You can look up any of the dozen posts on altitude adjustment and the best practices. There is not a whole lot you are going to be able to do outside of getting to a place with some altitude and seeing how your body reacts. Some people say show up weeks in advance, some say arrive at last possible minute.

One piece I think most people overlook is the lack of humidity and it's ability to wreak havoc on your race. Being the high plains desert, the dryness will significantly increase the evaporation of sweat. Which means a potential need to increase intake to maintain hydration. I think this is an area that people can work on months in advance to determine what is feasible with your body.

Good luck.

Altitude-wise I think you'll notice it most on the swim. So take it out a bit easier than usual at first and settle in to your race-effort. It could be really easy to go deep into oxygen debt in the first 100m and have to slow down a lot to recover and get into your rhythm. In preparation a good thing to do sometimes is sets of 150's where you do the first 50 fast and settle into race pace for the last 100. It will get you used to your inevitable too fast start and being able to settle and recover at race pace and maintaining technique in that situation.

The bike course is very fast, and a little bit short. Don't blow out your legs on the climb up Nelson road. You'll feel like you're going really slow and people around you might be passing you but stick to your power plan. You are still likely to have a PR bike segment and you'll re-pass those people later when they fade.

The run is a lot harder than the course profile suggests. It's often very hot. There is no shade and the sun is very intense. The dirt is a slow surface. There are some short but punchy climbs that thrash your legs. Go on feel - don't force the splits.

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
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It's not really a PR bike segment for a 70.3 if is isn't 56 miles (because then it isn't a 70.3). It's like saying I PR'd my 10km doing an 8K race that was advertised as a 10K. Unless one if fool enough to convince they just actually rode 56 miles. But course verification is an entirely separate thread that has been discussed many times before.

I raced it last year. To what others said, the altitude and dryness can cause dehydration. I went with my normal nutrition plan and was severely dehydrated half way through the 54 mile bike. The run is slow (everyone's is), and I was fighting calf cramps the whole time. Link to race report (prolly would do well to skip my pre-race bike mechanical issues).

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Proud Member of Chris McDonald's 2018 Big Sexy Race Team "That which doesn't kill me, will only make me stronger"
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