The Grand Final is draft-legal triathlon’s big show each year. Everyone turns up in the best form they have and it’s the race to cement world titles and rankings. Up until now, I had never competed in an elite grand final. I couldn’t wait to have a shot at it. This race in Abu Dhabi was in the back of my mind all year. Now that it’s over and done, I wanted to share my experience and hear from everyone else who was there. Being back at a race with all the U23s, Elites, Para, and Age Group events together after so long was pretty special.

I was asked about what “homework” pros do in preparation for racing. Given that the Abu Dhabi Grand Final was an event I really wanted to perform at, I did my homework for this one. This was a completely new course, so I wasn’t able to watch previous races and visualize it exactly before showing up. What I did know was that the swim would be in warm ocean water, so I would want heat prep and endurance. I knew from maps that the bike would be mostly level and on various surfaces, but until our course familiarizations I didn’t know the intricacies, or just how the course might affect pack dynamics. I also could tell the run would be flat. Again, because of the heat I wasn’t sure how much the run would favor endurance over raw speed. At any other race, I might also look at which athletes are coming, what their strengths are, and consider how that might affect the race dynamics or who to look for on course. However, with the grand final you know that every single athlete is turning up.

It’s safe to say everyone’s main concern was being prepared for the heat. We can all be glad that the race was pushed back to Thanksgiving, because it was noticeably less hot and humid than last year when we raced in Abu Dhabi in early November. Still, it was plenty hot to affect performance. I had spent most of the spring and summer training in heat. About two months before the Grand Final I started sauna sessions. They’re not my favorite but I do my best to put up with it. I’d spend 15-30 minutes in the sauna a couple times a week, either after swimming or the end of the day. If you read my last article, I also did a couple bike rides in a temperature and altitude controlled room while at the US Olympic Training Center in October.

For anyone else who came to the Grand Final, I’d love to hear what you thought of race week in Abu Dhabi. It’s a huge culture change from the United States. You can go to the mall on Yas Island and eat Cheesecake Factory (or our team favorite Vapiano) but see lots of people wearing traditional long robes. It’s not uncommon to see women showing only their eyes. As triathletes, we stand out everywhere we go, walking through hotel lobbies in bike kit. It’s accentuated in the UAE though, racing a triathlon in a bathing suit in a country that historically frowns upon any tight or revealing clothing. I don’t imagine the races were scheduled around Islamic prayer times either, and I noticed support staff in the registration lounge praying while I was checking in for the race. Interestingly, from what I’ve read it’s actually a fairly safe place to be out and about as a women. It seems like there’s a push to create women-only exercise spaces too. Last year when there were no F1 drivers around, the track was set up for cycling in the evenings. One night per week, it was reserved just for women to have their own space to show up and ride.

At 2am after Thanksgiving dinner, my family back in the USA was awake to watch my race. I dived in and within the first 100m was sucked into a mob of athletes. People swimming over me, taking strokes on top of me, feet in my face, others weighing down my feet. I had this same trouble with getting caught in the congestion a couple weeks before in Bermuda WTCS. Once you’re there, it is tough going to make any forward progress. Earlier this year I was doing a better job of getting ahead of the mob and having swims I was proud of, so I’m not sure what’s changed or if it’s bad luck. Unfortunately, the situation made for a poor swim and I had a lot of time to make up mounting my bike.

I quickly ended up in the largest bike pack on the road. With no big out and backs on the bike course, it was hard to know exactly how many people were ahead of and behind us. We held a steady effort through the whole bike and I was mainly focused on staying hydrated and out of trouble. There were a couple crashes and I was happy to have been ahead of them all to avoid getting caught up. As we kept ticking off laps, my mouth was drying out so badly. Those last couple laps I had gone through both my bottles and was agitatedly waiting for the run to come so I could get more water at the aid stations. We finally hit the run and the first lap I felt like I was just getting myself from aid station to aid station drinking as much as I could. Then I began to relax and find my stride.

When I’m fit, I’m able to get into this incredibly focused mindset where I can just run hard and think about nothing. No emotions, just feeling my cadence and counting the laps. I had two girls running on me, but was content to be the one controlling the pace. One of my goals was to come top 20, and going into the last lap I knew I was somewhere around that position. I slowly picked up the speed, determined to make what I could of the race, as I felt the two girls with me fall back. I finished 18th, not the race of my dreams but consistent nonetheless.

Whether or not you hit all your goals and expectations this year, happy off season. I hope everyone is as happy as I am to finally get an off season that lines up with the holidays. I’d love to hear everyone else’s stories from racing in Abu Dhabi. Hopefully not too many of you head-butted those huge jellyfish in the water leading up to the race like I did!