2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championships – Taupo, New Zealand Race Report by Joanne Bezzubetz

Event Date 2024-12-14

Event Location Taupo, New Zealand

The most beautiful location I’ve been to for any event – clear water, rolling hills and killer climbs on the bike, and a not-flat-as-advertised run course. The community support and the amazing volunteers really made this event memorable.

Overall Venue Rating: 5 – Monumentally Awesome

Course Rating: 5 – Excellent

The community setting is perfect for an event of this magnitude. Restaurants and amenities are quite centralized and within walking distances for most in this smallish community of 25,000 (almost doubling for this event). The famous Lake Taupo didn’t disappoint, nor did the “infamous” chip seal pavement for the bike ride on an idyllic course in the farming country. The run took place along the lake, with a couple of pitchy hills thrown in for variety.

Aid Station Rating 4 – Great

There were three aid stations on the bike course, but I didn’t stop for any of them and was not comfortable grabbing an extra bottle from the left side (remember: we had to ride on the left side of the road!). 

There were six aid stations for the run, but double that for the 2 loop course. Apparently there was sunscreen somewhere, but I was never offered any, nor did I see any. Maurten gels/bars and Precision 1000 were the staples at each station, but so were water, ice, potato chips, pretzels, oranges and water spraying. I carried 5 Precision gels with me because I trained with that, but I also grabbed a couple of oranges and a few potato chips along the way. I took advantage of the ice as much as possible to stick down my suit and in my new “ice pocket hat

The Weather

When we started the swim, it felt like 15 degrees, but as soon as the sun started shining, it felt so much warmer. By the time I was biking, it must have been 20 or 22, with a bit of headwind coming up heartbreak hill and back into town. Soon, the temperature rose to 26 with the beating sun.

My Race

I  left Ottawa on Dec 1 and arrived in Taupo on Dec 3 due to the time change. I’d arranged accommodation along the lake, only 2k away from the swim start and less than that from T1 and T2. I was able to swim, bike and run to get used to the environment, the heat and the pavement right from my accommodation.

The first few practice swims were an adjustment with white caps and very rough. But I did get to swim 2k on one occasion when the water was flatter and that gave me the confidence that I would be able to swim the distance for race day. I had not been in open water since September. 

It was a bit sketchy on the bike for the first couple of rides for a couple of reasons: 1) I had not ridden outside on my bike since early November, 2) having to ride on the left-hand side of the road is off-putting, 3) the cars here zip by cyclists, and 4) the race course included highway sections with enormous trucks, which was scary. The pavement is also quite rough and rattled the bike (and the cyclist!) quite a bit. I had to tighten my bike cages to ensure they’d stay on for the race. I even considered wearing gloves to soften the impact on my hands, arms and chest.

Finally, race day!

My age group is enthusiastic and were dancing with a party-vibe at the swim start. We were released ten at a time, five seconds apart for the start. I was looking forward to latching onto someone’s feet. I was right in the mix for the swim, but I couldn’t seem to get on anybody’s feet. I ended up swimming by myself for the whole course. I did lose sight of the buoys a few times, but as long as the large, bright green buoys were on your left for the turns, it was all legal. I checked my watch at the exit and was a bit disappointed, but what can you do – 47 minutes for the course while swimming alone is what I would have expected. I’d only had 4 outdoor swims in the past couple of weeks, so good enough.

The swim stripper I selected had a hard time grabbing the neoprene on my suit to pull it off, but we eventually got there. Up the ramp and down the ramp. Grabbed my bike bag and sat in the change location. I was absolutely over the moon to see that my tape job on my feet was successfully still there. That meant a better chance of avoiding blisters later on in the race. Grabbed my bike and off I went.

The first thing I noticed was that there were many more tri-bikes than road bikes. I noticed this mostly on the uphills when I was able to pass by some of the other riders. Unfortunately, I don’t have the weight to carry me very fast on downhills, and my top speed was only 54k/hr. There was nothing horrible about the bike ride, but the hills were relentless and there were many. The bike profile on paper was deceiving. On the bike, my motto is always “safety first” so I did feather a couple of the downhills, especially in the two no-pass zones (where others disregarded the no-passing sign). I wasn’t careless, but others were a bit more risky. I didn’t witness any mishaps, but I did see a number of athletes on the side of road for mechanical reasons. As I approached heartbreak hill, I was happy thinking that once the top was crested it would be downhill for 5k into town, but there was another climb!! The climbs on the course were very gradual, but holy cow they were long. I was grateful for all the biking I had done at Golden Lake and in the Barry’s Bay area. Also, I did do all my assigned rides on Rouvy, many of which included unforgiving elevation in very short periods of time.

Coming into town, some of the riders were taking very fast turns and while the course itself was not dangerous, the number of cyclists coming in at the same time was interesting, especially on a big downhill. Safely off the bike and having handed my bike to a grabber, I looked for my run bag.

Although I ate much of my food on the bike, including a 90g carb gel, and drank almost three bottles, I was feeling dry and hot. I committed to stopping at each aid station on the run to fill my little handflask (which I could tuck into one of my pockets).

The first part of the run seemed ok, but I did make one porta potty stop – after that, the long, gradual slopes started and were tough to run. Most people walked as I did. I filled my new ice-pocket hat with ice as much as possible, and did walk when I felt like I needed to regroup. The heat was really getting to me. I did my best to keep the fuel intake going and did manage to use up 5 gels – 2 of which were caffeinated. I also ate a few chips and oranges along the way. The most notable part about the run was how compassionate and encouraging the volunteers were, especially the women – many of whom I suspect were my age or younger. It was amazing.

As I slowed and shuffled more than I ran, I did a quick calculation and knew that I had plenty of time to make the cutoff even if I just walked the rest of the way. I got my second wind on the second loop, and my third wind climbing up to the finish. At least I was able to run into the finish and man, was I smiling!

An amazing concierge/volunteer escorted me to the recovery area. I was quite swollen and my suit had a lot of salt on it and he just wanted the medic to have a quick look at me. I was told to sit and drink and that I should be fine.

There was a big spread in the recovery tent, and I headed for the watermelon.

I’m still soaking it all in: everything it took to get here, the training, the support from family, fellow athletes and coaches, the beautiful venue, the community….all of it. Amazing. I am so grateful.

Would you do this event again? Why?

I would do this event again in a heartbeat. Can’t beat the location and the community. Travel arrangements require patience and perseverance, though.

Would you recommend this event? Why?

There is a full Ironman and a half Ironman here in March, I think. I would love to come back sometime.

Closing thoughts. Any hints for others planning to do this race? Where to stay? Things to bring? What to wear?

Dealing with Air Canada for the bike transport was a challenge. I had to rebook my return flight so I could confirm bike carriage.

If you come to Taupo, get a place facing the water – there are many. We had a two room unit (my sis travelled with me) and we were able to do our own cooking. That was great.

Bring a lot of sunscreen and don’t be fooled if the temperature doesn’t seem too hot. I have burned lips, nose and hands to prove how steamy that sun is.