Athlete Race Recap: Peak to Brew Relay - Finger Lakes & IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga

A running relay and an long-course triathlon were on the docket for Full Circle Endurance athletes this past weekend:

• Peak to Brew Relay - Finger Lakes - Upstate New York
• IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Peak to Brew Relay - Finger Lakes

On Saturday, May 20, 2023, Rebecca Dottolo joined a team of her friends to complete the Peak to Brew Relay - Finger Lakes in Upstate New York.

This relay event starts at Greek Peak Mountain Resort and finishes at Heritage Hill Brewery in Upstate New York.  Teams have the option of “4-Pack” or “6-Pack”, meaning that the 62 total miles (divided into 12 total running legs) of the relay race can be split between four or six runners.  Rebecca’s team was a 4-pack and she ran three legs of the race.

She reported that it was SO (all capital letters) much fun and that she really enjoyed this experience.  This was a C-Race for Rebecca as she prepares for her A-Race coming up in July.  This was a wonderful way for her to get some training volume in while having fun with friends.

Way to go, Rebecca!

IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga

On Sunday, May 21, 2023, Carolyn Classen raced at IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Tennessee!

This was Carolyn’s first multisport race this season, and it also was her first race in her new 60-64 age group!  (This transition to a new age group is something Carolyn has been excited about for at least two years.)  Her number one goal was to have fun and enjoy the race, but she also had another goal of wanting to qualify for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.

IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga offered additional qualification slots to the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship via IRONMAN’s Women for Tri Program.  Women for Tri aims to increase female participation in the sport of triathlon, and one of the ways they do this is by offering additional slots to the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship that are only available to female athletes at select events each season.  

This is a wonderful program and incentive, and it’s effective, as it draws a lot of women to the races where it is in place.  As a result, though it may appear like there are “so many” extra spots available, the process to get one is highly competitive due to so many women coming to compete in the races where they are available.

Carolyn had a strong, steady race throughout all three disciplines on Sunday.  Her swim was strong, she rocked the bike, and when the heat turned up on the run, she kept herself focused and stayed in control right through the finish line.  She ended up finishing 8th in her new age group and did get the final additional slot to the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship that was offered in her age group!  What a way to start the season!

Congratulations, Carolyn!