Skinfit athlete, Lesley Paterson, gets 2nd at 70.3 California!

Skinfit athlete, Lesley Paterson, had an amazing race this past weekend at 70.3 California in Oceanside! She placed 2nd overall female and posted one of the fastest run splits of the day (Yes, including the men!). Way to go Les!!!

Lesley was 2nd at the Xterra World Championships last year and in 2010 she will be focusing on both 70.3 and Xterra. We can't wait to see her dominate the ranks of both disciplines as the year progresses!

Here is her race report...

"So, I decided this year that I would have a more calculated bash at the 70.3 distance. And I guess it’s paid off so far…

You know I really wasn’t nervous about this race going into it, even although everyone else was trying to put pressure on me. I’ve had a great winter of training with my awesome coach Vince Fichera and I picked up a great new sponsor for my bikes – Jamis Bicycles – so I was ready to rumble.

Surprisingly the water wasn’t too cold (for a change), and before I new it, we were off! The goggles fogged up immediately (never try a new pair out of the box on race day!), so I weaved in and out and ended up a little bit further down the pack than I had anticipated.

I jammed onto the bike, a little nervous that this was only my 4th time ever on this bike, and indeed my 4th time ever on a proper TT bike. Was it going to be my bum, my back or my hamstrings that would go first??!!

Neither actually! The bike was amazing and I gradually picked off a load of chicks to come in only 5 mins down on the leaders. All the hard work this winter was paying off!

I knew my running was going well so I stormed out of transition, ready to plow through the field.

I must admit, it was an amazing feeling with the crowds of San Diego cheering me on. A ton my own athletes were racing and then most of my training buddies were out to give me a shout so this kept me going through the tough times. Passing through the 3 mile mark at 17.15, I new I had a chance to get close to the top.

I picked them off until I got into 2nd place. At one point I was closing the gap on Mirinda but she is one strong mama so there was no catching her!

All in all, a wonderful experience, a home crowd, and a great way to start the season.

Thanks to hubby for being my main support of the day and again, thanks to all my peeps for being there to cheer me on. You all made it a special day!"