Galveston 70.3 Race Recap

I absolutely LOVE racing in Texas. The multisport lifestyle is alive and well in the Lone Star state and it has the quantity and quality of athletes and races to prove it!

This was my first time racing the Half Ironman distance race in Galveston and I was a little nervous. Jumping onto my second ever pro start line just days after wrapping up my busy season at work did not always seem like the best idea. But really, there’s no better way to celebrate the end of audit season than 70.3 miles of swim/bike/run fun along the Gulf coast of Texas. Especially when I get to meet up with this kid!!

My sister, Hannah, lives in Houston and just happens to be the World’s Best Triathlon Sherpa. Not only can she cheer and tweet for hours on end, but she always knows the best pre and post race restaurants. And as an added bonus, my mom made a last minute decision to drive down from Dallas for the weekend. What a great surprise!!

The Swim – 1.2 miles, 24:33

The barrier island of Galveston is separated from the Texas mainland by a salt-water bayou. On race morning the bayou was calm and chilly! I think the water was around 65 degrees. I squeezed into my TYR Freak of Nature wetsuit and jumped in the bayou for a quick warm-up while I watched the pro men start.

The pro women went off a couple minutes later, and I went hard from the gun. I was pretty determined to keep the pressure on because 1.2 miles is too short to get complacent!

Twenty-four minutes and 33 seconds later I was excited to be the first female out of the water, but I knew I had some of the fastest women in the sport hot on my heels and I needed to get on that bike FAST!

The Bike – 56 miles, 2:27

The bike course is one out-and-back loop right along the Gulf Coast. I think the winds in Galveston are a little unpredictable, and on race day we had what felt like a tailwind on the way out and a headwind on the way back.

I tried to make the most of the tailwind and pushed hard on the way out.  Within the first couple miles, Emma Kate Lidbury flew by me. I surged to keep her in sight, but before I knew it she was G-O-N-E. At the turn-around I got a quick look at the women behind me. I seemed to be in a good position, but I knew there were some crazy fast runners back there and I needed every second I could get!

The headwind on the way back into town wore me down a little and the last 15 miles were a bit of a struggle. Jessica Jacobs came by with about 3 miles to go, and managed to get just far enough ahead that I had to navigate the airport runway section of the course solo. It was like  riding through a giant parking lot and I just crossed my fingers that I was going in the right direction!

I came into transition just ahead of Malaika Homo. Malaika moved through transition like a professional athlete, but my pace was closer to that of a three-toed sloth. Seriously! It was like I’d never worn shoes before! Eventually I did make it out of transition and out onto the run course in 4th place.

The Run – 13.1 miles, 1:30

The half marathon course was three loops through Moody Gardens. The loops had tons of turns but everything was VERY well marked with great aid station and spectator support. I was impressed!

I felt surprisingly good through the first loop. I stayed controlled as super-runners Kelly Williamson, Cait Snow, and Liz Lyles stormed by me like cheetahs on the hunt. Even through the second loop, I was ticking off the miles, enjoying the cheers, and thinking I was going to pull off a pretty solid day.

But then the wheels fell off. 

The last 4+ miles of the run were a bit of an exercise in disaster recovery. But even though I was hurting, my head was in a really good place. I knew I was coming into this race a little tired, but I loved being back in action. And crossing the line as the 10th place pro woman after 4 hours and 27 minutes of racing still felt like a pretty darn good day!!

SO MUCH THANKS!

First – a HUGE, massive, ginormous THANK YOU to my mom, dad, and sister for always being my biggest supporters, even when it isn’t race day. Special thanks to Ebeth and Hannah (and my sis’ boyfriend Farouk) for coming out to Galveston and cheering me through the race. You guys were everywhere and I loved it!!

Thanks to the friends and families of fellow pro Leslie LaMacchia, fellow Georgia Bulldog Billy Harllee and fellow Dynamo athlete Erin Humsi. Whether I’m feeling good or bad, there’s nothing better than a friendly “Go Haley!” out on the course. Thanks for making me smile loop after loop after loop!

Thanks to everyone following at home! Your texts and tweets made my day and I hope they continue through the rest of the season!

Thanks to Coach Maria Thrash for somehow getting me ready for an open water swim win after a winter of nothing but cold, dark, short course! And thanks to Coach Matthew Rose for always believing in me and for coming up with a training plan that allowed me to get through busy season and still make the top ten in Galveston!

Thanks to my industry sponsors – TYR, 110% Play Harder, Mizuno, Dynamo Multisport and SOAS (cute kit coming soon!). Thank you to TriBike Transport for getting my bike safely to and from Galveston and to Allen Heaton for making sure my bike was in tip-top race shape and clean of all that winter muck!

And thanks (and congrats!) to all of my fellow female pro triathletes. I really can’t believe how welcoming everyone has been and I am thrilled to be joining such a great community!

And one more thing…

One last thank you to all of the wonderful associates of the Bennett Thrasher. I’ve worked at the Atlanta based accounting firm for the past six years and in that time I’ve had the honor of learning from and working alongside some of the most brilliant,  honest, and downright hilarious people the public accounting world has to offer.

I’ve decided to take a leave of absence from my “day job” to test the waters as a full time professional triathlete. It’s a scary and exciting move for me, but I’m so appreciative of all of the support from my friends, family, and colleagues. As my friend Micki recently told me “Sometimes you just have to try things!” Thank you all and stay tuned because I’m predicting big things in the near future!