The Challenge in Sanremo - an important step after my injury

The days before

I originally planned to compete in the Ironman 70.3 in Cervia, Emilia-Romagna, on Sunday. However, due to heavy rain in the region, I looked for alternatives and spontaneously received a starting spot at the Challenge Sanremo.

As I inspected the route, it became clear to me that the cycling would be the biggest challenge: the route was hilly, technically demanding, and the road surface was damaged in many places.

To swim

The starting gun fired at 8 a.m. We completed two laps, with a long landing in between. My start was good; I stood on the right and fought my way forward through the shallow water to the feet of the person in front of me. Unfortunately, the athlete in front of me opened a gap to the group in front, which I couldn't close. So I swam the second lap almost alone between two groups and unfortunately lost time.

Ride a bike

On the bike, the terrain started off flat, but after about 15 kilometers, the first climb came, and the group behind me caught up with me. I tried to stay with them, but the group was riding up the steep climb in a gear faster. So I decided to race myself. I was able to gain a few places on the technical descent. As a former ski racer, fast, technical descents suit me, and so I was able to keep up with the fastest riders on this section.

Run

From the start, my legs were significantly better than in Zell am See. In consultation with my coach, I aimed for a pace of between 3:45 and 3:50 minutes per kilometer for the half marathon. I ultimately crossed the finish line with a pace of 3:47 in 22nd place – so goal achieved! ;) It was my second race after the injury, with still few kilometers of running left in my legs, and I have to say: I'm extremely happy to be back in the race.

Next stop: Challenge Mallorca 😊