"Hi everyone,
I am proud to report I took 2nd place last weekend in Immenstadt,
Germany at the ITU Long Course World Championships.
Racing in Europe is never easy but I could not let the title go
undefended. Since I have not raced longer than a half-ironman I knew
the 4km, 130km, 30km race would be a challenge. To add to the
difficulty of the longer distance the bike course was absolutely
brutal with over 6500 ft of vertical gain and several dangerous
switchback descents. While it rained all week when race day came
around it was sunny and dry making for fantastic race conditions. I
started the race in a great position, settling into the front pack of
the swim. I exited the water and with a short course style quick
transition took an early lead on the bike. Unfortunately I ran into a
problem as I dropped my chain on the first climb only several
kilometers into the ride. To make matters worse the section of the
hill was about 18% and I had trouble getting going again I even
having to run up the hill to a less steep section. Once I got going I
had lost over 50 seconds to the leaders. Much like Contador and
Schleck in the TdF last month it turns out triathletes don't wait when
someone drops a chain!
If there is one thing I have learned from my Navy days it is "Don't
give up the ship." While I was in a bad position I stayed calm and
just kept charging. I rode through the field and joined the three
leaders about 17km into the ride. Back in front I settled into a
rhythm at the front of the race. I felt great going through the first
90km and then I started to pay the price for the first 15km of
catching up. In the last 40km my inexperience at longer racing
appeared as I fell off pace and lost what would end up being a
devastating 5 minutes to the leaders.
When the smoke cleared I entered T2 in sixth position. Of course I
stayed true to my motto and did not give up. I began the run and felt
absolutely horrible! I remember saying to myself "if this is what
Ironmans are going to be I think I'll stick to short course!" I lost
some time to the front 5 competitors in the first 5km but I began to
find my stride. In a methodical manner I caught the racers in front
of me, moving into 5th after lap 1 and 4th after lap 2. I entered the
final lap in 4th place and while 2nd place was 1:40 up the road I knew
if I stayed strong I could get there. On the last lap the difficultly
of the bike made another appearance as everyone began to stat moving
backwards. Before I knew it 2nd place was in sight and with 5km left
in the run I made the pass and did not look back.
While I was not able to defend my title I was very proud of the fight
I put up in its defense. I learned a great deal about long course
racing and I it was an important step in my progression to Ironman
racing. All in all the trip was an invaluable experience!
Feel free to read more and check out the results at www.timothyodonnell.com
Thanks to everyone for your support and remember "Dont give up the
ship!"
All the best,
Timothy"
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