TRIEDGE WOMENS TRIATHLON TEAM: New Zealand Ironman....70.3 Part 2

Friday March 2-
Today we woke up and went to go check in our bikes. I was starting to get really excited for the race. When we went to check in our bike the volunteers were amazing! They met you at the entrance and they gave you a personal tour through the transition area. They also photographed our bikes. I got so many compliments about my bike. I might not be fast but I was going to look good!!!

After we checked in our bikes, we had to go get our bags ready for the transitions. This is very stressful especially when you have no idea what the weather will be. You have to pack for the unexpected, but you only have a small bag to put everything in. I just jam everything in, this time it included my wonderful sling!

Next it was off to some natural hot springs!

After the hot springs we went back to the hostel and that is where we heard the good news! :( The IRONMAN had been cancelled!!!! They said there was a tropical storm coming our way and there was no way it was going to miss us. It took up the whole island!! My heart just sank, so much training and effort. I will admit I did cry, but so did half the athletes. What can you do though, we have no control over the weather. The Ironman staff was wonderful, they said they were going to put on a half the next day, Sunday!!!

So what do you do when you find out your race of the year has been cancelled eat TIP TOP ICE CREAM and FISH AND CHIPS!!!

Saturday March 3-
All night long I was thinking, I hope when I wake up it is horrible weather because I will be really mad if it isn't. We woke up to NO WIND OR RAIN! I started getting upset, that they cancelled the race so early. Although the day did get worse as it went on, that is what we heard. We really didn't want to stick around and just sulk, so we headed south. We went to Napier and Hastings.

Napier Highlight:
Sheep skin factory
Opossum Museum
Waterfall- can't remember the name

The Napier sheep skin factory! I came here seven years ago and it was still just as good! We bought several sheep skins and a great steering wheel cover.

Opossum World, a great opossum museum. New Zealand has a big problem with these critters, so why not have a museum for them!

Getting out my anger at the Opossums! I felt like I needed to shot something after the race of my year was cancelled!

That is what I was shooting. They might look cute, but they are NOT

Ladd and my Dad showing us there tough man faces. I think my dad might have won, Ladd doesn't have a mean bone in his body!!

The weather getting worse as the day went on. Oh, and that is my new REALLY expensive jacket!

Hastings Highlights...well highlight no S:
Ice Cream- Rush Munro's

There is really nothing better then New Zealand ice cream!!!

Sunday March 4-70.3 day:
We had to re check in our bikes, because of the bad weather the day before we had to pick them up. That morning it was still windy, but the race was on! We did the bike check and then sat around and froze for the next hour or so! It was sooooo cold that morning and I wasn't prepared. All of my cold weather stuff was in my special needs bags!

With about an hour left before the race it was time for the first event, putting on the wet suit. I hadn't put on my wetsuit since october 2011! It was an experience, but it kept me warm!!!

Next it was off to the swim start. This is when I started to get really nervous. The men started 5 min before the women, so that gave me 5 more min to talk my self out of swimming! Luckily my mom was with me to calm my nerves. I was so scared that my shoulder would not hold up, even with a half Ironman swim. I hadn't swam since the injury!

(FYI- my dad decided to not race. He doesn't like racing on Sunday, so instead he saw a start and then went to church. )

Women waiting to start the race!

Getting out of the swim. Ladd always says I don't look happy, so I was really trying!!

The race was sponsored by Nutri-Grain, so while we were suffering the spectators could go to the cereal bar. There is the man that was suppose to be racing eating cereal!

No pictures of me on the bike. That is a task that Ladd has not quite mastered, maybe a few more races and he will get it! I felt great in the swim. I never once felt my shoulder. My time wasn't great, but no ones was. It was pretty choppy! The bike was awesome. I love passing people! I am such a slow swimmer I only have 5 men pass me and not a single female, but I passed tons!!! The only thing that stunk, well there were two things, the road was really bumpy and the wind the last 20Km. There were times I was going 8mph! Oh well again, nothing you can do about the weather!

Just off the bike! I felt really good!

Yelling at my mom who was about 30 sec in front of me. I had been talking about how fun it would be to finish with her, but I don't think she felt the same way! As soon as she saw how close I was she took off. (That is my mom for you!!!) She didn't stop for anything! (PS- mom if you are reading this you time is ending, I will beat you this year!!!)

Just about to finish. It was by best run at any 70.3!

There we are. She ended up beating me by 6 mins, but come on look how buff she is!

I left my timing chip in T1, so as soon as this picture was done I was running around trying to find it. Luckily I had my Garmin time and they took that!

Here is the best husband ever! He makes a great cheerleader!!! Overall it was a great race, or course I would have loved to do a full, but you take what you can get! The volunteers were really amazing, I can't say enough good things about them! I would definitely suggest this race.

After the race it was off to another waterfall. Huka Falls