Almere-Amsterdam, The Netherlands - September 12, 2021
1:12:25 Swim (1:54 / 100 M)
4:43 T1
5:06:18 (21.91 MPH) - 4th in AG
Total 6:23:25
6th out of 14 in AG
Great experience. And for a race in the COVID era, other than having to wear masks around transition, changing tents, etc... things were pretty normal. Swim was crowded, as we were the 2nd to last wave to go. But not bad. I was not in great form going into this race, and it came to haunt me during it. I had not swam this long distance since Nov. 2019, and definitely got tired on the 2nd lap.
The bike was tough. Wind, wind, wind and more wind. What should I expect, when the entire bike course is around wind farm, after wind farm, after wind farm. LOL But I was able to keep a steady power/pace throughout most of it, and managed a good effort. I was hoping to break 5 hours, but the last 12 miles were the worst headwind of the whole day... I had the 4th best bike split in my AG. My downfall was the swim. Had I done around my usual IM average swim (1:05 - 1:08), I would have ended up in 4th place overall !!! It was not the hardest course I've raced, but I can definitely say at the end of this one, I was the most beat up I have ever been. Perhaps because there was no run, I pushed this bike more than any other IM race, perhaps because I was not in great shape, or both... at the end of this one, my neck and shoulders hurt, my lower back was so sore, and my right calf was so stiff I could barely walk afterwords. Overall, and based on my level of conditioning for this race and the difficulty, I am pleased with my performance!