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Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion)
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I don’t often write or post these so I apologize if it is boring or too long. I first want to tell you a little bit about me. I’m a 31-year-old math teacher from Nova Scotia, Canada. I started triathlon and competitive sports 5 years ago, in the fall of 2010, when I signed up for my first running race. It was a half marathon, and I registered the week before. At that time, the longest I had ever run was 10 kilometres. Three weeks after that race, I finished my first marathon. Around this time I got involved with my local triathlon club (Cape Breton Barbarians). I signed up for an Ironman before I had ever participated in a triathlon. I feel it’s important to mention that I did not have a background in any of the 3 sports. Two of my first four Ironmans were the World Championship races in Kona in 2012 and 2013, and I qualified at Mont-Tremblant each time (4th, 25-29 in 2012 and 4th, 30-34 in 2013).

Please don’t think I’m writing the above to boast; this is not my intention. I feel it is important because I believe huge goals CAN be achieved with hard work and determination. Find a passion and put your heart into it. Mike Riley mentioned the following quote at the Lake Placid awards banquet: “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination.” (Spoken by Tommy Lasorda.)

Last summer, I decided to sign up for Ironman Lake Placid. I knew the competition would be tough and my goal was to qualify for Kona again. I’ve come far on my own, but I decided to hire a coach. I signed up with Carmichael Training Systems and was paired with Matt Ison. I can’t say enough good things about Matt.

In the 12 weeks leading up to the race, I spent a significant amount of time training at and above race pace on the bike and run. A typical 5-hour ride would consist of 3 x 1 hour at goal wattage. Several weeks had tempo runs. A typical tempo run would be 75 minutes, where one hour was spent building from 7:00/mile to 6:30/mile. I practiced fueling the same way I would during the race. Although the workouts were challenging, the total time commitment was not unreasonable. During the last 12 weeks, I only went over 20 hours, total, a couple of times.

I arrived at Lake Placid on the Wednesday before the race. I got a chance to swim one loop of Mirror Lake and complete a couple of rides and runs on the course. I recommend that anyone wanting to do IM Lake Placid ride the descent to Keene before the race. I hit a top speed of 85 km/h (53 mph) during this portion of the course.

SWIM [58:58]

I thought the rolling start would be awesome – the banging and crashing would be minimal and allow for a faster swim. I was wrong. It still felt like a washing machine for several hundred metres. During the second loop, I caught many of the swimmers who got into the water after me. It became crowded, especially near the final turn buoy and exiting the water.


BIKE [5:14:44]

I knew the bike course was hilly, but there was more climbing than I expected. My goal wattage for the bike was to have a NP between 240-250. Because there are so many descents, I didn’t look at average power. I used the lap button on my Garmin a lot to stay focused.

The climb out of town at the start of the bike course is where athletes can destroy their race before it even starts. I kept my watts around 260-270 on the steepest parts, and right at my goal wattage when it flattened out. The descent to Keene was fast! My legs really got a chance to rest here. After Keene, toward the first out-and-back, I kept my watts between 240-250, and after about 5 miles I caught the main chase pack of 6 riders. I knew they were moving and pushing about the same watts as me. I sat in for 10 miles or so, keeping the legal distance apart. I made the decision to stay with the group because, even at the legal distance, it is easier to ride with other people. Eventually I saw the lead motorcyclist and I started counting riders. I was in 9th place, riding in a group of 7, and I was 8 minutes behind the leader.

Once the group hit the hills approaching Whiteface, the rest of the riders pulled away. They must have been pushing over 300 watts. I stuck with my race plan and let them go. The race hadn’t even started yet, in my mind. The long climb back into Lake Placid had some considerable headwind. I rode the first loop in about 2:35, which was slightly slower than my goal, but you can’t control the wind. I executed the same plan on the second loop.


RUN [3:09:38]

My goal for the run was sub-3:05. I started the run in 4th place. The spectators were incredible. They were shouting and telling me how far I was behind the runners up ahead, and saying how strong I looked. I stuck to my plan and ran the first half in about 1:32. My goal for the last 13 miles was to pick up the pace, but the heat started to wear me down. I didn’t get many chances to train in the heat leading into this race.

I moved into first place with 8 miles to go. The heat forced me to walk the last 6 aid stations. I wanted to make sure I took in enough nutrition. During the last couple of miles, I felt like a rock star. I couldn’t believe how supportive and loud the crowds were. They were yelling my name. With no pros in the race, it gave competitive age groupers like me a chance to experience something I otherwise could have only dreamed about. I was first across the line in an Ironman. I even had an interview with Mike Riley. Unbelievable! It doesn’t even matter that I missed my overall time goal of sub-9:20. There are some things you just can’t control.

I can’t thank my Coach, Matt Ison, enough for his guidance and expertise over the past year. I’ve learned so much about how to properly train for an Ironman to be competitive. I’ll keep pushing hard and hopefully keep improving. In the end, I turned down the Kona spot, but I did achieve my goal of qualifying again.

I’d be happy to answer any questions about my training. Just send me an email: coreydeveaux@hotmail.com.

Thanks for reading!
Corey

Zoot Team Canada Athlete, sponsored by GU, Cervelo and
Cyclesmith Racing.
http://www.coreydeveaux.com
Last edited by: CB_Triathlete: Aug 4, 15 18:29
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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Congrats! Killer race. No background in swimming with a 58? You must have some good dna. Kudos to you for all the hard work and pushing it in training.
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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You make me sick!! In a good way :) I wish I could do those kinda times in only 3-4 years of training like I have so far. You are a stud. Congrats on winning! Quite an accomplishment
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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Where In NS? Just curious, I used to spend all of my summers in Halifax/Wolfville with my moms side. Very fond memories but I never trained (not into sports as a kid) when I was there.

Do you have good partners or mostly train solo?

Maurice
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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Awesome, congrats and thanks for the report
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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It should also be noted that Corey finished first in a Half Iron distance race on the 28th of June and then won an Olympic distance race the next weekend as well. Good warmup?

Ian
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [mauricemaher] [ In reply to ]
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I'm originally from Little Bras d'Or but I currently live in Sydney, Cape Breton. I do train often with another guy who also did Lake Placid but I'm forced to train alone quite often as well.

Zoot Team Canada Athlete, sponsored by GU, Cervelo and
Cyclesmith Racing.
http://www.coreydeveaux.com
Last edited by: CB_Triathlete: Aug 5, 15 4:08
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [tkos] [ In reply to ]
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tkos wrote:
It should also be noted that Corey finished first in a Half Iron distance race on the 28th of June and then won an Olympic distance race the next weekend as well. Good warmup?

I felt the half was a great warmup but the weather was cool and rainy. It would have been nice if it was warmer. I only did the Olympic distance race because it was a local event that I'm quite fond of...that race was also cold and rainy now that I think about it...see the trend in Nova Scotia :(

I did a 5 hour ride with IM intervals the day before so I didn't take it too seriously.

Corey

Zoot Team Canada Athlete, sponsored by GU, Cervelo and
Cyclesmith Racing.
http://www.coreydeveaux.com
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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That is awesome dude congrats that will be a buzz you can replay for a lifetime.....not soon to wear off I imagine!
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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You do realize that you're seriously in danger of getting punched in the face, right?

Congrats on another fine race and earning another trip to Kona. It's nice to be in a position where you can choose to turn it down.
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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Congrats on the great result, must have been a cool experience breaking the tape.

Any key run workouts that you care to share that you feel helped you have the 2nd fastest run split and run your way to the win?
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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Wow! Great racing. Please tell me when you started this 5 years ago your half marathon time was 2 hours and 10K times were around 55 minutes and you were are not blessed with great DNA.
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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Are you going to Tremblant this year?
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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Very awesome race! Congrats. Even my mother in law from New Brunswick heard that a maritimer won overall at IM Lake Placid, so the word actually got outside our sport. Good luck in your next races. Thank your parents though for whatever they did in your upbringing to lay a base (not sure about your youth sport background) and if there was none, then thank them even more for some amazing genetics. You don't get this fast this quickly without that solid starting point from parental lineage...add hard work to that and it is killer combo. I am curious to know if you have ever had your VO2max tested. Sciguy could have some fun with you. Also curious to know your height and weight. I assume your FTP is around 340-350W so you have a pretty solid engine (your 85 kph practice keen descent suggest to me that you're not tiny either). How fast do you run an open 10K or open half marathon ?

If I may ask, one of my friends wearing a QT2 systems outfit was in the top group of riders but crashed on the out and back when his front wheel went into a crack. By any chance were you aroung at that point (or were you ahead) and did you see what happened. He had to DNF (was on the same 2:35 per loop pace and feeling good).

Also in terms of riding the Keene descent before the race, I am not sure it is that necessary and I will explain why. When you swim 58 min, your descent of Keene in training and racing is exactly the same. There is almost no one on it. For people further back, it is an obstacle course of riders with big speed differentials so will require a lot more braking. I am not sure if it is worth the additional effort to ride over to Keene and either ride back up or have to get a lift back. Better to just rest up before race day.
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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But there were no pro's there? ;-)


Well done! Congrats!
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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Great job!
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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devashish_paul wrote:
Very awesome race! Congrats. Even my mother in law from New Brunswick heard that a maritimer won overall at IM Lake Placid, so the word actually got outside our sport. Good luck in your next races. Thank your parents though for whatever they did in your upbringing to lay a base (not sure about your youth sport background) and if there was none, then thank them even more for some amazing genetics. You don't get this fast this quickly without that solid starting point from parental lineage...add hard work to that and it is killer combo. I am curious to know if you have ever had your VO2max tested. Sciguy could have some fun with you. Also curious to know your height and weight. I assume your FTP is around 340-350W so you have a pretty solid engine (your 85 kph practice keen descent suggest to me that you're not tiny either). How fast do you run an open 10K or open half marathon ?
If I may ask, one of my friends wearing a QT2 systems outfit was in the top group of riders but crashed on the out and back when his front wheel went into a crack. By any chance were you aroung at that point (or were you ahead) and did you see what happened. He had to DNF (was on the same 2:35 per loop pace and feeling good).

Also in terms of riding the Keene descent before the race, I am not sure it is that necessary and I will explain why. When you swim 58 min, your descent of Keene in training and racing is exactly the same. There is almost no one on it. For people further back, it is an obstacle course of riders with big speed differentials so will require a lot more braking. I am not sure if it is worth the additional effort to ride over to Keene and either ride back up or have to get a lift back. Better to just rest up before race day.



Hi Paul

Thanks for replying to my report. I read a lot of your articles and they are always very interesting! I thank my parents regularly for a lot of things :). My family is not really athletic. I can't think of any immediate or extended family that played organized sports growing up or anything of that nature. My father and grandfather were both very hard workers though (steel and coal).

As a child I wanted to play hockey but money was always tight growing up. The only organized sports I played was Little League baseball. I did play some tennis recreationally. I certainly agree I have strong genes and I totally agree it is very difficult to get to my level without being born with some natural ability. Before I got into triathlon I lifted weights about 4 times a week. My weight was over 200 lbs at one point. I'm sure the time spent in the gym kickstarted my running and cycling.

After I got into triathlon I lost a lot of my bulk. About a week before Lake Placid I weighed in at 166 lbs on an empty stomach. I am just a hair under 6.0 feet tall. My FTP is around 315-320 watts. I wish it was 340! I also never had my VO2 max tested. I would love to do it sometime and also get in the wind tunnel but these are very expensive and not available where I'm from.

I haven't specifically trained for a running race in quite some time. But I can do 35' high for 10km after a long training week.

I did not see what happened to your friend. I hope he is ok!

Regarding riding the Keene descent before the race...I do agree it may not be necessary depending on the individual. For me personally, it provided a lot of confidence. I needed to know the road conditions and how much braking(if any) I needed for each turn. The weather forecast was also predicting rain. I have carbon wheels so the braking surface in wet weather isn't all that great. I did have my girlfriend pick me up in Keene. I wasn't climbing back up thats for sure :)

I hope this answers all your questions.

Corey

Zoot Team Canada Athlete, sponsored by GU, Cervelo and
Cyclesmith Racing.
http://www.coreydeveaux.com
Last edited by: CB_Triathlete: Aug 5, 15 18:05
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [clarkoe] [ In reply to ]
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clarkoe wrote:
Congrats on the great result, must have been a cool experience breaking the tape.

Any key run workouts that you care to share that you feel helped you have the 2nd fastest run split and run your way to the win?

Hey
I spent a lot of time running at 5km and 10km race pace for intervals of 5-10 min until January or so. Typically once a week. Around January/February a key run workout would be 4x10min at about half-marathon pace. I also raced a half-marathon in February.

Around March I started doing 75 min - 90 min runs once a week close to goal Ironman Marathon pace to build up endurance. About 12 weeks out from the race I started doing tempo runs once a week. Here is sample:

10 min warm up
60 min tempo broken down below: (run this straight through)
20 min at 6:50 per mile
20 min at 6:40
20 min at 6:30
5 min cool down

The pace was built around starting the marathon at 7:00 per mile assuming all was going well.

About 8 weeks out I started doing 30 min tempo runs after my long rides. They would typically start at 7:00 per mile and build to 6:30 by the last 10 minutes.

I only did a couple runs of 2 hours and one run at 2:30. However, my pace for these runs were very close to my goal IM marathon pace so I covered 16-21 miles for each run. The goal was to run these longer runs from 7:00-7:45 depending on how tired I felt. (Sometimes I had a 2-3 hour spin on the bike before a 2 hour run)

Corey

Zoot Team Canada Athlete, sponsored by GU, Cervelo and
Cyclesmith Racing.
http://www.coreydeveaux.com
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [pascalosti] [ In reply to ]
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pascalosti wrote:
Are you going to Tremblant this year?

No. Amazing race venue though!

Zoot Team Canada Athlete, sponsored by GU, Cervelo and
Cyclesmith Racing.
http://www.coreydeveaux.com
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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Corey, congrats on the race! Looks like a well executed race - very smart to not let others on the bike dictate your place.

I was born in Sydney and my parents lived in Margaree until I was around 5, when they moved back to the states (still have the house in Margaree Harbour). I've been back most summers and one day want to try doing the Cabot Trail in a day (have a few friends up there who have done it before).

I imagine you spend a lot of time on the trainer. I've done a bit of riding around my parents place, and it definitely isn't very bike friendly. No shoulders on the road and drivers who don't seem accustomed to bikers. I'm shooting for at a KQ at IMMT - hope to meet you in Kona!

Blog: http://262toboylstonstreet.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/NateThomasTri
Coaching: https://bybtricoaching.com/ - accepting athletes for 2023
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [ In reply to ]
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Really awesome result and inspiring story! I heartily agree with you about setting big goals and going out after them!
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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Nice report Corey, thanks for sharing your story. It's inspiring to hear what you have accomplished. It's interesting that I had the same experience you did on the first bike loop (of course, I was a good 1+ hour behind you at that point): everyone seems to beat a path back up the hills into Lake Placid. I had to keep reminding myself to keep to my plan and pace and forget about people passing me. I wasn't in contention for anything other than executing my best race (MOPer). It sure is satisfying to get to the run and having the energy left to execute your run plan. Thanks again.

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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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CB_Triathlete wrote:
Please don’t think I’m writing the above to boast; this is not my intention. I feel it is important because I believe huge goals CAN be achieved with hard work and determination.

and.....more importantly, the right parents.

Congrats on a fantastic race!


-------------------------------
I'm faster in Kilometers!
Wattie Ink Triathlon Team
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [CB_Triathlete] [ In reply to ]
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Oh...and yes, we need to get you into the wind tunnel. Or at least try and help out with your setup. I'm the same size as you, rode 55-65 watts less and only 15 minutes slower. You should have easily been under 5 hours with 240-250. If I were able to hold that wattage for an IM duration, my Cda would yield about a 4:45-4:50


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I'm faster in Kilometers!
Wattie Ink Triathlon Team
Powered by Accelerate 3
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Re: Race Report by Corey Deveaux (2015 Lake Placid AG Champion) [Fastyellow] [ In reply to ]
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Fastyellow wrote:
Oh...and yes, we need to get you into the wind tunnel. Or at least try and help out with your setup. I'm the same size as you, rode 55-65 watts less and only 15 minutes slower. You should have easily been under 5 hours with 240-250. If I were able to hold that wattage for an IM duration, my Cda would yield about a 4:45-4:50


There are a few pics from the race on his twitter feed.

https://twitter.com/coreydeveaux
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