Ironman Maryland

The race was scheduled to take place October 3rd. However, due to hurricane Joaquin and other storms, the race was postponed to October 17th. We were not informed of the change until we had reached Baltimore the first time down. The family tried to make the best of the change and turned the extra days into a small vacation.

The race – approximately half the racers and volunteers returned to race.

Possibly some of the worst conditions I have ever raced in. Water temp was 63°; air temp was 46° with 15-30mph winds. The conditions were bad enough that a small craft advisory was issued and the swim was shortened first to 1.2 miles then changed again to 3000m. Race start time was pushed back 40 min to prepare the course as much as possible. I was lucky enough to have my wife, son, and sister come to watch the second time as well. They arrived just before the race stared, driving most of Friday night and 2 hours Saturday morning.

Entering the water felt like an ice bath. By the end of the swim I had lost feeling in my toes and hands. The 3000m swim took 50m, then it was off to transition where it was the first time I have ever changed clothes during a race. Transition took 12min but it was worth every minute to have warm dry clothes to start the bike.

Flat, fast, and scenic is the best way to describe the bike. The only bad thing on the bike was the harsh winds and a 5 minute drafting penalty. Drafting penalties were being handed out left and right. At times on the bike it was tough to hold 16mph even in an aero position. Despite the conditions and penalty I was able to post my fastest bike time of 5:24.

Leaving T2 I decided to drop all my long sleeve shirts thinking I would warm up on the run. This decision came back to bite me within the first few miles. The first 7 miles went well, averaging 8:30s. Support on the course both from fans and volunteers were great. There were 2 volunteers from the west side of Cleveland immediately leaving T2. The middle 12 miles of the marathon were the toughest. I began fighting cramps, pain, cold, and energy. But right around mile 19 my energy came back and the cramps went away and I was able to begin running sub 9s again. The last mile I pushed to catch anyone in front of me and finished with a 4:02 marathon. Again, posting my fastest run time.

Overall, I finished with a 10:37. 130th overall of 1359 finishers and 22 of 88 in my AG.

My fastest time previously was 11:28 at Ironman Florida. Despite conditions, penalties, and date changes; the race turned out to be great. The venue and course was nice but laid out and run poorly. Some changes will need to be made before I would consider going back.

Next up for me is local racing and some half distance races for the next year or 2, then hopefully getting back to full distance and try to qualify for Kona.