It wasn鈥檛 just the swim, bike, run routine of training that helped Penticton鈥檚 Jen Annett earn third place at Ironman Arizona 鈥� she had a secret weapon.
A space heater.
Training for 33 C Arizona heat during the gloomy, sometimes snowy last month in Penticton, Annett had to find a way to acclimatize for the Nov. 19 race.
鈥淎 lot my training has been indoors the last couple weeks leading up to the race. I would crank the heat in the house so it was like a sauna, run on the treadmill inside and have that space heater cranked while keeping myself contained in one room,鈥� she said.
That type of strategic planning may have also helped propel her to earn the women鈥檚 record on the bike course, unbeknownst to her at the time. Annett emerged out of the Tempe Town Lake nine minutes behind the women鈥檚 professional leader. Unsure of whose feet she was following after getting into the murky water, a wide turn by the leader of the pack she was in turned the 3.8 kilometre swim into a little bit longer of a route.
Disappointed with the time on the clock (1:01:44, 12th in her division), three minutes slower than last year, Annett said she knew she had to have patience with a long race ahead of her, including a fairly flat bike course 鈥� her strongest of the three events.
鈥淥n this course you never leave the aero position, so no sitting up or anything. It is quite a bit different than back home where we have mountains. I knew once I got on the bike that unless something really bad happened I would be catching those girls.鈥�
Related: Local triathletes ready to take on the world
Cutting the lead so quickly in the first half of the 180 km ride, Annett didn鈥檛 realize where in the pack she was
#IMAZ @annett_jen the big mover in the women's racing riding in fourth, closing in on @VesterbyTri @helle_f and @KaisaTri. pic.twitter.com/efKTTQpjvZ
鈥� IronmanLIVE.com (@IRONMANLive) November 19, 2017
鈥淚 knew I was making up time, but didn鈥檛 realize I was in fourth and then I passed the top three who were all grouped together. I had the lead and didn鈥檛 know it. Unfortunately, I pulled those three girls out to the final turnaround and until I really pulled ahead of them,鈥� said Annett. 鈥淚 had a two or three minute lead coming into transition but didn鈥檛 realize it until a lady running with me into the change tent was cheering me on saying 鈥榝irst place female.鈥� That gave me a huge boost of confidence and a smile to fly out of transition and onto the run with.鈥�
Tearing up the bike course, Annett finished with a 4:38:17 race time (15th overall). Annett held two of the female pro鈥檚 off for about 13 of the 42 km on the run but knew it would be tough fending off some of the world鈥檚 fastest women in triathlon 鈥� Kaisa Sali (Finland, fifth at 2017 Kona World Championship) and Helle Frederiksen (Denmark).
鈥淜aisa is known for her running and Frederiksen is also one of the fastest out there in 70.3 races and they were chasing me down. I鈥檓 surprised I held them off for 13 km. I was trying to stay with them the best I could but after seven long distance races in six months I couldn鈥檛,鈥� said Annett.
She crossed the finish line in third place with a total time of 8:59:27. Sali took first place with a time of 8:51:54 and Frederiksen second with a time of 8:55:35.
Annett鈥檚 season is now over until April 2018 when she will race Ironman Texas and reach for her goal to race at the world championship in Kona. Looking back on this season, Annett was humble in her accomplishments, her first sub-nine hour Ironman performance and four podium finishes (Arizona, Victoria, Coeur d鈥橝lene and Whistler).
鈥淟ots of people are calling it a breakthrough year for me. I made a lot of gains, especially in the fields I was competing against in those races. However, I am modest because those girls are people I look up to and they are amazing. I still think they are a world above me, but I am making my way up to that level. Standing on a podium with two of the fastest girls in the world gives me hope and hopefully proves that I am making a lot of gains.鈥�
Symonds just misses podium in Arizona
Jeff Symonds finished in fifth place in the men鈥檚 professional division at Ironman Arizona with a time of 8:20:38.
Symonds came out of the swim in fourth place with a time of 49:39 and fell to sixth place as he rolled into transition on the bike with a time of 4:34:12.
In his strongest portion of the race, Symonds pounded the pavement with a split time of 2:52:54. He missed the podium by just over five minutes, crossing the line at 8:20:38.
Canada鈥檚 Lionel Sanders finished in first with a time of 7:54:10, followed by fellow Canadian Brent McMahon with a time of 8:07:40. France鈥檚 Jeremy Jurkiewicz finished in third with a time of 8:15:22.
