SOMA Triathlon Race Report

My first SOMA Half was in 2008. I was 4^th. Then in 2009 I raced 1.5 month after my bike accident and was 2^nd. I raced again in 2010, which was a bad experience: after a very busy season I was very, very tired and came in 10^th.

This was my short SOMA Triathlon history.

This year I planned to do the race as a good “training/tune up” for IRONMAN Florida. I was very happy that it was organized two weeks before the IRONMAN. Local races are the best! It's great to see so many friends and fellow triathletes! Arizona has the most supportive Tri Clubs, Tri/Bike/Run shops and Tri Community!

Lining up before the start.

The beautiful Tempe race venue.

In the morning we didn’t have too much time to warm up in the water before the pro start. In the first half of the swim I felt a little weak. But in the second half I was able to hold a nice and steady pace and finished the swim 20 seconds back to the leader trio.

Running out of T1.

After a quick transition (it was quick compared to my previous transition times) I started to chase down the leader trio, who were riding separately from each other. I passed the third, then the second place rider and rode comfortably in second place.

Pushing hard on my SwiftCarbon Neurogen.

As a preparation for IRONMAN Florida I had some important workouts this week. My legs weren’t too fresh and I just focused on keeping a steady pace behind Lewis Elliot. He was on fire! In the second loop the gap between us increased to more than 1 min. When I started the third (final) loop I also got a “friendly reminder” from my wife that I’d better pick up the pace and go for the best bike split.

I knew I couldn’t let him go. I pushed hard and caught up with him by the end of the bike. When I started to run I was in the lead but I realized that the second and third were very close behind me.

Laurel is like my "good luck charm". When she is the 1st-place-male lead bike I always win!

Then suddenly my role changed: from being a chaser I became the chased one. Because of the two-loop run course I couldn’t see how far they were behind me. I just knew that the one guy behind me was running fast (Later I found out that he was Kyle Hummel.). I didn’t want him to catch me so I ran harder. I held a 5:50 min per mile pace until the 11 mile mark when I saw that I was several minutes ahead of him. On the last few miles I just ran to finish.

It was very cool to run across the finish line in first place! It was the first time I won the SOMA Triathlon!

 

Thank you to Kimo Seymour, John Sellinger and the entire LTT Crew for organizing a great race!

It was a great opportunity to represent my local sponsors: I'm thankful to the Southwest Realty and Property Management - Arizona for sponsoring me. Thanks to DC Ranch Village Health Club and Spa for the best swim, bike, run, strength training, stretching and recovery time!

Thanks to all my sponsors and partners for their support:

Zoot, SwiftCarbon, 3T, Spiuk, ISM, Xterra Wetsuits, Sergio Borges X Training, Continental, Ignite Naturals, Sole Swim Solutions!

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!

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 11^th 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 14^th 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!

Ironman Coeur d'Alene

Ironman Coeur d'Alene was a great race venue with fantastic support. I'm glad that I made this last minute decision and raced here. The course is nice and challenging, it has everything that you need for a good day.

The swim was two loops in Lake Coeur D’Alene and the water temperature was about 62 degrees. I finished in 15th position and headed out to the hilly bike course. I rode a good, steady peace and felt really good at the first half of the bike. I pushed it hard and moved up to 5th. But around 75 miles I started to lose power and my energy was gone. I focused on fueling and hydrating well and I took enough calories but my body just didn’t collaborate.

I started to run and wanted to pick up the pace to gain back some time on the lead. My legs felt good and light but the power was missing. On the second half of the run I had to fight for 6th place while I took bathroom breaks but I managed to finish 6th after a tough race.

I’m thankful for all the support I got from my friends and supporters! I couldn't have done it without my sponsors: Zoot Sports, Swift Carbon bikes, 3T Cycling, SW Realty and Property Management - Phoenix, Ignite Naturals, SPIUK, XTERRA Wetsuits, ISM SEAT, Continental.

Special thanks to our host family, Dixie and Roger, and to their four legged friends, Turbo, Tenga, and Jackson for sharing their home with us. They made our first IM CDA experience really nice and smooth. We enjoyed every minute of it!

Ironman 70.3 Kansas

The race started well despite the fact that it was only a handful of people who I could swim with. Right after the start I caught up with a swimmer and was able to draft until the last few hundred yards. I exited the water in 8th position, 3 minutes back to the first big group. It was considered a good swim for me.

The first ten minute on the bike was about to pull myself together. As soon as I had a sip of my GSH Ignite Pro Series drink, my body suddenly woke up and I started to push. I moved up on the bike and entered T2 in 4th place.

The leaders, Alexander and Bretscher were more than 5 minutes ahead but I knew I was within 1 minute back to Hadley who ran in 3rd postion. I didn’t want to go all out at the beginning of the run so I was glad that I caught him quickly. I passed him but he didn’t fall back and maintained a 10 sec gap between us.

My body and my legs felt good but I wasn’t ready for him to attack me back. He increased his pace at around 9 miles and I just couldn’t respond. Although he slowed down in the last miles, I couldn’t catch up and he finished 34 sec ahead of me.

Overall I had a good race: a 26 min 28 sec swim, a 2 hour 11 min bike and a 1 hour 18 min run. Compare to my last year’s 9th place I got 4th this year and my times improved significantly too.

Thanks to the useful guidelines from Ignite Naturals, my nutrition plan worked perfectly!