Martina Olcheski-Bell did not let a cancelled Swim, shortened Bike Course due to landslides, rain and wind that made for a sketchy bike course and torrid heat on the run deter her as she finished as the 5th Woman Overall at the Ocean Lava, Lanzarote 1/2 Ironman Distance race.
Olcheski-Bell said, “Due to unsafe water conditions, the swim was canceled and replaced with a 5km run. Due to landslides that resulted in several road closures, the 90 km bike course was modified to a 43 km route ….Regardless, I can still understand why Ironman Lanzarote is considered by many to be one of the toughest races in the world – Lanzarote is no joke!”
Olcheski-Bell clocked a time of 3:52:27, with the top 3 female finishers Professionals, Olcheski-Bell would have been pleased with her performance.
“The Bike course was very challenging with back to back steep climbs. It rained for a good part of the race which made the descents a bit terrifying as I was reaching speeds up to 70km/hour with heavy crosswinds…. Fortunately I survived without any problems! Several others weren’t so lucky,” continued Olcheski-Bell.
Olcheski-Bell went on to say, “The run was very hot and there was no shade at any point in the 3 loop bike course. The rain was also gone at this point so there was no reprieve from the scorching sun. It wasn’t flat either – it was undulating with plenty of headwind! It hurt, but I managed to complete the half Marathon in a time of 1:49:02.”
Olcheski-Bell concluded, “All in all it was a great experience and the triathlon community in Lanzarote was wonderful. I met a lot of interesting people from all over!”
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