Race Recap | 70.3 Coeur D’Alene

Welcome to Idaho, home of the potato. You might ask, Jimmy, why did you pick a triathlon so far out West as opposed to a closer race? Well, this was truly a one-of-a-kind race destination with a beautiful town and an even better race. The trip was well worth it for the views and the town. 

The race before the race… getting there

Destination races for triathlon are a much more of a logistical battle than running races, due to the equipment. Packing your bike for a flight before a race can be quite stressful, although I feel like you learn more about something when you know how to take it apart and put it back together (with all the right pieces). Having a bike box is a worthwhile investment if you look to travel frequently for these races, but if not, I cannot recommend bike flights enough. Making sure you have a working bike saves you the biggest piece of anxiety before the race, .

The swim

A picturesque lake with mountains overlooking in every direction will truly take your breath away. Water temps looking to the mid to low 60’s make this a wetsuit legal race every year and probably will save you several minutes, depending on your swimming level. This was shaping up to be a great swim for me, but unfortunately, there is something you can never control: the weather. Morning of, there was significant wind coming off of the mountains, creating choppy waves that any swimmer found difficult, especially when the beginning of the race includes 700 meters of being slapped in the face and swallowing significant amounts of lake water. Exiting the water and taking your wetsuit off can only be compared to the feeling of spinning around a baseball bat 20 times and then trying to go for a run. 

The bike

The bike course is beautiful, with a flat out & back to begin the first 17 miles, so get your calories replenished from the effort in the water. The bike leg in a 70.3 is crucial, as it takes up the most time in the race. It is important to bike within yourself and not light all of your matches too early. Most people aim to bike somewhere within 75-85% of their functional threshold power (FTP) to work hard, but still leave some strength in your legs for the run. My goal was to hold an average around 200-210 watts, making sure that my watts did not exceed 260 watts for the several large climbs over the 3,000 ft of elevation change (aka holding onto these metaphorical matches). With every ascent came a nice descent on the ride back, and I was happy to not have any mechanicals (flat tire, gear issues) over the entire bike course.

The run

The first mile of a tri can only be described as running like a newborn baby deer as you are trying to get your legs used to running right after having biked for 56 miles. It truly feels like the first time you’ve ever ran in your life, and this is also where new triathletes often make the mistake of going out too fast. In my training, I knew relatively what pace I could maintain for the half marathon distance and made sure that I did not go any faster than that pace for the first 5k. I needed to really stay within my own limits and run the entire thing without cramping or long walk breaks. As the temperature started to climb into the mid 80’s, I grabbed water at every aid station for one cup to chug and one cup to pour on my head to keep my core body temperature down. With 400 ft of elevation gain I knew I wasn’t going to PR this race, but I was happy to hold a consistent time and finish with a smile on my face just around my goal time.  

Running through that finish line with a time of 5:11 was just where I wanted to be for such a difficult course, and I had a great overall experience. Just remember: survive the swim, bike for show & run for dough.