Race Number 8 done and dusted over the weekend at the Buffalo Springs 70.3, in Lubbock, Texas. After a long and uncomfortable trip from LA to Texas, we finally arrived and greeted by Randy our homestay and the heat of the Texan summer.
Weather forecast for race day was crazy and the temperatures were meant to soar which could be a huge factor during the race.
Race morning came round fast and we were up at 3.30am, it felt like I hadn't even slept!!
6.30am and we were off on the 1.2 mile swim. Had a great start and settled into a good rhythm early on. After a 21.33 minute swim we were out and onto the bike. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get much of a gap on the rest of the pro field so 6 of us headed out onto the 56 mile bike. Managed to jump on the back of the Lieto and TJ Tollakson's crazy fast express train for the first half of the bike.......whoever told me to cycle with Chris Lieto is nuts.....
After pushing my body for 40mins to try and stay with them I was totally stuffed and fell off the pace......now it was survival mode for me, trying not to waste too much energy for the 2nd half of the bike to ensure I had something left in the tank for the run.
Finally arrived into transition and with the famous Bozzone transition I was out onto the 13.1 mile run 4.30mins down on Lieto. Didn't feel great for the first 2 miles of the run and the temperatures were starting to climb, but I kept digging deep trying to find that extra gear. Seeing Lieto walking on the other side of the lake definitely gave me the extra gear.....thanks Chris!!!
For the next 4 miles I just put my head down and ran as fast as I could to try and catch him. By the turn around point I had run 2.30 minutes into Lieto (race leader), but he was still nowhere in sight. I tried to pick it up but I didn't seem to be gaining on the way home.
Finished 2nd 1.30mins down on Chris Lieto, with Ben Hoffman rounding out the podium. Congratulation to Chris for a great race!!
Thank you to our awesome homestay in Lubbock, Randy and Shari Holloway. We had a great time and hopefully we will be back next year!!
Back in LA for the next week, before I head over to Rhode Island 70.3 on the East Coast for my last race in the USA before I return home to NZ for a short visit. Looking forward to the break and catching up with everyone back home.
