Ochsner Ironman 70.3 4-5-09

All winter Scott, Stephanie, Ashley Mac (Tina) and Lacey meticulously trained and prepared for an assault on Ironman New Orleans 70.3. On April 5 that day finally came and went and here’s how it shook-out. The day was hot and humid hitting highs in the mid 80’s. The lake was a nice 70 degrees. The wind was moderate until the last 12 miles, then it picked up to a 15-18 mph headwind. Stephanie performed flawlessly, clocking a 5:20 and taking home 1st place in the 50-54. She bested more than 50 other competitors from all around the globe hoping for that coveted spot in the World Champions in Clearwater this November. Stephanie came off the 2:45 bike split in 3rd and eventually used her 1:54 run split to run down her final two competitors, one from Maryland and the other from Illinois

to claim her ticket for World’s. Ashley Mac and Lacey were entering there first ever 70.3 distance race. Ashley’s race went very well with an awesome swim and very nice 2:50 bike split and then a very competitive run for a 5:40 finishing time. Lacey’s day was not to be so pleasant. She began to have some stomach issues in the middle of the bike, but persisted and pushed on to finish her first 70.3. Scott was not so fortunate either. He swam well and biked as planned but failed to fuel sufficiently, eventually succumbing to horrible legs cramps which forced him to withdraw. All in all it was a tremendously staged race and Steph and Ashley have already signed up for the 2010 edition. For race results click here.

The Strong Arms are Ready