The reason I come to the Pucon 70.3 is for the experience. The best way to describe it is similar to a destination wedding, only with a triathlon thrown in the mix. The town of Pucon has an incredible atmosphere, amazing scenery, some of the friendliest people around, and the result is a first-class triathlon with a challenging course. Not a bad combination!

We arrived in Pucon on Wednesday after 36 hours of travel. Within moments of entering the mountain village, my travel wearies were left by the wayside and I was reminded why this event is top-notch. Unfortunately throughout the week, the characteristically popular South American summer weather was replaced by rain. And lots of it. The day before the race it poured rain from noon through the night. The night before the race the winds were howling and it left most racers tossing and turning, wondering what Sunday’s even would bring.

A highlight of the Pucon 70.3 this year was the pre-race party, where we were treated to a joke-telling contest, musical chairs, a chocolate fondue fountain, and resident supermodels on stage. You can’t help but feel relaxed in the fun environment that the Pucon race delivers.

Sunday morning was chaos at the race hotel, Gran Pucon. At first the race was delayed. Then the rumors were flying as nobody was sure of the fate of the race. There were lots of meetings and Spanish speaking going on—most of which I didn’t understand. With the nature of the cold weather, the choppy waters, the high wind gusts and buckets of rain, the race organizers had to make the difficult decision to switch the race to a duathlon format. The race would start in front of transition with a 5k run through town, followed by the traditional 56-mile bike and 13.1 mile run courses.

At 9 am the athletes gathered, the gun fired, and we were off in two-minute waves. The professional men led the way with a blistering pace. A group of five men ran together in a pack including race favorites Reinaldo Colluci, Oscar Galindez, and Daniel Fontana. As for the women, Kim Loeffler was leading the way and I was hot on her heels. In the mix was also Chilean super-star Valentina Carvalho, with Heather Gollnick not far behind. Kim’s pace was a fast one and I let a small gap open up with at the turn around. Highlights of the run were the puddle jumping and Pucon’s pack of stray dogs running alongside the athletes.

Onto the bike and the men were in hot pursuit. They would stay together for most of the bike. Meanwhile, it was pouring rain and I was in search of my wetsuit and goggles. There were moments where I was unsure if the swim portion of the event had really been cancelled. That is the most relentless amount of weather I have ever encountered on a 56-mile bike course. There were flash floods, hail, gusty winds, more rain, all followed up by a gentle drizzle. In the women’s race I bridged a gap to Kim Loeffler in the first 20k of the bike and managed to break away on a downhill. I worked on building a gap throughout the bike course. Valentina lived up to her young talent, riding strong in 3rd, with Gollnick in 4th.

Into the village of Pucon and it was time to start the foot race. Fontana and Colucci were neck in neck, making for an exciting foot race. Oscar Galindez was not far behind. As for me, I got off my bike and was pretty sure I was running on pegs for legs. It was freezing cold and still pouring rain. At that point it was one foot in front of another as we tackled the extremely challenging run course that goes up, up, up and over the Pucon Peninsula.

A big props to all the age-group athletes that were battling it out in tough conditions. Nobody was prepared for a duathlon, most people left their winter-weather apparel at home, and I saw too many athletes buckled over with uncomfortable leg cramps. The town of Pucon did not disappoint on the exciting three-loop run course however. There were a ton of cheering fans, stray dogs, 80′s rock blaring on the loud speakers, and smiling fans, despite Mother Nature’s lashing.

At the end of the day, Fontana claimed the win followed by Reinaldo and Galindez. I claimed my first victory here in Pucon after finishing second in 2008 and 2009, followed by fellow Americans Kim Loeffler and Heather Gollnick. The festivities continued into the night: when in Chile, do as the Chileans do! Dinner wasn’t served until 11 p.m. and the party was still going strong at one in in the morning. It was a race to remember.

1. Daniel Fontana (ARG) 3:52:59
2. Reinaldo Colucci (BRZ) 3:56:24
3. Oscar Galindez (ARG) 3:57:17

Pro Women’s Results

1. Linsey Corbin (USA) 4:15:42
2. Kim Loffler (USA) 4: 21: 17
3. Heather Gollnick (USA) 4:33:38