It was fantastic!!!! I LOVED the race, the venue, the course, the volunteers, the pre and post race food, the awards brunch on the riverboat, the battleship and much much more. This is a race that will continue to grow and sell out every year.
Most of all, I loved my time ;) 10:29. 4th in my age group, 23rd overall. I missed third by 2 minutes. Dev is going to be yelling at me about my transitions for sure now. ;)
Seriously folks, do this race. It was awesome.
I'll get my race report up when I get back from the beach next week. :)

I did the full and thought it was GREAT!! As for feed back.
1. Agree
2. Agree...the 1-2 hour wait to get back was unreal, luckily my wife and I were able to catch and taxi(minivan) back and avoided the long wait.
3. Disagree...keep it small....see drafting thread at IMFL
4. Volunteers were great, thanks for being out there.
5. I was a late finisher and the aid stations,especially in the park, ran out of chicken broth.
All in all, I think Setup Events, Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach put on a fantastic event.

Scott

I was a spectator since a few friends were competing in the half. Everything was phenomenal with the distinct exception of the return trip on the water taxi. We hit the line at the peak point and waited 2 1/2 hours. However, folks from SetUp were quite apologetic, passing out water and free food.

The feedback from our friends competing is that the race course was great; they repeatedly commented on the paramedics stationed at all railroad crossings who cheered them on after they crossed without incident. The aid stations were well stocked and entertaining.

I can't say enough good things about the volunteers - they were helpful, friendly, and very well informed. I had so much fun cheering on all of the competitors and the day was great up until the enormous water taxi line. Congrats to all of the competitors!

I did the bike leg for the relay team "Triathonauts." We won the relay (25 teams) in 8:39. My bike split was 4:31:33 which I'm pretty pleased with. It was fastest of all participants for the day.

The swimmer on my team did a great job and I got out on the course with only a few folks to chase down. After 10 miles I was off the front and had a motorcycle escort (riding behind me, not in front) for the remainder of the race. It was the experience of a lifetime to arrive first at T2 at an event like that, complete with motorcycle escort, and hear the announcer telling the crowd that I was the first full-distance participant and hearing them cheer. Wow. A true life-time memory.

Then our runner crushed it and we beat the second place team by almost 2 hours.

For an inaugural event, I thought SetUp did an outstanding job. There were glitches. I'm sure they're aware of them and will address them for next year. They said they'll be sending out a survey.

DAAAAANNNNNGGGGG it was cold at the start. Upper 30s? I had no plans to stop, and I didn't want to cook in 70 degree weather at the end of the ride, so I froze my butt off for hours ... as did we all.

Props to Applenut who was 6th overall.
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Bob C.

The "science" on any matter can never be settled until every possible variable is taken into account.

I was standing in transition and a spectator walked over and said, "are you Psycholist?" I said yes. He said he recognized my bike from the photos I've posted here on Slowtwitch. I thought that was funny.

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Bob C.

The "science" on any matter can never be settled until every possible variable is taken into account.

Thanks Bob.

I agree that the race was run very well. Tons of volunteers all cheering you on!! The bike and run courses were very nice. Not a stellar performance for me, but anything can happen in a full distance race. It definitely wasn't because of the race organization.

It seriously felt like it was a race that's been going on for years. It's nice to have a great option, that's half the price. I will reccomend this race to anyone that is interested in a full distance race.

I learned a lot about cold weather racing : ) Holy crap I froze to death for the first 40 miles on the bike.

Overall I was very impressed with the race!!! Kudos to Setup and the city of Wilmington.

I live in NC and couple of my friends raced the B2B.
Take note that swim times are not comparable to any other iron distance race because of the current,salt water and wetsuit.
Also what I heard was bike and run courses are very boring (maybe a good thing no draft) and almost no spectator support on the course.

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I see obsessed people.

Actually-it was not from photos but from posts (that said you were on team), the bike, and listening to you talk in transition. I live in Wilmington, but was not racing due to some nagging injuries. FYI-as you know the first swimmer smoked it. It was a mixed team with females on bike and run. The runner is a 3:15ish runner. Unfortunately, on the final bridge of the run, she went down on the draw bridge grating (many here have done same over the years). She will be okay, but ended up in hospital with some pretty nasty facial injuries. One of our best local guys (age group series winner) went down on the Wrightville bridge several weeks ago on his bike--he also ended up in hospital with 40ish stiches in he leg--nasty. Too bad our bridges and railroad crossings are so dangerous for both bikers and runners.

Congrats on the nice ride. I was behind pace car in a run once (small town race with no real runners) and it is a neat experience.

Did they put carpet down on the metal grates on the bridges?

They had carpet for the bike portion, still pretty scary crossing it, but not on the run portion.

Scott

I heard about someone falling on the bridge. And I remember talking with Jen and her saying she had a really good runner. When we saw the results, we wondered what happened. I'm so sorry to hear that. I'd hate to go down on that stuff ... either on running or riding. Incidentally, that carpet was a great idea, but in execution, I don't think it worked out ideally. I wonder what kind of ideas could be generated if they put it to some engineering students to come up with a plan for that next year.

I saw Jen at the finish line and got to tell her I was sorry about taking her escort away. Dang ... the swimmer on her team just flat smoked that thing.

It was nice to meet you.

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Bob C.

The "science" on any matter can never be settled until every possible variable is taken into account.

Also what I heard was bike and run courses are very boring (maybe a good thing no draft) and almost no spectator support on the course.

I can't speak for the run course, but as for the bike course, I honestly can't imagine how you could have a course cover 112 miles and it be much better. The bridge crossings were an issue. After that, you really have to be looking for something to complain about to take issue with that course. Riding 100+ miles on ANY course gets boring. As for spectator support, there were far more volunteers scattered out and about the courses than there were participants. I have to wonder what your friends were expecting?

 can't speak for the run course, but as for the bike course, I honestly can't imagine how you could have a course cover 112 miles and it be much better. The bridge crossings were an issue. After that, you really have to be looking for something to complain about to take issue with that course. Riding 100+ miles on ANY course gets boring. As for spectator support, there were far more volunteers scattered out and about the courses than there were participants. I have to wonder what your friends were expecting?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nobody was complaining about the conditions on the course. But everybody I talked to, said the course was void of any kind of spectators and because it was dead flat it was very boring. This is just their observation not complaining.
And NO, riding 100+ miles on any course does not get boring. Some of the Iron distance courses out there are not boring at all.

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I see obsessed people.

Wow - nice ride Bob! Was wondering if you would crack 4:30. Damn fine ride for sure.

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

I thought the bike course was nice. As far as the run, Water Street was lined with people when I went throught there the first lap. It was very motivational. The second lap was not as full, but still plenty of people cheering. I need to go to one of these races where there's people over the entire course. Where is this?? Besides IM Germany.

If want people on the whole run course try IM Swit. I did it 2007 it is FLAT 4 LAP.

How about a shout to ST'er Mike Coughlin (mcoughlin), second OA in a career best 9:21.

Let's see the RR Michael!

Thanks RR. My only frustration with the race was that they had the mileage on the course mis-marked. When I passed the sign that said 100 miles I looked at my time and concluded I'd missed any chance at making 4:30. I didn't back off, but I didn't press, either. I just kept my steady pace. But then I was getting into town and thinking something wasn't right. By the time I realized how close I really was and DID start to push for the line, there wasn't enough course left. I'd say the 100 mile marker was mis-placed by several miles. All the mileage markers throughout the course were wrong. A small detail, but I do think it affected me. I'd really have loved to break 4:30 and if I'd known where I really was on the clock when I passed the REAL 100 mile point, I'd have turned myself inside out. (I ride with just a little Cateye Strada and I set it to show me time, figuring I can get all the mileage info I need from the course markings. I hate to touch the computer when I'm riding 'cuz I've accidentally reset it a time or two in the past. So I was relying on those mileage markers. Lesson learned.)

On the flip side, I was ready to be off the bike and the end came sooner than the signage led me to expect. Silver lining.

Ever have one of those days where you nailed the wardrobe for the conditions, carried just the right amount of stuff ... no more and no less than you needed, the bike worked perfectly, the feet didn't start to hurt like they sometimes do, the taint didn't start to hurt like it always does, etc. This was one of those days. And I was faithful to my taper plan and honored it. That paid off. (I usually cheat 'cuz I need an endorphin fix or get frantic that I'm losing something. Another lesson learned.)

Congrats on the great finish...all the hard work is paying off.
Enjoy some time off
Andrew

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C'mon legs run faster!
Being fast on a crappy bike is cool
Fueled by Guinness, Tuborg, Anchor Steam and Creemore Springs

I think that's an adequate description of doubleplay.

There were certainly some stretches of the run course where the only folks you would have seen were at the aid stations, but you could say that about IMFL as well. Come to think of it, the bike is about the same too. You're out in the sticks and there's nobody there. I kinda like it that way, but everyone is different.

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A redder shade of neck on a whiter shade of trash

How about a shout to ST'er Mike Coughlin (mcoughlin), second OA in a career best 9:21.

I was standing there when he came over the line. He was so excited and he looked like he could go hop in the river and start another one. Stark contrast to the other finishers just before and after him who took one step across the finish line and dropped like a bag of sand. (Not that I blame them.)


Mike ... it just dawned on me ... that was you I was talking with just as the boat was docking, wasn't it? I'm sorry if I was distracted, but I had a commitment to be somewhere and I thought that was a 2 hour cruise, not three. So please forgive me if I seemed less-than-present in the conversation. A hearty congratulations to you. It was a real inspiration to watch the way you crossed that line. I hope we meet again when I'm not in a hurry.

This was my second iron distance race (also did Canada) and would highly recommend it. The swim is incredible- in terms of water quality, location and the push you get from the incoming tide. If you are a decent swimmer, you can absolutely smoke the swim. I did 1:03 at Canada and 50min here. Bike is flat and pretty boring- probably similar to IMF. A good thing is that it is a single loop and things get pretty spread out. I was in up front-ish (top 10%) and saw no drafting. USAT officials were out and made several passes. Run course is awesome and challening- goes over several of the bridges feeding into downtown Wilmington- providing a nice view of downtown and part is around a nice park with little to no traffic (2 loops). I'd recommend staying at the Hilton downtown which is right across the river from the finish. Downtown Wilmington has a good vibe and is a fun place to hang out. Definitely a fast 'destination' type race- which IMHO was as fun as Canada (and I never thought I would say that!)

We had a blast. My friend did the 1/2, which was her first and came away with a very positive experience. Only thing that could have been better was the covering on bridge #2, she said it felt like she was on ice as the covering was very slippery. She wondered if no covering would have been better.

Yes more water taxis to get people out of the finish area would have been better, but even Jeremy was driving up and down the line offering people water so can't complain much.

And a big thank you for all the volunteers. You did a great job.

See you all next year.
Andy

you're right the mile marker started off at 20 miles being off 1.4 and then at 80 miles it was off by 4 and at the 100 mile mark it was off almost exactly 5 miles. I was comparing it to my gps and other riders, but it worked out at the end, but it drove me nuts psychologically. It was a great race though and run extremely well for it's first year. It was my 4th full distance. I saw zero drafting on the bike course and the officials seemed to be everywhere and if anyone was slightly within 4 bikes they'd slow down and I think that got the point across since it was USAT rules and you wouldn't know if you got a 6 minute penalty until the end. So I think it was a really clean race if anyone is sick of the pelotons this would be a good race to do. I also agree about the carpet slipping around like ice on the bridges. I would think just putting plywood down would be the easiest or rubber under the carpet so it doesnt slide around. I'll do it again next year.

This was my first iron distance race and I thought the entire operation was fantastic. From registration till leaving town Sunday, I was impressed. I've done Steelhead, Florida 70.3, St. Anthonys and the Chicago Marathon to name some of the better run races in my opinion and don't think this race lacked anything those have. In many respects it was much better. Other than the water taxi issue I can't think of a single thing they could improve and that didn't affect the athletes(at least until after their race).

Funniest thing I saw all day was the wife taking pictures of her husband on the T1 changing tent. I warned my wife there might be naked pictures of me floating around the internet now. And anyone that sees them, just remember, the water was 65......it was shrinkage!!!!

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Fight............Finish

Hey, thanks for the props Kevin!

I am finally back at work after spending a good part of yesterday sitting in the Toronto airport while my hometown of Sudbury was fogged in. At least I didn't come home to a snowstorm.

I'm still on cloud nine after Saturday. You do these races a few times and begin to wonder if you will ever have that run you know you are capable of. I finally got mine.

And yes, I'll post a RR at some point. I think I'll call it "how to freeze to death and overheat in the same race". Crazy good fun.

MC

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Are YOU in the Zone?
http://www.discomfortzone.com

Hi Bob!

Great to meet you at the banquet, and no worries about having to go. I was excited to see how you would do over the 112, and you didn't disappoint. Sounds like you rested up for your event more than usual - powerful, isn't it?

Yes, my finish line experience was pretty awesome - since I wasn't wearing a watch I only found out my time when the announcer said it in the chute - I think my resulting excitement might have scared a few people! It was really fun to have energy at the finish line for a change.

MC

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Are YOU in the Zone?
http://www.discomfortzone.com

I did the half and thought it was a great inaugural event. I froze for an hour and a half before starting the swim and I learned that a full wetsuit, fleece jacket and tennis shoes wasn't enough to keep me warm. I loved the first part of the swim but when we turned left, I had no idea where I was supposed to swim to. Did I miss a buoy? This is actually a serious question. I had no idea where I was supposed to go.

The wetsuit strippers were awesome and the ladies providing chicken broth and mylar blankets were so nice! I must have looked really cold because one of them said to me that she could offer me a hot shower just upstairs in her condo. Isn't that nice?

The bike course was great, other than the second bridge where I honestly thought I was going down. I told myself that if I had to cross another drawbridge, I'd unclip and walk over it. I sure didn't want to go down on a drawbridge! Thankfully that was the last drawbridge.

I liked the run course around the park. I got a little confused when we crossed under the bridge and I had a lot of runners coming toward me and started running the wrong way but a volunteer stopped me and told me to run upstream.

The volunteers and the aid stations were incredible. I would highly recommend this race and look forward to doing it again next year.

I noticed that as well. I'm thinking... oh crap... is this course really going to be 6+ miles longer than 112!?!

Something else that caught me as being funny is the $5000 spent on aero bike, wheels, helmet and a big puffy jacket to keep warm in on the bike! Ha!

It really wasn't that bad. I had a sleeveless base layer, arm warmers and bib shorts. Took off the arm warmers by mile 40 or so and it was great out there!

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Breakfast is for Closers

I was just relay, so I had to stand there in transition and shiver for two hours. At one point I was shivering so hard that my back went into spasms. I went into the changing tent to get out of the breeze and sat in a chair and tried to stretch out my back and get the shivers to stop. It was a miserable way to await the start of my first iron-distance bike race.

I took off on the bike wearing only a long-sleeve skinsuit and a very thin sleeveless base layer. No arm warmers or knee warmers. I had light knit gloves. Nothing over my ears. It was FREEEEEEEEZING! But I've learned it's better to be cold and not sweat than to dress warmly enough to start sweating in the cold. That's a recipe for disaster. And if I'd bundled up more, I'd have been roasting at the end. I'd have to say that I absolutely nailed the wardrobe selection.

The temperature range was one of the biggest challenges on the day. Did anyone else notice that, initially, it got colder as we got inland? As if it wasn't bad enough already. Thankfully, it warmed up somewhat quickly.

I just put a cycling jersey on and arm warmers. I usually get cold pretty easy, but after getting out of the water and basically running with only tri shorts on for like 300 yds. freezing I felt fine once I got something on my top. Took arm warmers off at special needs at mile 60. Did get hot on the run since I had a black top on. Wore black thinking it would help warm me up without wearing anything else, but I ended up being hot on the run. Was cool running through the park. Still, it was better than the weather we've had the last couple days in NC. We had perfect timing for the weather, so I'm not gonna complain. BTW-great job on your bike, I was on the boat at the awards thing.

LOVED IT! I don't really have anything to compare it to b/c it was my first full but I was 3rd in my AG (30-34) and 26th OA with a time of 10:37:26. I think it is probably a great way to get your feet wet with the distance. BTW - if you were an idiot and didn't swim in the center of the channel, you didn't get the tide as much as others (lesson learned).

Hey - thanks for volunteering. You spent that much time out there? Wow. Even I didn't do that and I did the full course.

Yes, changing tents should be larger.
Yes, more water taxis.
Proper mile markers on the bike.

Otherwise, I found the race to be extremely well coordinated and well run. It was amazing to come through downtown and have everyone cheering as I went through.

Now, if they could have fixed my stomach issues on the run everything would have been awesome for my first iron distance.

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You're not stuck in traffic. You ARE traffic.

This was my first iron distance as well and thought the organizers did a great job overall, and thanks for volunteering. This was a relatively complex course and the many volunteers were all very helpful and gracious. Amazing.

My only comments are more water taxis, and some better lighting on the road into the Battleship park. It was pretty much pitch dark out there and hard to see.

T

Had two friends both PR in the swim by 20 minutes..hmmmm

Had two friends both PR in the swim by 20 minutes..hmmmm

There's no special secret or sinister recipe here. As the promoters have disclosed from the outset and as has been discussed here on this forum (and on many others) quite extensively, the tide was coming in and it created a strong and favorable current in the channel where the swim was held. In the pre-race meeting, the promotor said that if you get in trouble, you've got a wetsuit, salt water and a strong current. Just lay there and the current will carry you to the finish.

I'm glad everyone had a good experience here in Wilmington. I did the full because I was born and live in Wilmington and wanted to try the distance. I had a blast and gained alot of experience in my first IM distance. The current is always an issue when swimming in the ICW here. But for this race it happened to start, 7:10ish, about 2.5 hours after the change in tide which is when it is moving the fastest. Setup has no control over the lunar tides so it was what it was. As most of you probably know, their is a slack time in the tides for about :45~1:00 before and after the tide change. For the sprint this year the first waves, I was in the second, went off during this slack tide, and the waves that went off up to an hour later had the full benefit of the tide. No one complained, again it is what it is. For reference, the tide chart for Nov 7 2009, shows that the race, if started at 7:00, would take off during the tail end of the slack period, so it should be a slightly slower swim. I randomly chose the 7th since the weekend before and after would be swimming on a falling tide (against the current), now that would be a true iron distance swim, 2.4 miles swimming against a 2~3+ knot current. You tread water to get your bearings, you go backwards.

Again, glad everyone had a good time!

Mark

This was my first HIM and I loved the race. The volenteers were outstanding throughout the race course. The local and state police controlled all the traffic. I didn't talk to anyone who had to check up at an intersection. The bridge was iffy, but next year they can put down plywood instead of carpet and shouldn't have any problems. Two more water taxis would have gone a log way but hey taht was the least of my worries. Thanks to all the citizens of Wilmington. If your and athlete from there pass the word your city put on a great race.

Funniest line on tv:

"You mean that thing shrinks?...I dont know how you guys live with them!"

-Elaine

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@brooksdoughtie
USAT-L2,Y&J; USAC-L2
http://www.aomultisport.com