Hi Jim,
First congratulations for the race result. I ended 6th in your age group, so thanks for the spot to Australia. All I can say about the race, is that it was fun for me; but I don't understand why we are force to start in age groups and after the relays, we always need to pass all this people and be really careful about not hitting them ( specially in this hard conditions). I guess that's the price for getting older. In my opinion self-seeded rolling starts are way safer.
Anyway, congratulations again and see you in Texas.

Almost everything is the same from back then and I still wouldn't buy a new super bike because there is just no way that I could get into this position and know that my "bike" drag was any better because I would have to screw around with the front end (like zena does I believe).

If I ever destroy the P4, I think my first candidate (assuming I can't get another P4) would probably be a SHIV TT. I think that one (setup for cyclists, not TRIs) would allow some pretty steep geometry and in the right size, I could probably replicate the position. I have no idea whether the "non body" stuff would be better/worse/same (ie is the P4 or SHIV TT faster without me on them).

For now, I am keeping the P4 indefinitely because I can't imagine that there are gains to be had by swapping bikes. It would be nice to have a decent seat clamp and a rear brake that didn't suck, but that's the trade off that I have had to make.

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You are welcome! how far did it roll, there were three slots and I know that at least another guy after us turned his down.

I can't begin to tell you why the start is set the way it is, but I know that in my experience at this race, it doesn't matter, there is always something.

When I was 35-39 (every year at this race save this year and I think 1 other) we always went right behind the relays, so right up front. The result was always same - pros long gone, relays mostly dispatched in the water and then get on the bike and ride 100% alone and then get off and ride 100% alone. There were so many times that I thought I was lost on those races. At least this position, I had the chance to see people the whole way out and back and be sure I was still at the race.

As I noted, I just wish that all those dudes that were within a couple of minutes of me could have been out there on the bike and run over the same time frames. It would have been cool to race them and not just compare times at the end for guys I never saw on course. I miss mass starts, but this race never had that. Even when there were waves, I think that larger AGs had multiple waves such that you could still get beat by a guy in your AG and never see him.

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Also...thanks for the report. Enjoyed reading it. Since your recap documented the "light fast guy", and Meathead reported his "medium guy" report, it may inspire me to write up my "slow fat guy" report. I struggled with the headwind enough biking out, that I did not enjoy all the benefits of the tailwind. Also, I knew I was running with a tailwind, but it wasn't until I turned and almost immediately lost my hat/sunglasses that I realized how big of a factor it would be in the run in.

Jim, congrats! I heard that swim was a beast. The guy who won my AG (M45-49) at TX 70.3 the weekend prior also won in NOLA, and his NOLA swim time was a full 5 mins slower. That had me very glad I picked Galveston this year.

Exactly, it punched you right in the face when you made the run turn. I am not a "hat on backwards" guy, but I was out there because that thing was getting ripped off my head.

This was one of those days were it paid to be local. There was nothing out there that was new to us. The conditions sucked, but I live 0.25 miles from that lake and I have ridden it a million times. Some conditions (if you can believe it) have been even worse. I recall one time considering the absurdity of running out of gears on a flat into the wind and thinking: "I really might fall over and it may be more efficient just to walk this thing home at this point."

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That makes me feel a little better about my time. I have been breaking myself in the pool for the last several months and I thought I was getting close to the old high school swim form. 33 minutes was hard fought, but I really have no idea what it means in the context of this event (especially when Starky still swam a 25 - conditions be damned for that dude).

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Congrats on a great race. That was some brutal conditions.
Mind posting a picture of you on your bike? It would be cool to see what that looks like.

Ha. I see what you did there. Way to work Kona in.

Sure, here are a couple from out near the turn around. I don't have a good profile from the race, just the head on shot and the semi profile below.

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I was 10th in the AG and passed. 11th was very happy and passing it to him was one of my highlights from the day (nothing much from the race was a highlight!). He was extremely excited to get the last roll down.

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I have wondered that before. Seems like aero (low cda) in a tailwind would be slower.

Totally agree with the word "Insane" swim conditions. This was my 11th 1/2 IM and I've never experienced those swim conditions or the winds on Mile 8-10 of the run. This turned out to be my slowest 1/2 IM ever. Still I'm going to go back in 2 years to try this one again, as it is a fun course and seemed pretty well organized.

My wife found out that there was some kind of function at the airport, and they weren't allowing parking in some of the areas because of the function. She ended up on Hayes!

I had some friends at the function, but that wasn't what caused the access problem. My wife in year's past has been forced to park on Dowman and then walk into the site. This is not something I recommend, so I was 100% behind her not coming to the Start/Finish. My recommendation is that if you want to be at Start/Finish, get there before 5:00am (spectating or not).

That's just my experience, I am sure that others feel differently.

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What helmet is that? I like it.

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/...OKw&gclsrc=aw.ds

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Congrats to all who participated and/or completed NOLA 70.3 2016. My two cents and brief report on the good, the opportunities and other with the hope that people deciding on next year's race will be informed. This was my 10th half IM and I have been participating in various length tris for 15 years.
The good: The volunteers and race staff were all wonderful, kind and enthusiastic and Thank You for being there. Transition is spacious. The fact that the roads were closed made this a safe ride and run. The flatness of the course will appeal to many. The scenery is ok, nice along the lake shore. The medals are nice. The cold beer, oreo cookies and the live music at the finish line were Awesome! I congratulate NOLA and PEM for managing to host this race given all that required rebuilding post-Katrina.
The opportunities: The PEM published two maps for the swim, one in the athlete's guide and one on the web site. Both maps are incorrect in different ways. I believe this led some participants to be confused about the course. Compounding the confusion, one cannot sight the whole course from either the swim entry or exit. In the waves, sighting was a challenge...
The race venue did not seem to have any indoor facilities. (Did I miss them?) The appeal of changing in a well used port-o-pottie was small. The parking issues for those who didn't arrive early are well documented. The venue might be the best option in the greater NOLA area, but compared to some other races it is not very scenic, attractive or convenient.
I have been spoiled by spectacularly beautiful local races in Ontario, including the Barrelman in Niagara Falls (niagarafallstriathlon.com) and Muskoka 70.3. I welcome you all to Ontario to try some of these. Thanks to NOLA for a warm (and windy) welcome to your city.

You pretty much nailed why this is the best course for the NOLA race. There are not a lot of other options. Every time they have tried to do the swim in Lake Ponchatrain, it was even worse than this year. They had to cancel it before for everyone's safety. That's why they moved it to the marina. The bike course is really your only option if you want smooth roads coming out of where transition is. When you go into the city, the roads are terrible. This is well documented. Go google "New Orleans Potholes" and you will find streets like this, anger like this, and frustrations like this that are far too common.

The run could be better (because running on shitty roads isn't as bad as biking on them) & it could go through the city, but you are talking about a course that would need to remain closed until 4PM. Any route that would have a finish line in the French Quarter would cut the city in half for almost the entire day. The only time New Orleans does that is when people are throwing beads or if the Saints win the Super Bowl (and throwing beads).

PEM's communication could always use improvement. The athlete guide had to be revised becuase they put out incorrect rules & Ironman forced them to make corrections. And sometimes their staff (and I'm not talking about volunteers) are not fully informed about things they should be, but one thing they did not miscommunicate was the parking situation. They told everyone to get there early. It should have come as a shock to no one when they show up to the site at 6:30 & encounter traffic. They said lots were open at 4:00 & transition opened at 4:15. As someone who was on site before 4AM for both, I can tell you that there were not a lot of folks who decided to heed PEM's advice and arrive early. To me, that's on the athletes & spectators for not listening. Lastly, this was only my third 70.3, but I have never seen indoor facilities or changing tents at a half. At a full, yes, but not at a half. Why would you not arrive in your kit already and what other HIM races have changing facilities, because that sounds pretty swanky.

I'm glad you enjoyed the race & the city, but I'm starting to question why this race gets a bad rap from some people.

Yes. I know the parking warning was given and I was really just reinforcing the message for future participants. Didn't personally have a problem having left the Hilton at 4:30. And, of course, most of us arrive in kit. It would be nice to have a place to change out of race gear at the end though. Many events have a park restroom- not "swanky" just more space than a port-o-potty. One can use the car but it's a bit gymnastic.
Generally I was trying to give a review that focused on the positive while giving some "informed consent" to those considering this race which I'm sure will continue to be successful.

Good report. I had the same experience as you ... only slower. Conditions were a beast -- the best swimmer I know quit after the swim. I agree that early arrivals should not be forced into the worst parking spots.

It's generally a very well-done race. The Expo is really good for a triathlon. The race briefing is very helpful and worth attending even if you've done this race before. Swim start is done well for a TT start -- 8 athletes every 12 seconds, which gets everyone in the water quickly. They've made great strides here. The swim was tough, but that was the conditions -- the swim location and course are not a problem. Good food/liquid/bike support on the bike course, and lots of aid stations on the run course, which you need in a place like N.O. that can get really hot. Lots of volunteers at every turn, and good crowd support, especially around transition. If there are problems or questions, there's always PEM person nearby to help. The course is not the most scenic, but it's hard to close that many roads for 8+ hours. I've raced more scenic bike courses that were not closed courses, and I'd much rather have dull scenery than Dodge Rams. The run course could use some trees (City Park!), but at least it was overcast this year.

I don't know if it was the officiating or what, but there was less drafting than I've ever seen at this race. Usually there are pelotons of cheaters, sometimes in packs of dozens. This time there were a few one-off douchebag drafters, but only a handful. Well done, competitors and officials! I do think there were more officials than usual, or maybe they were just spread more evenly and covering the late waves instead of just policing the youngsters up front. I'm not used to seeing the officials so frequently because I start in a late wave.

My only real complaint is the lack of toilets on the bike course. There were only three porta-potties on a 56-mile course with something like 1700 registered athletes. There was a line of a dozen people for the two johns in T1, then about 10 people in line for the only unit at the first bike-bottle exchange, then "only" four people in line for the one at the second bottle exchange -- cost me about four minutes cooling my heels in the middle of a race. A bathroom stop should not be equivalent to a drafting penalty. And then they have two johns at each mile on the run, which is appropriate. So you pass one potty every 45 minutes on the bike, then two every 8 minutes on the run? This I do not get, at all. Am I the only guy who doesn't pee on myself on the bike?

But no race is perfect, and the potty situation should be incredibly easy to fix. I like the race, and I'll definitely do it again.

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