also, the swim was cancelled for GC this year, so be aware of that. hopefully a one-time deal.

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the world's still turning? >>>>>>> the world's still turning

Never done either but just living in Florida....

Gulf coast would probably be a bit more flat.
Salt water vs freshwater swim. Do you like lake or ocean?
Different scenery.
Wind could be a factor in Gulf Coast but that might also provide a sea breeze.
Mid state could get pretty muggy and humid if there is no wind compared to Gulf Coast.
More to do on gulf coast if you were to stay more than a day or two.
Less traffic perhaps in the mid state and MAYBE better roads? Oceanside towns tends to have crappy roads.

Kind of just depends what your strengths and weaknesses are and what your goals are. Look at the results from prior years and see the time and athletes. It will give you an idea of the course speeds and the depth of talent

I have done Haines City a few times. Smaller race, swim is an M shaped swim that many people don't care for....it does add time to your swim. The bike is not remarkable...not much good or bad to say about it....a couple of bad spots on roads, but you will likely have that on any course. The run is hotter than hell and 3 loops, and there is a large climb that you will experience 3 times. Great accommodations nearby (VRBO)......there is nothing else in that town to do....so plan on coming to race and thats it. People do seem to hang out and chill a little longer than otherwise...perhaps because there is nowhere to go.

Wanda should buy TopGolf and put one in there. Nothing better than swinging the old sticks post 70.3

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I have not done it, but it was on my list of possibilities for next year. Then, I figured out that Haines City is pretty much an armpit through family who lived there. And, central Florida is known for its alligators in every lake. I am sure that the race will carefully patrol and watch the lake. But, given the choice between an armpit with an alligator lake and Panama City Beach, the choice was easy for me. This years Gulf Cost swim was cancelled due to unusual undertow risk, I believe. I do not think it is something with a high probability of recurrence. I could just as likely see Haines City cancel due to a 10' gator patrolling the waters. :)

Thanks for the input. By the way, shark attacks are more common than alligator attacks in Florida:

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/...on/alligator-attacks

Haha, and holy crap. So, now the critical question is "which is the worse way to go?" Is getting an arm or leg ripped off by a shark worse than getting grabbed by a gator and dragged to the bottom of a lake until you stop moving? Before you answer, keep in mind that gator attacks are 3x more fatal than shark attacks. And strategically, is there any differentiation between shark & gator attack probabilities by where you are in the swim? Maybe gators are hungrier for the BoP swimmers, while sharks prefer the leaner meat on the FoP swimmers?

I was thinking more in terms of the likelihood of an attack during a HIM swim. Sharks are attracted to splashing and wouldn't be scared off by a pack of swimmers. Sharks attacks occur more frequently during dawn and dusk. By contrast, I'm thinking gators would be scared off by splashing and likely wouldn't attack a group. Also, the statistics on gator attacks are inflated due to prevalence provoked gator attacks, while the number of provoked shark attacks is probably zero.

By this logic, I will not work on my MOP swim this off-season as I'm doing Haines City. Sweet excuse.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

I live in Florida and have done both. And I always find such comments amusing. Find me a race in Florida where a triathlete was attacked by an alligator ... or a shark ... during the race. Please, I want to hear about it.

Meanwhile, the differences are these:

Haines City - Fresh water, zig zag Mdot swim. Has some decent rollers towards the middle that make it much hillier compared to Gulf Coast. The run is hilly ... period. Could be roasting hot but they've had a couple of good weather years. The shift to early April improves the odds that it won't be too hot, but be prepared for a heater. Nothing to the town at all. You will stay elsewhere.

Gulf Coast - Salt water. Better swim course...if the waves don't get too high. Over 1 1/2 foot and they will cancel for the newbies. Flat bike with a few very light grades as you head north. Flat, flat, flat and boring as FXXK run course. Almost certainly will be miserably hot. Lots of nearby hotels to chose from.

Edit. In my opinion, the race atmosphere at Haines City is better. They have the club row as you come by transition each run loop ... nothing like that at Gulf Coast. And the locals were out all over the run course in Haines City. Since the Florida 70.3 is the 2018 tri-club national championship, you can expect even more spectator support.

As a guy who has swam and freedove with both....they both suck haha gators seem more timid though and shy and do not like noise. Sharks are way more curious. Swimming in a crystal clear spring with a 12 foot gator a few feet away is really cool. Swimming in a clear ocean with a 12 foot shark a few feet away will make you shi* your pants. I want to say gators are way smarter though.

Lakes just sketch me out if they are murky but Ive swam in the ocean a billion times so I am biased.

Thank you for the detailed summary. I am also considering changing up and doing Gulf Coast rather than Haines City. The post makes me re-think, especially that with Haines City I can stay with family.

If the OP is wanting a 70.3 in Florida in the spring, I highly recommend looking at the Florida Challenge which is in Clermont (not too far from Haines City) in mid-March. The timing makes weather much nicer (last year I was actually cold during most of the ride). The event is top notch as well as the price.

I have done IMFL 10 times and Haines City several times. This is a no brainer. The Gulf Coast swim is in absolutely beautiful water with 30 foot visibility. The Haines City swim is in a filthy pond that doubles as a storm water retention pond. The Haines City run is very hilly and obviously can be very hot. The Gulf Coast run is flat and hot. The bike courses are pretty equal. Gulf Coast offers a ton of cheap lodging right on the beach. Plan to drive 1/2 hour on race morning to the venue at Haines City.

So what you are saying is you haven't done Gulf Coast? :) Concur that the Gulf Coast swim is absolutely beautiful water, but would note (having done IMFL and Gulf Coast twice each) that I managed to pick both IMFL 2014 and Gulf Coast 2017 ... so have one each Iron duathlon and Half iron duathlon courtesy of PCB. As for lodging, it takes me 6+ hours to get to PCB and I would need 3 nights, versus 1 hour to drive to my lodging near Haines City for just 1 night (and only 15-20 min drive)...talk about your no-brainer! And I disagree with you that the bike courses are comparable. Haines City has 838 meters gain while Gulf Coast goes straight up 79 and back down. Apart from the bridge over West Bay, the pedestrian bridge over Front Beach Road that you cross over as you leave bike out of T1 is your most significant climb on the bike at PCB.

And while Haines City run is very hilly, that's a positive or a negative depending on your strengths. As someone who went to High School in Panama City and visits family there regularly, the Redneck Riviera cannot top Orlando if you are looking for an after race vacation. Bottomline is that the right choice is simply a matter of preference, where one is coming from and what your family wants to do after the race. I still think Haines City has the better race atmosphere, but if I had my way, the old Florida 70.3 Disney course was tops even with the horrendously humid run along the ditch in the woods.

BTW - good luck at IMFL this year!!

Edit - I took the Haines City elevation off of the net. Seems high to me. I would guess it's something like 1200-1600 ft or so. Not hilly, just much more than Gulf Coast.

sorry if im just giving the same feedback as others but you asked for it!

i've done both, Haines City is indeed in the middle of nowhere, it does has a nice racing environment (at least i enjoyed it) but the closest decent hotels are a good 20-30 minutes away (and even then dont expect anything better than a Publix or a couple of very simple restaurants around), the course i think its been described very well, i would only highlight that be prepared for some rolling hills and some climbs in the run (you wouldn't expect that in FL but specially in the run there are a couple of nasty hills). Also would add that i raced it in 2016 and it was the first year ever that the race was wetsuit legal (because they moved it to April), i think last year was wetsuit legal as well.

Gulf Coast is an entirely different race, i raced it this year and the swim was cancelled, the race was kinda hot but not horrible (i live in South Florida so anything north of here is cooler!). bike and run both pancake-flat but be prepared for some wind on the bike. PCB is a bigger city with a lot more to offer than Haines City and surroundings.

Now, if you have kids (like i do) and like to mix up your races with some family time Haines City is 35 minutes away from Orlando and the Parks. i actually have stayed at Disney after both races and my legs did not enjoy the 4 hour drive after Gulf Coast to Orlando... so thats a point for Haines City.

in any case, i hope this helps!

For what it's worth, I much prefered the Florida 70.3 when it was at Disney. I just absolutely despise the swim course at Haines City and the hills on the run do not agree with my 57-year-old knees.

I loved Haines City. Friendly atmosphere, nice place. You can drop your bike in race day. No bags. Transition old style. But...The mdot shape swin is crowded.

I liked.

For the vets that have done Haines City, did you book VRBO's vs. hotels? I've seen a couple comments stating decent hotels are 20-30 minutes away. I'm doing this event for the 1st time next year and am struggling to figure out where to book accommodations.

I rented a House in Orlando. 50 minutes from Haines City.