Eva Graf reporting on IM 70.3 Dali
A few months ago, the Sported coaching team gathered for an end-of-season breakfast. That is when our coach, David Hunt, first mentioned the idea of racing the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Dali in China on September 13th, 2026.
The decision to participate was made before realising that (1) Dali is located at 1,900m altitude and (2) getting there from Dubai is not as straightforward as you would hope.
As every triathlete knows, a race starts months before standing on the start line. Having Dali as an early-season goal was great motivation for those very alarms to beat the UAE summer heat, not to mention the time spent with my lovely Sported teammates.
Travelling from Dubai to Dali
I had my flight to leave on Friday, September 4th. The trip took over 24 hours: Dubai to Bangkok, Bangkok to Kunming, then Kunming to Dali, with long layovers that gave time to explore the surroundings. With the language barrier, I was so relieved to finally reach our first hotel and spot other Alan bike boxes in the courtyard.
Adapting to the high altitude
On Monday morning, we officially started acclimatizing to the altitude. To my horror, this consisted of easy workouts all week. We could complete the volume, but every session had to remain at low intensity so our bodies could adapt to the lower oxygen levels. The upside of running and cycling slowly: more time to explore, admire the beautiful landscapes around Erhai Lake, and watch the locals go about their day (fascinating!).
The next challenge was good. Barely anyone spoke English and the menus were entirely in Chinese. Thank God, my best friend, ChatGPT, was with me all the time. I had set up a conversation with specific instructions to help me order simple and balanced meals. After getting food poisoning at the 2025 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Marbella, Spain, I don’t leave fueling to chance, especially in the days before a race. Luckily, I loved the food and managed to always order a good mix of protein (mainly eggs or beef), fiber (vegetables, especially mushrooms, a specialty of the region) and carbs (rice). My teammate, who eats halal, wasn’t as lucky and had fewer options.
Pre-race day
Saturday was the usual pre-race ritual: 20-20-20, meaning 20 minutes of each sport to activate the body. We managed to check 2/3 of the bike course (3 laps in total). I also did a short shake out on the start of the run course, with a 30 seconds efforts at race pace to wake up the legs. We finished the preparation with a 2km swim in the 50m pool in the Olympic centre. Bikes and bags were racked by late morning, and we got back to the hotel just in time to rest and watch the women’s race at the 70.3 World Championships (insane from everyone on the course!). Legs up, slouching on the bed, then a dinner worth of a good preparation for triathletes the night before the race: rice, omelet and duck. Miam.
Race day
Everything was already laid out in my room, so on race morning I just had to follow the plan and make sure that nothing was forgotten. Braids done, breakfast eaten, bags in hand, we walked to the race venue. Then my usual ritual: music on, with a few of my favourite songs to calm the brain and get focused. Straight into transition to check my bike: gears, tire pressure, nutrition loaded, shoes clipped in with the elastic bands, and the best rack position for a quick transition. Everything was now ready for what looked like a great day ahead.
Swim
A shuttle bus took us from transition to the swim start, as the course was point-to-point. My sister called to wish me good luck before she going to bed (one of the perks of the time difference as she lived in France). I was mentally ready.
I got into my Blueseventy Helix wetsuit without too much trouble, with some help from my coach to zip up the back. Then I joined the front of the second start group, with a predicted time of 30-35 minutes for the 1.9km. I waited about 10 minutes and got a bit emotional, as I often do on the start line of a big race. Even more so at an inaugural one, where I had a lot to prove to myself and with my teammates joining me on course.
Time to jump in. I tightened my goggles one more time, as I always do on race day, hoping they wouldn’t move when I dive into the water. 3… 2… 1… Go. The swim was smooth. One stroke at a time, I stayed as calm as possible, breathing every 2 strokes as I usual. I focused on breathing out fully, to make room in my lungs for the next breath and get every bit of oxygen I could from the thin air.
What drove me insane was passing so many people from the first group who had overestimated their swimming times (by a lot). Once out of the water, there was still a long run to the transition zone. But for now, we had a first win: I was satisfied with my swim.
Swim leg: 28:24 - 1st Age Group, 3rd Female, 14th Overall
Bike
Wetsuit, cap, and goggles off, helmet on, and I was running to grab my bike, hop on and cross the bridge onto the 3-lap course. The road was closed to cars on one side, giving us 2-3 lanes for both directions. The first 10km of each lap were very bumpy, almost enough to make me question staying on the aero bars. The rest of the lap was very smooth. What a fast course! The kilometres seemed to tick by faster than the minutes. The first lap was quiet as usual, with plenty of space for myself. The remaining 2 laps got busier. In the days before the race, I had been worrying about how to get slower athletes to move over when nobody would understand what I was shouting. In the end, it was sort of manageable. I didn’t have to shout too much, thank God.
What a joy to cross the path with my teammates on the course, seeing Caroline Bridges, David Hunt and Hisham Khattab every now and then. It gave me strength to keep pushing. I felt really good and strong. I felt like I was flying. My nutrition plan worked, but it ended up maybe a bit too carb-heavy, because I beat my predicted bike time by well over 15 minutes. Then it was back over the bridge to transition for the final part of the race, the one I dreaded most.
Bike leg: 2:32:29 - 1st Age Group, 11th Female, 182th Overall
Run
I left transition running, trying to sort out my running sticks, sunglasses, cap and the small pouch with my gels. I was 3rd Female and 62nd overall at that point, which was incredible for me. Usually, I leave T1 with most bikes still on the racks, and by the time I am back in T2, they are all racked again; but not this time.
I started by trying to relax as much as possible to delay the inevitable blow-up, holding a 5min/km pace that felt quite comfortable. It did not take long before I felt uncomfortable and awfully weak. Meanwhile. Caroline was leading the women’s race with the broadcast motorbike right in front of her. Even while winning, she had the energy to tell me how many women were ahead of me at every turnaround and give me running tips each time she saw me. Then she tapped me on my shoulder as she passed me on her way to the finish line. I still had 10km to go. It felt like hell. The altitude was catching up with my body, but I wasn’t going to stop.
Run leg: 2:07:12 - 1st Age Group, 40th Female, 289th Overall
The high of crossing the finish line didn’t last long. Caroline found me and told me David had crashed on the bike. That explained why I never saw him on the run course. I'd been wondering the whole time. It wasn't what any of us expected from the day. David has shared his side of the story here. We're all behind him for a speedy recovery.
I finished my 4th Ironman 70.3 in 5:16:39, winning my age group and finishing top 10 female. Dali gave me a lot: an altitude lesson, a bike split I'm proud of, and a reminder of what this team means to me. I can't wait to get back to training and keep improving.
By Eva Graf