New Orleans 70.3 Race Report - Alan Sage

PPTC Member Alan Sage raced New Orleans 70.3 last month...keep reading to learn about a great race in the Big Easy...

Ironman New Orleans 70.3 was both fun and challenging for me. It was my first race longer than an Olympic distance so I was anxious to see what this was all about. A couple days prior, I mentioned to my sister and brother in law that I thought I was pretty sure I could complete a full Ironman but I wasn’t sure about how fast I could do it. Let’s just say that I took that statement back about 3 minutes after crossing the finish line.
Deciding to drive to New Orleans was a decision I made because I like to have my own car during packet pick-up and race day morning. I also didn’t want to bother taking my bike apart and putting it back together. My journey started April 15th from the Springs and I arrived in New Orleans Friday night(16th). I enjoyed seeing family and friends leading up to race day. The finest part about racing in New Orleans is the food. I have never had any real nutrition issues prior to this race so I decided that I was going to enjoy my short time there and eat po-boys(shrimp, oyster, catfish) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This leads us to race morning.

Pre race: Our swim wave (25-29M) was the last to start so there was no rush but I’ve always been the type to wake up early race morning and be one of the first at the transition area. Whole grain Cheerios and Vanilla Soy Milk is my race day breakfast of choice. I also made sure to take my vitamins and an XS energy drink. My bags were already packed so I took off pretty early. Everything was running smooth in the morning as far as getting body marked and getting transition area set up. I always bring a ton of liquids and extras just in case but in the end my transition area is very simple and easy to work with. Out of the 2500 or so bikes, mine was the closest to the run out. I was pretty excited about that……At that time. We had about a 2 hour wait so, being the extrovert that I am, I decided to make friends with fellow triathletes.

Swim: Well, well, well. I’ll start by saying that swimming once every 2 months is not a great game plan for a successful swim. It was a running start into the water so the start was more spread out than I was used to. My goal was to finish the swim in 35 minutes but I had to adjust 30 seconds into the start. There were some decent swells in the lake and there was an art swimming through them that I didn’t quite figure out. To make a long story short, I finally got into a groove. Although sunny on the way back to the transition area, I managed to stay comfortable and save some for the bike. I finished the swim in 48 minutes, which was obviously way off my goal.

Bike: I have never been one to take forever in transition so I was on the bike and ready for 56 miles in about 2 minutes. The bike portion is normally my weakest part, although the swim and bike were my weakest this particular day. I felt great the first 30 miles then fatigue started to set in. I learned that it is ok to pee on the bike, but not until after the race. I stopped 3 times to use the bathroom and was part of the reason it took me 3:19 on the bike. Oh well, lesson learned. I normally drink a sugarless sports drink which lasted me a good portion, but had to revert to orange flavored powerade, which started to give me some stomach issues. In any way, I finished the bike with an easy last mile of spinning and stretching to prepare for the run.

T2 was interesting in that I always take my feet out and pedal on top of my shoes right before dismounting and didn’t realize that there were a plethora of “stickies” that were going to stay on my socks. I took about 30 seconds trying to get them all off of my socks but in the end, I believe it would have taken me 5 minutes to get them all off. I put my shoes on and took off. (T2 was about 90 seconds). I only felt the “stickies” for about ½ mile.

Run: Feeling good is an understatement when describing how I felt on the run. I felt wonderful but also thought about how this was my first ½ Ironman and didn’t want to push it too early. Weather was a little toasty compared to Colorado (85 and humid) but had no leg cramps or stomach issues through the first 11.5 miles. I was feeling really great and heard a second line band with 1.5 miles to go so I decided to put the legs into another gear. For those that don’t know what a second line band is……..Imagine a brass band (trumpet, trombone, sax, snare drum, tuba, etc. ) marching down the street with about 100 others marching/partying behind them (One of the things I love about my hometown). That was enough to pull me through the end of W Esplanade Ave. I started to feel a small cramp come on in both of my legs so I started to run a little funny but who cares. I was thinking about beignets and crawfish after the race. I turned the corner to head towards Café du Monde and Jackson Square only to find a huge crowd and many high fives waiting. I finished the run in 2:01 and that put me at 6:13 for total time. It was a great experience and look forward to racing many more 70.3’s.