The Woodlands, Texas. April 18, 2026
The Community Behind The Start Line
The longer you stay in the triathlon and racing scene, the more you realize you’re not doing this alone. You start building a community of athletes who keep showing up, taking on bigger challenges, and pushing each other toward bigger race days.
For Lucio, that next challenge was Ironman Texas. Our local Ironman here in Texas. One of the most competitive, high-energy events on the calendar.
As athletes, we find that getting through tough workout sessions and seasons is better with friends. it didn’t stay a solo mission for long. “If you race it, I’ll race it.” So Bryan got in on the action and signed up for Ironman Texas.
Some Build Season Headwinds
The prep work began.
Months of:
- Weight training
- Swim sessions paired with run days
- Hours and hours on the bike
- Long weekend endurance sessions
Each athlete logging more and more mileage on Strava, patiently building up the kind of fitness required for a 140.6-mile race.
One thing every athlete learns early on. No training season goes perfectly. For Lucio, the challenge came out of nowhere. Every pool within a 60 mile radius shut down for renovations. Leaving him without swim training for an entire month leading into race day.
For Bryan, it was mechanical. A small hairline crack in the carbon frame of his bike. Two weeks before race day. The bike was sent off for repair, and training shifted to stationary sessions on the Peloton.
Not ideal, but a challenge always shows up.
The Squadron Arrives
Race week in The Woodlands.
The Squadron crew arrived and got to work.
Final shakeout sessions were completed. The swim course was previewed. Fueling strategies were locked in. Weather forecasts were analyzed.
Everything running smooth, except for Bryan dropping his helmet in transition and having to super glue the visor back on.
Race week things.
Race Morning
Both athletes reporting good news, a good night of sleep (this hardly happens).
Race mornings at Ironmans always start the same way. Busy morning session in the transition zone, still dark out with a list of tasks.
Number 1. Check bike tires. No flats? Air them up.
Number 2. Drop in nutrition. Bike bag gets gels, run bag gets gels, bike gets bottles.
Number 3. One final bathroom stop.
Simple & prepared.
It was time to head to the swim start.
The Start Line
The energy at the swim start was hype. Music, lights, and a massive crowd.
A long line of athletes moving into their swim groups. Lucio and Bryan stood ready. One last caffeine gel, a quick prayer, and then it was time.
The Swim: A Fight For Control
The cannon goes off and just like that the race begins.
This swim course is massive. With murky water & limited visibility. Everything depends on sighting. Lifting your head just enough to stay on course.
For Bryan, the challenges came early:
- Drifting off course and having to fight back into position
- Missing the first red buoy at the U-turn and sprinting back to hit it clean
- A painful rib side stitch that lasted nearly 10 minutes
It wasn’t smooth, but it was managed.
Lucio faced his own battle.
Mid-swim, water began leaking into his goggles, filling his left eye and forcing him to adjust his rhythm completely. From that point on, he relied almost entirely on right-side sighting.
The Woodlands Channel - Surge Out
One of the most iconic parts of this race course is the swim through the channel in The Woodlands Waterway. A third of the swim is lined with spectators. People cheering, walking alongside the athletes.
It brings a surge of energy right when you need it most. Both athletes pushed through the final stretch. Feeling the shoulders fatigued and heart rates high, but the end of the swim in sight.
They found the staircase, climbed out of the water and ran down the chute into transition. Swim complete.
The race was just getting started.
Powered Down On The Bike
It was time to put power down. Helmets on, shoes clipped, bikes in hand. Both athletes ran out of transition and hopped on the bike. Now it was go time. Legs are pushing, wheels are turning, mind is working.
These first few miles feel like establishing a base of operations on the cockpit. Spin up to race pace, note the clock, begin nutrition plan, navigate the race line. Once out of the woodlands neighborhoods, the miles shift to wide open tollway roads.
No shade, and no wind cover. Just the bike, and two loops on the open road. The first southbound push was assisted by a light tailwind.
Making sure to put down salt tabs every 30 minutes, and the many gels needed to hit carbs per hour numbers. For a while it was smooth sailing with very promising pace numbers. But the real test was about to hit.
Heavy rain rolled in over the back half of the bike split and the roads soaked. Wheels were rolling through water with rain and wind adding weight to every mile.
There was no way around it and pace average began dropping. These final miles demanded focus on hurting legs.
Early braking into sharp turns, controlled handling on wet roads, hard accelerations out of corners, saving seconds wherever possible. Staying out there any longer would be costly.
All the way to Mile 112.
Bike Split Executed
Bringing the bikes into transition was a huge relief. It was a big ride, in risky conditions, at high pace. Once the bikes were handed off to the race staff, it was time to gear up to run.
A PR on the bike for Bryan - 4:55:00. Lucio crushed the course on a road bike. Both athletes hitting their nutrition targets, setting up the run nicely.
This is what matters in Ironman. Not just finishing a discipline but sticking to the plan and doing it right.
The Window of Opportunity
Transition 2 is the in between moment where the legs switch gears and catch a second wind. Some say "nothing good happens in zone 2". But the athletes knew not to seek comfort going into the tent and get out of there quickly.
Helmets off and race hats on. Bib belt secured and a fresh set of gels loaded.
The rain passed and left behind the opportunity of the year. Cloud cover and cool temps on a historically hot course. Although costly on the bike, the rain brought an unexpected benefit. It cooled down the body temps of Lucio and Bryan. Setting them up for a strong marathon performance.
One Major issue, their socks were soaked through and neither brought a backup pair. Bryan kept them on. Lucio made a bold choice, no socks.
Either way, blisters only took a few miles. Lesson learned: Pack emergency socks.
The Marathon
This was it. The final split. 26.2 miles.
Both athletes ran sub-3 marathons earlier in the year. There was confidence going into this split. Although the body is fatigued, the mental fortitude was there, and there was a pace target to achieve. Bryan was hunting down a PR. Lucio, a strong first ironman performance.
Loop 1: Controlled Launch
The first loop came together smoothly. Both athletes finding rhythm.
7-minute miles.
Fueling on schedule, hydration steady, and getting cheers from the race crews supporting them out there.
Everything was working.
Loop 2: Workhorse Miles
Miles 9-18. The real test. Well into the run but not quite near the end. Pain well established. The workhorse hours.
Bryan doing everything he could to gain time on his 2025 performance, finding plenty of pace in the legs. Lucio logging steady miles, very much in control of the marathon.
All things considered, very good position for the two athletes.
Everything was working.
Final Loop: Going All Out
The last loop. Where every mile costs more.
Pace still strong, rhythm still going, but now the body starts pushing back. With salt tabs gone, cramps come creeping in, and fueling becomes uncomfortable. Even after putting down dozens of gels, the wise move is to continue eating them.
6 miles to go. Legs were heavy, feet TORN up. Absolutely brutal miles.
Then Anzae Alexander, leading race crew operations, stepped in. Calling out their pace numbers. Reminding them what was on the line. Bringing morale back up.
“PUSH IT!”
Every mile now meant something different. Each landmark on the course was the last time they’d see it.
Each aid station, one step closer to the finish.
Caffeinated gels became the weapon of choice. Whatever it took.
The Final Mile
A sign on the course signaled Right turn → Finish Line.
Hard right turn on the blistered feet. No need to for another loop. Adrenaline kicked in and the crowds got louder.
Pace still strong.
The Ironman Texas Finish Line
The red carpet. The crowd. Everything comes together in one moment.
Bryan came through the finish setting a 9:34:44. A massive PR.
Lucio crossed the line, becoming an Ironman in a hard fought 11:22:57.
Execution across all three disciplines. A full day of racing done right.
This is what Squadron Racing is about.
Showing up, putting in the work, and when race day comes.
Going all out.
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