Last weekend I did something I have never done before. I attended an Ironman Race as a fan. No racing for me this time, though the Racine, Wisconsin venue will certainly get a long look for next years schedule. Still it was tons of fun. Besides eating way too much Wisconsin cheese, I was also treated to some amazing racing. The women were flying and Lauren Barnett pulled out the win with a 1:22:40 half marathon. Just edging out Sarah Piampiano and Sarah Haskins. I’m not going to hide that I am an unabashed Lionel Sanders fan boy. The hope was to see Lionel win his 10th 70.3 race in a row. That’s right, since his 3rd place finish at the 2015 Oceanside race (behind Jan Frodeno and Andy Potts), he has been unstoppable at this distance. Well it was not meant to be. Even after downright nasty weather turned the event into a 31 mile bike and 13.1 mile run duathlon, a format that should have favored the best run/biker on the pro circuit. Mr. Sanders struggled with stomach issues during the half marathon and was overtaken by a hard charging Matt “shark robot” Chrabot and ended up finishing a close 2nd. This is a problem that he has dealt with in the past (2015 Ironman Arizona) and I’m sure hopes to remedy in the future. (Just a tip Lionel, don’t eat Olive Garden the night before a race)
Me showing Lionel the proper form when plugging a spastic colon.
Now, here comes my query. Since this was a shortened event and not a true 70.3, is Lionel’s streak still alive? So jump on the forum and vote on the poll!!! TRS Triathlon wants to know!!!
Bonus Content
(From Left, Becky Sanders, Becky Kerr)
Big Props to Becky Sanders, Lionel’s Mom, who qualified for 70.3 Worlds with her 2nd place AG finish
Tim Don’s Shiv was blown off the Transition Rack during the storm.
Starky made an appearance and told all the other pros, welcome to the Midwest!
Starky, Alex Vanderlinden, and Taylor Reid checking the radar on their phones.
— GasBomb (@GasBomb4) July 17, 2016
Interesting tidbit: Winner Matt Chrabot eats white rice with jelly for his race day breakfast.
TRS Racing’s own Mitch Brekke finished 56th overall. (Plus a smoking fast 26.2 mph avg on the bike.)
