Ironman 70.3 Ohio 2024 Race Report: 2nd in My Age Group & a Huge PR

Ironman 70.3 Ohio in 2024 ended up being one of those races where almost everything came together. I was still relatively early in my triathlon career, I was riding my original Cervelo P2, and I certainly didn't have all of the equipment or experience that I have now. What I did have was some of the best run fitness I had built up to that point and a lot of confidence going into the race.

By the end of the day, I had taken roughly 30 minutes off my previous 70.3 PR from Muncie, finished second in the 18-24 age group, and earned an opportunity to go to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. Looking back, the race was probably one of my first real examples of what can happen when the swim, bike, and run all come together on the same day.

Staying in Sandusky

One thing I would absolutely recommend for anyone racing in Sandusky is staying as close to downtown and the race venue as possible. We stayed at the Sandusky Lofts in an Airbnb, and the location couldn't have been much better. We were within roughly a quarter mile of the swim start, Ironman Village, transition, and downtown Sandusky.

That made race weekend incredibly easy. Instead of worrying about driving, parking, or coordinating transportation on race morning, I could basically walk everywhere I needed to go. Being that close to transition is especially nice when you're carrying gear around or inevitably realize you forgot something back at the room.

The location was also great for my parents. Downtown Sandusky has a DORA area, and there were plenty of restaurants, bars, and events happening throughout the weekend. That gave them plenty to do during the periods when I was checking in, preparing equipment, or doing all of the other boring pre-race things that spectators don't necessarily want to sit around and watch.

That spectator side of a race is something I appreciate more now. A 70.3 consumes a large portion of the athlete's weekend, but the people traveling with you have a lot of downtime. Having restaurants, bars, and things to do within walking distance makes the weekend considerably better for everyone.

Swim

The Sandusky swim was one of the coolest starts I've done because we actually jumped off a ferry into Sandusky Bay.

Instead of slowly walking into the water from a beach, you're standing on the ferry waiting for your turn before jumping directly into Lake Erie's Sandusky Bay and starting the race. There's something about physically jumping off a boat to begin a triathlon that makes the start feel completely different.

The water temperature was just slightly too warm for me to wear a wetsuit, but I wasn't particularly concerned about it. I raced in my ROKA sleeveless multisport tri suit and felt comfortable in the water from the beginning.

The swim went extremely well.

I came out of the water in 28:24, which put me right near the front of my age group. That was huge for me mentally because I knew immediately that I was having a good day. I didn't need to chase the race from behind. I was already up front, and if I could put together a good enough bike leg, I trusted the run fitness I had built leading into the race.

There was one small problem on the way into transition. While climbing out of the water, I managed to cut my knee on the exit ramp. It wasn't serious enough to affect my race, but it bled for basically the next four hours. So if you happened to see pictures of me racing around Sandusky with blood running down my leg, that's why.

Not exactly how I planned on starting the day, but whatever. I had a race to finish.

Bike

This was before I bought my newer triathlon bike, so I was still racing my original Cervelo P2. That bike was where a lot of my early triathlon racing happened, and Sandusky ended up being one of my best performances on it.

The Ohio bike course played directly into my strengths. It was flat, fast, and thankfully wasn't particularly windy for a Midwestern race. My Strava file recorded only 292 feet of elevation gain across 55.66 miles, so there really wasn't much climbing to interrupt the rhythm. Once I settled into position on the P2, I could put my head down and ride.

I finished the bike in 2:30:49, averaging 22.1 mph. Strava estimated my average power at 233 watts, while my average heart rate was 147 bpm with a max of 168. My average cadence was 85 rpm. For where I was as an athlete in 2023, this was a really solid ride.

More importantly, it did exactly what I needed it to do.

I had come out of the water close to the front of the age group, and the goal wasn't to destroy myself trying to win the race on the bike. I needed to stay close enough that I could use the run I knew I had. By the time I rolled back into transition, I knew I was still somewhere near the front.

That's when the race really started for me.

Run

My run training leading into Ohio had been on point. I felt strong, fast, and light on my feet, and I knew that if I could get through the swim and bike in a good position, I had a chance to put together something special over the half marathon.

I came out absolutely flying.

Mile one: 6:58.

That's pretty aggressive after swimming 1.2 miles and riding 55-plus miles at 22.1 mph, but I felt good. My parents were giving me splits and telling me where I stood in the age group, so I knew there was someone ahead of me that I could potentially catch.

The problem was that no matter how fast I seemed to run, I couldn't quite close the gap.

I backed the opening mile up with 7:21, 7:25, and 7:22. Then mile five came back down to 7:01. Mile six was 7:13, followed by 7:00 and 6:59 for miles seven and eight.

At that point, I wasn't simply hanging on to an overly ambitious opening pace. I was legitimately running around seven-minute miles halfway through a 70.3.

That was exactly the kind of race I had trained for.

Chasing First Place

My parents kept throwing out splits as I went by. I knew I was close to the front of the 18-24 age group, and every update gave me another reason to keep pushing. It felt like no matter how fast I ran, though, I couldn't quite get to the leader.

The course itself helped make that possible. Sandusky is extremely flat, but one of the tradeoffs is that there isn't much shade. Once the day warms up, you're exposed to the sun for a huge portion of the run.

This is where the people living along the course were awesome.

Several homeowners had sprinklers running toward the street so athletes could run through them. I took full advantage every chance I got. At the official aid stations, I was grabbing ice and using the on-course nutrition rather than trying to carry everything myself. Between the ice, sprinklers, and nutrition, I was doing whatever I could to keep my body temperature under control and continue running.

And the splits stayed remarkably consistent.

After that 6:59 eighth mile, I ran 7:15, 7:06, and 7:09 for miles nine through eleven.

That's probably one of the things I appreciate most when I look back at the data from this race. I wasn't slowly collapsing after going out too hard. Eleven miles into the run, I was still running almost exactly the pace I had established at the beginning.

Then the legs finally started letting me know what I had been doing to them.

The Final Two Miles

The last two miles were brutal.

My legs were screaming, cramping, and starting to fall apart underneath me. At this point, there wasn't much strategy left. I knew I was close to the front, my parents were still giving me information, and I just had to get myself to the finish.

Mile twelve was 7:19.

Mile thirteen was also 7:19.

Even while my legs felt like they were falling apart, I had barely slowed down.

I eventually came within roughly 90 seconds of the 18-24 age-group leader, but I couldn't quite close the final gap. I crossed the finish line second in my age group.

Second place.

A roughly 30-minute 70.3 PR.

And one of the best races I had put together up to that point.

Looking back at those run splits now, I'm still extremely proud of the consistency. My opening mile was 6:58, and thirteen miles later I was still running 7:19 while cramping and fighting to get to the line. There wasn't a catastrophic blowup or a huge pacing collapse. I had run hard from the beginning and held it basically all the way through.

The Fountain

There was still one more important part of racing in Sandusky.

The fountain.

After finishing, I made my way over to the downtown fountain and got into the cold water. It basically became a makeshift ice bath for destroyed triathletes, and it's one of my favorite little traditions from racing in Sandusky.

After running thirteen miles at roughly seven-minute pace, getting into that cold water felt incredible.

It's also one of those things that makes this race feel a little different from some of the larger Ironman venues. You're right in downtown Sandusky, people are hanging around after the race, and other finishers are doing the same thing. Instead of immediately disappearing back to a hotel, you can actually spend some time around the finish area and enjoy what you just did.

The World Championship Slot

Finishing second in my age group also gave me an opportunity I wasn't really expecting.

I received the chance to go to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

Unfortunately, the timing just didn't work.

School was approaching in the fall, and logistically I couldn't make the World Championship happen. I was definitely upset about having to pass on the opportunity. Getting a World Championship slot is one of those things you work toward in this sport, and having one available only to realize you can't realistically take it was frustrating.

Still, earning the opportunity mattered.

I had put myself in that position because of how I raced.

Final Thoughts

Ironman 70.3 Ohio 2024 remains one of my favorite races because it was one of the first times everything really clicked for me. I swam 28:24, came out of the water near the front of my age group, rode 55.66 miles in 2:30:49 at 22.1 mph, and then put together one of the most consistent half-marathon efforts I had ever run.

The course also suited me extremely well. Sandusky Bay gave the race a unique swim start, the Ohio countryside produced a flat and fast bike, and the run through Sandusky gave me a course where I could actually use the fitness I had spent months developing. Even when the temperature started becoming a factor, the volunteers, aid stations, and homeowners with sprinklers made the exposed run much more manageable.

Sandusky itself is a huge part of why I'd recommend the race. Staying at the Sandusky Lofts put us within roughly a quarter mile of the swim start, transition, Ironman Village, and downtown DORA area. My parents had plenty to do when I was busy with race preparation, and once the race started, the downtown setting made it easy for them to be part of the day.

I came within about 90 seconds of winning my age group. Obviously part of me wanted those 90 seconds, especially knowing how close I was throughout the run. But second place, a roughly 30-minute PR, and earning a World Championship opportunity was a pretty damn good consolation prize.

I was still riding my original Cervelo P2. I hadn't accumulated nearly as much Ironman experience as I have now. I was still figuring plenty of things out.

But on July 23, 2024, I was fast.

And for almost the entire day, everything worked.