Earlier this year at the 70.3 Mont Tremblant in Canada, I was fortunate enough to grab a roll-down slot for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. I say fortunate because there were only 3 slots for my age group and I had finished 11th. At the roll-down they made their way down the list and guess what...my name was called! Actually, it was called 3 times!!! Talk about crazy, but there were two other "Scott's" ahead of me in my age group. Each time I thought I was being called only to find out that someone with the same first name finished in front of me.
I had put a lot of hard work going into the Mont Tremblant race and was definitely happy with my effort on the day. I went into the race hoping to qualify, but knew I would most likely have to get lucky and snag a roll down spot as I just don't have that top of the age-group speed (yet).
Typically, roll downs don't make it as far as 11th. This is especially true after the race was moved a couple years ago from Clearwater, FL to Henderson, NV (outside Las Vegas). This venue switch has made the race a true championship with a tough bike and run course in the desert heat. Needless to say, I was super excited about the opportunity to get out there and mix it up with the best in the world (by mix it up, I mean get passed by).
While I qualified for the world champs, in a sense I felt like I "snuck in." I want to be one of those athletes who earned their spot outright and not through the roll-down. I want to be at the front my age group, racing for a podium spot in the big competitive races. That is the goal.
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