Athlete Race Recap: IRONMAN California & E-Race Cancer 10K

• IRONMAN California - Sacramento, California
• E-Race Cancer 10K - Bridgeport, New York

IRONMAN California

Susan Kulzer raced her first-ever IRONMAN at IRONMAN California in Sacramento, California on Sunday, October 23, 2022!

Back in July, Susan completed IRONMAN 70.3 Oregon, which was her first 70.3-distance triathlon. After that race, IRONMAN reached out to everyone in that race who was a first-timer and hosted a call with IRONMAN U Certified Coaches to talk to athletes about how they may be closer to being able to complete an IRONMAN than they previously thought.

I was one of the coaches on that call, and after it, Susan decided to go for her first IRONMAN and hire me as her coach.  We had just under three months to get her ready.  Susan put in the work, pushed herself way outside of her comfort zone, and trusted both the process and me.

She arrived in Sacramento last week ready to take on the full 140.6-mile distance of IRONMAN.  Susan had a great swim in the American River (that current assist is REAL!).  On the bike, she was confronted with adversity, as the winds were strong and unrelenting.  It seemed that the wind was never in her favor; it was always a headwind or a crosswind of 30+ mph. 

This is where Susan’s training really paid off; I had challenged her to get outside and embrace real-world conditions so she could build up her “Athlete's Toolbox” of tools. While this was initially intimidating to her, getting exposure to those real-world conditions really helped build Susan’s skills and confidence. Come race day, when adversity was definitely in play, Susan was able to handle it. It didn’t cripple her; she just thought to herself “Oh, this is how I’m going to handle this.” I cannot understate how valuable that training and experience was for Susan.

After a challenging bike ride, Susan had a strong run. She stuck to a solid run/walk strategy that helped her run consistently and strong for all 26.2 miles. She crossed the finish line joyful and with a smile.

Congratulations, Susan!

E-Race Cancer 10K

On Sunday, October 23, 2022, Amy Otero ran a race close to her heart: The E-Race Cancer 10K in Bridgeport, New York.

Amy started off the race really strong and was running along just great when she had a bit of a situation: Someone on an e-bike rode past her very quickly and his hat (not his helmet….wear a helmet, friends!) flew off right in front of her. Since Amy is a very nice person, she reached to grab it as she was running so she could return it to him. When she did this, she pulled her lower back and caused some issues in her glutes. This impacted the rest of her race as she was pretty uncomfortable.

Despite this, she still finished strong and with her fastest time for the 10K distance this year!   As a SUPER added bonus, Amy was reunited with one of her favorite CNAs from when she underwent cancer treatment several years ago.  What a day!  It made the E-Race Cancer 10K even more special for her.

Way to go, Amy!