Ironman Lake Placid to the Ironman World Championship

Commitment, Patience, Perseverance & GRIT

This is a story about a true "Ironman." One who displays all of the qualities mentioned above and MANY more.

​The "journey" highlighted below belongs to Drew Cruz. It summarizes his long and patient journey to achieve his dream: qualify for and become an Ironman World Championship finisher. 

We hope you find this inspirational and informative.

The Beginning

Drew Cruz first became involved with triathlon back in 2007. He got started with Team in Training, a charity organization that raises awareness and money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society while preparing athletes for their chosen endurance event.

As a natural athlete, Drew saw quick success, fell in love with triathlon and soon progressed to an elite age group level while working with another highly respected endurance coaching organization. 

The Dream

His success drove him to become even more dedicated to improving and his commitment to the sport increased. Drew began allocating lots and LOTS of time each week to training under the guidance of his then coach with the hope of achieving his new DREAM: qualifying for Ironman World Championship. 

Many have this goal, but most do not realize just how difficult it is to qualify for the Ironman World Championship. Despite already performing at a very high level, he still needed to become a bit faster. And even then, nothing is guaranteed.

When trying to qualify for Worlds, there are no specified qualifying times (like runners qualifying for the Boston Marathon). Instead, you have to WIN or finish in the very top of your age category at the qualifying Ironman race to be over the prized slot to the World Championship event. 

After 4 failed attempts racing Ironman to qualify for the World Championship, Drew was still determined. However, he and his wife Courtney began having kids. Needless to say, he did not have the same amount of free time (and energy) to commit to training like he once did.

​Smartly, Drew decided to put his aspirations on hold and decided to dial back his training.

Drew Takes His Talents to Bergen County

Like most people in the our area, once kids come into the picture, they flee NYC or Hoboken and move to the suburbs. 

We first met Drew and his wife Courtney when they move from Hoboken to Bergen County in 2019. Drew was looking for a Triathlon Club to connect with and possibly a new coaching relationship.

Soon after, Coach Elizabeth Kaplanis of RTA Triathlon began coaching Drew. His focus shifted to short course triathlon racing given his time constraints. However, his long term goal was to shift back to long course (Ironman) racing when "the time was right" to make one last push at qualifying for the Ironman World Championship.

The coach / athlete relationship thrived as Drew placed his trust in Elizabeth's expertise. He valued her regular communication, training schedule flexibility and quality over quantity approach to coaching.

While racing shorter distance triathlons under Elizabeth's guidance, Drew excelled including an overall triathlon win, first time Boston Marathon qualification and other notable achievements. 

Drew finishes in 4:31 at Eagleman 70.3 after running a 1:26 half marathon off a blazing bike.

Now or Never!

With a lot of things in life, the time is never truly right. Sometimes you just have to go for it and make adjustments if necessary.

In the fall of 2022, with the support of his wife and for the first time since having kids, Drew decided to return to long course racing and signed up for Ironman Lake Placid. It was now or never and he had unfinished business to settle.

After a few dialogues between Drew and Coach E, they decided to stick with what had been working. Quality over quantity in regards to training. A limited training volume approach was something very new to Drew when it came to long course racing. Regardless, as a father of two young girls and a demanding job, this was how it was going to have to be.

The Road to Ironman Lake Placid

Regardless of experience level, Coach Elizabeth likes her athletes to schedule a few preparatory races leading up to their "A" race (Lake Placid for Drew).

Through continuous bench mark testing during training we knew Drew was doing well. Following his first race of 2023 we began to get excited about his return to Ironman. His numbers and race splits were the best they had EVER had been. Then, following his final prep race, Ironman 70.3 Eagleman, we knew he was REALLY ready to go. He finished the race in a time of 4:31 including a very strong 1:26 half marathon to close out the race. The quality over quantity approach was working!

In addition to those prep races, he attended one of our Lake Placid training camps as well. Our camps create an opportunity in an environment to allow athletes to get a focused 4 day training block. Need less to say, it is especially helpful for those racing Ironman Lake Placid.

Teammate Damon and Drew at RTA's Lake Triathlon Training Camp

Ironman Lake Placid

It was July 23, 2023. The big day had finally arrived. Drew was focused and ready to go. However, despite Drew's deep level of experience and his battle tested level of fitness, ANYTHING can happen when racing Ironman. Very rarely do things go as planned and athletes often have to make adjustments and "roll with the punches" on race day.

As the cannon went off, Drew ran into the water with a smile on his face, but hyper focused and determined as he had ever been. He came out of the water a minute slower than planned, but he brushed it off.

He proceeded to have a blazing fast T1 and hopped onto his bike.

Drew made his way through the challenging 112 mile bike slightly faster than planned, looking and feeling strong. Now for the run!  This is when athletes can make or break their race. And no one cares how fast you bike if you can't back it up with a strong run.

Off to the races Drew went, sticking to the nutrition plan that he and Coach E discussed. 

A little more than half way into the 26.2 run, Drew began to suffer as the heat of the day make things even more challenging. None the less, he was working hard and pushing his run pace. In fact, he ultimately ran his way (passed 9 guys in his AG!) into a World Championship slot in BRILLIANT fashion. No roll down required.

Drew fists bumps Coach E at the swim start in Lake Placid

Ironman World Championship FINISHER!

For the first time ever, the Ironman World Championship was in Nice, France and it did not disappoint.

​Drew was excited and ready to go. Mentally, he was charged up and prepared for the grueling race ahead. Unfortunately, the short turn around time from Lake Placid to Nice didn't allow for him to physically recover to 100%.  

Despite the BLAZING hot temps with a bike course that made Lake Placid look like child's play, Drew slowed to a pace NOT indicative of his training or ability. However, like a true "Ironman," he refused to give in and FOUGHT HARD TO THE FINISH LINE of the Ironman World Championship.

His day pivoted in a direction different than we anticipated. Regardless, We could not be more proud of his effort.
We have been working with Drew for several years. A few weeks ago He had an absolutely brilliant race at Ironman Lake Placid and EARNED a ticket to the Ironman World Championship.  This was a long standing dream of his.

Drew did not have the outcome he had prepared for. He is a HIGHLY capable and very smart triathlete with years of experience. HOWEVER, his body did not respond the way we anticipated.

Maybe it was the jet lag, maybe it was the EXTREME HEAT, maybe it was an unreasonably short turn around coming off of Lake Placid for a guy with young kids and a demanding career.

Here’s the thing: there will always be SOMETHING preventing athletes from having a “perfect” race no matter how well they are prepared.  In fact, the word PERFECTION does not really coincide with Ironman. It’s is an ambiguous term.

​Ironman presents circumstances beyond our control.  It is HOW WE RESPOND when things go sideways (not on those “magical” days) when we really learn what we are made of.

On race day, Drew’s GRIT was on full display as he dug deep and finished what he started and WE COULDN’T BE MORE PROUD OF HIM.
​

Ironman World Championship Run Course

Drew - Ironman World Championship finisher!

Here are just a few words Coach Elizabeth shared with Drew following his race:


“The race was epic and an epic turnaround after only a few weeks of your LP performance.
🙌You did your best and as we tell our kids - we try our best and we don’t quit.
It wasn’t the dream outcome but it was the dream opportunity.

😤Your perseverance is a true reflection of your character 💪
That’s what this distance does - and why we revisit it.

👉Ironman takes you to limits that you didn’t think existed and challenges your body and mind to do the unimaginable.  We repeat it to prove to ourselves that nothing can stop us.  And time hasn’t - nor will it- take that GRIT from you.”

Well done Drew.  Welcome to the club of Ironman WORLD championship finishers.

Coach E and Drew following his IMLP finish

5 STAR Google Review:

Having been a coached athlete with RTA for the past few years for marathon and short course triathlon training, I knew that this was the team I wanted to work with for my first long course triathlon prep after several years off.

As an experienced triathlete, and prior Ironman finisher, I wasn’t sure how my work, life, and family schedule would fit the realities of what I thought taking this challenge on again would entail.

I cannot say strongly enough how refreshing it was that Coach Elizabeth’s approach is about tailoring the plan to the athlete vs the other way around.

​The consistent dialogue, engagement, “anything you need to feel confident”, check-ins, part coach/part psychologist approach established a trust that was amazing to have when are in the midst of the highs and lows.

What I found remarkable was in the lead up to Ironman Lake Placid I was hitting some of the fastest workout milestones and race results I had EVER experienced. The plan based around quality of hours and not quantity was clearly working. I was never injured from overuse and was able to safely and productively stack week after week of consistency. It all culminated with a well laid out plan for IMLP that we executed perfectly on a tough day.

I had two DNFs in my two most recent prior Ironmans and was concerned how I would manage the distance on race day. I was so prepared to tackle any challenges and troubleshoot quickly different scenarios you may encounter because WE TRAINED AND THOUGHT OUT those exact scenarios. Two to three came up on race day- I dealt with them, moved on and my day never derailed.

As a result of all that, I achieved my first ever Ironman world championship qualifying slot (no roll down!) I’m ecstatic to have achieved this lifetime goal and to race in Nice France in 3 weeks. Elizabeth and Chris are two of the best humans you’ll ever meet and their passion for what they do is clear.

The RTA community of athletes is a special group of people of varying levels who love challenging themselves and supporting their teammates at events. If you’re thinking of partnering with an amazing team of coaches and triathlon team, look no further and drop RTA a note. It may be one of the best decisions you ever make as they will without a doubt help you achieve your goals - no matter what they may be.

​-Drew Cruz