I added IM70.3 Michigan to my calendar for another opportunity to qualify for the 2027 IM70.3 World Championships in Chattanooga.
Was it a long shot? Absolutely.
But I was excited to try.
The race was just two weeks after Melissa’s wedding, so I knew the lead-up would not be perfect. It was also only one week after this year’s World Championships in Nice. My thinking was that maybe some of the fastest ladies would still be recovering from Worlds instead of racing in Michigan.
Even with that possibility, I knew I would need my best day ever on that course.
I had a great swim. I had a great bike.
And then there was the run…
When it comes to triathlon, I’m a really good aquabiker. LOL.
The Lead-Up: A Lot of Driving, Dancing, and Racing
We drove to Melissa’s wedding, which meant we also had to drive home. Before heading toward the house, we detoured to Detroit for a Tigers game.
I got home Thursday at 2:30“ish” and left again Friday at 3:30 for a double race weekend: an Olympic-distance aquabike on Saturday, followed by a double sprint on Sunday.
Was that the best preparation for a race where I needed my best time?
Definitely not.
But I couldn’t resist the local race scene. I LOVE racing local!!
I tried to squeeze in a little “normal” training Monday through Wednesday, then started driving north to Michigan again on Thursday.
Between the travel, racing, and dancing like it was my job at Melissa’s wedding, this was not exactly a textbook taper.
Race Weekend
Friday was packet pickup and dinner with my mom. Saturday was the usual pre-race swim, bike safety ride, and racking my bike.
One of the best parts of the weekend was having an old college friend Rhett racing too. He and his wife, Kerri, had a killer condo location near the race venue and let me park there and use it as home base all weekend.
It was SO great!!
Having somewhere comfortable to hang out, get ready, and put my feet up made the whole weekend easier.
My 3 Goals
As always, I had my three goals:
Rockstar Goal: Earn a qualification spot for the 2027 IM70.3 World Championships in Chattanooga. A very big long shot—but that was why I signed up!
Super Happy Goal: Finish in 5:45.
Happy Goal: Enjoy being in Michigan with many of my old tri club friends.
Race Morning
Race morning was easy, thanks to Rhett and Kerri.
I got transition set up, then walked back to the condo to get Kerri before heading to the swim start.
Getting through the crowd to my swim seed spot took a little effort. But once I was there, I felt really good.
Ready.
Excited to see what I could do.
Swim — 1.2 miles — 37:28
The swim was pretty uneventful, which is usually a good thing!
The water was cold in general, but on the far side, where the river feeds in, it was SUPER cold.
This was my first time swimming a martini-glass-shaped course. There were also these weird inflatable “bridge” buoys we had to swim under. Definitely a first for me!
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Otherwise, it was a typical IM70.3 swim. People seemed to be seeded all over the place, so there was lots of passing, and the turn buoys were crowded.
I came out feeling like I had a good swim and was eager to get to my favorite part of the day.
T1
T1 was fine. Nothing dramatic, just getting ready to ride.
Right after the mount line, my teammate Jes told me I was fifth out of the water.
Woohoo!!
That was a good way to start the bike.
Bike — 56 miles — 2:40:13
I really loved this bike course.
It is challenging, honest, and SO pretty. I would put it in my top three bike courses.
It is mostly protected from the wind, and the roads were mostly smooth. It is definitely not flat, but it is not super hilly either. Most of the elevation change is around the second turnaround. That stretch is also more exposed, so you get a more noticeable headwind—and then a glorious tailwind.
The first out-and-back was longer than I expected, and things got a little crowded at the first turnaround.
I had ridden the course during practice rides in July, and the “climbs” didn’t feel as bad on race day as I remembered. That was a nice surprise!
My nutrition was spot on, and based on my average power, I thought I was sticking to my bike plan.
When I came back past transition after the first out-and-back, Kerri told me I had moved up to third.
I was riding with purpose and feeling really good.
By the time I finished, I thought I had executed the perfect ride to have a good—for me—run.
Boy, was I wrong.
Looking back at the data, I went well above my ceiling power six times. My average looked good, but those spikes were there.
I suspect those efforts, along with the fatigue I was still carrying from the previous weekend’s races and all that wedding dancing, caught up with me.
T2 and the Run Plan
Jes told me I was second coming off the bike.
SECOND.
I wanted a top-five finish SO badly.
My plan was simple: walk the aid stations and run everything else. No matter how tired I felt. No matter how slow I needed to go.
I wanted to run.
Run — 13.1 miles — 2:31:54
The Michigan run course is flat as a pancake.
It is built around two out-and-backs from transition. You do one two and a half times, with the finish line at the end, and the other twice. That makes it easy to see people repeatedly, but it also makes the course crowded.
The greenway is nice to run on. The road on the far side of the lake felt harder on my body.
During recon, I had planned to break the course into manageable segments: the first short out-and-back plus the first trip out toward the other side of the lake would be roughly a 5K, then I would use each return to the finish-line area as another segment.
This course lends itself really well to that approach. If I race here again, I will try it again.
My brain just wasn’t cooperating that day.
I made it through the first out-and-back, roughly a mile, following my plan. As usual, I started too fast. I did try to slow down. I walked the aid station and still felt okay—excited that I had a chance to make this happen.
Honestly, I don’t remember what made me walk the first time outside an aid station.
The wind wasn’t bad yet. Nothing hurt yet. I was tired, and my heart rate was high.
Why didn’t I just run slower???
Well, I didn’t. I walked.
And once I walked once, it became easier to walk the next time. Then things started hurting. Then the wind picked up.
And I walked more.
“Mrs. Byrge!”
Around mile 10, a young woman passed me and said:
“Mrs. Byrge—I do triathlon because of you!”
Cue the happy tears.
I didn’t recognize her, but she must have been a student from my Stoney Creek days. She was wearing a Notre Dame triathlon kit and absolutely crushing that run!!
I wish I knew who she was.
That moment meant so much to me.
Mile 11
Based on my pre-race recon, I thought a 5:30 finish might possibly put me in contention for a Worlds spot.
When my watch hit 5:30, I was at the mile 11 sign.
Still 2.1 miles away.
I tried to be nice to myself.
Not very long ago, breaking six hours would have been my Rockstar Goal. I could walk the rest of the way and still finish under six.
The wind was whipping by then, and my toenail was hanging on for dear life.
It has since fallen off.
Triathlon is glamorous.
The Finish
Final time: 5:56:50.
I was just SO happy to be DONE.
Rhett had an awesome race, and he and Kerri waited for me. We got athlete food, then went back to their condo to watch the remaining finishers from the balcony and swap stories from the day.
That was such a good way to end the race.
Official Results
Swim: 37:28
Bike: 2:40:13
Run: 2:31:54
Finish: 5:56:50
Age Group: 11th, F50–54
Female: 167th
Overall: 777th
So… Did I Achieve My Goals?
Rockstar Goal: A Worlds qualification spot?
No. I stayed for awards and slot allocation, but spots only rolled to 39th in the age-graded ranking. I was 103rd.
And it turns out that even a 5:30 would not have gotten me a spot.
I didn’t know that while I was out there chasing it.
Super Happy Goal: 5:45?
No. I finished in 5:56:50.
Happy Goal: Enjoy Michigan with my old tri club friends?
Absolutely!!
I loved seeing my Infinite Multisport friends, and I especially enjoyed spending the weekend with Kerri and Rhett.
What I’m Taking Forward
The swim and bike went great, and I am proud of both.
But going from second off the bike to eleventh at the finish is not fun.
I will keep working on nailing my bike plan so I have run legs left. This race reminded me to look beyond average power and pay attention to the efforts above my ceiling.
Next up is IMNC70.3—another opportunity to try for Chattanooga.
First, heal this wicked blood blister.
Then keep working on the run.
And keep chasing.
Thank You
Thank you to Rhett and Kerri for sharing your condo, making race weekend so easy, cheering, and waiting for me at the finish. Hanging out with you was one of the best parts of the trip.
Thank you to Jes for the updates that had me heading onto the bike—and then the run—with so much excitement.
Thank you to my team and my Infinite Multisport friends for the support and familiar faces.
And thank you to Mark for encouraging me to keep chasing my crazy goals.
Even when the calendar probably looks a little ridiculous.
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