Luck of the Irish with Wade at IRONMAN 70.3 Dublin
Who wouldn’t want to race somewhere named “The Emerald Isle?” Thanks to a famous Irish poet William Drennan, the lush, green countryside of Ireland has been painted as one of the most gorgeous locales in the world.
For Ireland-native, and Colorado pro, Robbie Wade, racing 70.3 Dublin was not just another race, but the first time many of his family members could see him race triathlon.
“Out of T2, my seat post dropped an inch so I rode in a very low position, so my power was low, my back and hamstrings were locking up and cramping on the bike and the run. However, I was so happy to be racing in Ireland, with my family there to cheer me on that I didn’t care,” Wade said.
Even though his bike experience wasn’t ideal, Wade was still solid on the bike with a time of 2:18:48 after swimming 31:46.
Wade added, “The crowd support was amazing on the course, even in the small towns we passed through. The bike course followed the coast into the heart of Dublin, through the park, and out to the countryside and back to the park for T2.”
Wade seemed to have saved the best for last as he turned in a zippy run time of 1:17, helping him finish in an overall time of 4:12:21 and grabbing fourth place in front of his home crowd.
“With it being the first year, IRONMAN did a great job representing Ireland and the city of Dublin as they hosted an IRONMAN branded race. This race can learn and grow into one of the premier European travel races for U.S. triathletes,” Wade said.
This Irish lass couldn’t agree more. Erin Go Bragh!
Don Dominates at IRONMAN 70.3 Ecuador
With IRONMAN 70.3 Worlds in Austria coming up in a couple of weeks, I don’t think anyone would be willing to bet against Tim Don for a podium repeat or even a win. The Brit, and Boulder-trainee left no doubt after the inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Ecuador that he is one of the men to beat after turning in another dominating performance.
Beating Boulderite James Hadley, who is known for his swimming speed, out of the water by 0.23 seconds (yes, less than a quarter of a second) with a time of 24:13, Don led from start to finish on race day and gave the crowds in Ecuador a taste of what one of the world’s best can do.
Once in transition with Hadley on his heels, Don took off on his bike and ended up turning in the fastest bike split of the day in 2:07:47. Hadley turned in the third fastest bike time of the day in 2:17:11, keeping him in second for much of the bike. Thiago Vinhal, of Brazil, who recently trained in Boulder for some time, turned in a bike split of 2:25:14, which kept him in the chase pack for the day.
If you know anything about Don, it’s that he can run. Fast! Leaving no doubt that he would take the win, Don turned on his speed out of T2, quickly giving him a nice cushion as he turned in the fastest run time of the day in 1:16:34. Don’s overall time of 3:51:34 was 15 minutes faster than second place finisher Braden Currie, again proving the overall domination Don is capable of on race day.
Finishing third was Robert Rivera, 4:09:51, followed by Jonathan Tryoen in fourth in 4:11:16, and Hadley claiming fifth in a time of 4:12:09. Despite dropping off a little bit on the day, Hadley told me that he will definitely be keeping IRONMAN 70.3 Ecuador on his race schedule in the future, thanks to the support of the local community and volunteers, the atmosphere, and the organization of the race.
Hadley added, “IRONMAN 70.3 Ecuador, without doubt, had the most exciting and thrilling atmosphere I’ve experienced while racing triathlons. The organization of the event was just flawless and every road we cycled on was closed for the athletes. This was a race where you can feel like a winner wherever you finish!”
Podium Only for Boulder Women in Ecuador
In my six years of closely following triathlon, I can honestly say I have never seen such a tiny start list in a race like I did this past weekend for IRONMAN 70.3 Ecuador. However, all three of the ladies that showed up to race, and were guaranteed a podium finish, brought their big talents with them.
No matter what the reason for only our three Boulder-based athletes to show up in Ecuador, the simple fact is they came, they competed, and they conquered. Our Boulder ladies gave each other a run for their money all day and proved that no matter how small the field, they are going to compete.
Lauren Goss came out of the water in 24:45 with about a minute and a half lead over Valentina Carvallo, 26:22, and Dede Griesbauer, 26:24.
However, it didn’t take long for Griesbauer, who is exceptionally strong on the bike and turned in the fastest split of the day in the women’s race, 2:22:40, to bridge up to Goss. The two rode together for a good portion of the course until Griesbauer powered in front, giving her about a minute lead coming into T2. Carvallo was about eight minutes back as she came into transition to start her run, but she and Goss would push to catch Griesbauer.
It took Goss until mile one of the run to catch and pass Griesbauer and she wouldn’t look back, turning in the fastest women’s run split of the day, 1:21:05. She ran away with the win in an overall time of 4:14:38. Goss, who is headed to IRONMAN 70.3 Worlds in a couple of weeks, looks to have some confidence heading into Austria with her convincing win in Ecuador.
Carvallo didn’t give up on the run, 1:23:40, and eventually passed Griesbauer to take second place overall in 4:24:04. Griesbauer’s run time of 1:36:25 may not have been what she was hoping for, but the veteran seemed to have solidified her Kona slot with her third place finish on this day in a time of 4:29:31.
This feat was probably harder than any one race for Griesbauer. After colliding with a truck at IRONMAN Coeur D’Alene, Griesbauer’s tough-as-nails attitude got her through a month of training with a sprained elbow, shoulder, and stitched up hand, allowing her to earn enough points in Ecuador since she was too badly injured to finish IRONMAN Coeur D’Alene. We are very excited for Greisbauer and wish her all the best in Kona. Congrats to our three Colorado pro women for racing tough!
