Las Vegas Rage Half-Ironman

This year I decided to throw in a little warm-up race to ramp up the season by doing the Rage Half-Ironman in Las Vegas, NV. I've heard many good things about this course such as the rolling terrain and the run course that takes you up to the Hoover Dam....well just shy of it. On the other hand I also heard about the organization of this race or the lack there of. Overall it was the perfect set-up for me to get the season rolling with Vegas only being a 7hr drive from Grand Junction. My intentions for the race as they usually are, is to go out fast and give it everything I have. But my coach (Tony DeBoom) had different plans for me. The plan was to build into each discipline and avoid going out like "gang busters", find a good rhythm and focus on my nutrition. You got it coach!!!

The swim was held in crystal clear Lake Mead, I've never swam in water so clear but yet so dangerous. Many locals refer to Lake Mead as "dead body water". Just as it sounds, they do have many deaths in this lake whether they were accidental or not. Why would I mention something like this or even fret about it in this blog, well when visibility in the water is so clear you can spot a few interesting objects down on the bottom of the lake. The day before the race I went for my usual pre-race swim. About 300m out from shore after passing a few rocks and tires I spotted two cinder blocks tied together with rope........let that play with your mind a little as your out in the lake alone.

Race morning we were set to go off a 6:30am. The water was cold (about 60 degrees) but manageable. The swim was a mass start around a one loop course that stayed pretty close to shore. I decided to brave the crowd and line up near the front row. Right on time the gun went off, my start was good, I was able to settle into an early rhythm without pushing myself too much. I noticed only a few "gang busters'' out front but didn't worry about them to much keeping my focus on my stroke. About halfway through the swim I began to pick the pace up a little bit. I was breaking most of my own water, with a few guys on my heels. I popped out of the water in 30:17, right where I wanted to be then made the long trek up to transition.

Swim: 31:11

I exited the water 7th overall but made a quick transition to pick up a few spots coming out of transition

The bike course was my kind of course. It consisted of rolling hills with a few steep climbs and some fast descents. I've never considered myself a good climber but today sure seemed to point to that. I was able to work my way past a few of the leaders to get into second place. I played cat and mouse with a few guys on the climbs and descents. At the turnaround I was holding onto a solid 3rd place with the chase pack about 3-5min behind, the leader had a good solid 5min or more on me at the turn around. He looked solid and I knew unless he had a breakdown he was holding on to that lead. It felt good to be out front with the leaders for once, something I plan to work for even harder for for future races.

On the way back at about mile 40 I could feel my pace begin to slow up a bit. I tried hard to get calories in but my stomach wasn't really feeling it. I also knew my race fitness (or lack of) was coming into play, something I didn't worry to much about for this being my first race of the season. I was in a good position and from here it was to see what I had left in me. 

Bike: 2:39:02
I entered T2 in 6th place, but again with a fast transition I got out of there in 4th after maneuvering my way thru the sprint and Olympic finishers. 

The run course was mostly on dirt, that eventually made its way from Lake Mead up to an old Rail road trail that worked its way thru about 4 or 5 dark tunnels up to the Hoover Dam. They used this old rail road trail for when they were building the dam, it was a nice distraction from the pain of climbing up to this trail.The first 4-5miles were a gradual climb out of the park, before eventually flattening out to the turnaround then it was all down hill, a fast descent if you had the legs to keep up.

Out of  transition 2 I was able to regain 3rd quickly, it wasn't until about mile 4 that I was passed and fell into 4th place, it felt like I was standing still when he blew passed me. Since it was an out and back course I knew I would get a good look at the leaders and there pace. Once at the turnaround I saw that I was only a minute back from 3rd, I turned up the heat a little bit and began to open up the pace. But this didn't last long, the pace began to fade fast. By mile 10 I was in survival mode, I was once again passed and from here I tried my hardest to hang on to 5th. For the last 3 miles I struggled to hang onto any pace, I found that I was looking over my shoulder a lot (shhhh...don't tell my coach). Just when I thought it would never come I crossed the finish line to be greeted by my girlfriend who shouted "hustle-up"......hahaha. That's why I love her!!!!

Run: 1:36:07
Overall 4:49:44 1st in age, 5th Overall

I knew it was a tough course with some good athletes out there, I enjoyed this type of course, it kept everyone honest and was a challenge every step of the way. This race was a big confidence booster that all the hard work of the off season is paying off. From here its back to training hard and smart as I prep for a small sprint triathlon in Denver in May then its off to Boise 70.3 in early June.