Team Race Recap – 03 October 2022

It was another epic weekend of adventures and racing for Triple Victor athletes, from hurricane defiance to podiums. The weekend kicked off with @ali-ozymy and @arianna-werts tackling the IRONMAN 70.3 Muncie while @stephen-king and @Matt hit the trails. On Sunday, @Rob put his stamp on the world of ultra-cycling while Ali and Arianna headed to the Mid-East Collegiate Conference (MECTC) championship.

On Saturday, we had Stephen scheduled to kick the day off in North Carolina at the Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock 50k ultra-run. However, the race director canceled the race due to Hurricane Ian causing safety concerns with the parks and sponsors due to down trees. Showing why we all love grassroots and “local” race organizers, the team behind the event hosted an optional “fun run” using the back section of the course further away from the storm path. So, while Stephen didn’t get his 50k, he did enjoy a 20-mile out-and-back fun run on the most challenging section of the 50k race. Stephen, you will have to let us know which you like more, sprint triathlons or long course trail running?

Arianna was our first athlete to kick off racing this weekend. Arianna took the lead position to heart and exited the water 1st in her AG (18-24), 7th OA (female). From that point forward, Arianna was “racing in the sun” as she left her age group in her shadow en route to the fastest bike split and run split of the day. Arianna finished in 5:06, 31-minutes ahead of second place, to claim the AG (18-24) win and 5th OA (female). Arianna is the first member of the squad to punch her card to the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.

Ali was next up, entering the water about 10-minutes behind Arianna. Ali exited the water in 8th position for her AG (25-29) and 68th OA (female). From when Ali left the water, she never stopped hunting, jumping to 6th in T1 and climbing to 2nd during the bike. Ali exited the bike down 6-minute to 1st place, Jennifer Hannigan, and had a 2-minute lead over third, Jane Patzke. Ali and Jennifer would run away from the age group, with Ali finishing 23-minute ahead of third place but unable to catch Jennifer. Ali completed the day with 2nd in AG (25-29) and 15th OA (female).

For all of our IRONMAN athletes and century riders, how often have you heard someone say “112/100-miles… I don’t even like to drive 100 miles!” We have a few members of the team that think 100 miles isn’t enough.

Closing out Saturday racing, we had Matthew Thomas hitting the hills and gravel at the Hastings Highlands Hilly Hundred gravel race, where he had unfinished business from 2019 due to a DNS. Matthew got after it with some of the most consistent riding possible for a 109-mile gravel route featuring 7,560 feet of climbing, finishing in 6 hours and 14 minutes. Beast Mode.

Sunday kicked off with Robert tackling the 150-mile Noma to Noma. If you dread your “long days,” remember Robert volunteered to race 150 miles twice. This year, Robert improved his 2021 time by 70-minutes finishing the event in 7 hours and 19 minutes. The best part, Robert built his fitness training for standard and long course triathlons making this event all about mental determination and guts.

Bookending the weekend, we had Ali and Arianna racing the Mid-East Collegiate Conference (see teams here) championship with the Purdue Triathlon Club at the Boilerman Triathlon. Dedicated to their Purdue teammate and friend, Timothy St. John, the Boilerman Triathlon was about paying honor to a friend. Timothy, a rising junior at Purdue, died this past June from injuries sustained after a truck hit his bike on a training ride in North Dakota. Heading into the race, given they had just destroyed a 70.3 the day before, the goals were simple:

• Have fun and remember Timothy.
• No race objectives or pace targets.
• Push only as hard as your can while feeling strong.
• Let your body and mind guide you.

I heard the race went well, and they spent time celebrating Timothy with friends on the course; mission accomplished!

And good things happen when you are in it for more than sport. Racing to honor their friend, Arianna and Ali took the gold and silver at their conference championship. Congrats ladies!