Ironman Muncie boasts over 45 years of history as the oldest IRONMAN 70.3 event in the continental US, according to the Muncie Journal and Towne Post Network. It began in 1980 as the Muncie Endurathon.

Currently, Muncie 70.3 enjoys incredible support, where you can feel the excitement from the roaring spectators and community, enjoy the Hoosier hospitality, and experience the warmth of Midwestern charm.

The 1.2-mile swim takes place in beautiful and historic Prairie Creek Reservoir with one of the most beautiful lakeside beaches in the area.

We drove the day before to pick up the kit and drop off the bike. Must Ironman Events has a “Mandatory Bike Check-In Rule”: All bikes must be checked in during a specific time frame and left overnight. Bikes are not permitted to enter the transition area on race morning.

How did it go?

We set an alarm for 4:00 AM. Stayed in a nice, brand-new hotel, a 20-minute drive to the transition, where many other athletes also stayed.

We reserved a parking space in front of the transition, with private toilets, which was convenient and appreciated by the athletes, as well as very friendly from the lake neighbors. The energy was super cool, the organizers and everyone were very kind and helpful.

The Swim: I planned to take the swim as a warm-up, but it was challenging; the water was choppy, and I swallowed a lot of water several times. At some point, like in the first 500 yards, a wave came at the same time I was inhaling, and I started coughing a lot. I got out of breath, felt like I was choking, and needed to stop for a few seconds to catch my breath. After that, I maintained a comfortable and consistent pace until I reached the shore and ran approximately 150 meters to the transition area.

The Bike: A 56-mile ride of a two-loop out-and-back route with some rolling hills and wind. I was trying to stay in the aero position and hydrate myself. Honestly, I was not bothered by my speed. I didn't have a specific watt target range; it was fun to see the community and the kind volunteers.

In the last 10 miles of the bike ride, I was traveling at speeds ranging from 23 to 27 miles per hour. I made a sudden movement (trying to reposition myself while in the aero position, which was a mistake that I learned from), which caused the front wheel to lift, and I flew and rolled over the bike. Thanks, God, I just had some deep road scratches and some wounds. The helmet 100% protected my head, and I landed on the left side of my head/body. The medical staff were there like in less than 3 minutes checked myself, wanted to take me to the ambulance, I asked if I can continue, my vision was half blurry, they asked me several questions to make sure I was able, safe and conscious to continue, they checked the bike, the left part of the aero bar base got broke and the brake, I wanted to finish the event, no matter my time, place, or how messy I was. 🤣 After around 30 minutes, I carefully continued the last few miles.

I made it to transition: My daughter asked me, “What happened?” I was bleeding on my face, hands, and legs.

The Run: I did a normal transition, put on my socks, running shoes, bib #, visor, sunglasses, grabbed the handheld bottle where I sometimes add gels and water with minerals, I had so many painful hand scratches in both hands that I couldn’t hold the bottle, so I asked a youth volunteer if I can leave it there and pick up later, he said “of course”, I forgot to pick it up. 😂

The Run was tough, very hot at 90°F, with some hills. I was trying to stay positive, not worrying about anything, and just hydrating while keeping a steady pace.

It was fun to see volunteer kids passing water, and there were so many people cheering everyone on.

I was so happy to finish, the medical staff took me right away to the medical tent, to clean my wounds and put some bandages. They were very kind and professional. I was, and I am, thankful for everything. 🤟 🥰

IRONMAN 70.3 Muncie | 2025