Sunday, September 29, 2013

My second win at Superfrog Triathlon

Two years ago I had a great experience at the Superfrog Tri. It is one of the most challenging swim and run, and is hold on the Silver Beach in Coronado, California. This is the oldest half in the world and was first organized in 1979.


The swim started good. A few big waves made it very hard to run into the ocean. As we were approaching the end of the swim I made a sudden decision to remove my wetsuit in the water. Well; it didn't go well. I lost about 30 seconds before even getting into T1. I had a total of 4:30 min handicap and started to ride around 15th place overall.

 
 

The bike was 4 laps. It was pretty flat but the second half was somewhat challenging because it was quite crowded. I was happy that I was able to ride the race's best with a 2:05 bike split. I entered T2 in first and in good spirit. Three relay runners were ahead of me, two of them left the transition area only a few minutes before I got there. I caught them at about halfway and managed to get away a little. I had a good run back on the beach. I was glad that my ankle held up in the soft sand. With a 3:54 time I finished first. 


 

This victory means a lot to me since this is my second time winning the Superfrog Tri. I wish I could have come here last year but my race schedule prevented me from doing so. Last year Lance Armstrong won the race.

This year Scott DeFilippis was second and Ian Mikelson, who was going strong whole year, got third. Scott and I run the race's best (1h 17 min) half marathon. Big thanks to the race organizers and to all the volunteers for a great race! It's always a pleasure to come back racing here to see the friendly faces.



Thanks to my sponsors for supporting me through the years!

The super buoyant XTERRA Wetsuits helped me in the water to have a good swim.  

My SwiftCarbon Neurogen was flying with the super aero 3T Brezza II bars and HED wheels, and with my always comfortable ISM Racing saddle. Helmet: Spiuk Kronos, Tire: Conti Hardshell

The nutrition worked perfectly thanks to the all natural Ignite Naturals. I'm proud to represent the Zoot Team Elite and I loved the Zoot Ultra Race 4.0. shoes. Also, thanks to my local sponsor, the Southwest Realty and Property Management, AZ. 

Next up is Soma Half in three weeks. My coaches and I are focusing on two very important full ironman races before the end of the year. With Sergio Borges we're building up a strong couple weeks of training, while Frank Sole is making sure that my swim technique is right on to get faster. Can't wait for the killer swim sessions at DC Ranch Village in Scottsdale!

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Race report Ironman Mont-Tremblant




What a race! I don’t know where to start... We arrived to Mont-Tremblant with great expectations. When I planned this year’s race schedule it was the „A” race of the season.

First of all, I have to start with the race prep. We (my wife and I) arrived on Tuesday evening. Our homestay, John and Cindy were so welcoming, they made my favorite Hungarian dish, Chicken Paprikas for dinner. Thanks to their hospitality I was able to spend a good 4 days at the race venue before the big day and I felt ready for Sunday.

The race scene was absolutely overwhelming. I had heard a lot of great things about this race beforehand, but it exceeded all my expectations. John, our host, drove the course with me on Wednesday. And all I can say that it is a beautiful place with a challenging course. The lake was not as cold as I thought. It was about 72 degrees for the whole time.
It was very nice to see that the entire city was decorated by the time we got there. There were Ironman signs everywhere we went. It felt very welcoming. I could talk about it for a long time; the pro meeting, the welcome dinner, the volunteers, the host families, the organizing, everything was perfect.

The race day: In the morning everything went nice and smooth. Before the race I checked the pro start list and realized that there were lots of good swimmers in the field. At the start I had to run very carefully into the water because I twisted my ankle 4 weeks before the race and it was still not perfect. So I quickly found myself swimming alone and finished the swim with a 12-minute handicap.

On the bike I felt good, controlled my pace and focused on the nutrition.  On the second loop I caught up to the third group and passed most of them. I really liked the bike course. It is a little similar to Kona but there is a whole different section, which is more challenging with lots of ups and downs. My time was 4 hour 38 minutes that was only 2 minutes slower than the first group’s pace.

I started the run in 11th position, it felt good and I didn’t feel fatigued. In the first 10 kilometers everything went as I planned. Then suddenly I started to feel cramps and stomach ache. I couldn’t focus on the race anymore because I knew that I had to run a perfect marathon to finish in the top 3. I was very disappointed and did everything to get back into the race. Somehow I managed to finish in 14th place and get some points for Kona but that was the least of my concerns. I hoped for good race to stabilize my financial situation for the rest of the season.

Although I wasn’t happy with my performance and constantly looked for clues, I had a great time in Mont-Tremblant, I met wonderful people and experienced so much support before, during and after the race for which I’m really thankful.

What is next? I may or may not qualify for, and race in, Kona but I’m also very thankful to all my sponsors who make it possible for me to race and fight for my dreams. Special thanks to Zoot, SwiftCarbon, 3T, Southwest Realty and Property Management, Ignite Naturals, ISM Seat, Xterra Wetsuits, Spiuk, Continental, DC Ranch Village. I’m very lucky that I have the chance to work with the best companies and to work with the best coaches: with my headcoach, Sergio Borges and my swim coach, Frank Sole!