Ironman AZ

Jeff Johnson ran the Ironman AZ on November 22nd and improved his PR while cruising to a 10:02 finish. His1:08 swim, 5:19 bike, and 3:28 marathon put him in the top 8% for age group!

Ironman AZ Results

Here is Liz's race report for the event:

Jeff had a great day at Iron Man Arizona, bettering his previous time by 38 minutes. I think that jumping into Tempe Town Lake (Tempe Town Toilet as the locals were calling it) must have been the hardest part- it was in the 40s and the sun wasn't even up when they herded them to the starting line in the murky greenish-brown water. The highlight of the swim for the spectators was the clydesdale-category man wearing a purple thong swimsuit into the transition area.

Jeff emerged from the water looking a bit grumpy- he says he was nearly hypothermic, and took about 5 miles on the bike to warm up. He kept his bike pace close to what he hoped for, with a faster 3rd lap than second due to a headwind shifting direction and becoming a tailwind. He looked happiest during the run, smiling and waving each time we saw him, and passing people left and right. He finished strong- so strong in fact that he is wondering if he should have pushed harder during the bike or run and finished a little faster. That elusive 10 hour mark that he missed by just 2 minutes and 16 seconds is haunting him a bit.

Of course we all had high hopes for a Kona qualifying time, but he was 32 out of 470 in his age group- amazing, but not fast enough. He also had the overall 32 fastest run time, including pros. 3 days out he is walking a bit stiffly, but he is walking, and already planning the next race.