drawing by Kane Lynch (kanelynch.com)
I have raced Syracuse 70.3 before, as training for IM Mont Trembant. Same idea this year, take advantage of a well-organized race, held nearby, and use it to prep for the A-race of the year in Tremblant.
Syracuse offers a wetsuit legal lake swim, a hilly and beautiful bike ride and a rolling run (since they left off a major hill starting in this year). It is a low-key event without a pro field. For these reasons, and as it is a half distance race, it should not be much of a problem, right?
Forget it, Syracuse turned out to be the hardest thing I have done this year. I could hardly finish… I was more cooked at the end of it than after a full distance race. The carnage was all over the field, it wasn’t just me hurting.
Impossible to say why. No race should be underestimated, taken for granted. They have a way of getting back at you.