One of the Hardest Wins of My Career | 70.3 Dallas Little Elm Recap

Why It Matters

Clow’s story underscores how mental toughness and strategic adaptation can turn personal crises into competitive triumphs, offering a powerful template for endurance athletes and their sponsors facing unpredictable challenges.

Key Takeaways

• Overcame ankle injury, illness, and family stress to win
• Switched race strategy after swim cancellation, still led bike segment
• Mental mantra “as far as it takes” drove relentless run effort
• Victory highlighted importance of resilience amid personal and logistical challenges
• Plans to leverage hard‑won lessons for upcoming Ironman Texas

Summary

The video is a candid post‑race recap in which professional triathlete Clow reflects on his victory at the 70.3 Dallas‑Little Elm event, describing it as the hardest win of his career. He outlines a cascade of setbacks—including a rolled ankle, a newborn son, and multiple illnesses in his household—that threatened to force him out of the race entirely.

Despite these obstacles, Clow adjusted his preparation, kept a disciplined training schedule, and ultimately decided to race. The swim was cancelled for age‑group athletes, yet he still completed a short pro swim, entered the bike in sixth place, and soon broke away to finish the bike leg in front. On the run, he relied on his mantra “as far as it takes,” battling a strong chase from fellow pro Ari Shoffler before succumbing to a fever shortly after crossing the line.

Key moments include his early‑morning race‑day routine, the tactical drafting with Leonard Arnold, and the emotional weight of seeing his two young sons at the finish. He admits the performance was below his standards, but emphasizes that the mental victory—refusing to let weakness dictate outcomes—was paramount.

Clow concludes that the Dallas win serves as a blueprint for resilience ahead of Ironman Texas and the upcoming Kona season. He stresses that athletes must listen to their bodies, embrace adversity, and race without regrets, lessons that resonate with sponsors, fellow competitors, and the broader endurance community.

Original Description

I struggled with this post-race video more than usual.

From a performance standpoint, Ironman 70.3 Dallas Little Elm wasn’t my best race. But considering everything going on at home and in preparation, this was one of the hardest wins of my career.

We welcomed our second son Lincoln in January. Sleep was limited. Stress was high. I got sick twice during prep. Rolled my ankle. Pulled my neck. And race week our whole house was getting sick again.

At one point we seriously considered pulling out of Dallas and Oceanside completely.

But I still wanted to race.

The swim format changed race morning, the bike turned into a real 20-meter draft-rule effort, and the run became a fight just to hold on. About 30 minutes after finishing I developed a fever, which explained a lot about how the day felt physically.

Even with all of that, this stands as one of the most meaningful victories of my career — especially having both my boys at the finish line.

Now the focus shifts to Ironman Texas and continuing the long build toward Kona.

Season is still young.

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Video by Talbot Cox

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