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I am thrilled to
cap off the 2009 season with my first Ironman
win and a new course record at Ironman Arizona
last weekend. At the beginning of the year I
was unsure if I would be making it back to
racing after a serious injury kept me sidelined
all winter, so to end with a win was the icing
on the cake.
It was cold and
dark as 2400 athletes took to Tempe Town lake at
7am. Was I the only one that found it odd
swimming through the desert in November ? The
swim was the low point of my race – I can’t make
excuses; everyone was swimming in the same
frigid water, but I just felt like my arms never
warmed up. Usually I like to hang on the feet
of faster swimmers but when I saw nothing but
open water in front of me I knew it was bad news
because it meant I was not in the lead, but so
far back I couldn’t even see the lead!
Exiting the water 8
minutes down from Leanda Cave, I had my work cut
out for me on the bike. The 3 loop course was
flat and windy – with a slight rise up to the
turn-around then a screaming fast “descent” back
to town, just made for my Argon E-114 TT bike.
I rode hard and took back a few minutes per loop
on the leaders, ending with a 4:56 bike split –
the fastest of the day.
Coming into T2 I
had taken over 2nd place and was
closing in on Leanda. I took the lead at the
end of the first loop and stayed there for the
rest of the day. The run course was awesome –
tons of spectators and the three loop format
meant we were never far from the next cheering
section, a far cry from the loneliness of Kona’s
Queen K highway. A big shout out to Zoot for my
custom race flats they made with only a few
weeks turnaround time – I know the matching kit
was good for a few minutes on the run course.
Finishing in 9:09,
I set a new course record with the fastest bike
split and 2nd fastest run of the
day. This was the highlight of the season which
had started with injury and ended in my first
Ironman win. It was even more special to win at
“home” in my newly adopted state of Arizona.
Thanks to everyone
who stuck it out through the injury and for all
the support this season!
Sam
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