Utah Tri Buzz

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Results Breakdown: Ironman 70.3 St. George 2019

Congrats to everyone who participated at St. George 70.3!

As you've all heard by now, St. George will be hosting a full Ironman on May 2, 2020 in place of the 70.3 event. For 2021, the 70.3 will be back on in May, in addition to hosting the 70.3 World Champs in September. Exciting stuff!

For 2019, race #2 of the Utah Triathlon Championship Series is in the books, with the next races up in the series being Sand Hollow Olympic (May 18th), Daybreak Olympic (Jun 1) and East Canyon Olympic (Jun 8).

Keep in mind also that Woman of Steel takes place this Saturday, May 11th!

In general we hope you'll get out and support the local race scene, and let's continue making 2019 an awesome season.

Below is the results breakdown for St. George, and this post explains what this is if you need a refresher.

Basically, we crunch some #'s to show your percentile vs. the field for each discipline. The lower % the better, and this look helps you track your own performance year over year, race to race. Here is the same analysis for 2017-18 if you want to look at your performance at St. George across multiple years:

Results Breakdown: St. George 70.3 2018
Results Breakdown: St. George 70.3 2017

For example, picking a random person, Gordon Laurens probably has a swimming background. His swim was 11th percentile (his strongest), followed by a 36% bike and 62% run (his weakest). Toss in 23% transitions and he landed on 43% overall. Rudi Von Berg and other pros were obviously crazy low (0%-2%) for everything.

(Note, transitions are T1+T2 because the source data only had Swim, Bike, Run, Overall, so we had to back into the combined transition times)

Along with other Utah Triathlon Championship Series races, we'll use these results towards season awards (Most Improved, Top Local Racers, age group rankings, etc). Anyone who raced SG 70.3 from out of state will shake out of our overall rankings as the season progresses because they more than likely will not be racing the minimum of 3x locally to qualify for rankings, prizes & stuff.

Remember we take the average of your 3 best series races (overall %), so plan your season accordingly!

Lastly, special shout outs to Skye Moench (4:16, 4th place in the women's pro race), as well as fastest local age groupers Dan Johnston (4:32) and Amanda Milner (4:58)!

St. George 70.3 Results - 2019

UTAH TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES 2019 DETAILS --> SEE POST HERE !

“It is not the critic who counts; not the wo/man who points out how the strong wo/man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the wo/man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends her/himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if s/he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that her/his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt

UTAH TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES 2019 DETAILS --> SEE POST HERE !

Below are links to all the races in the 2019 Championship Series:

Ice Breaker

St. George 70.3

Sand Hollow

Daybreak

East Canyon

The Utah Half

Echo

Jordanelle

Salem State Champs

Brineman

Kokopelli

Below are links to all Challenger Races:

DinoTri

Topaz Tri

San Rafael Classic

Southern Utah Triathlon

We started a Patreon account (link below) with the hope of raising a few bucks towards awards & swag for athletes of all abilities in our tri community. We've given out a lot over the past 2 years, but would like to continue to expand our offerings & the volume we can do.

If you enjoy Utah Tri Buzz and would like to pitch in, any amount would be greatly appreciated... (there may be something in it for you as well!)

https://www.patreon.com/utahtribuzz

We're also always grateful for talented people who contribute in terms of time... let us know if you'd like to be part of the Utah Tri Buzz team.

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

St. George 70.3 Race Report: Amanda Milner

Regardless of finishing time, there were so many gutsy performances at Ironman 70.3 St. George on Saturday... picking just one for a race report was not easy!

One such performance came from Amanda Milner, who both physically and mentally dismantled one of the toughest 70.3 courses on the planet.

Here is her report!

Comparison is ugly and I have battled this toxic characteristic for quite some time. One of my favorite things about Triathlon is it opens the door for you to face your demons head on. It sheds light on your insecurities and it brings out your best and your worst traits. Comparison seeps into all areas of my life – it’s just a little more obvious in triathlon. It tears me down and robs me of joy.

This past Christmas, my mom encouraged each member of my family to reflect on the last year and pick out a trait or a word that we no longer wanted to identify us. I immediately knew my word – comparison. We wrote our words on a rock and symbolized “setting it free” by throwing it into the river. I committed then to free myself of comparison...

Fast-forward 6 months, May 4th 2019, Ironman 70.3 St. George – a race I have been prepping for all winter. My last two races (World Champs in South Africa and Los Cabos 70.3) I beat myself up mentally the entire race not only costing me precious minutes, but also, leaving me unenthused for the sport, and frankly depressed. Heading into St. George 70.3 this past weekend I made a commitment to myself to choose Joy and to release the feelings that often weigh me down of comparison and negativity.

Leading into the race, I have never been more excited. The pressure was off. Knowing it to be one of the toughest and most competitive races in North America, I let go of any placing goal or time expectations. Pre-race jitters were present (as they should be) but the darkness that accompanies my demons I face throughout racing were lifted. After all, if Joy was the focus, there was no room for the darkness.

The gun went off and it was on.

"oh, it's on like Genghis Khan wearin' Sean John in Bhutan!"

The swim was cold. Like take your breath away cold. But Joy, being the focus, did not allow me to complain. Instead I took it one buoy at a time and repeated the things I have learned over the past year to correct my stroke. The sun crested the hilltops and light poured into the reservoir catching and reflecting the splashes of kicking triathletes ahead of me. Joy filled me and propelled me.

Thankfully, the swim is short. I don’t dislike it, but I do enjoy it the least of the three. Wetsuit strippers were a treat and transition went smoothly.

The bike was a blast. The course is rolly with fun, fast descents and some good climbing intermixed to keep the brain occupied. Shortly into the bike, I heard a whistle and turned just in time to see my fast fiancé, Seth Barnes, fly by me and yell “you’re in the mix!” It’s funny how a brief interaction can carry energy.

Hammering the miles away, Snow Canyon loomed ahead. I tried to focus on a mile at a time in order to distract myself from the pain that was certainly in my future. “Pain is always temporary,” I repeated as I began the ascent up Snow Canyon. I focused on one bright colored kit in front of me at a time and dare I say, I actually had fun (type 2 fun, mind you) grinding up Snow Canyon. With Joy still at the top of my mind, I crested the top of Snow Canyon and barreled to T2 down the speedy descent. Cramping hip flexors added to my excitement to get off my bike and begin the run.

In my last two races, Sh$$$ has hit the fan – quite literally as I have experienced immense GI distress and turned to walking on the run. I didn’t know what the run had in store for me on this day but I decided to take it two miles at a time. Fear of the unknown would only cause unnecessary stress and worry. So I reminded myself of the word of the day – Joy- and put my head down ready to grind and take on the notoriously challenging run course.

photo credit: Kenny Withrow

In March, I was privileged to spend a week training on this course with BAM. We focused on technical running skills throughout the camp and I heard echoes of Andrew and Wes’s feedback throughout specific sections on the run. On the course, you’re either running uphill or downhill. There are little to no flats. I chunked the run out in sections in my head – when it was uphill I focused on posture and foot strike, when it turned to downhill I relaxed and engaged my hamstrings. Keeping my brain engaged made the miles fly by.

I also had the opportunity to race in the Vixxen Team Kit. For those of you who don’t know the Vixxens, they are one bada$$, feisty/fierce, and inspiring group of ladies! Repping the kit and racing for the team provided me energy when it was most needed. The team is recognized and respected and the consistent “GO VIXXENS!” from spectators gave me a much needed pep in my step.

I crossed the finish line filled with so much JOY to be finished and with a new-found enthusiasm and motivation for this sport. With no set goals before the race, I came away with a personal best and a course PR of almost 30 minutes. I don't share this to boast, but rather to encourage you and remind you that your mind is your most valuable tool, but if you’re not careful, it can also ruin you. Be aware and make the decision to be positive – it IS a decision. What do you need to write on a rock and throw into the river? Don't be afraid to set it free - you may be surprised at what you can achieve.