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How cold was Lake Placid 70.3?
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I saw the forecast was 30 at the start of the race. How did people deal with freezing temps, coming out the water, on the decent to Keene? Was it as cold as it looked on my weather app?
Last edited by: Bifff: Sep 11, 17 6:46
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [Bifff] [ In reply to ]
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i heard
36ish outside, water 61.. ~300 checked in but never got to start line...i assume hyperthermias left and right
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [Bifff] [ In reply to ]
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It was pretty cold, those temps sound about right. The water was cold but if you were able to warm up it wasn't horrible. My hands were a little numb as were my feet and it made putting gloves on in T1 difficult.

The first 20 minutes of the bike were pretty brutal and the descent into Keene made me shiver like a mongoose. On the way back up from Wilmington it seemed to warm up (maybe high 40s?) and the sun was coming out so that made it better. I think the cold played a factor into the bike splits as well.

The run was good weather wise.

Hindsight- should have had some chapstick as my lips got super chapped from the wet then cold/wind.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/4391866

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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [jsaunders] [ In reply to ]
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It was cold but it wasn't "omg I'm going to die cold"

The swim I actually thought was ok. Not too bad really with a wet suit but the long wet run to transition was really really cold and probably left some people set up for a bad time on the bike.

I had arm warmers and a full sleeves jersey waiting for me at the bike and made the call to use the jersey as towel to dry myself which was probably a good idea. I left the wet jersey in transition. The arm warmers and some $1 cotton gloves did the job fine afterwards. The end of the descent was the only time I was physically shivering but that didn't last more than 5-10 minutes maybe. Once most of the climbing came I warmed up considerably. However, my feet were numb pretty much the entire bike ride.

2 miles into the run I had feeling in my feet again and all was good. The run was sunny and in the high 50's/low 60's. Felt great.
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [Bifff] [ In reply to ]
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It was cold. Darn cold. The run from the swim to transition was absolute torture on my feet. My feet were numb the entire ride. Took 2 miles into the run to feel my feet again. Times overall were definitely slow for sure. That is a hard course! Those climbs up by Whiteface and back to transition were just plain hard, especially with numb feet.

The descent into Keene was DEFINITELY cold. I was shivering.
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [Bifff] [ In reply to ]
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When I woke up for the race it was 38. I think they said the water was 62. The swim wasn't bad, except maybe for the first minute or two for the body to adjust. I took an extra couple minutes to dry off completely in transition. I then layered up with a cycling jersey, long sleeve, sweatshirt, and cycling gloves. Usually I don't wear socks, but happy I did. The only discomfort I had was cold fingertips for the first 10 miles, but everything was fine after that. For the run, I removed a couple of layers since it was ideal temperatures by then.

I will say Ironman did a good job for the conditions. They had 3 "warming tents" right at the end of the swim. They also had a couple of vans, and a bus at the end of the decent into Keene for riders to warm up if needed. I didn't use them, but it was nice to know it was an option if needed.

Maybe I'm nuts, but I kind of liked the cold. Now if it rained...that would be a different story.
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [SBR.NYC] [ In reply to ]
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Swim was fine for me, though my feet almost froze off while standing on bare pavement waiting for the swim to start. The water felt warm given how cold the air was.

Into T1 I took my time to dry off, then went a bit overkill on the layers: bib tights and short sleeve jersey over tri suit and a set of arm warmers. Felt perfectly fine on the entire descent to Keene, though I had to stop after to take off the arm warmers.

Temperature for the run was great.
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [jsaunders] [ In reply to ]
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jsaunders wrote:
It was pretty cold, those temps sound about right. The water was cold but if you were able to warm up it wasn't horrible. My hands were a little numb as were my feet and it made putting gloves on in T1 difficult.

The first 20 minutes of the bike were pretty brutal and the descent into Keene made me shiver like a mongoose. On the way back up from Wilmington it seemed to warm up (maybe high 40s?) and the sun was coming out so that made it better. I think the cold played a factor into the bike splits as well.

The run was good weather wise.

Hindsight- should have had some chapstick as my lips got super chapped from the wet then cold/wind.

Why are you no longer listed as 1st on Ironman Tracker? I assume this is the same J. Saunders....

http://www.desotosport.com
http://www.ceepo.com
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [sullytriman] [ In reply to ]
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Don't you know to never trust the tracker my friend haha?


I lost my chip after the swim and had to stop and get new one. My tracking was out of whack all race and I'm guessing it has something to do with that and the new one they gave me.


Fear not, the results are below.


http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman-70.3/lake-placid/results.aspx#axzz4sNw8Ot8i

https://www.strava.com/athletes/4391866

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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [uptown423] [ In reply to ]
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Don't you just hate it when you feel like you have something stuck under your feet but you know there isn't they are just numb. Was in race Sunday similar situation and took my shoes off after a few hundred yards to make sure I didn't have something stuck under my feet. Could have swore there was something there and there was not.

They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [len] [ In reply to ]
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I guess I was lucky, was shivering on beach after warm up but never again. On the run up I was fine, long T1 (11minutes+) toweled off completely, socks, short sleeve cycle jersey over a compression shirt (wore in swim) and arm warmers, fingerless gloves. Hard time getting arm warmers on and off with separated shoulder but was never shivering the entire day. Slow day but enjoyed myself every minute. First year bugs need to be worked out but overall a good event
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [dbrunner] [ In reply to ]
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Made some smart decisions based upon Lake George Oly the weekend before where air temp was commensurate. (Lake George was 69F water whereas Mirror Lake was 62F). As a BOP'er, comfort is king ergo 13 min T1.....many layers and $1.00 knit gloves over riding gloves, long tights over bike shorts and tech beanie on under bike helmet. Toasty warm all day and doffed layers at mile 38 aid station. My feet were chilly but not a showstopper......would consider toe covers next time. Props to those that went out on the bike wet! As stated earlier, run temps perfect. Curious as to how many folks got fished out of the 62F water as a function of shock, hypo, etc. I saw a kayak dude throw a red safety rescue device out to a dude about 50 yards into the swim as the dude was heading to kayak waving. Assume he was reconsidering his morning itinerary.....Race leadership did a good job at athlete briefing talking up the cold water and race day weather and making some accommodations in the efforts to enhance safety. I'll be back in 2018..........it will be sunny and mid-70's this week in Lake Placid.......we just caught a cold snap, no big deal.
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [Trihumor] [ In reply to ]
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First half, BOP, and I had zero issues with the cold water or cool temps on the bike. For the swim, I just added a second swim cap. No numbness in hands or feet.

T1, just dried off well, put on cap under my helmet, merino wool socks with toe warmers, changed into hunting base layer under tri top and was off. Hands got a bit chilly on the descent, but the speed rush took care of that.

Actually got a sunburn on the run, but that was more due to the lack of speed than anything else.
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [Bifff] [ In reply to ]
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Definitely cold and the temps others said are pretty accurate. I made a last minute Amazon purchase the Wednesday before the race and picked up a BlueSeventy thermal swim cap and neoprene booties just in case. They were great on race day, although I was worried about swimming since I had never used them before. I put the booties on when setting up my transition spot and they kept my feet warm while waiting for the start too. The swim wasn't too bad once you started moving, but i'm sure my cap and booties helped me. Also used wax earplugs to keep out the water, don't usually use them in OWS. The cold water made my nose feel like it was getting frozen when I was exhaling underwater.

I had the strippers take off my wetsuit, but I kept the booties on for the run to T1. Smart move. A lot of people said the run on the carpet and cement was tough in cold bare feet. Similar to others here, I took my time in T1, towel dried off my top, changed from tri top to bike jersey, put a long sleeve merino shirt over that, and then wind vest. Wool socks and oversocks on my cycling shoes. Merino cap under the helmet. Full finger gloves. Probably overkill, but I didn't feel cold at all on the bike. Stripped off the hat, long sleeve, and gloves at the turnaround in Jay since I knew i'd be hot climbing back to T2. Was fine the rest of the ride.

Run got kind of hot actually towards the end of the day!
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [Bifff] [ In reply to ]
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I was really worried about the cold ruining the day, but it didn't for me.

It was something like 37 air temp at the start and yeah they said something like 62 or 63 water temp.
I made the mistake of not brining flip flops, so the walk from transition to the lake was cold on cement and wet grass. Standing around Mirror Lake for 30+ minutes was cold on my feet but I had a winter hat on and just pulled up my wetsuit and was otherwise fine, shivering a little but that was likely more nerves than anything.

Water was not bad at all, surprisingly. It felt like a bathtub that had gone from nice and warm to that uncomfortable cool feeling but not cold. Wet suit was enough to keep me warm. My feet and hands were a bit cold but not numb. I wore a silicon cap under my IM swim cap and even with a bic'd head I was fine. My face was not uncomfortably cold, luckily.

T1 took me 11 minutes!! Yikes! I had to pee badly and there was a line, but it was mostly layering gear over gear over gear that took a while. I wore compression socks (nice and warm but took 5 min to put on. won't try that ever again).
Wore a balaclava ski mask/hat thing under my helmet that I happened to find when I was packing for the race. Never wore one before, no idea how I even acquired it but it kept me toasty (bic'd head doesn't like cold air). I'm sure I looked like an overdressed idiot. But I was warm.
Cotton arm warmers I picked up at NYCM, castelli windvest, and on top of all that a run windbreaker that's really too tight to run in, but kept the wind out. I was NEVER cold on the bike. Also wore fingered cycling gloves. Neoprene toe caps I pick up once at an expo and never used.
I was WAY more bundled than ever. I figured I'd rather take the slow T1 and aero penalty from the jacket, over being cold and miserable and hate the day. In hindsight I should have just worn my castelli thermal jacket, skipped the vest, armwarmers and wind breaker, but I expected to shed layers along the way (which I never did) and didn't want to lose my team kit.

Sooooo many people on the bike wore bulky, flapping windbreakers. I was very surprised about that. I thought I'd be the only one willing to give up speed for warmth but I guess not.

Off the bike and onto the run I stripped it all off down to my tri suit and was fine. Run temp was great actually. It was sunny and felt like maybe the 50s then? I think it was the sun that made all the difference. If it had been overcast it would probably have been a bit miserable.

~~~~~~~~~
Empire Tri Coach
Team Gatorade Endurance
USATF Coach | NYRR Distance Pacer
Dad of twins
Last edited by: Mendeldave: Sep 12, 17 8:06
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [Mendeldave] [ In reply to ]
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Agreed on all of the temps with everyone.

The worst part was waiting to get into the water and then actually having to go in there, being cold. Once warmed up, the water felt great. The difference maker for me was wearing a pair of them Vibram 5 toe kayak shoes (likely the ugliest shoe on the planet), they drain well, seem to have little drag in the water, and most importantly kept my skin off of the freezing asphalt. Many wore them for Alcatraz which is where I got the idea from. Coming out of the water I bypassed the wetsuit peelers to stay warm as long as possible. Ran full steam into T1, bypassing folks on the carpet who kept saying they couldn't feel their feet.

Wet suit off, toweled off completely, put on a cycling fall base layer, arm warmers, crappy old gloves and outta there. Putting on arm warmers over wet clammy skin sucked, overall probably the ugliest transition of my life but got it done in 7 mins. So not entirely terrible.

Felt comfortable on the bike throughout.

Cold temps aside - IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. All of it. The fog over the water as the sun rose, the mountain lakes on the K descent, some early fall colors etc - it was great.

AV8 | Team Wattie Ink Elite 2019
Last edited by: N2176T: Sep 12, 17 12:02
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [Bifff] [ In reply to ]
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Growing up in Miami and generally being a cold wuss I was little intimidated by the forecast air and water temps so I panic bought a lightweight windbreaker and gloves. But it actually wasn't too bad.

I took the windbreaker and gloves off after the descent and jammed them in a jersey pocket. Was a lovely day for a ride and run overall.

But my best move was to wait in the Hampton Inn lobby until I was ready to swim. Watched the shivering masses file into the lake through the big windows whilst toasty warm.
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [Dolfan] [ In reply to ]
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Wonder if they would consider moving this race to a different month? This wasn't a fluke at 30 something degrees for Sept. It's pretty usual for LP.
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [TryPT] [ In reply to ]
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TryPT wrote:
Wonder if they would consider moving this race to a different month? This wasn't a fluke at 30 something degrees for Sept. It's pretty usual for LP.

Probably difficult given the timing of the full. Would be nice to have another northeast 70.3 in the main part of summer though.

Dimond Bikes Superfan
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [ericlambi] [ In reply to ]
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Agree!!
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [dbrunner] [ In reply to ]
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Maybe it is time to start wearing socks on the bike for me! I was doing an olympic so a 11 min T1 would have really put me back. Nevertheless 4th in my division again. Some guy passed me and I gave it a real go because if he moved into 3rd I would have been mad. Turns out it didn't change much but I had a good day.

They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [ In reply to ]
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I really enjoyed Lake Placid, it was cold but I was comfortable the entire day. Being from Ohio I am definitely a better cold weather racer than hot!

For the swim the biggest difference for me was getting in the water beforehand and getting my face in and getting over that initial shock. When I did IMMD in 2015 we were not allowed in the water before the start and the choptank was 62*, it took awhile before I could catch my breath and get my face in the water. With the anxiety of being in a race (and my 1st full IM) it was not a pleasant way to start. At LP I had no issues getting in after being able to "warm up" having water in my wetsuit beforehand really helped. Having flip flops to stand on the cold concrete while waiting to get my slow ass in the water from the back of the pack was also a large bonus.

On the bike I wore a one piece PI trisuit since it had the shoulders covered. I used arm warmers, socks, toe covers and full gloves so the only skin I had exposed was the lower legs. The biggest difference I made was stuffing a plastic bag inside my trisuit to cover my chest and it worked like a charm. I was never cold even on the descent (at 48-49 mph!) despite being wet from the swim and I was not committing any major aero sins. I took the bag out at the 2nd aid station and kept everything else on for the rest of the ride. I also used this trick at IMMD, it works REALLY well at keeping you warm by keeping the air off your core and chest.

Weather doesn't get much better than it was for the run.
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [TryPT] [ In reply to ]
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TryPT wrote:
Wonder if they would consider moving this race to a different month? This wasn't a fluke at 30 something degrees for Sept. It's pretty usual for LP.

I mentioned in another thread, that I can see this replacing Syracuse 70.3 in mid-June. (as someone mentioned, that would put it a week before/after MT 70.3 but I can still think it would be do-able)

A steady decline in participants in SYR 70.3

Participants:
1472 in 2017
1660 in 2016
2026 in 2015
2316 in 2014
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [Bifff] [ In reply to ]
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I am from cold Canada, and yet I am a whimp when it comes to BEING cold. I was VERY worried when I saw the weather forecast and the water temperatures. But I prepared myself mentally and made sure I have the appropriate clothing.

I did not wear my race kit under the wetsuit (which I usually do) and instead left it on the bike to put on DRY in T1. Under the wetsuit I wore a sports bra/swim bottoms. Changing out of them in T1, while being completely frozen (and using a towel) was kind of awkward and I think I may have flashed a couple of men behind me. In hindsight, that was an overkill and I should have just worn my tri-shorts.

Waiting for the swim start in bare feet on cold concrete was PAINFUL. Going into the water wasn't as bad since the water was almost 4 times warmer than the air temperature (17C vs 4C). Coming out of the water and being stripped of the wetsuit didn't feel cold because of the adrenaline, but running into T1 was extremely painful. It felt like running on needles.

In T1 I put on socks (which I NEVER do) and toe warmers, long sleeved jersey and half fingered gloves. Should have put on full gloves. Feet defrosted only after 2.5miles into the run. Teeth chattered on the Keene descent, but otherwise I really looked forward to climbs to warm me up. My T1 time was 9(!!!!) minutes. I am usually very quick in T1/T2.

It actually got slightly "hot" on the final 10 miles of climbing on the bike.

The weather for the run was perfect. Warm, but not hot. Not sure that I broke a sweat, but I didn't push myself on the run.

Overall, working around the cold temperatures was very manageable.
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Re: How cold was Lake Placid 70.3? [Bifff] [ In reply to ]
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Bifff wrote:
I saw the forecast was 30 at the start of the race. How did people deal with freezing temps, coming out the water, on the decent to Keene? Was it as cold as it looked on my weather app?


Then there is this. We just got an unlucky week last week.



https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USNY0770:1:US
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