It was ripping! I swam 27 minutes faster today then I did eight weeks ago at IM Santa Rosa, and I wore a wetsuit at Santa Rosa and a swim skin today.

2014 was somewhere between 13,000 and 14,000cfs

Hope to do a race report sometime later, first impressions:
Great host city, great venue.
Wicked fast swim this year, perhaps big rains night before race affected flow/release?
Beautiful bike course. First loop even has some shade on the course. I counted more fire hydrants than cars once out of the city: what's up with those hydrants in the middle of nowhere!?
High clouds on bike kept temp down a bit.
Run as promised with grueling hills but also with sections of great crowd support. Some clouds again kept temps under control. Ice and sponges were my best friends on run.
Finally, loved staying at downtown hotel. It's a few more $, but nice for logistics. Arrive, park and never need the car.

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Blog: https://swimbikerunrinserepeat.wordpress.com

In case anyone's interested, rolldown for Kona was, as expected, few and far between but some did roll

M65-69 1 slot went to 3rd
F40-44 with 1 extra slot, 1st didn't take but next 3 did
Both F30-34 and F35-39 winners let their spots roll to 2&3

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

Thanks for posting! Any idea how many slots F45-49 received?

Sylvan- will you have results on your website showing the wetsuit distinction? I know IM usually posts them but I find copying the results into excel much easier from your website.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

Sylvan posted them on p. 2. Only 1 slot on each side rolled due to no finishers, for F it went to 40-44 and M went to 50-54

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

Anyone know roll downs?

I did the half in 2015 and the race this weekend. Stayed downtown both times and being able to walk to transition and restaurants is great.

should this be in pink? I literally posted them a few hours ago, read a few posts before yours.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

600+ in wetsuits with 13000 cfm and 77 degrees?!? That is just insane. Are people really that scared of the swim? Have they not trained at all? Might as well just let them have a tube and a case of beer, open up the dam and let them float down to transition.

Basically a duathlon with a pretend swim. Seems like a lot of ironmans are pretend swims anymore.

A duathlon with a nice, warm bath more like.

The only thing I would say is while we knew it rained the night before, I don't think anyone knew the flow was going to be so strong on race morning. Perhaps they're concern was it was freshwater? Or perhaps they just wanted even more seconds off their time? idk, I wore a skin but I can't bring myself to count this as a "PR." That would be like counting a marathon finish on an elliptical.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

you're a jerk. as are the others that post things along these lines.

maybe not everyone that does an ironman can swim as good as you can. maybe they had a reason to wear the suit. maybe you should think to ask them why they wore the suit rather than immediately jump to bashing them. unless of course this is how you find your self worth? by looking down on others you judge to be not as good as you. or are you just an idiot by nature?

i was one of the 600+ in a suit Sunday. scared of the swim? not by a long shot. not trained? not by a long shot.

I've learned everybody has their own journey to a triathlon whether it's a sprint or HIM or IM and I don't see how I am in any position to judge them. I raced Sunday. If it was wetsuit legal I probably would have worn one but what do I care if others wore a wetsuit. It doesn't impact me. I was mainly concerned about overheating myself. I'm not a fast swimmer but making the cutoffs is never a concern. Honestly, I have a ton of respect for those coming into the race knowing they may be close to the cutoff times but they are out there pushing themselves as hard as the can. And I doubt all 600+ in wetsuits were worried about cutoffs, they just wanted a little extra assistance. Why would I care what they do?

I just want to say congrats to all the participants this year! I finished the 70.3 earlier this year and am jealous of all the finishers for the full! Way to go !!

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Jeremy Quijano
Kona Swim Bike Run
Shop Manager
Wesley Chapel, Florida
Custom Frames @ Quijano Bike Co.

Were you there racing? I'm guessing no.

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

I was racing on Sunday. You could not really tell that there is a strong current before the start of the race. Also, water temps were wetsuit legal all the way to race morning. I guess some folks were more comfortable wearing a wetsuit.

Free speed. If you are not fighting for a Kona slot, why not?

Are non-Kona qualifiers with racewheels + aero helmet not trained on the bike?

Are non-Kona qualifiers with race flats not trained for the run?

I did the race in 2014 when it was also optional. I went with the wetsuit ... finished sub-1 on the swim and 10:4x overall. Was I not trained at all?

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My marathon PR is "under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something."

I wore my wetsuit because it makes me faster. Call me crazy but I try to finish races in the least amount of time possible.

I raced Augusta 70.3 on Sunday. The wetsuit wave (a rolling start) was wave #27, dead last, and about 90 mins after the race started. So anyone whose regular wave was in the first 30 mins or so and who chose to wear a wetsuit was also guaranteeing that they were pushing their run much further into the heat of the day than would have otherwise been the case. We didn't have much of a current so I can understand why some would have made that choice, but I bet many who wore a wet suit might rethink that decision if they could have a do over.

I don't understand what the current has to do with anything? If the swim is wetsuit "legal" or optional, wouldn't the decision making be the same? If you have a fast current, you're going to be faster with a wetsuit. If you have no current, you are faster with a wetsuit. Are you suggesting that because there was a good flow, that it was "fast enough" and people should have just been happy with it? Where's the line? 10000 cfm? 7000 cfm?

Who cares if people want to wear a wetsuit or not. People in this sport come from all walks of life and all levels of skill/ability/training. I raced, and I decided not to wear a wetsuit. But it was mainly because I am not as comfortable with my wetsuit in the water, and I didn't want the hassle of carrying it around, plus I was eager to get in the water, and didn't want to wait around. I would have worn it if it was wetsuit "legal". But, it was really a coin flip.

And to answer your question: yes, some people really are that scared of the swim. But that's ok. It doesn't mean they can't swim. My brother in law is doing his first 70.3 this coming weekend. 2 years ago he couldn't swim at all. He's a novice. But he's worked hard at it and overcomes lots of nerves every time he gets in open water. That doesn't mean he's any less worthy of racing. I can't run worth a lick. I get concerned about the heat, and the hilly runs, but it doesn't mean I'm not worthy of racing, or haven't trained.