Amanda's Race at Nice

Amanda placed a strong 22nd out of 172 women in the 30-34 age group on the relentless Ironman World Championship course in Nice!

Here's what she had to say about it:

The Ironman Women's World Championships in Nice, France was such an amazing experience- getting to race on a new championship course is a challenge, but also a joy. The course was full of beautiful waters, stunning mountains (which means long climbs and harsh descents, but the views are worth it, right?), and supportive crowds.

I had a strong swim but after that, my race didn't go exactly according to plan, especially some challenges on the bike and an upset stomach that really forced me to slow down and get the heart rate under control and let the body digest. When things like this happen it can feel really frustrating, and I certainly felt that. Although that cost me some precious time, it did allow me to salvage the marathon and run a smoother pace than I might have otherwise, and I still managed to catch some folks thanks to that. It wasn't a perfect race, but I'm glad I didn't give up! Crossing the finish line at a World Championship event is always worth it.

Earlier this year at IM Chattanooga 70.3 I qualified for my elite license- after IM Nice, I submitted the application to use that elite license and compete in the pro field. I'm really excited for the challenge and looking forward to pushing myself and seeing what I can do. I'm not exactly sure what races are next- I'm going to figure it out shortly, though! I'll do a mix of full distance Ironman races as well as 70.3- I really want to focus on and improve my full distance performance though.