Amidst the crashing waves and scorching heat of Hawaii, a true triumph unfolded. Sarah Allen, fueled by unparalleled determination, conquered the Ironman challenge, etching her name in the annals of sporting glory. As coaches at Team Triumph, we stand in awe of her incredible feat. It's undeniable: Sarah's victory is a testament to the unyielding support of her coaches and teammates, the driving force behind her momentous achievement. Here is her race report with the full details.
Race Morning
I had a great night of sleep and woke up at 4 am on race morning. Had my usual protein oatmeal with a banana and a black coffee. Other than being a bit itchy from some hives, I was feeling good and very positive for the day to come!
I love the feeling of getting to transition while it’s still pitch black... and feeling the intense energy in the air. The volunteers in the morning were amazing and they were everywhere to help. The whole day the volunteers were incredible! :)
I got my nutrition set up on my bike, my tires pumped, my morning clothes bag sorted and was ready to head to the age group coral for the swim. I think this was the first time I REALLY realized just how much of a triathlon/Ironman beginner I was because I only saw one other woman wearing just a swimsuit instead of a tri suit and a swim skin.
The swim was intense!
I kept to the back of my age group to avoid the swim panic and mass start chaos (good call!). No panic and the water was beautiful! We swam out about 200m to tread water before the start and it was a nice warm-up. There were some big swells in the ocean and the women were really aggressive and FAST! But I had been on the swim course every day practicing and I was ready for it. I focused on my stroke and breathing (and focused on watching the fish!) even though at some points it felt like it took me 2 strokes to go forward 1. There were also a few jellyfish stings to contend with but they weren’t so bad. I was thrilled (and shocked) to get out of the water a whole minute faster than at IM Tremblant!
T1 was total chaos!
I took my time in T1 to change into my bike kit and apply sunscreen. The salt water had really irritated my hives and now they were covering my whole body…they were so painful and I was afraid of getting a sunburn on top of them. T1 was total chaos because it was only one relatively small change tent for all the athletes! But I got to my bike eventually and off I went! My bike goal had now shifted to not making my hives worse (so staying extra hydrated and not getting burned).
Wow, it was incredibly hot along the Queen K Highway!
The bike started off so well! There wasn’t much wind (yet!) and I was feeling good on the hills, conserving my energy, and I was even passing people on the hills. But wow, it was incredibly hot along the Queen K Highway, and it kept getting hotter! And then at the turnaround in Hawi, the headwinds picked up. (I heard after that they were mild because it was only headwinds and not the usual mix of crosswinds thrown in…) That’s when it got hard. It felt like it took more effort to bike down the hills than it had to go up them! The highway was fascinating to bike along because the colour of the ocean was just so vivid compared to the black lava! My nutrition was good, I had about 60 grams of carbs per hour and managed to eat 95% of it. The last 40km were brutally hard for all the normal reasons, and then my hives had gotten so bad I couldn’t even touch my skin and it was so itchy... I was very glad to get off the bike!
So many learning moments!
My biggest takeaways on the bike were that I wish I had 4 water bottles instead of 2, and I probably didn’t need to reapply as much sunscreen as I did (but no burns!). I wasted a good 40 minutes stopping at the aid stations to fill water bottles with electrolytes and put on sunscreen…oh and my bike seat was slowly sinking on me as I rode hahaha. That is probably something I should have stopped to evaluate, but I didn’t even clue into the problem until after!
T2 was pretty fast!
I changed into running shorts and a singlet and was off again. Being new to triathlon I’m still trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t. In retrospect, I wish I had worn a trisuit for the whole race, but I haven’t found one that I like enough yet.
The run. I’ve never thought so hard about quitting...
I had my first gel of the run at the first aid station and immediately threw it up…the run was off to a GREAT start! I would say this was the hardest and worst run of my life. I’ve never thought so hard about quitting…my hives were getting worse, anything I tried to eat I threw up (no matter how slowly I ate it), and I couldn’t even drink Coke, which is my go-to for carbs when I have stomach problems on a run. So I did that marathon on fumes, and just walked/ran it as best I could. I was happy when the sun set at 6 pm so I could get some relief from the heat! It was so dark for the Energy Lab portion, but the stars were shining bright and I felt really lucky to be out there to see them.
Somehow I finished the race! I smiled at every single person I saw, and every time I had a negative thought I would smile as big as possible and think about how lucky I was to be there. The energy of the people cheering, the lights, and the music of the last 3km were incredible and gave me the push I needed to cross the finish line.
WHAT A FEELING!
I can’t wait to keep improving (and there’s definitely a lot I can work on). I love this race distance. Thanks again for EVERYTHING this season, I’m so happy I found this sport and took a chance on the Ironman distance this year!
I love the accountability and the structure of the Virtual 70.3 Half Ironman training program. I don't think I would have gotten this far without the program. The accountability is huge for me!
Deborah Jackman
My coach Kevin Willis is amazing. His swim practices have been a real game-changer for me. A great communicator regardless of your swim level. The whole club is supportive of everything you do. You don't need to be an Ironman to benefit from their programs. 5 stars all around!!! - Denise Pittuck
I just wanted to thank you and your team (Gabi! Brenda! Maggie! Dawn!) for making last weekend's event so amazing. I had tried to do a try-a-tri on my own last summer, and the experience was night and day.
Even though I didn't make every virtual session, I felt so prepared... I knew where to go for information, and I knew I had a team of people (coaches and our beginner tri group!) who were all there to support me.
It was interesting to watch Eric train on his own (without access to the TrainingPeaks workouts and without the weekly meetings to ask questions and learn more about proper form and race-day stuff). When we left on Sunday, he looked at me and was like "we're DEFINITELY doing the training with Julia if we decide to go for the olympic distance, right?".
So glad to have found this club and looking forward to many more triathlons in the near future!!! Tai Teleso
Julia is incredible, I once had a coach who told me to get good at biking and running as he couldn't do anything with my swim technique. Then I was introduced to Julia who is so patient and has an amazing ability to translate it all into a way I could understand. I knocked a minute per 100m off my open water swim times after only a handful of sessions with her. The team is also really welcoming, inclusive and most of all FUN!
Triumph is a warm and fun place for every level of triathlete. Whether you’re just getting started and learning all about triathlon or have been at it for decades, like some of us, you will find camaraderie and expertise in this group with Julia Aimers’ support and caring. She keeps up-to-date in so many areas of training, especially for women and including women’s issues whether it be nutrition or menopause. I highly recommend Team Triumph for swimming, biking, running or putting it all together in one package. There is no other place or group, I would rather be training with. So many of my close friends were met in this group.
A huge thank you to my Triathlon coach, Julia Cooper-Aimers. She took the time last week to drop off (from a distance because of COVID19 restrictions) some tri shorts I ordered along with a well-appreciated note to remind me that there will be ups and downs and that things will get better. She has gone above and beyond to support all of her athletes and our Team Triumph club, by providing almost daily strength, yoga, and spinning videos that have been uploaded to Youtube for anyone who needs a little motivation during these challenging times as well as many words of encouragement. I am grateful for her support and encouragement. ❤️
Anita Lacelle Taylor
Training with Team Triumph for 7 months (so far) made me faster and stronger while building nourishing connections with like-minded fitness nuts and shattering the expectations I had of myself. TT is a crew of inspiring people pursuing epic individual goals and encouraging each other along the way. Julia and her team have expert knowledge and provide a thoughtful evidence-based group program that works. I am privileged and thankful to have Team Triumph in my neighborhood and can't wait to get back to the pool!
Alex Bourne
I want to thank you for always putting our well-being at the forefront of your business model. You suspended face-to-face programs in a timely manner, leading the way in a fitness business world that took much too long to respond and put their members’ health and the community at risk. You « triumphed « in quickly acting to flatten the curve.
Your caring nature resulted in a series of innovative and fun virtual sessions and opened them to the community. I am missing the live interaction now that I am working for a few months but I appreciate that I can access the videos according to my schedule. Yin/yang session tonight, just what I needed.
Not to mention the check-ins, the home deliveries, the charitable events. Priceless.
Simone Rose-Oliver
