Just to confirm, there is sunscreen in T2 just past the porta-potties, before heading out for the run:
This is great news!
Good luck to you and everyone else racing! Lionel go kill it!
Good luck in your race, you got your heat day plan all set. Looks like even a bit warmer than they thought last week, low 70’s getting on the bike, low to mid 80’s getting off it, and likely to hit 90+ during most peoples runs…
You come back here tomorrow afternoon and tell us how you slayed the heat and did your best race…
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I’ll consider it a win if I manage to walk less than half the run at this point. At least based on the last HIM I did where it 90+ with no shade and walked nearly the entire thing despite being in the same shape to run a 1:37 off the bike (hah wish I could still run that fast now 10 years later!)
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66.5°F water, and high of 95° in St. George. Looks like it’s gonna hit 89°F just as I start my run (it was 96° at that time yesterday, according to my car’s thermometer).
Good luck, everyone, stay safe out there.
Finished - had a great execution day for my very-mediocre paces, but was happy about my pacing and cooling. Took all your advice, poured water on myself on the bike fast spots, kept it slightly on the easier side to not overcook, and then paced the run very steady, and got lots of ice and water and nutrition at every aid station. Managed to run the whole thing at 8:0x pace, which for me is an excellent result in the heat. The slower you went the harder your day as the heat really picked up around 1PM, so I feel for the slower AGers. Thanks for all the great advice here, it really helped and gave me confidence that I was doing the right thing all day!
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GREAT to hear it!
Congratulations 
How’d you do @VegasJen?
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DNF. The hills and the heat were just too much. I called it at mile 7 of the run. I was losing electrolytes faster than I could replace them. This sucks so bad. I want to cry but I’m too dehydrated. 
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Don’t feel bad about it - your race was absolutely harder than the people who started and finished earlier in the day. Around what I think the time I think you would have been on loop 2, I was walking around and it was sooooo hot. Like crazy hot in the sun. Definitely a lot hotter than when I was on the course. You still did a great job if you competed the bike and ran 6 miles in crazy heat - def kudos for that!
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Don’t be too hard on yourself. A DNF always hurts, but this was a motherfucker of a run. The heat was just brutal.
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How’d yer day go as well?
As best as I could have hoped, considering the conditions. I’ll write a longer race report later when I don’t feel like death, but TLDR:
- Swim was great, I think the warmer water (by St. George standards) benefited me; I didn’t struggle with the cold shock nearly as much as in previous years. Sighting during the outbound leg was a pain in the ass as usual with the buoys aligned with the sun and it was pretty crowded so I got beat up like a piñata (the announcer said 2,400 age groupers total, I’ve never seen a more crowded transition). Still, managed to shave almost 7 minutes off last year’s swim time, my fastest half-iron swim ever. Very, very pleased by that.
- I took @monty’s advice at the top of the thread to heart, and I dialed my effort on the bike way back. I always struggle in the heat with this early season race and I was worried about my stomach just completely shutting down. Trying to follow any kind of pacing plan with such a crowded course would have been almost impossible anyway, so I took it very easy and paced on vibes. It went fine, but Snow Canyon was brutal in the heat; I had to stop at the aid station at the top and douse myself in water, I was so overheated. I was at least 15 minutes slower than last year, but at least I had no stomach issues; I doubt I could have finished the race otherwise.
- The run was the absolute hardest I’ve ever done. I don’t know what the temperature was on the pavement but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was in the triple digits. I paced it on vibes as well, and walked through every aid station to drink water, dunk my hat in the ice buckets, and shove ice down my tri suit. It was a sufferfest the entire way, I honestly can’t believe I finished it, but despite that, I barely missed a sub-2 finish by only two minutes.
Overall, this was the hardest race I’ve done so far. Other than my swim, my times sucked; my overall finish time (6:13:07) was only a minute faster than my first 70.3 a few years ago. Not my best result by any means but maybe the most satisfying because it was so hard won. I’m really gonna miss St. George.
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Ya. It was just too much. So freaking hot.
Of course, I can’t help doubt if I pulled the plug too early, but I had to have mom pull over on the side of I-15 and rub out a cramp in my hamstring that just wouldn’t let go. It was so bad I was screaming in pain.
But I don’t know if I can end my 70.3s on a DNF. May have to figure out another one I have a better chance with.
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T100 Vegas
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I’m sure you know THIS race wasn’t one to set the clock PR on! 7 mins off the swim is amazing! I only swam 20sec faster than my typical…
I had a funny times on Snow Canyon - I’d ridden it on Rouvy twice so I was used to looking for a parking lot to the hard part of Snow Canyon, but I think it looked different with cars parked in it. It was hot and I was def feeling it but I’d ridden it harder on Rouvy so I kept telling myself, don’t overcook, and after this last aid stop, you’re less than a mile to the top and you can drop the hammer if you want. Too bad once I went past the aid station, Snow Canyon was already done - I’d missed my moment! (Better that than the opposite though!)
Sorry to hear, but sounds like it was brutally hot. I’m sure you’ll do great next time.
That one is supposed to be a beast of a course too. Your want to go out on an epic 70.3? 70.3 Salem Oregon. Fast swim, a bike that makes St George look like a cakewalk, and a shaded nature preserve run.