Tri The World does Cancun 70.3

Cancun 70.3 was to be our 3rd race in three weekends. We flew from Brazil to Chicago for a quick stop. We headed out after only a few hours and a meal for a direct flight to Cancun. After the drama in Brazil, we were both looking for some R&R and some time with friends that we knew were going to be participating in this race. Our travel agent, Michelle of Tri The World Travel does this race often and was down again this year with family, friends and several of her athletes. We also bumped into Randy Graham of Ottawa at the airport. We had done Newfoundland 70.3 with him as well and he was determined to come to Cancun for some unfinished business.

We landed in Cancun and looked for our ride. Michelle and her dad offered to pick us up at the airport in her rented van and take us to the hotel we were all staying at. After the small yet cozy accommodations in Brazil, we knew Michelle had hooked a super deal at the Hilton Golf and Spa Resort. Our drive to the Hilton included a partial view of the bike course and pretty well the entire run course which was nice to be able to see.As we pulled into the Hilton, we saw how nice this place really was. We were escorted to this private desk to check in to our villa. We were told about the daily breakfasts as well as the all day snacks and happy hour from 5pm to 7pm! Where WERE we???? All checked in, we chilled out for the first time in what seemed like weeks.
The Friday before the race, we headed to register for the race. Brian needed to get this lingering “carbon” noise problem looked at so he brought his bike. He lined up for the mechanic and Heather followed the line into registration with our TTW.com friends. As he stood in line, Heather returned with her swag from registration….which included an IM70.3 fleece jacket. Um….we are in Cancun, no??Brian was assured that again, the problem was fixed (but would learn on race day that indeed it was not!!!!). As for the rest of the day….chillin in the endless pool!!!!Saturday meant bike drop off and mandatory meeting. We ran the 11 minutes to the meeting and were done in by the heat…it was unbelievable. At the pre race meeting Brian saw some “chaps” from the UK who were wearing their finisher’s shirts. He went to talk to them to share stories about the race over the pond. They actually remembered seeing us out on the course and remembered the announcement of our attendance there at the pre-race meeting…a good bunch of guys!
After the meeting we got a ride back to the Hilton and hopped on our bikes to drop them off in transition. As we were one of the first ones there, be got some sweet spots on the racks. We organized a dinner with Randy Graham, a fellow triathlete from Ottawa who we spent the winter with swimming early in the morning! We had a great meal, relaxing time and great conversation! Off to bed for the big day!

Sunday morning we were greeted with an awesome sunrise. We took a taxi to transition and got set up. There was little to do but still got there with plenty of time to spare… or so we thought! After a quick check, Heather realized that she did not have her goggles!!! So, Brian opted to stay there and finish pumping tires and setting up while Heather got back to the hotel. She was able to get back only moments before transition closed….a relief for both of us!
One of the nicest moments of this race (there were a few) was bumping into Corey. Cory was one of the lads from the UK I had spoken with at the pre-race meeting. He is a towering, soft spoken fellow clydesdale with an even bigger heart. We chatted while Heather made some final adjustments on the way to the beach. Corey surprised Brian during the conversation by saying “since you were so nice to come chat with us before the meeting and are obviously dedicated to the reason you were racing, I will make a donation through your website when I get home!

Corey and Brian would see each other again!

We walked to the beach and waited around for the race to start. As we stood there, we FINALLY hooked up with Chance Regina, our Blue Competition Cycles representative. He was initially slated to compete, but opted to simply enjoy the week in Cancun with his wife. We had a great chat with them, along with Michelle from Tri The World travel and her family, until we were interrupted by the voice of Ironman Cancun, who got the attention of he entire field and announced our appearance at this race, sharing our venture with the entire field. It was a proud moment for us, our friends and our sponsors to all be there for such great PR for our causes.

Shortly after that, the gun sounded for Brian’s wave. This swim is best described as a two loop floating rectangle where you swam out to the rectangular shaped course, did it twice and then swam back to shore. Heather’s wave was a few after Brian’s and went off without a hitch.

The run to transition as described seemed like a LONG one…..well it was! It was a run through the water-park where transition was located. Once set up, Brian was off to hit the sun on the roads of Mexico, with Heather not too far behind. The ride was fairly boring except when Brian almost ran over a Tarantula that was crossing the road. Man was it huge!!! We had two laps to do out in the Mexican sun and were able to visit some of the outskirts of Cancun. As in many of the races lately, the peletons who we saw going the opposite directions would remind you of the Tour de France!!!

We rode the last little while together and discussed the day so far...and realised how much fun we were having, but realized that it was quickly getting super hot in the sun. We got to transition at the same time and both racked our bikes. Shoes changed, and visors on we headed out to the two loop out and back along the shore-side drive. What a beautiful course…with only some hotels separating the beach and the road we were running on. The only issue was that these hotels blocked any chance of a cool breeze!After only a short while, Heather took off in fine form to challenge her self on loop one. We both came across the best idea in race supplies we have seen yet. Water was supplied to us in bags!!! YES BAGS!These square plastic bags were AWESOME. You could grab a couple to go…and when you feel like it, you rip the corner of it and squirt it into your mouth. SOOO much better than cups, that’s for sure.

Heathers run felt relatively good given the 30+ degree heat. She crossed the line, happy with her day and was spent given that this was race number 3 in 3 weekends, on 3 different continents.
Brian was able to cross paths with Corey a few times. He was having a hard day and was as red as a tomato from the sun. When Brian would go through the water stations, he would grab a couple of extra bags of water for Corey and pass them to him between the stations. They shared a laugh or three over the course of the run. Brian finished the day with a strong finish and a huge smile as he now knew the day was done. After 3 races in 3 weekends… he knew that the pool and beach await!

When we got home, we received an email from the UK. It was Corey!! We were able to see him finish as we rode back to our hotel, so we knew he got the bling. The email made us both sit back and reflect on all of the super people we have met. From his email: Brian and Heather…here is the donation I gave you my word on. “One dollar for every mile we raced together this year…a cheque for $140.60.”

We have 2 more races to go and are truly looking forward to a few days here in Cancun to just relax and soak up some of the sun…which feels much nicer in a pool, then while running!!!
Brian and Heather