When your nearest competitor is more than 10 minutes behind you, it can sometimes be hard to find the motivation to keep pushing, especially in the depths of the second half of a middle distance race.
Luckily for Taylor Knibb, then, the bike course record set by Daniela Ryf at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside was there to keep her driven, as the two-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion pushed herself to new heights on Saturday.
Eventually tying Ryf’s record to the second, Knibb crushed the course and her competitors to pick up a first win of the season, afterwards crediting the Swiss stars legacy for keeping her honest throughout the race.
“I’m grateful for a great race”
Finishing almost 11 minutes ahead of second place Emma Pallant-Browne, Knibb was in a league of her own last weekend, but was quick to applaud the efforts of her fellow competitors on the race course.
“I am grateful to have finished and grateful for a great race, the women were fantastic and so were the men racing in Oceanside.”
Coming home in a time of 4:09:55, Knibb beat over half of the professional men’s field in Southern California, and was more than 30 minutes quicker than all the women outside the Top 10.
“Trying to get the best out of myself is the whole goal”
On the topic of her bike leg, Knibb said it was extremely beneficial to have Ryf’s record in the back of her mind throughout the race.
“I knew Daniela [Ryf] set the bike course record and that was in the back of my mind, especially the last 30-40 minutes and you have to say, it’s great for a competitor to motivate you and inspire you.
“She and her record were helping me over the last hour especially and even though I tied it, trying to get the best out of myself is the whole goal and that’s why we have competition and it is what it is!”
Triathlon’s mid-season report card: Tim Don on who’s raising the bar this triathlon race season
