Craig Alexander on the way to winning Florida 70.3.
Once again this year I found myself as a spectator at another event. This time it was the Florida 70.3 that took place yesterday morning. Its been an interesting year for me. After coming off the high of my first IM I have been relegated to being a spectator this year because of continued foot problems. At this point its starting to look like there may be no racing for me until next season. At any rate this is the first year that I have gone out to races as a spectator and not a competitor. Its been a very interesting experience and one I would recommend to any racer. It has given me the opportunity to see more sides of the races. I have spent more time supporting others and cheering on people I dont even know. Its been pretty good despite the fact that I am not racing. Yesterday I also saw for the first time people in tears as they were told they missed the swim cutoff and would not be allowed to continue. It was different than being pulled out of the water because they completed the first task. Its was pretty heartbreaking to think these folks put in what they felt was time and effort and probably had support of family and friends only to feel like they let others and themselves down. You just wanted to give them some sort of reassurance they would be back to try again another day.
Katja Schumacher (middle) on her way to winning Florida 70.3
Other notable sightings.
Karen Smyers - she took 2nd place.
Simon Lessing - 2nd place at Florida 70.3
As far as my opinion on this race, Disney has never done a great job in offering a good course and its always a pain getting around because you have to take Disney shuttles, but the real issue is that its not a Disney race, so in some senses you can tell Disney doesnt care that much. Its more an Ironman race and Ironman just rents the Disney property. I have done this race 2 times and mainly just because its in my backyard, but its not one I would recommend to others. I wish Ironman could find a new venue for Florida 70.3. On a positive note it was near perfect weather conditions.
2 comments:
I love spectating/volunteering. Last summer I only did one local race, but was a fixture on the volunteer scene. You are right that you get to see the race from all different perspectives.
This year is the same - only one local race.
At IMWI I am doing "suntan lotion" in the women's tent - never done sunscreen before, but it should be fun! Especially seeing how much I could have used sunscreeners at Wildflower. I think I will have permanent scars on my back, where my tri-top rode up above my tri shorts. It's still red and that was more than two weeks ago!
Why wasn't I in a picture of your "famous sightings?".... te-he
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