Race Coverage

David's Twofer...

Friday, 16 June 2023 00:10

By David Koppel

Ironman 70.3 Tulsa and Des Moines Race Recaps (2 for 1!) -Ironman Tulsa 70.3 was somewhat of a late addition to my calendar, but I was feeling like I put in such steady work from January to May, that I wanted to start my season earlier than ever before, and to do that, I needed to leave Minnesota. I chose Tulsa so that I could drive (9.5 hours!), but it worked out pretty well. I drove Friday to just south of Kansas City, and stayed the night there. Then I drove down the rest of the way to check in, and relax in my hotel room all afternoon until race morning. Tulsa was much cooler than expected and I was very happy about that. The race had a half ironman and a full ironman happening the same day, on the same course, but it was still a small race compared to other locations. I didn’t know of anyone who would surely win the race, so I thought there was a chance I could be leading the race at some point.

The swim was at a state park in a nice location, but the cold air caused the lake to fog up, so the swim was delayed a full hour. This complicates things as most people have a routine with what they eat and when, and I had no calories with me and had to wait an extra hour to start the race. I took a mental note that I was definitely going to need additional calories beyond the 1000 calories of Infinit in my bike bottles and filed it away for later....

I went off in the second group of 5 people, with two teammates and a friend from North Dakota I’ve raced many times. The swim seemed long but it was mostly uneventful except for the fact that I put my goggles on over my swim cap. I ALWAYS put my goggles under it, but forgot the reason why, apparently. At about 1500 yards, the swim cap loosened enough that my goggles nearly came all the way off, and that was the point where I remembered why I put goggles under my swim cap. So, I stopped, fixed my goggles, and took off again. Swimming for me is all about rhythm and that was not a great occurrence. However, I exited the water in sight of both of my teammates who historically swim faster than I do by 1-3 minutes, so I figured my 31:07 was fine.

Pace: 1:26/100yd
Age Group Swim Rank: 5th M35-39
Overall Swim Rank: 22nd/600