Coach McKenna wins Augusta 70.3!
Here at Excel, we get to spend a lot of time bragging on our swimmers. But every now and again, we also get to do the same for our coaches. This weekend, Excel Alum and current Coach McKenna Morello raced in her very first Ironman event at the Augusta 70.3.
While McKenna's first sport has always been swimming, it turns out that she's a really good triathlete as well!
As this was her first race, McKenna was learning lots of things on the go.
"I ended up getting to the start a little late so had to jump in with the wrong group for the swim." This meant that she had to swim through hundrends of swimmers in water that had poor visability. None the less her swim was the 7th fastest in her age group.
When we asked her about the bike, she reminded us that she first jumped on a racing bike in May and has had to try and catch up a little since. "I know that I can improve a lot there with more experience." McKenna looked especially good on the climbs and ended up 4th after the bike.
But the run is where Coach McKenna really took off. "I felt really good until mile 9 when I rolled my ankle twice. However, it was really fun passing some of the men even after mile 9!" Apparently, she felt REALLY good. McKenna's half marathon split was a shocking 1:27 which is 8 minutes faster than her best time... without 57 miles of swimming and biking in front of it.
When the dust settled, McKenna ended up winning her age group of 25-29 women and surprisingly, winning the female category for EVERY age group! Her efforts were good enough to earn her a spot in the 2026 World Championships in Nice, France.
Congratulations to Coach MeKenna!
