Eagleman 70.3-The Sherpa's Perspective:)

This past weekend Amber and I went down to Cambridge, Maryland for Eagleman 70.3. This race was special for Amber because it would be the first race where all three sisters would be competing. Also her cousin, Christina, would be competing and her parents and uncle came to cheer them all on. We arrived Thursday in Annapolis and spent the next day shuttered inside due to the pouring rain but that did not stop us from getting in plenty of pre-race preparation in the form of old school Nintendo and eating raw Oysters.

The original Mario!

Oysters!

The next day was dedicated to a big breakfast and all the logistical triathlon stuff which was surprisingly more challenging when you had to coordinate the plans of four athletes instead of one. But everything got settled and everyone was amped up and ready for the race!

BIG PRE-RACE BREAKFAST WITH THE FAMILY

Pro women swim start

Danny and Deidre watching Amber's swim

The race itself was nice because we got a chance to see Amber swim and get on the bike and still had time to hang out with Genny and Deidre before their swim starts. We could watch Amber on the run as the sisters got on their bikes. Then later in the day Amber was able to get back on her bike(after racing 70.3 miles of course) to cheer on Genny as she came running in.


Amber's race itself was pretty awesome. Coming out of the water in 8th place, Amber looked strong but had several fast cyclists right on her heels. And yet, when she returned 2:25 later she had biked 23mph to maintain that spot on the cycling portion of the event. With the depth of the field this year, I think for a moment she would have been satisified with this finishing but instead she took off looking really fresh. This was amazing. She looked so in control and was smiling the entire run. She was strong but didn't look like she was over-extending herself. Although not terribly hot, it was very humid and I was amazed how fast she was running.

With less than 2 miles to go and still in 4th place, I gave her a split on the then 3rd place girl and she took off! Her father and I took a short cut to the finish line to wait for her to come in. As Laura Bennett finished in second we knew that one of the next two people rounding the corner would be Amber. I was just telling Greg that 40 seconds was a lot to make up in less than 2 miles as Amber rounds the corner in third!

Amber rounding the final corner!

 In those last 2 miles, she made up the 40 second deficit and some to finish with a total time of 4:22:26!

From Ironman.com's recap:

"Naeth laid down the fastest run on the day and captured the IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman title with a 4:14:06 winning time. Bennett backed up her IRONMAN 70.3 Raleigh win last weekend with a superb second place finish, in a time of 4:17:21. Amber Ferreira (USA) passed a faltering Parker in the closing miles to finish off the podium in a time of 4:22:26."

From Triathlete.com's recap:
Amber Ferreira (USA) rounded out the podium in third thanks to a solid day across swim, bike and run.

Genny goofing around before the swim

Genny on the run

Deidre waits patiently for her wave's start

All four girls actually did amazing! In addition to Amber's 3rd place finish, Deidre did a 5:15, Christina did a 5:38 and Genny was only 20 seconds from breaking 6 hours! Guess she'll have to do another:)

Amber and Genny

Top 10 Women

1 NAETH, Angela CAN 4:14:06

2 BENNETT, Laura USA 4:17:21

3 FERREIRA, Amber USA 4:22:26

4 CLIFFORD, Ashley USA 4:22:53

5 PIAMPIANO, Sarah USA 4:25:41

6 PARKER, Jenna USA 4:27:24

7 ANDREWS, Kristin USA 4:29:08

8 GERVAIS, Annie CAN 4:29:31

9 SHUTT, Beth USA 4:30:08

10 LEIGGI, Heather USA 4:35:01



Up Next: This Saturday is the Mt Washington Road Race and then next Saturday is Mont Tremblant 70.3! The season is about to really get started:)