This past weekend marked a return to Branson, Missouri, for the second annual Ironman Branson 70.3. Last year I notched my first ever win on the Ironman 70.3 circuit, so I really wanted to come back and defend the title, support the race, and give a hard effort on an honest course before racing Kona in 3 weeks time.
Branson is an unusual place, and the weather was more the topic of discussion than any of the thousand trinket shops or shows playing daily. A particularly strong storm front had moved into the area, and was drenching everything in sight. Lightning, thunder, deluge. But, after a smooth travel day and some easier workouts, I was set to defend the title. Plus, I got to hang out with the race carnies and watch a Journey cover band shred it up on Friday night. Things were coming together nicely I would say…
Saturday was more rain, and not much else. Craig at Downhill Bikes bailed us out and let us rock some trainers in his store, and we jumped in the lake for a short swim before lightning scared us back to the beach.
Race day was up early to temporarily clear skies, an activation run, and then a breakfast while I honed the mental game one more time. We opted to leave our car at the Chateau so we didn’t have to ride the duck boats in the cooler morning air, and after a few minutes prepping T1, it was game time.
With such a small men’s pro field and all the work I have been doing lately, I felt good about my chances of exiting near the lead. Still, Guy Crawford snuck well left and was off clear with the sound of the cannon. I dug as deep as I could to claw my way back onto his feet, and after about 300m of swimming, I could finally taste the sweet, sweet nectar of Guy’s feet. But the struggle wasn’t over, and as we recounted later over a beer that night, he put in another hard effort at the first turn buoy, causing significant distress as I chased his bubbles once more and held on for dear life. On the home straight, I just stayed calm and planned for the bike ride ahead.
But planning wasn’t enough to keep me from crashing and pissing away my 1 minute or so lead on Matt Lieto around mile 16 of the bike. Being the first person through a particularly slick section meant I went sliding along with my bike into a concrete curb. I have been practicing my “zen” in these circumstances as of late, and after taking stock and realizing that I had only minor raspberries on both hips, I grabbed my nutrition, put the chain back on, and got rolling. A big shout out to Matty for asking if I needed anything as he assumed the lead. Class.
Most of the rest of the bike was spent going back and forth with Matt, and near the end I started pushing harder to get a gap before T2. The legs came good, and despite the crash and punishing hills of the Branson course, I felt pretty light as I approached the Landing. We had built a good lead over the other pros.
Having just knocked out one the best long runs in my training history less than a week before the race, I felt good about things as I took off running. Crowd support was strong for the early sections, and I fed off the energy as I looked to extend my lead over the chasers. By the halfway point, I could sense that the victory was mine, but kept things clicking over to get the most out of my last “training race” before Kona.
Hitting the line for my second win in Branson was definitely special, as a title defense at a race of this caliber is a first for me. I must thank all my sponsors, family, friends, training partners, coach, and Ryan Robinson’s race crew for making this possible. I will take all the lessons from my season and focus in now for the final push before Hawaii. Aloha in a couple weeks!