Rachel McBride and her season so far
She has been on a roll of late, and heads into the IRONMAN European Championship looking to earn qualifying points for Kona
The 2018 triathlon season for Rachel McBride thus far has been one to remember. She began her season with a fourth place at IRONMAN South Africa, while also setting her fastest time. Her return to Canada saw her win IRONMAN 70.3 Victoria. Recently, at IRONMAN 70.3 Mont Tremblant she was locked in a duel with the now three-time winner, Meredith Kessler, just falling short in the run to come second.
As the season reaches the midway point, McBride is getting set for the IRONMAN European Championship in Frankfurt, Germany. There, she will be going up against some elite competition, including the Queen of Ironman, Daniela Ryf. Joining McBride in Germany will be fellow Canadian Steph Croker. The two will be competing for a top result to earn Kona qualification points for this year’s world championship.
Following Rachel McBride’s second place at Mont Tremblant, we got to chat and check in as she prepares for her upcoming races.
TMC: What is your favourite pre-race meal before an Ironman?
RM: For Ironman it’s a strange assortment of cantaloupe, banana, potato and protein powder (usually not mixed together!) at 3:30 am. It doesn’t sound appetizing, but it’s pretty tasty and the perfect fuel balance for a long day of going hard!
TMC: How about your favourite pump up song?
RM: I’m obsessed with Pulses by Karmin right now.
TMC: So far, what is your most memorable triathlon moment?
RM: Collapsing at the finish line of the Wildflower triathlon in California after leading this epic race until 2 miles to go.
TMC: The life of a pro triathlete is appealing for some. What does a typical week of training look like for you?
RM: I train typically an average of 20-25 hours per week. About half of that is cycling and then the rest divided in swimming, running and strength work. I do some longer endurance sessions on the weekend and then workouts with intensity pretty much every day during the week…aside from Monday’s – those are my recovery easy days usually with just a swim.
I’ll typically have 2-3 workouts a day. In between training sessions, I’m trying to recover as best as possible, so getting some food in, naps and body work like rolling. It’s pretty relentless!
TMC: You have been crushing it this season. Maybe walk us through your results so far?
RM: Season so far, the remainder of the season and Goals
My season could not have gone better this season as I gather points for the Ironman world championships in Kona. I’m just coming off a win and 2nd place in two solid half Ironman races here in Canada (Victoria and Mont Tremblant).
Having raced all over the world for eight years now, it’s always a meaningful experience to compete in Canada. Earlier this year I placed 4th at the African IRONMAN Championship with my fastest marathon and Ironman yet!
Next up I’m racing IRONMAN European Championship in Frankfurt to secure my spot for the big stage in Kona hopefully!
