Age group 1st place and New Age group course record!
After being sick all of winter and having a knee niggle during my taper and unsure if I would be well enough to race it was a great feeling to be able to compete let alone win my age group, set a new course record and qualify for Kona. It was fantastic to have my first Ironman Age group win at home in front of my friends, supporters and family.
I had a slow start to the swim and got bashed around “as I am sure a lot of people did” but after the second buoy the field spaced out and I felt like I had a solid swim coming out of the water in 6th place AG.
The bike was very quick (Thanks to the “Monster” Giant Trinity with Zipp 808’s and CamTec at CBD for setting them up) on the way out and I made up some ground. I pretty much rode alone for 145km before I was caught by a pack. I was in 1st place off the bike. Hammer nutrition gels did the trick fuelling me on the bike.
The run was solid for 20km then it got tough quick, I got stomach cramps using gels so I switched to coke. I was alone for most of the run which made it harder so when I caught Caroline Stephan it was nice just to run with someone. I also was playing cat and mouse with Xavier which kept me on my toes. It was great to pull up with no blisters thanks to my Mizuno Hitogami race flats, fast and comfortable.
I would like to thank CBD cycles, Mizuno, Hammer nutrition, enduranceteam and my family and friends for their support! Without them I wouldn’t have been able to achieve my win.
Thanks for reading,
Levi Maxwell “CBD Guy”