Nothing But Good Vibes for Maddy at Ironman 70.3 Maine!

RACE REPORT: IRONMAN 70.3 MAINE

By: Maddy Smith

My partner and I arrived in Augusta, Maine Friday evening after a smooth travel day driving from Ottawa. We snuck in a short shakeout on Saturday to scope out part of the run course between athlete check-in and bike drop off. Race morning started early with a 3:30 a.m. wake-up, but getting to transition was smooth with no road closures and plenty of parking. After the 1 mile group walk to the swim start, we were in the water shortly after 6 a.m. It was a cool, clear morning, and the water was wetsuit legal. The river current made for a fast, straightforward swim. Before I knew it, I was climbing the steep hill to T1. The bike course was beautiful. Long rolling hills with a total of 1200m of elevation that the Gatineau hills helped prepare me for. It was my first time racing with a TT bike and I felt comfortable riding in aero for a majority of the course.

The run reminded me of Tremblant, with long paved trail sections winding through town. Having my family cheering along the course gave me the extra push I needed for the big hill around 16 km. I overall felt much more controlled during the run than I did racing a year ago and settled into a comfortable pace and actually caught myself smiling the whole run.

Overall a wonderful race experience and visit in Maine. I’ve been able to enjoy time on the Atlantic coast in Acadia National Park post-race and would highly recommend making the trip if you have the chance!

Maddy also took 25 minutes off her previous Ironman 70.3 time at Mont Tremblant from 2025! Woo hoo!!