jennifer Vogel, of First Choice Healthcare, were there to take care of all the athletes in all their nastiness. These guys are the best and I have Sadri to thank for keeping me injury free since 2008.  If you are an athlete in ATL, definitely seek them out.

Of course, a huge shout-out to my sponsors (ha!), especially my SWIM DRAFT SPONSOR, Mark Maclachlan, for really taking one for the team.  I’ll be adding your logo-face to my website shortly . . .       Here’s my new sponsor and I post-race.  And yes, there are about 50 cold towels, a visor, AND a ghetto-style, backwards hat full of ice on top of my head.

My former marketing professor from my MBA program, Dr. Jim Linck, has since taken the dive head-first into this crazy sport, alongside his equally awesome twin brother, Paul Linck.  I ran past Paul at one point and wasn’t sure which one it was . . . it was funny.  “Go Ji… go Pau. . . GO LINCK!” These guys are a trip and it was great to see them out there.

Last year I did mostly all big 70.3 races and nothing local.  This race was a great reminder of how much fun a local race can be.  Pretty low-key, but surprisingly VERY well run, despite four different races going on at the same time.  A big thumbs-up to GA Multisports and SetUp Events.

Of course, thank you to my kick-ass coach, Matt Russ. We’ve been through it all and I feel like he knows me so well (more than he’d probably prefer to) and I wouldn’t trust anyone more than I trust him.   If you have a great coach helping you achieve your goals, don’t forget to show them some love.  When it clicks, it clicks.  I feel very lucky.

ps: I’ll be accepting applications for a FEMALE Swim Draft Sponsor moving forward to fulfill my sponsorship needs in the pro wave of most bigger races.  Please submit your proposals as soon as possible; I expect this to be a very competitive application process.