The last few months after Taitung did not pan out as expected. I was hoping that I would have a reasonable period of serious training and be stronger and faster for the next race. Instead, I ended up traveling a ton and also had few bouts of illness. From March to July I went to Hawaii, South of France, Amsterdam, and Amsterdam again! While I tried to fit in some workouts during these trips, I definitely drank and ate more than I trained… the random episodes of sickness also left me feeling fatigued and frustrated.

I was not feeling prepared at all as the race came closer and closer but decided that I would do it anyways to keep the momentum up. Jerry and I packed up my stuff and went to bed as we had a 1:55 pm flight the next day.

At around 10 am, Jerry called me and said “We have an issue.” Apparently our flight was at 1:55 am (last night)!!! He said that his secretary was seeing if there were any availability for tonight, which means we would get in at noon on Saturday. Thoughts starting swarming in my head… I was already feeling unprepared, and now we will be taking a brutal night flight where I would get around 4 hours of sleep and arrive in the middle of the day for check in. Jerry, being the calm and rational one, sent me a supportive email listing out the pros and cons of both options. After thinking it over, I decided that we would still go. It is a little stressful, but it is still super doable and I should not give up on this race just yet!

As expected, the flight was super exhausting as we flew to Pusan from Hong Kong in around 3-4 hours. We luckily were able to grab an earlier flight from Pusan to Jeju but the dumb car rental would not let us get our car earlier. After some grumpy waiting, we grabbed our car (which was in the carpark the entire time anyways!) and drove to the race resort.

We started laughing nervously when we saw the crashing waves in the ocean and saw the trees around us sway dangerously against the strong winds. How was I to race in this weather? The Jeju race group chat was abuzz with messages about the possibility of shortening the swim and also the bike course.

In the end, it was announced that the swim would be shorted to only 500 m in the harbor and that no disk wheels were allowed in the bike course due to strong winds. We weren’t able to check in our bikes either because the winds were blowing everything down. We were told to check in our bikes early tomorrow morning before the start of the race. With so many changes and uncertain weather conditions, I went to bed incredibly nervous and had a hard time sleeping.

Ready or not… it’s race time! I took my bike to the check in area and had to rack it the other way because the winds were blowing it side to side.

There wasn’t a swim warm up so the first 100 meters felt incredibly sluggish and I lost my breath quickly. Luckily I quickly got into the flow soon and the rest of the swim felt great. The buoys were also much closer together and I was able to sight much better than all my previous races! Let’s hope that this is a trend that will carry onto the future races!

I felt great coming out of the water and hurried off to T1. I was most worried about the bike with the strong wind and rain. The first 10-15 km felt great, my legs were going smoothly and I was whizzing through. But then suddenly there was some uphills… then some more uphills. The hills were not super steep, but the sheer number of them made it a difficult and long climb. The rain also started pelting down and at times I could hardly keep my eyes opened even with the screen on my helmet. I was hardly ever in aero position because I was always trying to stay secure on the bike amidst the winds. After the climb, it was a long downhill!

The bike is a 2 loop course so whatever suffering I endured in the first loop I had to do again. The uphill for the second loop actually felt better but I later realized that my pace was much slower… oops. Funny thing during the ride… there is one part where there is a pretty abrupt turn and as I approached it I heard a loud “STEPH!”. I screamed “WHAT” and zoomed off, and only realized a second later that it must have been Jerry. The poor guy probably ran to that pitstop in the rain only to get yelled at by me!

So happy to be done with the bike course! I almost fell while getting off the bike because my wrists were so stiff from grasping onto the handlebars to tightly… luckily I was able to pop off successfully.

The run is a 2 loops out and back. The first 1 km was a little painful because my body was quite sore from the bike course. I had not biked outside in ages and I could definitely feel the effects. My knees and lower back were so sore. My run felt a lot better soon and I was happy to see my teammates passing by on the run course. It got a little hotter during the run but the weather was still nice and breezy overall.

During the bike, I saw at least 4 people in my age group pass me. I knew that I was falling behind and was wondering whether I should keep a decent pace in the run and just to use it as training instead of trying to catch up. However, I suddenly saw one girl in front of me who was only one bib number away (so must be same age group!)… as I passed her, I started to regain hope and decided to push it a little bit more. Soon there was another girl in front of me that was also in my age group! I increased my speed and past her as well! This means that I may be in third place! While it is not guaranteed and their net time may still be faster than me… passing them both gave me a new jolt of energy. Each race is an opportunity to push yourself… I should give it my all and see what I can do.

Finally I see the finish line! The finish line for this race was great… a red carpet leading up to the finish. I heard the cheers of the Tritons and Jerry’s whooping. This was it! I do what I always do in races and sprinted towards the end. I like to leave it all behind and just end with a burst of speed. And just like that, it was done!

While the weather conditions were less than ideal, I must say I really enjoyed the race. I am particularly grateful to the race organizers who had to deal with so many last minute logistical changes to make sure all athletes were safe and also to the wonderful volunteers! There were so many cheerful and encouraging volunteers who stood in the wind and rain cheering for us and yelling “Fighting!” continuously. There are moments in triathlon where you’re like “F this why am I doing this”, but the uplifting and positive moments will always triumph and push you to sign up for the next one!

After taking a nice hot shower, it was time for the World Championship roll down. Jerry had qualified 3 months before in Taitung so it was time to see whether I would be attending as a participant or a cheerleader. I ended up with 4th place so there were a few people that needed to say NO so that I could go. Number 1 and Number 2 did not want it…. Number 3 took it but luckily my age group had one more slot!

I jumped up when I heard my name and ran up to the stage to claim my slot. This was SO exciting! I really would have never expected this when I first started doing triathlons – I just wanted to try something new and challenge myself, now I am heading to South Africa with my teammates and boyfriend to compete in the World Championships!

This had been a roller coaster weekend. There were times were I felt really uncertain and stressed, but in the end I am so glad that I decided to come and feel more motivated than ever! Some parts of the race were painful and I wish I could push more, but this is a good reminder of why training is so important and I am going to make sure that I am more disciplined in the future. After the race, my teammates and I had such much delicious Korean food and of course beer! I’ve said this once but I will say it again, it’s so wonderful to be surrounded by people who are not only strong athletes but also encouraging and positive people, they motivate me to be work harder and strive for a higher level. Being with a good team adds an entirely new level to racing and I can’t even begin to imagine how amazing South Africa will be! Lastly I could not thank my amazing boyfriend enough, he did not race this time but was the most dedicated bike mechanic, porter, cheerleader, and all around MVP.

It’s been a little more than a year since I started being a crazy triathlon person and the perfect time for a race recap of my first triathlon! It’s crazy to think how much has changed since this race. I moved back from New York to Hong Kong and was feeling pretty down. I was having lunch with a few friends on day and heard that they were thinking of doing a triathlon in November, I was super keen to try it out as well but that was around April and it did not make sense for me to wait 7 months for that race. I decided to do some research on my own and found a race in Subic Bay in June. No one else wanted to do it with me so I just signed up by myself! I was SO clueless back then, I still remember asking my friends whether the race provided bikes for the athletes LOL! After finding out that we had to get our own bikes, I scurried off to a bike shop to get a bike. Can we take some time to look at how many EXTRA things were on my bike?! Especially these ridiculous extra set of brakes in the middle. The bike shop was trying to be nice, but they seemed to think I was going for a ride in the park even though I specified it was for racing. Luckily… for my second race I had taken off a lot of random stuff from my bike and now I actually have a new bike.

I didn’t have a ton of time to train. I actually only rode the bike a few times outside and swam in the ocean once. I did a few brick workouts (run and bike) at the gym and also did a lot of hiit training. My parents were super concerned about me going alone to this race and asked me to look up some local clubs to see if anyone was also going. I was pretty casual about it and decided that it would be ok for me to just go by myself. Subic Bay was a little out of the way and you had to fly to Clark Airport and then a 1 hour car ride. I was ok taking a taxi but my parents insisted on booking a hotel van which I appreciated when I got there.

I had NO idea how to pack my bike and brought it back to the bike shop so they could put it in the box for me. I was hoping that I would be able to see how they took it apart and put it in the box but unfortunately they did not have time and said I just had to come and pick it up the next day. I had so much anxiety because I had no idea what they were going to do with the bike and poured over as many YouTube videos as possible.

Finally it was race time! After the one hour ride I arrived at my hotel and instantly started to open the box and attempt to put my bike together. I arrived on Saturday afternoon which means I do not have a ton of time to check in. I tried my best to put the bike together but could not figure out how to put on the front wheel…. I ended up going to the athlete check in and expo with the front wheel still off and just holding the bike up.  Luckily the bike mechanics helped me fix everything and I was ready to go! On the way I met another solo female triathlete named Jocelyn who lived in Abu Dhabi. She reminded me that the bike check in was closing soon and that I should probably go now! I told her it was my first race and she casually said she’s done only a few as well. However, I could not help but notice the multiple Ironman merchandise and suspected that she was pretty hardcore when she said she trains two times a week everyday!

After checking in all my stuff at transition I was ready to get back to the expo for the feast. I loaded my plate with lots of meats and some sweet spaghetti.. not sure if this is the best for me before the race but it tasted like kiddy heaven. After the meal, we went back to the hotel… I could definitely felt the nerves and excitement as I set my alarm for 4 am and went to bed.

Beautiful race morning!! The atmosphere is electric. That feeling when the gun goes off and you’re running towards the ocean is so exhilarating and hard to describe. The swim was pretty decent given that I had hardly practiced but the lack of practice really shows when I was getting out of the ocean to T1 and the bike. I was huffing and puffing quite a bit and the first segment of the bike course was also a little bit of an uphill. Suddenly it was pouring rain and I could hardly see anything. I tried to put my sunglasses on and almost took out a pro… whoops. The rain was plummeting down and it was getting pretty difficult. My contact suddenly was super painful in my eye and I tried to stop to fix it. Unfortunately I was unable to stop and instead slid hard into a large puddle in the ground and fell over. One of the workers quickly came to my aid and I was off again!

By the time it was the run, the rain had stopped and the sun was blazing hot. The run was a back and forth and felt like forever even though it was just 10 km! I passed by my hotel and I secretly thought of how nice it would be to just run to the lobby and pass out in the hotel. Obviously I did not do that but continued on and was so glad to see the turn around point! The final segment of the run is around a track which sucks because it just feels so much longer but once I see the finish line I started accelerating and boom I was done with my first triathlon!!

I was hooked. That was so much fun! There were a lot of little mistakes and areas of improvement, but I was more than happy with the experience. The transitions are so exciting where you are trying to move and change as fast as possible. You will also never be bored because you know there is another segment coming up soon. I also loved the camaraderie of the community, even though I traveled alone, I met a number of great people who I still keep in touch with now!

After the race, Jocelyn and I went to a local restaurant for a Philipino buffet feast! We both probably ate 3 huge plates of food and then we went to Krispy Kreme. I am so glad that I finally got out of my comfort zone and tried something I’ve always said I would do. Triathlons are now such a major part of my life and it would have never known if I just stayed where I was! It was definitely quite an adventure with me going by myself but I would not change a thing.

This was my first 70.3 after completing two Olympic distances and the first time racing with the Tritons. I initially contemplated going to the 70.3 in Colombo but was so glad that I picked Taitung because it ended up being the best weekend with some awesome teammates.

So much has changed since my first race! I was undertrained, went to Subic Bay by myself, hardly knew how to set up my bike, and was not confident enough for clipless pedals. Fast forward 9 months later and I was boarding the plane with a whole group of teammates, feeling excited and prepared for my first half ironman!

The flight was really short and before I knew it we were getting into the large bus that Lisa organized for everyone (Thanks Lisa!). We had decided to stay at the Taitung Suites, which came highly recommended by Tritons who had been to Taitung before. Everyone was pretty tired from the long bus ride so it was an early night in.

The next day we all went to registration then tested out our bikes to make sure everything was in order. Damo’s tire had a puncture and I found out that my gears were almost completely drained of battery. Luckily we realized all this before race day! We went to the race briefing where I was filled with anxiety when I heard that there would be multiple hairpin turns coming in and out of the bike course. I had crashed my bike in both previous races during tight u-turns so I was really nervous… Bedtime was at 8 pm and I drifted off to an uneasy sleep before being woken up by some fireworks and strange ice cream truck music in the middle of the night.

Suddenly it was race morning! Regardless of u-turn crashes or not… I was ready to take on the race. I sleepily put on my wetsuit and made my way to the lake. 10 minutes before start time, I ran into Mandy who suddenly asked, “Why are you wearing the wetsuit inside out?”… oh no! Luckily I was able to quickly tug and pull until the wetsuit was on properly and I had a few minutes to catch my breath before starting. The swim was a straightforward in and out of a manmade lake and I was fortunate to only come across 2-3 breast strokers. However, I kept gravitating towards the left and hit the buoys a few times, I definitely need to work on sighting and swimming in a straight line!

I got out of the water feeling great and started running towards the bike racks 600 m away. Some guy tried to jump over the racks and not run the full length but Margaret and I quickly yelled “CHEATER, YOU CAN’T DO THAT” and had an official chase that guy down. Not on our watch!

Onto the bike! I approached the funky hairpin turns and successfully went through all of them! I happily congratulated myself (I like to talk to myself during races) and felt confident for the rest of the bike leg. 20 km in I heard a clink noise as if something fell out. I hoped that it was not me and kept going. Around 40 km in I suddenly heard a strange flapping noise from my rear tire and then a loud POP. Everyone around me yelled out “Tired exploded!” (thank you captain obvious) and I stopped on the side of the road, my heart filled with dread. My tire was completely destroyed and two screws from my shoe were also missing. A friendly local couple and a policeman came up to me and asked whether I had a number I could call. I helplessly said I had no number but asked for them to try and find a volunteer. I sulkily stood on the road while hundreds of people zoomed passed me and was starting to wonder whether I would even finish the race. Suddenly a volunteer on a motorcycle came and told me that a bike tent was just around the corner!

My spirits soared after the bike mechanics said they could replace both my tire AND my shoes! Hope is not lost! While this entire ordeal took over 20 minutes, I was so grateful for their help and quickly got back on my bike to finish the race. The bike course had some long climbs but you were also greeted with gorgeous views of the ocean and then some super fast downhills. I was starting to feel the effect of the 90 km in the last 10 km and was ready to get off my bike.

Finally getting onto the run course! The run course consisted of 3 loops where you will get a yellow, blue, and pink band for each loop. The end of each loop is quite a tease as one exit is for “another loop” and the other one is “to the finish line”! I was hoping to maintain a 5:40 pace for the run but I completely underestimated how jello-y my legs would feel after the swim and bike. I was seriously wondering why I put myself through this and how horrible two more loops would be in this blazing sun… then I suddenly saw the smiling face of Jerry on the side of the road cheering me on and I got my head back in the game. I almost hugged the girl who gave me the final pink band and got that final gush of energy for the last loop. Finally I turned into the path that said “to the finish line”!!! I mustered up all my remaining energy and sprinted towards the finish… and just like that, I was done with my first 70.3!

This was such an incredible weekend and I was so happy to be surrounded by people who are not only strong athletes, but also fun loving and encouraging teammates. The World Championship roll-down after the race was really exciting because Toby, Sam, and Jerry got their slots to go to South Africa… it is going to be a Tritons party! The triathlon journey has been unbelievable and I am excited to continue training to be stronger and looking to either Subic Bay in June or Jeju in July for my next race!