Ironman 70.3 champ leans on patience to overcome slow start
SUBIC – Highly disappointed from his late pullout last year, Craig Alexander knew he had an unfinished business in Subic.
“I was very disappointed. As someone who raced, I loved to race. When you don’t get to race, it’s very disappointing,” he said, recounting the decision to pull out of the Subic Bay Ironman race in 2015 because of a bad back.
A year after, “Crowie” was finally able to do what he initially set out for–and more– after winning the 2016 Century Tuna Ironman 70.3 triathlon race on Sunday.
READ: 3-time world champ Alexander rules Century Tuna Ironman 70.3
“Hopefully, I made for it today,” he said, logging three hours, 48 minutes, and 56 seconds to finish the three-part course.
Craig Alexander at the finish line. Photo from Century Tuna Ironman Instagram account @subicbayim703
At age 42, there have been doubts as to whether Alexander can still keep up with his younger counterparts.
But he’s not a three-time Ironman world champion for nothing, and despite falling behind by almost a minute after the swim course, Alexander methodically made his way back to the front.
“I felt pretty strong,” he said. “I had a very slow start, but after that, I felt good. I just tried to be smart and when you get behind, you don’t try to do it all at one stage. You try to pace yourself. And slowly, I was getting closer and I thought I was just going to hold that pace.”
READ: Reed, Swiss top picks in Ironman tilt
From there, Alexander chipped away the lead in the bike course, overtaking defending champion Tim Reed, Tim Van Berkel, and eventually, the race’s pacesetter Patrick Lange.
“It’s always nice to win especially against guys like Tim (Reed) and Tim (Van Berkel) who are world class athletes. They’re two of the best guys in the world. They’re probably not quite at their fittest right now and I seem to be in good shape so I try to make use of that,” he said. “I just thought I had to run a very good half-marathon. If I did that, I thought I had a good chance if I run well.”
It also helps that the Sydney native has adapted quite well to the hot and humid conditions of Subic Bay, the same way he has loved the setup of Ironman races.
READ: 61-year-old takes first crack at triathlon, Ironman 70.3
“It is my favorite distance because it’s a tough challenge but it doesn’t take the training of a long race. In some respects, in the Ironman, a lot of you are just racing yourself and surviving against a lot of you racing the other guys,” Alexander noted. “It’s hot and humid. I think here, it’s always hot, so it’s just how hot it is.”
“It’s a tough run in the beginning being cross-country, you’re in the dirt, road, and the dirt, so it’s hot to get a rhythm. But once you can get out of the airport and get that rhythm, it’s when I felt good. I tried to be smart and it seems that it paid dividends for me.”
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