2026 Ironman 70.3 Oregon

 

On July 19, 2026 I was able to participate in Ironman 70.3 Oregon, in Salem. This was my first time getting to attend this event as it sells out very quickly. This was also a birthday weekend for me, as I turned 54 on the day after the race. Here's a summary of my race, and the various things that went into the logistics of the whole weekend:

RACE SUMMARY:

Swim: 24:07

T1: 7:22

Bike: 2:37:11

T2: 5:31

Run: 2:11:43

Total: 5:25:54 (44th M50-54, 579th overall)

PRE-RACE:

• Thursday: my family and I flew from Burbank to Portland, where we picked up our rental van and drove down to Salem. We hit the road just in time to experience a nice Portland commuter traffic jam. When I unpacked my bike, I was disappointed to see that TSA had damaged it, after searching my case and not repacking anything even remotely correctly (they broke the bento box lid, and lost assembly pins from the angled spacers below my aero cockpit). We grabbed a quick dinner at the hotel restaurant (Bentley's) and called it a night.
• Friday: I was up early trying to see what I could do about my bike damage. I managed to get the aerobars/cockpit fixed on my own, and the bike was safe enough to at least ride. So I did a shakeout ride over the run course. After that, I met up with Vicky and San from my club, and we walked out to the swim start and did a practice swim. The water was nice, and the current swift (I swam the whole course in 22 minutes with zero effort). After the swim, I grabbed lunch with my family at Cuban Cafe, and on the way to the hotel I stepped into a local bike shop (Scott Cycles) and asked the mechanics if they were familiar with the Canyon Speedmax (and explained my problems). They told me to bring it in right away, so I did. Within a few minutes, they had the bento box fixed! They were also nice enough to comb over the bike and make sure everything was torqued and dialed in. After that, I had to rush over to Riverfront Park to do group athlete check-in with the club. And then finally, my family and I went out for dinner at a restaurant called Amadeus (my daughter made the reservation for us, as a surprise for my birthday, which was on Monday following the race).
• Saturday: I went out in the morning with my daughter, Rylie, to get ready for the IronKids 1 mile run. She's done IronKids runs at a few of my races now, so it is sort of a tradition. We had a good time, and saw a couple other club members with their kids as well. I also added some extra jogging and a few sprints afterward to make sure my legs were nice and loose, so basically a shakeout run. Later in the afternoon (like 2:30pm or so) I dropped my bike of in transition, and went to attend an athlete briefing. I wrapped up the day by doing last minute gear prep for race morning, then heading to Genbretti's Italian restaurant for dinner. After that, I just kicked back, and went to bed, hoping to get some sleep before the early wake up call for race day.

RACE MORNING:

• I had my alarm set for 4:15am, but awoke naturally at 3:57am, so I just got up and started getting ready.
• Met a few PTC folks in the hotel lobby, grabbed coffee and a cinnamon coffee cake, then headed over to transition with a few teammates.
• Pressured up my tires (the little Coospro mini-pump was awesome), put my SRAM battery onto the rear derailleur, tested shifters, booted up the computer and did a calibration on my power meter pedals. Finally added my two bottles, plus extra gels and a bar into the bento box. Lots of condensation formed overnight, so I also did a quick wipe down on the bike, then hung the helmet on the aero extensions.
• For gear layout, I just had my running shoes on the ground (to the left of the bike) with my hat, bib and sunglasses sitting on top. In front of that, my cycling shoes with the rear velcro undone. I opted not to do a flying mount since we'd be running a long ways over grass and soft ground to the exit.
• We had a long (1+ mile) walk to the swim start. I chose to carry my swim gear rather than put my wet suit on before the walk. I noticed I was one of the very few doing this (which should have been a hint not to do it, but oh well).
• Once we got to the clothes bag drop-off, I stepped to the side to get my swim gear on. That allowed hundreds of people to move past me, and I was now going to be starting the race towards the very back. Not quite was I was hoping for.
• The race seemed to have started on time. At about 6:15am, the first swimmers were heading out. 

SWIM:

• Walked down the ramp and jumped in to begin the swim at about 7:17am
• The initial plunge wasn't bad at all, I thought it would be a bit of a cold shock (water temp was reported to be 71F, quite comfortable).
• After 100 yards or so, I had to take a quick pause to drain the right lens of my goggles (leaking), I noticed I was moving pretty quickly even while not swimming!
• A couple minutes later, I had to stop again for leaking goggles. This time I adjusted my swim cap and was able to get a good seal. No more issues after that.
• Right around halfway through the swim, an official (or volunteer, not sure which) blocked me on his paddle board and made me move to the right, closer to the buoy line. I found this odd since many, many people were still out to the left in the faster current.
• I rounded the final turn buoy to the left, but in viewing my data, I didn't take the straightest path to the exit ramp, probably wasted a few seconds here.
• I wound up swimming almost 2 minutes slower than I did on my practice swim. Pace was identical (1:00/100yds) but the distance was 210 yards longer. Oh well, it's not like I could ever hope to swim 24 minutes on a legit course anyway.
• I exited the water, having used very little energy for the swim, which was my main goal. 

T1:

• Once I got to the ramp and stood up, I was slipping all over the place. I had to go up the ramp pretty slowly. After that, it was pretty smooth getting to transition.
• Pardon the details, but once in transition, my first stop was the bathroom. I must have been well hydrated because I needed to take a loooong pee (like over 90 seconds). The sense of urgency did probably help with ditching my wet suit though.
• I got to my bike. Getting my shoes and helmet on, and un-racking the bike was quick. As was the run out to the exit.
• Aside from the bathroom break, I was very happy with how I executed T1. 

BIKE:

• I was particularly excited for this ride, being the first race on my new Canyon Speedmax.
• Shortly after leaving T1, we wind through a bit of a residential area with pretty narrow and poorly paved roads. After this, things open up nicely on River Road South. I got up to speed quickly and began passing lots of people.
•  I noticed my heart rate slowly dropping over the first few miles. It even went down over the first couple of hills. This was a good sign that my power output was ideal. Things were feeling very smooth and easy so far.
• Once we got further out on course, there were some flatter more wide open spaces where you could feel some wind. But not enough to really impact speed much. My biggest problem was trying to pass slower riders. I don't think I had a full kilometer where I wasn't impeded by at least one person (or group).
• I reached halfway in about 1 hour 18 minutes, which is a few minutes slower than I thought I would, but the effort up to that point had been super easy.
•  Making passes and getting blocked continued to be the theme as I made my way back. I even resorted to passing on the right a few times (this can get you penalized if caught). Nobody was reacting when I approached, yelling 'on your left'. I even made a few passes by crossing the center line of the road. All in all, I don't think I am exaggerating when I say I was blocked or drastically slowed 100 times.
• At about mile 40, I could tell I was going to need another bathroom stop in T2. I did a great job staying on top of my nutrition, and was drinking plenty. Perhaps too much with the fluids?
• I wound up getting to T2 at 2 hours, 36 minutes. Without the delays getting stuck behind people, I think the same effort would have gotten me close to or just below a 2:30. But even as it was, I think this was my 5th time going at or below 2:40. And I did this averaging only 182W. My best 70.3 split (2:34) was done on 209W. So, the work I did dialing in my position and selecting the best gear for aerodynamics seemed to have paid off. A pretty fast split, and pretty easy power. I definitely felt ready and excited to run.

T2:

• As I dismounted and started running my bike back to the rack, I could tell me legs felt pretty good. HR was pretty low after the ride.
• I rode with no socks on, so I had to get socks + shoes, and then grab my hat/glasses/bib to head out to start the run.
• The Asics Metaspeeds are so thin, I had a hard time getting the left shoe on without crinkling up the tongue of the shoe, I wasted a good 15-20 seconds here.
• And again, I had a looong bathroom stop. So all in all, I spent probably about 3 minutes of my transition time peeing. This sucks, but at the same time, there was no way I wanted to be out running when I needed to go that badly. So, it is what it is.

RUN:

• The first few minutes are very telling as far as how I did on the bike. My legs were slightly stiff, but overall felt great. HR was perfect.
• I went through mile 1 in 8:23, still feeling exactly how I was hoping to. Mile 2 came in 8:17, and at that point I believed I was in for an amazing day. I told myself to just keep doing what I was doing. No need to push.
• ...and then at mile 2.5, it hit me. Exercise Induced Bronchoconstriction (EIB for short). If you aren't familiar, it is more commonly known as exercise induced asthma. I've been struggling with it for well over a year now. It hits pretty randomly during my runs. I haven't figured out how to predict it. And unfortunately, today was a day it hit. It causes some tightness in my chest and throat, and gives me the impression that I am suffocating. I breathe harder and harder, but feel like I'm not getting much oxygen. Sometimes I'm able to get past it by taking a long rest (like 5 minutes or longer), but sometimes nothing seems to help.
• To mitigate the breathing issue, I took a walk break and let my HR drop a bit. But when I resumed running, it came back right away. So I just continued to take breaks when it got too hard to breathe. I was running about 8:30-8:40 pace, then walking. I continued this way until about mile 7, maybe 7.5 or so. After that, my breathing improved a bit, but not entirely. I was able to run from aid station to aid station, where I'd take a short break to let the breathing settle down.
• I was still sticking to my plan and talking a cup of water and a cup of electrolytes at each station. I also took a Maurten gel at miles 4 and 8. I seemed to have plenty of energy and no dehydration issues. The heat (maybe 80 degrees at most) wasn't a factor. Aside from the breathing, I felt very good.
•  When I got to mile 11, I decided to go ahead and push through the breathing discomfort, with the goal of reaching the finish with no more breaks (I succeeded).
• I reached the finish, probably a good 20 minutes slower than I think I could have. My wife even remarked that I looked way less 'beat up' than I normally do after I finish. I was originally thinking that on a perfect day, I was ready to run under 1:45, and think that a 1:50 or so was more realistic. But with the breathing problems, I could only manage a 2:11. Definitely a missed opportunity for a 70.3 PR. But also nothing I could really control. 

Stepping onto the red carpet. Not a bad way to spend my last day as a 53 year old! (yes, I stole this from FinisherPix)

 NOTES:

Nutrition/Hydration:

• Pre-race: I ate one Ucan energy bar, one coffee cake (provided by the hotel), drank one cup of coffee, and drank one 24 ounce bottle of Tailwind Hi-carb before the race. I also ate one 30g Precision Fuel and Hydration chew about 20 minutes before I started the swim.
• Bike: I drank one 32 ounce bottle of lemonade flavored Tailwind Hi-carb, one 24 ounce bottle that had 3 30g gels plus 2 teaspoons of sodium citrate, all dissolved in water. I also drank two full bottles of the electrolyte drink they handed out at aid stations. In all, it was just under 80g of carbs per hour. I'm not exactly sure of the fluid volume, but it was quite a bit. I may have even over hydrated, considering my need for two lengthy bathroom trips.
• Run: At each aid station, I grabbed water as soon as I could (sometimes drank it, sometimes poured it down my back), and drank one cup of electrolytes (PH1000, I think it was). At miles 4 and 8, I also took one Maurten gel (non-caffeinated). I usually try and take coke or Red Bull at one or two of the later stations, but I was running so slowly I just didn't need that extra bump near the end. From mile 10 to the finish, I took nothing at any remaining stations. I actually never took any ice at any stations. With so much shade on the course, I didn't feel hot at all.

Gear:

• Overall: I wore a 1-piece DeSoto Forza Flisuit tri-suit, with Zoot calf sleeves. I used my Garmin Fenix 8 smart watch, and wore a Coros heart rate monitor on my left bicep. The suit fit well, even when wet, as did the calf sleeves (I did real aero testing to show that I am more aero on the bike when I wear them). The watch and the HRM worked perfectly the entire race.
• Swim: I wore my Roka Maverick sleeveless wet suit. With 71 degree water, I was very comfortable with it. I kept my tri-suit top all the way up for the swim and was very comfortable. I used Roka R2 goggles in the 'amber mirror' tint. Great visibility. And the sun basically sat right on top of the buoy line for the race. So the amber tint was helpful there. Basically just swim toward the sun and you are good to go. Prior to putting on the wet suit, I applied Zealios sunblock to all exposed skin. I never had to reapply the entire race, and had no signs of getting too much sun.
• Bike: I rode my new 2026 Canyon Speedmax CFR. The wheels were DTSwiss ARC1100 (65mm front, disc wheel rear). Gearing was SRAM Red 1x with a 50t chain ring, and a 10-33 cassette. I used my Garmin Edge 840 computer. My bottle configuration was two bottles (32 ounce on top of a 24 ounce) between the arms, and a smaller bottle behind the saddle in my EZGains Hydro. The rear bottle contains a full set of repair tools, for flats and other stuff. I also had additional CO2 cartridges in the bottom bracket storage area. I used a Rudy Wingdream helmet with the standard orange shield.  The bike performed amazingly. My first race on it, and it was one of my top 5 fastest 70.3 splits, with very lower power needed. I've spent a few months dialing it in, getting fitted, aero testing, etc. And it paid off.
• Run: I ran in my Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo shoes, with Balega blister resist socks, with a good dose of Gold Bond (blue) foot powder in them. I wore a Nike Dri-Fit cap, with Oakly Radar sunglasses. Though with all the shade, I wonder if I would have been better off without the hat. I held my bib on with a Nerd Belt basic bib holder. It fit super well, and I almost forgot I even had a bib on until I finished.

Logistics:

• Travel: we flew from Burbank to Salem on Thursday, July 16 on Alaskan Airlines. The flight was fine, but I did have an issue with TSA inspecting and damaging my bike. They repacked my case so poorly that my own gear was crushed against the top tube of the frame, knocking the bento box lid askew so it could no longer open. They also disassembled the stem and angled spacers on my base bars (I took the aero cockpit off myself), and managed to drop four tiny assembly pins loose into the case. At first, I thought the pins were lost and that I might not be able to get the aerobars correctly/safely reattached. But by some miracle, I found all of the pins and was able to put everything back together. I was also able to find a good mechanic at a local bike shop who knew how to fix the bento box. So I ended up being okay to race. On the return trip, I packed the spacers and pins into my carry-on luggage, and put the bare minimum amount of stuff into the bike case. There were no issues on the return flight. Also, we rented a mini-van (Chrysler Pacifica) and it worked out well. Plenty of room to pack the bike case and all of our luggage.
• Lodging: We stayed at the Grand Hotel in Salem. Very nice hotel, and they were very receptive of the Ironman event, very close to the village, etc. Nice rooms, restaurant was good, free breakfast was decent. The biggest problem: noise! Salem is very loud. Our room overlooked Liberty Street, which is a pretty major and crowded thoroughfare. All we heard all night was loud exhausts on motorcycles or wannabe muscle cars, and sirens from the fire station right around the corner. The night after the race, they were actually doing overnight construction somewhere nearby. We also had two nights where the people upstairs were stomping on the floor so loudly that we called the front desk to see if we could do something about it (it worked one time, but not both). So, if I do this race again and choose this hotel, it will only be if I can get a room on the top (5th) floor, away from the street.
• Food: Salem has plenty of good places to eat. The Bentley restaurant right in the hotel is pretty good. We also ate lunch at Cuban Cafe (great Cuban sandwiches, Cuban-style coffee), Amadeus (sort of a steakhouse), Gemberetti's Italian was the place we went the night before the race. On my birthday, Monday night, we went to a pretty nice place called Encore. For coffee and pastries, Archive was pretty good (and popular). And there were many places we just didn't have time to visit.

Improvements:

• Pre-Race: It is imperative to start as close to the front of the race as possible. Finish prepping the bike and all that as early as you can, get your swim gear on, and leave on the walk to the swim start with the first group. I seriously think starting as late as I did cost me a potential sub-2:30 bike split.
• Swim: not much to report here. With the downriver current, swim times are ridiculous. Maybe I should have played dumb and ignored the guy who herded me over to the right side of the river. It was definitely a bit faster on the left.
• Bike: the bike went as well as it could have. The only problem was being stuck behind slower riders. I probably passed over 1000 people on the bike (I was passed by only one rider all day). So again, this leads back to the swim start. Get on the course early so you can race with other similar ability cyclists.
• Run: I think without the EIB related breathing issues, I had a great run in me. And considering that I still finished, without having to walk most of the run, is pretty good. I'll give myself credit for that. But I need to see if my doctor can help me figure out how to mitigate this issue so it doesn't compromise future races. 

CONCLUSION:

Oregon 70.3 was a great event. I really like the venue. The course was beautiful and fun, and my family really liked Salem as well. It was super cool having this as a team event for the club I am in (PTC). We had lots of team support and camaraderie which makes the whole experience even better. I'll definitely consider doing this race again in the future.

NEXT RACES:

I have nothing on the calendar officially, but I might see about doing Ironman 70.3 La Quinta in December.