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SPENCER QUALIFIES FOR KONA
(Race report by Bruce Spencer)
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Bruce Spencer on the bike in the 2009 Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island
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(12
July 2009) I was a late entry into Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island. I had 70.3 St. Croix in May as well as IM Canada in Aug. as my two “A” races and Kona qualifying opportunities for 2009 season. These plans we laid prior to my decision to move back to Guam in Feb. After a tough day in St. Croix against a very competitive field, I decided to enter 70.3 RI knowing that Ironman had just made 28 Kona slots available at this race. Given my commuting between East Coast and Guam, packing and moving our home in Miami, tending to family, work etc., my IM Canada and Kona plans were likely to be put off until 2010. So I decided to press hard for Rhode Island and hope for the best.
The course consists of a bay swim, point to point bike course (this was logistically challenging as there were two transition areas-T1 at Narragansett Bay and T2 in Providence about 45 miles north, but race organizers did a great job with this aspect) and a two loop run course in the heart of downtown. The shuttle buses left Providence at 4am race morning to transport competitors 50 minutes. south to the swim start. My hotel was a half block from the shuttle bus pick-up which made it very convenient on race morning. I was up at 3:15am to take in some cereal and OJ, prep a bottle of liquid fuel and gather my gear for the ride. |
On race morning, temps were in the 60’s with 15-20 mph winds and drizzle, but the forecast called for improving conditions which it did. There were about 1600 competitors in the field that entered a chilly (65 degree/wetsuit legal) and rough swim on race morning. The race was actually delayed 40 minutes to reset the buoys that had been blown off course overnight. Based on the rough water conditions race morning, race organizers were offering a bike-run alternative for those who were not comfortable swimming. The swim went well as we fought heavy chop onthe way out and then literally got blown back into shore from the wind and waves. As a result, my swim time was a bit faster than I expected. After wetsuit peelers assisted in T1, it was off to the road north to Providence. The first 15 miles were along the scenic Rhode Island coast with a nice tailwind before heading inland and rolling hills. About mile 20 a fellow Age Group (AG) competitor, who had beat me handily in St. Croix, passed me on the bike. With only 2 slots allocated in the 45-49 AG, I knew I had finish in 1st or 2nd in the group to secure a slot. With so few Kona slots available in 70.3 races, I knew the possibility of one of the slots rolling down to 3rd or 4th place was a very low.
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Bruce Spencer settling into a 6:56 min/mile pace and on his way to a 2nd place age group finish.
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Knowing the type of race this guy had in St. Croix as well as his results from 70.3 Buffalo Springs just two weeks earlier (2nd in AG), I pegged him as the guy to beat that day. So when he went by me, I told myself that I had to keep him in my sights for the rest of the day to have a shot. We battled back and forth for the next 30 miles. As we approached the final bike miles within the city limits, the course becomes very technical with lots of turns and road hazards. My pre-race car ride of the course paid dividends during this section as I noted railroad crossings, bad sections of road, tight corners and other hazards. While the weather remained overcast and cool, I started to feel some fatigue and slight cramping in my legs so I tried to stretch hamstrings in the closing miles. I finished about 30 seconds behind my fellow racer, but lost him heading into T2 among the sea of bikes and people. A quick bike survey of T2 revealed that I was among the leaders say top 3-4 in my AG. My nutrition plan worked well on the bike as I had not stomach issues. I hit a few extra electrolyte capsules in the closing miles of the bike to set me up for the run.
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As I started the run, I felt decent but was not sure if leg cramping issues would surface or not. The run is a two 6.5 mile loop course with a very steep, 2 city block long incline at miles 1 and 7. (As a point of reference, it was like climbing from Weston up to Marine Dr…just lean into the hill, shorten your stride and endure the pain.) The first time up the hill was not too bad as heart rate was elevated, but within reason for early in the run. As I made my way up the hill, my legs were getting a bit a crampy. I ran at a fairly consistent pace for the first loop of the run as planned and manage to pass one guy (not the one who I was racing on the bike) in my AG. On the way back to the half way turnaround, I noticed another 45-49 competitor who was at least 10 mins. ahead of me. After seeing him, this meantthat I was in at least third with 6.5 miles to go. I managed to keep pace up the hill again on the second loop. My legs had come back to me and I was feeling good. At the mile 10, I passed a buddy of mine from Philly who told me a 46 yr old guy (age on his calf) had just passed him. Low and behold, I gazed ahead and there was the competitor I had lost track of in T2. I picked up the pace, quickly bridged the gap and pulled up along side him. We exchanged a few words regarding where we thought from a placing perspective. He thought we were top two, but I knew there was other guy ahead of us. This meant we were racing for second place and the second of two Kona slots. GAME ON BABY! The pace quickly accelerated as he tried to drop me, but I covered every acceleration staying just off his shoulder. As we entered the final half mile I pulled slightly ahead of him. About 400m out from the finish line there was a slight incline prior to heading down the final stretch. At that point, I surged and opened up a gap. After a quick glance, I saw he had dropped off and then nailed it one more time. I finished 8 seconds ahead of him for second place in the age group and a qualifying slot to Ironman World Championship. |
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