Tom, here is an interesting question, because if you want to bring up the "lore" and significant value of "Ironman", hasnt WTC basically devalued exactly the lore you describe of the real Ironman race. Because the "Ironman" you talk about seems to be cheapened by the "Ironman" that WTC brands out.
Edit: If you want to appreciate the value of the "true" Ironman, we should want WTC to get rid of this "Ironman" name and apply it to only the Hawaii race.
IM Lake Placid is no different than B2B other than it has an trademarked "Ironman" name to it. So to say that IM Lake Placid(or any other IM brand) has this great allure to the original IM race way back in the day seems to be a bit of a stretch. It's just legal terms, while it seems you seem to suggest that because it has an "Ironman" attached to it, it somehow allows you to feel a greater sense of closeness to the original race.
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@brooksdoughtie
USAT-L2,Y&J; USAC-L2
http://www.aomultisport.com