š Good morning and happy Friday! Welcome to the Front Pack newsletter, your source for all things endurance. Click here for the web edition.
You heard it from Mike Reilly directly. I did it. I am an Ironman! That feels really good to say. After half a dozen 70.3ās under my belt, I always felt like I had some imposter syndrome happening. And then last weekend I showed that I could put it all together - a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile cycling adventure, and finally bookending the journey with a marathon. For a full recap on the race and other random thoughts around Ironman Lake Placid, scroll below for a read through.
But itās not all racing and travel over here. Iām pumped to highlight where things stand with the Front Pack community. In just about a month, weāll launch the app and Front Pack Challenge; a standalone portal that allows anyone to challenge friends at anything to see who is more dominant. You can put up $$ and each win/loss goes on your profile. It looks great and hope you give it a try.
As always, thanks for subscribing and letās close out the week.
Stay movingā¦āš¼ - Scott
Headlines
š“ Tadej Pogocar is your 2024 Tour de France Winner: His 3rd championship may just be the sweetest one yet. For Tadej Pogocar, winning this years tour seemed all but complete early on. In second place was Jonas Vingegaard. The two have developed a rivalry over the years after Pogacar won the Tour de France back-to-back in 2020 and 2021, while Vingegaard won back-to-back in 2022 and 2023. Remco Evenepoel would finish in 3rd. Read moreā¦
šš“š Foley highlights resilience at Lake Placid: At just 24 years old, Trevor Foley has never figured out the long distance thing. But last Sunday, he put together his best 140.6 yet, winning Ironman Lake Placid. Foley was 1:45 behind following the swim, held strong on the bike but still found himself 5 minutes down at mile 10 of the run. Finally. By running a blistering 2:36 marathon, heād overtake Matthew Marquardt to win, qualify for Kona, and break the course record. Marquardt and Lionel Sanders would round out the podium. Read moreā¦
šš“š Danielle Lewis shuts up the haters: She was down big after the swim, and even the commentators didnāt think she could complete the comeback, but thatās exactly what Danielle Lewis did at Ironman Lake Placid. Down big after the swim (15 MINUTES), Lewis grinded and fought all the way back to beat Jackie Hering, and last yearās winner Alice Alberts who both took 2nd and 3rd respectively. Read moreā¦
Meanwhile
šš“š Canyon and Chelsea Sodaro = No more: In maybe not so surprising news, the bike manufacturer and 2022 Ironman World Champion have mutually decided to part ways. Sodaro who has had a rough go since her stunning championship win in Kona two years ago won Ironman New Zealand earlier this year but hasnāt done much since. Read moreā¦
š ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris vs Metaspeed Edge Paris: Iām an Asics guy through and through but when you create two shoes that look nearly identical, call me confused. Both designed for runners who either increased their stride length to go faster or increased their cadence to increase their speed, let an expert explain who should buy which shoe. Read moreā¦
š“ Tour de France Prize Money - The Winners and Losers: To no surprise, UAE Team Emirates won big capturing nearly one-third, 806k euros, of the winnings. Visma-Lease was second with 356k euros. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe who lost two riders early on was dead last, coming away with only 16k euros. Regarding how the money is split? Thatās up to the teams to decide because there is no dedicated structure. So even if Pogocar won all those stages, he might turn around and just share it all. Interesting. Read moreā¦
š Barkley Marathon history maker auctions shirt: Ultra running enthusiasts and collectors have a rare opportunity to own an iconic piece of history. Jasmin Paris, the first woman to complete the race on time is auctioning off her signed race top from her legendary Barkley Marathons. Sales of the shirt will go to charity but youāre going to need to open up your wallet. The minimum bid starts at $5K. Read moreā¦
šš“š Joe Skipper Says āNoā to Chasing Kona: Following a disappointing Ironman Lake Placid showing, Joe Skipper decided to call it quits in his chase to qualify for the 2024 World Championships in Kona. Citing training that isnāt translating to racing, the 36 year old who was a pre-season favorite for the IRONMAN Pro Series is taking some time off. Read moreā¦
š The Slow Running Movement Takes Hold: A growing body of research continues to show the more you train at a slow pace, the better off you are come race day. Energy expenditure increases linearly with running speed, so the total energy you use covering a fixed distance is generally the same, regardless of how fast you cover the ground. Read moreā¦
š“ Reviews say new Garmin Edge 1050 is nearly perfect: If you can look past the $700 price tag, this reviewer says the new bike computer is worth the cost; highlighting new safety features, a beautiful screen, long lasting battery, and all the bells and whistles as to why. Read moreā¦
š Dreadmill no more: Interested in doing more treadmill workouts because maybe itās just too hot outside or youāre coming off an injury, check out these five ways to make the treadmill less boring. Read moreā¦
Recapping My Ironman Lake Placid
Hot off my first full IM race, Lake Placid was an absolute dream that I wanted to recap. No real structure. Just things rolling off my mind.
The Beauty:Ā I cannot say this enough. Upstate New York is stunning. S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G! Green trees, fresh air, flowing rivers, scenic mountains, incredible views. It is Americana. Even during the race when you're locked in, you cannot help but look up and around at the beauty around you. At one point on the run I was asking people to join me in looking at the beauty, but not many people seemed to be into it as much as I was. š¤·š¼āāļø
The Community: Iāll say this forever but even my wife witnessed this. The community with endurance sports is like nothing else. Even after I finished and my family and I had gotten my bike and we were walking slowly back to our car along the race route, I must have gotten 150 people congratulating me. It was pretty overwhelming. From spectators to athletes hurting and grinding out their final miles to experience the same feeling Iād just had, they each looked up at me and said, āCongrats. You did itā with a shake of their fist or smile. That was really special.
My Splits: I aimed for a final time of 10:30 but got 10:57. Sub 11 for my first full IM. On a hilly bike and run course. Iāll take it! And let me tell you why. I hit my split on the swim, going under 1 hour (58:56). *Note: I actually beat the pro female winner by 8 minutes out of the water which is still banana land to me. That shows how insanely fast Danielle Lewis was on her bike and run. The bike got me a bit and set me back. I wanted a 5:30 (5:49) time but the hills and grade were big, and the climbs were long. Lastly. Super proud of my run. Iāve never ran a marathon. Not idea what to expect. My goal was under 4 hours (3:55) and that included 2 full on disrobing inside a porto-john at mile 2.8 and 14. My stomach was wonky all day on the bike and I finally couldnāt take it anymore. So if I did 3:55 with bathroom breaks, maybe I could have done 3:50 without them? That was satisfying to thing about.
The Town:Ā During my marathon, I couldn't help but think how electric the entire city was. Everyone was out on the race course celebrating. From tailgates, to beer drankinā, to music blasting, the vibes reminded me of an SEC football Saturday in Alabama versus an Ironman race. It really kept my energy up and focused on something outside of suffering.
My Fueling: At the end of the day it was good. I had oatmeal and sipped electrolytes headed into the day and ate a Maurten 100/100 CAF 30 minutes before go time. From there, I took in a mixture of RAW Endurance, gels, water, and bananas (2K mg of sodium + just over 100 carbs an hour) on the bike. Carried a water bottle with more sodium + carbs for the marathon. By the end though, I was over it, so I was doing Coca-Cola and ice water. Just looking for a caffeine kick to get me to the end.
A Legacy Race:Ā Whereas Ironman has tried and removed itself from various cities throughout the years, Lake Placid is a tried and true Ironman event. They know exactly what theyāre doing. The coordination, ease of getting around, and professionalism stood out all weekend long.
My Family: Iāll argue triathlon is the absolute worst spectating sport on the planet. Its 11 hours and you might see your loved one all of 38 seconds. Itās brutal for athletes but that much more brutal for the spectating families. Even worse when you have kids. So gratefully, I have to say. It was absolutely amazing to see my family throughout the day. My immediate family - wife wrangling a 7 and 5 year old; doing what she had to to survive, and then my parents flew up from South Carolina too. My parents have become a bit of a good luck charm, coming to my big races and sherpaāing my bag the morning of. Itās meant a lot, especially as they get older and the time between seeing them grows longer.
Mirror Lake:Ā If you're a slow (or fast) swimmer, Mirror Lake is the place you want to swim 2.4 miles. Outside of Ironman weekend, no motor boats are allowed to be on the lake so the water is as clean and clear as it comes. The steel cable 5 feet under the water also allows for sighting without looking up.
The History:Ā If you're American, there is so much history to the town of Lake Placid. It's the home of the 1980 Winter Olympics; where the underdog US team beat the Russians. You can go check out the hockey rink, or luge, or ski jumps. How can you not soak that in. Ā
The Volunteers: Theyāre amazing. The event is all day and theyāre not being paid. The payment is watching people do hard and sometimes seemingly impossible things. Iād like to volunteer at one some day, but for now, I canāt thank them enough. They offer emotional support, are so nice and shout out to the man who grabbed me after the finish line. With tears rolling down my face, he made sure I was crying tears of joy and not something more dramatic.
The Climbs:Ā If you're not a strong cyclist or runner, it's going to be a tough long day. Not impossible but tough. The climb up Keene is long and the descent, I'd imagine might be downright frightening if you're not confident on the bike. Following that, you have a great stretch of road before meeting up with a 12% grade hill climb and then roughly 16 miles of slow climbing back to town. Ā
The Finish Line: It is everything you envision it is. I ran through the final shoot off the course, saw the first timers bell and rang that thing as loud as I could. The fans went nuts and I was ready to cross the finish line, taking off down the black and red carpet. My initial thought was how clean it looked. Could I have eaten off it? Should I roll around on it? Was it dry cleaned? My god was it beautiful.
Training Tips
Because training is life.
š“ Complete Cycling Nutrition Guide, What to Eat Before, During, and After a Ride: Over the last 8 months, Iāve been thinking about how good my fueling plan is when compared to some friends I race with. Outside of your physical preparedness, I swear fueling is the second biggest factor in how youāll perform. If youāre new to it, be sure to get educated.
šš“š What Gear Do I Need for a Triathlon?: Looking to get into triathlons? You'll need the right gear to take on the challenge. In this video, Phil Mosely highlights the essential kit to get you started.
š How To Swim 100m In 1:10 (Without Trying): Retired Olympic swimmer Dan Smith spilling the beans on how to get faster in the pool.
Rewatchables
Content for long training days inside or just everyday life.
šš“š Qualified for Kona!: The legendary Lionel Sanders gives his thoughts after Ironman Lake Placid.
š“ What we eat in a day at the TDF - Stage 20: EF team chef Owen Brandy for a day of what's needed for our riders to perform at the highest level, and to reach lofty goals.
š This Guy HATES Running - Can We Change His Mind?: Good video for a laugh. Iāve been there. I hate running. Or at least hated (past tense). Maybe Iām starting to like it? But this guy really hates it!
Congrats on your first Ironman! š„³ Looked like a challenging course. šš»