I read this TriFuel article a few days ago and thought it was great. There is way too much truth in this post! I hope you enjoy the read. Let me know if you disagree with any of its "facts."
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
2013 Miami Man 70.3 Race Review
2013 Miami Man 70.3 Race Review
Sunday marked the end of the 2013 triathlon season for me and what a race to go out with. Miami Man 70.3 is constantly setting the bar very high. It is a great race in all aspects.
I’ve participated in Miami Man for over three years now and each year I am amazed at how great a race it is.
Goodie Bag
Miami Man’s goodie bag puts all other races to shame. The following race themed items were in the Miami Man goodie bag.
Compare that to the Miami Ironman 70.3 race good bag which had ONLY a tech T-Shirt.
My only complaint is in previous years the bags included a themed race, hand towel which I bring to every race. This year’s bag did not include the hand towel :-( I will miss that towel but how can you complain when you see everything else that was included in the bag!
Aid Stations
The aid stations were all adequately staffed with great and friendly volunteers. Each aid station had water, Cytomax, Hammer Gel, Power Bars, banana s and oranges. Most had ice also.
After Race Meal
The after race meal was impressive and consisted of oranges, watermelon, chicken and rice, pizza, bagels, water, soda, Cytomax and Muscle Milk. To my disappointment they ran out of pizza when I finished but they did have more being delivered.
Swim Course
The swim takes place in a crystal clear lake. It is a two loop course where you have to get out of the water and run back in for the second loop. There are plenty of swim waves so people are not pilling up on top of each other. There are also plenty of buoys setup for sighting. It is a great swim.
Bike Course
The bike course takes you through the surrounding farmland areas of Miami-Dade County. The 70.3 consists of a 13 miles outing, 2-15 mile loops and then returns on the same route. The course has three aid stations. The course is very flat but always windy with 10-20 mph winds. I think the bike course was about 2-3 miles short.
Run Course
The run course takes you paved and some hard packed dirt roads. It also takes directly through the Miami Zoo where you get to see various animal exhibits. It’s pretty cool seeing all the animals on the run. The run course is always hot but what else would you expect… it’s Miami.
Overall Race Grade A
This is an awesome, well run race!! I highly recommend this race!! No complaints!!
My Swim Results
Time: 00:32:51 (0:27:22 min/mile)
The swim was AWESOME for me. I broke my swim PR again and placed 6th of 61 in my category!! I could have done even better if I did not swim off course on the second lap.
Time: 0:32:51
My Bike Results
Time: 2:46:53
Speed: 20.13 mph
My Run
Time: 2:25:13
Overall: 05:51:08
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| (IMAGE SOUCE) |
Sunday marked the end of the 2013 triathlon season for me and what a race to go out with. Miami Man 70.3 is constantly setting the bar very high. It is a great race in all aspects.
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| Cool Race Bibs |
I’ve participated in Miami Man for over three years now and each year I am amazed at how great a race it is.
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| Pre-Race nutrition |
Goodie Bag
Miami Man’s goodie bag puts all other races to shame. The following race themed items were in the Miami Man goodie bag.
- Beer pint glass
- Race Visor
- Sunglasses
- Beer pad
- Pen
- Mouse pad
- Keychain
- Water bottle
- Travel bag tag
- Mouse Pad
- Running belt
- Electrolyte fizz
- Cool fish race cap
- Tech T-shirt with the race’s names on back
- Very nice full color athlete manual
- Powerbar performance energy blend
Compare that to the Miami Ironman 70.3 race good bag which had ONLY a tech T-Shirt.
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| Race Goodie Bag |
My only complaint is in previous years the bags included a themed race, hand towel which I bring to every race. This year’s bag did not include the hand towel :-( I will miss that towel but how can you complain when you see everything else that was included in the bag!
 |
| Good Bag Item Table |
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| Good Bag Item Table |
Aid Stations
The aid stations were all adequately staffed with great and friendly volunteers. Each aid station had water, Cytomax, Hammer Gel, Power Bars, banana s and oranges. Most had ice also.
After Race Meal
The after race meal was impressive and consisted of oranges, watermelon, chicken and rice, pizza, bagels, water, soda, Cytomax and Muscle Milk. To my disappointment they ran out of pizza when I finished but they did have more being delivered.
 |
| Awesome Fish Race Caps!! |
Swim Course
The swim takes place in a crystal clear lake. It is a two loop course where you have to get out of the water and run back in for the second loop. There are plenty of swim waves so people are not pilling up on top of each other. There are also plenty of buoys setup for sighting. It is a great swim.
Bike Course
The bike course takes you through the surrounding farmland areas of Miami-Dade County. The 70.3 consists of a 13 miles outing, 2-15 mile loops and then returns on the same route. The course has three aid stations. The course is very flat but always windy with 10-20 mph winds. I think the bike course was about 2-3 miles short.
Run Course
The run course takes you paved and some hard packed dirt roads. It also takes directly through the Miami Zoo where you get to see various animal exhibits. It’s pretty cool seeing all the animals on the run. The run course is always hot but what else would you expect… it’s Miami.
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| Bonnie getting her race tattoos. (I hate getting these things off) |
Overall Race Grade A
This is an awesome, well run race!! I highly recommend this race!! No complaints!!
My Swim Results
Time: 00:32:51 (0:27:22 min/mile)
 |
| They provide instant printed results as you cross the finish line . I don't understand why other race directors don't do this!! |
The swim was AWESOME for me. I broke my swim PR again and placed 6th of 61 in my category!! I could have done even better if I did not swim off course on the second lap.
Time: 0:32:51
Pace: 0:27:22 min/mile
Category Place: 6 of 61
Overall Place: 57 of 587
Gender Place: 46 of 412
Category Percentile: +92
Overall Percentile: +90
Gender Percentile: +89
I fought the
20 mph winds and averaged 20.13 mph.
Time: 2:46:53
Speed: 20.13 mph
Category Place: 29 of 61
Overall Place: 184 of 587
Gender Place: 158 of 412
Category Percentile: +53
Overall Percentile: +69
Gender Percentile: +62
Time: 2:25:13
This was not
my best run at all. My stomach was
turning upside down on the run. I was clearly
not recovered from the Miami 70.3 of two weeks ago. I also did not get enough fluids on the
bike. The heat on the run was brutal. Time: 2:25:13
Pace: 11:05 min/mile
Category Place: 27 of 61
Overall Place: 244 of 587
Gender Place: 171 of 412
Category Percentile: +57
Overall Percentile: +59
Gender Percentile: +59
Overall: 05:51:08
Even with my
crappy run, I was able to break the six hour mark. I’m happy considering I had Ironman Miami
70.3 two weeks ago and also volunteered at Ironman Florida last week (12 hours
of driving).
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| Previous Year Race Comparison (Click to enlarge) |
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| Pre & Post Race Cuban Meal (A must do in Miami) |
PREVIOUS RACE REVIEWS
Miami
Man 2011 Review
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| Cool Race Shirts (All racer names are in the #10) |
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| The Super Bling (with rhinestones) |
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Ironman Florida Volunteering 2013
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| Panama City swim start. |
On Saturday, I volunteered at Ironman FL. It was a great and inspirational experience. Bonnie’s team had a great showing of about 20-30 athletes.
Bonnie and I volunteered for out of the water sunscreen. It was great because the shift is only from 8:00am to 10:00 am and you get to see everyone get out of the water.
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| Lots of sunscreen |
It is a unique experience slathering hundreds of wet athletes with sunscreen especially when you have to complete the task in a matter of seconds. Sunscreen goes everywhere.
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| Bonnie at the sunscreen station |
I had young, female athlete (with a smirk on her face) say , “I bet you like doing this!” LOL!! I told her maybe under different circumstances but I have applied sunscreen to dozens of men with smooth shaven legs that look just like yours (sometimes better). :-)
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| Finally a good picture of the two of us. |
We also later volunteered to be finish line catchers. Now this is an awesome job especially the last shift (9pm -12am)! The crowed was AWESOME. They were loud. They banged on the fences. Scream, “you are an Ironman” at all the last finishers. The crowd was wild, nothing like earlier in the day. This crowd knew how to party and cheer people onto their dreams. There were thousands of wild people watching the end of the race. You must stay for the last person at an Ironman. It is a great experience.
The last shift is where you see the most dreams come true. You see those who finish with nothing left in their tanks. I caught the very last person who finished with only seconds to spare.
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| Yvonne Van Vlerken and Mr HalfTRI-ng at the finish line. |
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| Andrew Starykowicz and Mr HalfTRI-ng |
I also got to meet Andrew Starykowicz who won 2nd place. He also broke the world’s record bike split at 4:02:17 (he held the previous record). He was a great guy. He asked Bonnie and I if we wanted a picture with him. He also took a photo with some very young kids next to us. He told them, “Don’t grow up and get into this sport.” LOL! He was joking with them because he cramped up and it cost him the 1st place finish. He was awesome nice. He also stayed for the last hours of the race at the finish. He was dancing and cheering people on.
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| Andrew Starykowicz and Bonnie |
I also got to see the two Bahraini princes finish the race. They had about a dozen Expeditions at the end of the race ready to drive him off. They also had a police escort for the whole race.
I also got to see my friend Mathew from Shawn's Anomaly finish another Ironman. He ran the race with the H.O.P.E. flag. I met Mathew at Ironman FL 70.3 a few years back. Now we talk every few months. He is a great man with a great cause. Check him out.
It was a great experience. I highly recommend the experience. These memories will last a lifetime.
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| Bonnie and I registering for Ironman 2014. This was taken just moments before the HUGE spider in the right hand corner attacked us. |
On Saturday, I will be driving back to Miami to participate for Miami Man 70.3. Three weeks in a row of races has gotten me tired of traveling and living in hotels. I am looking forward to sleeping at home next weekend.
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| Bonnie and I in the Ironman 2014 registration tent. |
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| The cheezy Ironman FL cycling jersey. I got to get one next year |
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