Challenge Roth — 8:49, and what it took

It’s taken a couple of days to set in, but @challengeroth didn’t disappoint — there’s truly no race like it in the world. After a freak bee-sting incident last year, I was out for revenge.

The race took a twist when, for the first time in 50 years, the recent heat wave made it a non-wetsuit swim. Combined with the more physical nature of the mass start here, I struggled to find any flow on the swim and came out of the water well behind the time I was aiming for. Honestly thought any chance of a sub-9 finish was out the window.

On the bike I started strong but took a corner a little too fast toward the end of the first loop. Managed to avoid a crash, but pulled something in my back, which bothered me for the rest of the ride. I backed off the power and rode smart, staying with a solid group and only surging when I needed to. Came off the bike in 4:42 — 17 minutes faster than last year, so the strategy worked.

Coming out of T2 I glanced at my watch and confirmed I was going to need a sub-3 marathon to break 9 hours. I took off hard with another superb runner, and we ran shoulder to shoulder for 21 miles, working together to keep a strong pace. After that, the struggle kicked in for both of us and we spent the final miles leapfrogging each other, finishing within 15 seconds of each other. Going in I thought a sub-3 was possible on a good day. Never thought I’d pull off a 2:50 marathon at the end of an Ironman.

That run saved my day and propelled me to an 8:49:50 overall — a 23-minute PR. I left it all out there. My legs literally gave out 10 feet past the finish line and the volunteers had to help me up.

Thanks to everyone who got me here: @power2tri.endurance for pushing me and getting me ready for my biggest season yet; my friends and family — especially @amandalynnn2 — for supporting me from afar; @chazadams for being crazy enough to come along and finish his first full-distance race; and @nealbeforethequeen and our amazing BNB host @thomastrautner for surprising us out on the course. That cheer at the right moment gave me exactly the boost I needed to close out the final miles.