Firstly, and most importantly, I would like to thank so many people for their support and congratulatory messages since the race in St George - I have gone back and re-read them all over again. Thank you. I haven’t written a race report for a couple of years, but this race is a beast of its own and so I feel it is important to share some reflections, knowing that many will be hoping to tackle it in the 70.3 World Championships in 2022.

The swim starts at Sand Hollow Lake (approximately 30km away from the main town). It’s a simple course: 800m out, 300m across and 800m back. This time around it was a non-wetsuit swim, but in May it had been wetsuit legal. T1 is huge to accommodate the 5,000+ participants so memorizing your bike position is time valuable.

The bike course is rolling hills for the first 60km, then you hit the progressively steep 7km climb of Snow Canyon, turn right at the top and descend the Highway over 10km back into town. The bike elevation totals just under 1200m. In my opinion, the descent is sometimes more challenging than the climb when the conditions are tough. It is not technical and so it is possible to do without braking (with a recce in advance of course!), but the sidewinds can be gusty and a little nerve wracking on a windy day.

The race really begins at T2. The run course is like no other on the circuit and it has been recently changed and made even tougher. The first 2km is a gentle incline of 2-3% just to warm up, then you hit the 1km Red Hills Parkway climb where your mind starts begging you to walk. Then it is up and down for 3km before the 15-20% quad-thrashing descents… and all the fun and games over again for a second lap, totaling around 350m elevation. Pace goals must go out the window and I found it much more effective to train and race to run Power goals.

Usually, the World Championship races take place over 2-days: the women are on the first day and the men are on the second. For Filipe and I competing on both days, this is logistically and mentally tough, as we need to sleep, eat and rest different amounts at different times. When Ironman emailed 1 month in advance to tell us that the event was being condensed to one day, I did feel slightly relieved, but also disappointed we would be unable to support each other on an important day. Even worse, my scheduled swim time of 9:42am would mean 2h42 of waiting around in T1, having at least 4,000 participants of different abilities and experiences out on the course in front of me, not having a clue for hours how Filipe had finished his race… and it was forecasted that I would be taking on the Red Hills Parkway run in the heat of the day (predicted 35-40 degrees C). Bring it on – as if it wasn’t already hard enough!

There was a lot of complaining from the women pre-race about our delayed start time, but I do have to give credit to Ironman for their logistical organization and ability to split T1 into sections. This meant more sleep and a later bike racking time. Win, win! With experience, I have learnt to be prepared and able to adapt to different situations, but one thing I don’t think anyone had prepared for was the storm that began around 10am, just as I was finishing the swim section. Let’s not forget St George is in the middle of the desert, so the likelihood of rain, hail, sandstorm, thunder and lightning is quite low… the likelihood of all of them at once even lower! I’d gone from having (or so I had hoped!) a competitive advantage of being able to cope well in hot conditions, to being completely out of my comfort zone, as I will be first to admit that I am always opting for Zwift when the weather is miserable.

Out on the course, I reminded myself about the amount of time I had invested in training and sacrificed in other areas of my life; training sessions I had begun feeling so tired and thinking there was no way I was able to complete them but had miraculously pushed through… I know that these are the critical moments that give you that cutting edge on race day. One of my favorite sayings is: the training is the hard part; the race day is the party. Consistency and hard work over time is always the answer.

Reflecting on the result, which was 2nd in my Age Group 25-29, 3rd overall Age Group female and 24thincluding professionals… it wasn’t a win, but I am not one bit disappointed. I followed the incredible guidance and training plan from Filipe to the best of my ability; I paid attention to all of the small details (diet, race nutrition, kit, equipment, recovery, mindset….) that were within my power; and last but not least, I gave it my all on the day.

Last but not least, I need to give a few special thank you’s…

To my Mum, Dad and Nan… for your everlasting support: the values and resilience you instilled in me from a young age is why I am able to do this today.

To the Azevedo Family… for your great support, especially to David who has cooked me far too many meals of chicken and rice in recent months.

To Fawz Concept… for being such a supportive community away from home.

To the boss, Filipe… you left me choked up on the run course. You didn’t need to spell out the race plan for me this time… I already knew what I needed to do. This is a reflection of your passion and commitment to your coaching role. How you manage this, alongside finishing in the Top 10 in the world, is truly inspiring.

St George, the land of endurance… we will be back for more!

Lottie's Reflections on 70.3 World Championships St George 2021