Race Coverage

"You Could Say I'm Consistent"....

Thursday, 18 September 2025 00:10

By Tiffamy Kari-Cizmas

IRONMAN 70.3 Michigan recap. - Last triathlon of the season and so wanted to end it doing something new.

We made it a full weekend of racing and hanging out with my father in law. Dave kicked it off with a hill climb vintage car race in Empire Michigan where he and his competitors raced repeats up a twisty hill as spectators consumed all sorts of beverages and cheered from behind the caution tape.

The alarm woke us up at 4AM again Sunday kicking off my leg of the weekend. Beyond a bent rotator on my bike the morning went smooth prior to race start.

The race kicked off with a full contact swim. I’ve never swum with so many people next to me for so long. Most races string out quickly. I had people on my right, left, front a back the whole race. I’ve been doing this for years yet had to work to stay relaxed and not panic. I can’t imagine how others felt. I’m sure it was terrifying for many.

The bike was uneventful. Decent course but had one of those rides where it felt like there was a headwind both ways. I feared I was over riding. Maybe I did but in hindsight I’m proud of the effort as I was still able to run decent....

As for the run I had some fear. 77 degrees on an open course. Would I implode??? It can be so hard to adjust pace! I found a pace that felt comfortable and stuck with it. Glad I did as the heat and miles caught up to me the last 4 miles or so. I fell off pace a bit but not terribly. Just enough to feel grateful I didn’t go out any harder.

Got it down with a 1st in my age group and 6th overall female. Same result at this past May at Chattanooga 70.3 so I guess you could say I’m consistent.

Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers and loving support from family and friends! Also Skihut and my run coach Tony Stensland. You all make these events and efforts possible.