By Jennifer Tetrick

Beautifully situated among the fall colors of mountainous Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Inaugural Ironman 70.3 Pocono
Mountains was a race to remember.

For me, it was my first bike/run triathlon event. With the Pennsylvania region being pummeled by rain and storms, the race organizers had to make the difficult but wise decision to cancel the swim in the Delaware River and make the race a bike/run event, with athletes leaving transition on their bikes in a time trial format.

Moreover, extensive construction in the area led to a number of course changes that made some of my pre-race reconnaissance pretty useless, although I did get to embrace the scenery while out on my ‘bonus’ rides—and even have an up close encounter with some of the local wildlife, including a gigantic black bear and wild turkeys.

Despite the number of uncontrollable and natural challenges of a new race course, I was impressed by how well everything came together on race day. Not only did the rain finally let up (a relief in the cold temperatures) but I soon found myself in transition, with thousands of other athletes, proceeding with the same vigor and excitement of any other race start, albeit minus our swim caps, wetsuits and goggles.

Thanks to the on-site mechanics from Mountain Valley Bicycles, I got some bike issues handled, and headed to the start line, ready to rock…Well, as soon as I took a visual survey of what everyone was wearing on the bike course (i.e. arm warmers, leg warmers, cycling kits, etc….there are so many options when you’re not racing the clock to don your cycling gear.

We lined up for the time trial start by race number, which was assigned by when we registered for the race. Since I had been excited about this race since early this year, I was second off the line … not ideal in time trialing, but somebody had to do it.

After a short delay to allow the sun to catch up with eager-to-start triathletes, we were sent of in 30 second intervals… I caught my “30 second girl” Kristen White just after the first turnaround, and then it was a long solo bike ride off the front.  I knew that some tough competitors were behind me, including Magali TIsseyre, Desiree Ficker and Jessie Donovan.

Having no idea where they were in the race, I had to work to stay focused and push myself, gaining an all-new respect for the stellar cyclists in the sport, like my Purplepatch teammate Chris Lieto, who clocked record-setting bike splits without a soul in sight. Impressive.

In the guys’ race, Bart Aernouts appeared to be holding a solid lead on the bike, with Zach Ruble, followed by a battling duo Swen Sunberg and Fabian Conrad, riding in hot pursuit. Because of the timed start, and the nature of the course, it was hard to know what was actually happening in the variousraces, but it was clear that all the athletes knew it was them vs. the clock in the end…

I came off the bike first, posting the fastest bike split, and raced out on the run with some very numb feet and an acute awareness of the runners that would be right on my heels. The run course, described to me as “two hills, followed by a false flat to the turnaround,” was (in my opinion) nothing of the sort. It seemed like hill after relentless hill, and was a course that anything involving the Poconos could be proud of.

The out-and-back run finally gave some visual of what was happening, and the benefit of the cheering and camaraderie from some of the other athletes in the race. Fun! At the turnaround I saw Magali, who had plowed her way through the field and was making her way toward me, and Jessie who was looking light and fast on the run. Kristin was also running well.

The men’s race looked much the same as what I had observed out on the bike course, with Aernouts solidly in the lead, Ruble holding strong, and Sunberg and Conrad racing literally stride for stride, slowly chipping away at Ruble’s lead.
Magali passed me just after the 9 mile mark and continued on to the overall female win of the day in 3:57:11. I finished in 2nd place across the line, but with Jessie clocking the faster time of the day with an impressive 4:02:46.

The race finished through downtown Stroudsburg with crowds cheering and an Oktoberfest street festival full of local flavors, art, music, and pretty much all the post-race treats anyone could crave. For a race starting out wet and cold, with a lot of unexpecteds, Ironman 70.3 Pocono Mountains turned out to be a great bunch of “firsts” that I would definitely want to experience again. And, having the opportunity to stay in a quaint cabin in a nearby town with some friends was only icing on the cake (and we definitely ate quite a bit) for what was a fun and memorable race weekend.

Ironman 70.3 Pocono Mountains

Sunday, October. 2, 2011

56 mile bike/13.1 mile run

Top 5 Pro Men’s Results

1. Bart Aernouts – 3:27:04
2. Zach Ruble – 3:34:33
3. Fabian Conrad – 3:35:35
4. Swen Sundberg – 3:35:42
5. Kyle Pawlaczyk – 3:42:07

Top 5 Pro Women’s Results

1. Magali Tisseyre – 3:57:11
2. Jessie Donavan – 4:02:46
3. Jennifer Tetrick – 4:04:11
4. Kristin White – 4:07:08
5.  Heather Leiggi – 4:07:09

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Originally from California, new pro Jennifer Tetrick works with solar energy technologies in communications when she’s not training. She also volunteers with Athletes Without Limits, a non-profit dedicated to helping elite athletes with intellectual disability achieve their athletic goals.