Race Report - 70.3 Taupo

IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships Taupo, New Zealand

My Why

In the athlete's village, there was a wall called "My Why," where Ironman posted comments from participants about their motivations. My reason was simple: I was fortunate to qualify and complete the 70.3 Worlds two years ago in St. George, Utah. The experience was incredible, with red-carpet treatment for all athletes. I loved it so much that I wanted another chance, and I earned my ticket with a 3rd place finish at Oceanside earlier this year.

Pre-Race Experience

After three consecutive winters of injury (two broken bones and one rotator cuff surgery), I carefully built up my training again in January. 2024 was finally uninterrupted by injuries as race day arrived in December. For the first time since 2020, I felt I was running to my potential. I couldn't wait to run in New Zealand! I arrived early to help with jet lag, which I definitely felt for the first three days. During taper week, I never felt particularly strong in my workouts and even skipped a run to feel fresher. Looking back, feeling hungry all week was a bit of foreshadowing. Was I losing more weight?

The Race

Swim

The swim was surprisingly my favorite part of the race. The water was just as advertised: clear, blue, and clean, with a temperature in the mid-60s. The start was super smooth with no body contact. Ironman did a great job with buoy placement for this point-to-point course. I passed a buoy, and in a few strokes, I could see the next one straight ahead. I noticed during the swim that I was passing other swimmers, which kept me motivated. The final big green triangle left turn came quicker than I thought. As I pulled myself into a running exit, I glanced at my watch but couldn't find the swim time, so I focused on the task at hand: getting over the bridge without falling!

Bike

The bike segment surprised me. After about 10-20 miles, I realized I was passing a lot of cyclists, more than I expected. I kept pedaling and glanced at my power meter, trying to stay within my race day range. The course had more downhill sections than I anticipated, and no hills broke me. All those training rides on Santiago/Silverado and Laguna Niguel hills paid off. However, I became worried when my chain sounded like it was going to jam. I pedaled gently, and luckily, it got back in gear. In the final third of the bike course, I felt fatigued and wondered if I would be okay on the run.

Run

The run did not go as I hoped. Although I felt the bike's fatigue, I quickly clicked into my running form. I love the run in a triathlon because it's my favorite part. However, I experienced a new pain in my right quad that lasted about 15 minutes before miraculously disappearing. I maintained my target pace of 7:45-7:50 per mile for the first half, but then my body ran out of gas. I wanted to walk and even quit, but I couldn't. I flew all the way to New Zealand, wrote sub plans, and trained hard. I had to finish. A kind fellow triathlete shared her salt nuggets and water with me as I struggled through the not-so-flat run course. My legs didn't cramp, but it was close. I slowly trotted through the beautiful, red-carpeted finish line chute, barely able to throw my arms up in the air. But I did it. I finished my second 70.3 World Championships.

Post-Race Analysis

I'm frustrated with having to sit in the medical tent after nearly all of my 70.3 races. My next goal is to finish with a smile and no medical tent. I think my problem this time was nutrition. I was always hungry throughout the trip and don't think I ate enough the day before or during the race. Pacing myself on the bike may have been an issue, as I felt fatigued in the final third. On a positive note, my 10th place division finish is still sinking in. I'm incredibly happy with my swim and blown away by my bike split. My open water swims before the race were disappointing, almost always 2:15/100 yd or slower. Strava had my swim pace at 2:04/100 yd on race day. How did I do that? Seeing my overall finishing time on my watch was a shock. I thought I would be lucky to have a time just under 6:00, but it was 5:38. I'm happy. Very happy.

Favorite Parts of New Zealand

I loved the miles of serene, beautiful countryside, sweet bird calls, unique trees, and the cleanest streets and roads ever. The town of Taupo was welcoming and friendly, a stark contrast to busy southern California. And the fresh, unwashed eggs were a treat! Sharing this experience with teammates Jenn, Alex, and Rachel made it even more fun. Tom was invaluable as our bike mechanic and sherpa, always asking how he could help. He and his wife Sue were fantastic cheerleaders on race day. I would love to do one more World Championships.

~Sherri Ellerby