IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga was the site of a new Team HERD Member's (Hooch) first triathlon. Confidence was high and training was locked in for Hooch who had high expectations and was racing with the Professor aka Mannimal, Destroyer, Paddy Roo, and El Presidente. With a fast swim, challenging bike, and warm run, the course proved to be an amazing venue and the crowd support did not disappoint.
All HERD members came out of the 1.4 (not a typo...) mile swim down the Tennessee River within striking distance of one another and the stage was set for yet another classic Destroyer vs. El Presidente showdown. In the end, it was Destroyer once again getting the best of El Presidente by tip toeing his way into the lead with less than a mile remaining. Paddy Roo simply cruised through the bike course showing that his impressive indoor training numbers might just be accurate. Mannimal also had a great bike and arrived into T2 ready to hit the ground running but found that both his race bib and hat were mysteriously missing leading to a longer than expected T2 time. In the end, it was Paddy Roo maintaining his impressive pace and finishing ahead of the crew.
Hooch came out of T2 feeling excellent but had cramps set in starting at mile 5 of the run course. As he was recovering at the final aid station at mile 12 he caught a glimpse of spectators enjoying a beer and his mindset of "The bar ain't far" kicked in giving him the motivation to limp home to the finishline.
While hot and humid, all athletes had a solid race and a great day with only minutes separating the front to back of Team HERD. Hooch left this Race with a mindset that IMLP will be his bounce back and El Presidente looks at it as his chance to finally get Destroyer, while Paddy Roo sights a front of pack performance. All eyes now turn to IMLP.
