When the 70.3 World Championship is Your Third Half Ironman in 6 Weeks
Yes, it might sound a bit crazy but my husband, Matt, just completed his third 70.3 triathlon in 6 weeks, capping off an incredible season of racing with a strong performance at the 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, Spain.
While it was the end of the triathlon season, it was just the beginning of an amazing two week vacation in Spain, and I’m going to tell you all about it! Get ready for an absurd amount of photos and videos that capture the picturesque landscapes, incredible architecture, and mouthwatering food of Andalusia.
But first, we have to talk about the reason for this amazing trip- the 70.3 World Championship! Matt qualified at 70.3 Gulf Coast, which was in May, but by that time we already had the entire season planned out. After Gulf Coast, we had a mid-season break and extended training block, with a few races stacked in the fall- an Olympic, Augusta 70.3, and North Carolina 70.3.
So when he got the email that he’d qualified for Marbella, we talked with our coaches to see if doing four 70.3 races in a year (and three stacked so close together) was a good idea or not. He got the green light, with the understanding that North Carolina would be the “A race” and Marbella would be a “celebration race.” Having proper perspective and realistic expectations is key, especially when racing overseas after doing a 70.3 just two weeks prior.
4 flights and 33 hours later…
Thanks to a few last-minute airline changes, we needed to take four flights to get us from Tallahassee, Florida to Marbella, Spain.
Flight Plan #1- (Tallahassee, FL) to (Atlanta, GA) to (JFK, New York) to (Madrid, Spain) to (Malaga, Spain)
We left at 8:10 am with three suitcases, a bike box, and a dream (mostly that the bike would arrive safely and we wouldn’t fall asleep while standing). Almost 33 hours later, we arrived in Malaga, Spain! It was a short 45-minute drive to Marbella where we checked in at an AMAZING AirBNB about 20 minutes away from transition called La Heredia.
After being awake for 30 hours with just 3 hours of sleep, we were pretty tired when we arrived in the early afternoon. But it was important to stay awake long enough to go to bed at a regular Spain time to help with adjusting to the new time zone. We learned this trick from our coaches, who travel internationally for races quite a bit.
After doing an easy, 20 minute jog on the Puerto Banus boardwalk at sunset, we headed to La Mercado to pick up some groceries. Matt knows a bit of Spanish, but I only know French, so it was pretty entertaining trying to figure out what all the labels meant!
We also learned an interesting fact about the markets in Spain. Instead of supplying plastic bags for your groceries, like here in the US, you have to purchase bags- a much sturdier version with handles. I actually loved this, because it seems like it would help cut down on environmental waste. In fact, we brought the bags back home and plan to use them in our grocery store trips here!
Another fun fact is you can’t find Gatorade anywhere in Spain, so we opted for another fan favorite- Powerade. (We bring all our race day nutrition with us, but sometimes it’s nice to have an electrolyte drink in the days leading up to a race.)
Pre-race activities!
On the agenda for Wednesday was a brick workout for Matt and an easy run for me, in addition to Athlete Check-in. I’ve been to a World Championship IM Village before in St. George, but this one was massive. HOKA had a huge, two-story set-up on the beach, Precision Fuel & Hydration had a “Salty Beverage Bar” where you could try out the electrolyte drink that would be on course, and there was a host of other fun pop-up style shops and activities. (Triple Threat Life Club members get 15% off your first order with Precision Fuel & Hydration.)
Matt got to do a special check-in, because he belongs to a group I can’t tell you about (Literally, NDA and everything). Then, we headed to the expo to do a bit of shopping. Again, this was a lot more elaborate than those in the states with shirts, jackets, hats, shoes, and mugs galore.
Thursday was a big day, because Matt had an open water swim practice and a longer bike ride. We decided to stay away from all the pre-race hubbub and swim in a secluded cove with a few other athletes. The water was perfect- high 60s, super salty, and pretty clear. We even saw a few fish!
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After scoping out the situation on the first climb driving out of town, it was definitely not safe with the heavy traffic and number of athletes, so we drove to Monda and did a route toward Alozaina, near the back half of the bike course. It was extremely windy and Matt has a disc wheel, so he got some good practice navigating descents in crosswind.
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On Friday, we decided to swim on the actual course so Matt could get his bearings with the buoys. He's made such big improvements with his swim this year. I could barely keep up with him! We also did something really fun and swam out to a boat just off course. It was manned by the Girona Racing Academy and they had bowls of fruit, watermelon juice, and coffee for athletes. Just like the Kona Coffee Boat, but Spanish style!
On Saturday, Matt had a final brick workout to test out all his equipment, so I used the opportunity to run down to the race course to put up a TriMarni sign for our female teammates. Then, it was time to pack his transition bags (split transition where T1 and T2 are in different places) and check in his bike. This was a bit of a cluster with the women’s race still going on, and it took a lot longer than it should have, but we were able to get everything done so Matt could relax in his compression boots and enjoy an early dinner.
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Race Day!
One of the interesting things about this race is instead of an all age-group start at one time, each age group had different start times. For example, Matt’s group is one of the largest (35-39) and they started at 8:10 am, whereas some other athletes didn’t start until 9:40 am! This meant that many athletes had completely different experiences on course, depending on when the wind started to pick up and when it got hot.
The women raced on Saturday and the men raced on Sunday. Good job Diane!
The morning temperatures were cool in the 50s, but it did get up to the high 70s by the afternoon, although the humidity was only around 70% so it was definitely less than Florida! An advantage to racing on the men’s day is that Matt got to watch part of the women’s race on YouTube, so he was able to see how the pros navigated descents and any challenging areas on course.
The Swim
We met up with Matt’s friend, David, and they got into their wetsuits and lined up. I headed down to the swim exit, which was located by a jetty with a lighthouse at the point. It was situated perfectly so you could see the athletes finishing the swim and coming into transition.
The swim was a five-turn course in the Mediterranean Sea that finished at Levante Beach. An interesting feature of the beach is there were no seashells, like we’re used to in Florida. Instead, it was covered with small stones and pebbles. A few athletes didn’t take this into account and either came out with bruised or broken toes, because they were a bit too aggressive with their swim entry/exit
Here’s what Matt had to say about the swim:
“The sighting was difficult the first 300 yards as it was directly into the sun. I had one moment where I had to stop and get my bearings but no major panic to start the swim. I had some phrases to keep repeating, ‘You are a strong swimmer,’ ‘You are in control.’ I started easier than race pace and tried to build. With so many turns and good athletes, there was a lot more traffic than I was accustomed and more jostling around the turns.”
“There was a light chop, but nothing too difficult to deal with and the long stretch of the swim went smoothly. I feel like I got off course a few times, because I seemed to be isolated from others on the backstretch, but my GPS track looked fairly straight. I came out of the water feeling good and got into T1.”
The Bike
Matt had a great swim and after a quick wave and words of encouragement in transition, he headed out on the bike. This course was a beast. The 56-mile ride had 5,857 ft. of elevation gain, so basically it goes up and over mountains. The route took athletes through the village of Ojen and descended toward Monda. Then, they turned around and had even more climbing and some tricky descents back to T2.
We knew this ride would take at least 3 hours, if not more, so Matt planned to carry more nutrition than he typically does for a 70.3. We learned post-race that he actually got a small flat, because there was some sealant on his bike frame. (Thank God for tubeless tires!)
Matt’s bike set-up: Cervelo P5, front wheel- Swiss Side 625, rear wheel- Boyd disc, Garmin power pedals, 52/36 chainring, 11/34 cassette, Ez Gains Aero rear hydration, Arundel carbon cages, Fizik saddle, Aerocoach arm cups, XLab front hydration mount, Garmin 530 computer
T2 was kind of crazy because it was underground in a parking garage. Also, because the men checked in while the women’s race was still going on, they weren’t allowed to walk the flow of transition. This meant they wouldn’t be able to see exactly where to rack their bikes until they were running through T2.
Here’s Matt’s perspective on the bike ride:
“Kept power steady and strong through the first flat bit. Started the climb and felt like I was hanging out around 215 watts. Maybe my strategy was a bit off here, or maybe I’m just not as strong at long climbs given my lack of experience, but wow that climb was humbling. Pushing good power and guys are flying past me like I wasn’t even moving.
I felt good going toward Ojen, was a bit tentative on the quick decent into town and lost some time there, but it was a bit more technical with turns and the goal was to just be smart and safe. Topping out over the climb and there was a long decent. Felt much better as it was almost dead straight. Still my limit was 45 mph before I feathered the brakes a bit.”
The Run
The run course was two loops that began on the Marbella Promenade before twisting and turning inland over a bridge to the “Golden Mile.” This was a multi-surface run with hard-packed dirt, gravel, road, and bridge sections. One of the coolest parts was an out and back on the jetty that borders the harbor with all the fancy yachts. On a clear day, you can see Gibraltar about 40 miles off shore.
Because I was out on the jetty for the swim, I was able to watch the pros run by at the start of their race. I’ve never shot photos of athletes running that fast before! It was kind of mind-boggling.
See if you can spot your favorite pros!
Because the run was located in the city center, and the race was huge (3,000 men and 2,300 women) they had barriers everywhere, which made it hard to spectate, at least how I spectate… ;) My goal during the run is to provide as much support as possible by seeing Matt and our teammates as many times as I can. This means crisscrossing the course, running with a giant backpack and massive camera, and dodging crowds. It was nuts and I found myself running on the beach, climbing under bridges, and hopping over road barriers to get to a good spot before athletes passed by.
There was a lot of energy on the run course, partially because the last stretch of the bike and the run course ran alongside each other. This was a bit nuts. I was able to see Matt, David, and a few of our TriMarni teammates several times before the finish stretch.
Here’s Matt’s opinion of the run:
“I got out on the run and actually felt good. I tried to go out at a consistent pace. I filled my bottle up at the first aid station. It was windy but in the sun it still felt pretty hot. I walked the aid stations at got some water and soaked myself.”
The Finish
I was able to catch up to Matt just a few hundred yards from the finish and he was looking strong. Luckily, I was able to sneak into the athlete tent and sit with Matt and David as they enjoyed their bizarre post-race meal of salad with tofu, pizza, charcuterie, chicken stew, and soup as they swapped stories from the day.
Matt was understandably pretty tired, but we still had another 2 hours worth of standing in lines to collect the bike and transition bags. By the time we got back to the villa, we were too tired to go anywhere to celebrate so we ate leftover pizza, did laundry, and watched a movie.
Here’s Matt’s final words on the race:
“Overall, I had another good swim. The bike course I think was never going to suit me with my lack of true climbing experience and fatigue coming into the race, but I think I managed the terrain as well as I could and dealt with the winds well coming back into town. The run was solid, if not spectacular, and I felt like I left it all out on the course. A good first experience at a World Championship event and more motivation to keep working hard.”
The next morning, we packed up the bike and all our luggage to move back to Malaga for the second week of our trip. That’s what’s coming next! For more from our adventures in Spain, check out the links below:
My Favorite Photos From the 70.3 World Championship
Beyond the Finish Line: Our Post-Race Adventures in Malaga
Favorite Snapshots From Malaga, Spain
This was Matt’s 11th 70.3, and it’s one of our favorite race distances. If you’re thinking about doing a 70.3 triathlon in 2026, check out my new book- The Complete Guide to Your First (or Best) 70.3 Triathlon (print copies now on Amazon).
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