I was afraid to believe this race would happen, a manner of self-preservation, I am sure. I trained for it, tapered, and was all in, but every day waited for the email, announcement of the cancellation, but it NEVER CAME! This is a recap of the protocol, NOT my personal race report, that is next.
THURSDAY
CHECK-IN: I hope Ironman retains this protocol, make an appointment, show up, scan a QR Code, mask up, and I was through registration in 5 minutes. Health screening before you enter the tent, temp checked, and mask on. 100% COVID safe and no paper, they handed you a stylus for an iPad. There was a merch tent, but I skipped it; word on the street it was "light" on branded gear. The swim busses gave out a colored ticket corresponding to finish time, which seemingly would spread out the # of people, reduce lines, and wait. 3 bags, just like Ironman: Morning clothes bag, Bike gear, and Run gear. Usual stickers for helmet, bike stem, and bags. Race #.
EXPO: It seemed like a standard 70.3 Expo, lacking the food and drink nibbles we ALL love to snack on, Air Relax, and another compression product there, with chairs, etc. They always sanitize after each use anyway, or at least I hope so.
FRIDAY
BIKE DROP OFF: Again, you selected your own time. 12:00, arrived 11:45, easy parking and transition were empty for the most part. Masks on in transition and bike drop off. This is another COVID-friendly piece. Bikes were 3 feet apart. What a leisure that was!!! Lots of space, no worries about overlapping brakes, etc. In and Out. There was no swimming at the race start, but a short drive offered a nice beach and a chance to get in the 62-degree water, which was perfect.
RUN GEAR DROP OFF: No specified time. I drove up at 5:30pm, dropped my gear, back in the car 10 minutes. You can drop off race AM, I did not want the added stress, and you CAN revisit your run bag race AM if you need to; the bus picks up is right there. I left my nutrition etc., off Friday PM.
SATURDAY
BUSSES: My roommate is a VIP, go Alison! So she had a parking pass, and I was happy to jump in the car. If you don't have a pass, I DO NOT recommend getting dropped off; cars without a pass can only go so far, and you then have a 1.5 ish mile walk with all bags. Ride the bus; I hear it was efficient, and then you are dropped off in front of transition.
TRANSITION: Mask up, and I would say 90% were compliant. Again it was spacious and easy to get what you need—plenty of pumps and not crowded.
SWIM: They called swim waves 50 minutes early, which was a bit of a shock, and I saw many scrambling. The swim lineup was no different than previous races, where you follow your sign, swim waves in 3 min increments, and you wait. Same rolling start, masks on until you hopped in the water. They need a mask that works with swim caps, no straps, pinches at the nose. Water temp 62, so no need for booties or neoprene cap. Well, marked course with a bizarre red arch that you swam through at the 1/2 mark; I think there was a timing device there as there was a mid-swim split on results—straightforward course to site.
T1: LONG run, 1/2 the run is carpeted, thank you, Ironman, but the T1 area is massive, so you have a long way to go to get to your bike or to run with your bike. But that is the distancing. With a split transition, you have to bag your wetsuit and goggles, and you are out.
BIKE: Aid stations at miles 12.5, 26.2, 41.6, and 46.3. Operated like pre: COVID. Volunteers handing you water, Gatorade Endurance, Quantum Energy Squares, Maurten Gels, and Fig Bars. Business as usual. The only complaint is the aid station at 12.5 was on the descent, so you had to really hit the brakes if you wanted anything; let's move that to an uphill. It was nice to have an aid station before Snow Canyon and at the top before the final descent.
T2: Another LONG transition and I would not recommend leaving your shoes on the bike, the transition area was filled with rocks, and it was painful on the feet. Plenty of space to get in and out.
RUN: Aid stations every mile(ish) and well stocked with water, Gatorade Endurance, Quantum bars, Maurten Gels, Fig Bars, Chips, Pretzels, Bananas. Self-service tables we well stocked, and you grabbed what you needed in open cups; there was plenty of ICE in cups, and never was it an issue. The volunteers were amazing; most aid stations had music and a lot of energy.
FINISH LINE: That magic red carpet and crowds along the chute and all the finish line feels you could ask for!. Mask upon crossing, pick your medal and hat from a table, and volunteers were taking off chips for you, a seriously nasty job, so thank you!! The food tent was around the bend. Self-served with prepackaged stir-fried rice, chicken or veggie (with eggs), fruit, chips, ice bins of cold drinks. Plenty of grass to hang out, no tables.
AWARDS: No podium or ceremony. Table with longish lines in the hot sun, but come on, you are picking up hardware! They asked for your name, AG, and then verified with your wrist band. 70.3 Worlds Slot Allocation, if you are automatic, you could stand in line and claim it between 4-6:00pm or wait for the email, which came Tuesday. You have 48 hours to claim and pay, and then the roll-down process begins. So pay attention to your inbox.4
FINAL COMMENTS: Well done, Ironman. The only "risky" piece would be the bus, but windows open, masks on, and no eating or drinking will help.
Hands down, it was amazing.
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