i hope you enjoy it. i found it to be a wonderful race.
peggy

I love the vibe at that race. The wind on the East side is not as bad since they moved the road in a bit, but you will struggle still on that 9 mile stretch.
The swim is subject to some fairly unpredictable currents so I'm hoping this years swim course will be carried over.

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"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank

Great choice for your first IM! I've done it twice and absolutely love it! So far it's my favorite but I'm doing Los Cabos in March so that may win over Cozumel since flat courses like Cozumel aren't my strength. The locals are so supportive and it's a beautiful area for relax before and after the race. The support on the run is awesome and you can't help but smile when you hit the part of the bike course that goes from town. I highly recommend getting far away from the tourist stuff and experience some great authentic Mexican food! Also, if you don't speak Spanish I recommend at least learning some basic conversational phrases. I was a huge help since a lot of the locals do not speak English, especially once you get away from the tourist areas.

Six of us heading down for second go at Cozumel after doing the 2012 event.We had one of our gang blow a650 tire and couldn't finish and another drop out pre race for medical reasons we are all going back to finish what we set out to do. We stayed in a condo that year but was looking for some opinions on some of the all inclusives people stayed at this year.

My wife and I did it this year!! Great people of the island!! Good event set up.. Wind and rain a little tough but all in all very memorable!!

enjoy! It was my first IM in Coz this year. Much to say, check out my RR on the official thread from this year. As for the hotel, I booked the Allegro. I read some reviews that complained about the food after I booked, but thought that it couldn't be so bad. Well, it was bad. Don't save your dollars... Skip Allegro.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: beating you to T1 for over a decade, and working on beating you to T2...

Thanks for the heads up on Allegro. I am looking at one of the host hotels or alternatively, renting a condo or house for 7-10 days. Does anyone have recommendations for a rental agency or a specific location? Prefer to be on the beach, but something in town (with a pool) would probably work as well.

Stayed at the Presidente and family loved it. There's a nice beach and the outdoor pool is heated. Nice restaurants in the hotel as well. Heard good things about the Cozumel Palace in town, but it was booked months before the race.

You folks should consider staying at local properties as it helps the local economy, not those all-inclusive coastal properties. For as many athletes participate in the races per year for five years, the Mexicans are not living grand by any chance so it is best to help the island by keeping funds local.

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DISH is how we do it.

as long as you tip well, i'm not sure it really makes a difference. the only place we've ever stayed that was 100% Mexican has been under reconstruction for a couple years now. most vrbo places or homes or condos are owned by foreigners but managed by locals. most all AIs are staffed and supported by locals so TBH, if you're tipping really well and often at an AI, your support will carry over more to the locals than staying in a house/condo. one of the best things you can do is to shop locally and eat out at local taquerias and restaurantes.

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http://harvestmoon6.blogspot.com
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katasmit

We booked through http://www.gocozumel.com/ and stayed at the El Cantil. Perfect location - right at the finish - a few minute walk to the expo and to the race meeting. Grocery stores and restaurants right there too. Ride your bike to T1 for bike drop off (about 7km) and grab a cab to get back into town. On race morning, there were cabs waiting outside and we split one with another athlete and her husband.

Thanks. That looks pretty nice and will definitely have to keep it on my short list. Also I was wondering if anybody has experience at Residencias Reef condos? It looks like more isolated location past the swim start. So that would be great for the week after the race to relax and snorkel/dive, but would require transportation to and from the registration and T2/finish.

And don't forget to practice your TTT drafting! Could come in handy there! ;)

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Try Not To Puke on the Finish Line!
http://trynot2puke.blogspot.com

Agreed from what I read in most of the race reports this past year that's the case everywhere, not just Cozumel

My friend who came to watch stayed at the Reef Residences and it was a bit isolated. You are walking distance to a couple of beach clubs, but you will be paying about $15 each way for a cab into town.

She ended up staying at her condo for the weekend and then booked a hotel in town for quite cheap to be closer to us! The condo rate there was very reasonable though, so she didn't mind giving it up and losing the money on it.

We stayed at El Cantil this year, too, and we loved it. Perfect location, easy to get to/from Finish and athlete's briefing. Our room overlooked the left turn at the bottom of the hill from Chedraui, which was great for spectating. Convenient to grocery shopping. Very well-managed. They have a really good restaurant that offers breakfast for either free or $4 US depending on the package you have with your room. They also have some of the best cinammon rolls I've ever had for 15 pesos everyday until they run out. I would highly recommmend it to anyone thinking about doing the race.

If you're looking for an all-inclusive resort, the Cozumel Palace is, literally, right next door. So, you'd be getting the same location. I had a couple of friends stay there, and they had nothing but good things to say about it, too.

I've been to Cozumel a few times and stay at the Cozumel Palace as I have a membership with Palace Resorts. I bought my membership before I started doing Triathlons so I've had it for a few years. I was there at the last 70.3 and volunteered. Had a great time. While at Cozumel Palace, I did one dive, a refresher off the front of the Hotel and then a 1 tank dive (if you are interested in that kind of stuff). Multiple restaurants to choose from. And they put on a special breakfast the morning of the Triathlon so you can get fruit, pastries and other items first thing. They set up chairs, protected by umbrellas by the street so folks staying there can cheer on the Triathletes during the bike course.

Just a note, if you are not racing and need to get from the swim start back into town, you'll need to get a Taxi and it will take some time as the main road is closed for the Triathletes. So, if you are helping out a Para and need to get back to T2, it will take a bit. If i do this again I think I'll rent a scooter for the day to get around although I'd have to figure out how to get a wheelchair back.

Anyway, I've enjoyed the Cozumel Palace every time I've been there.

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BC Don
Pain is temporary, not giving it your all lasts all Winter.

The event had shuttle buses from the swim start back to the finish area. The buses were way faster than the taxis (they were allowed on the main road), they were free, and there was no line. We got on the bus and were back to El Cantil in maybe 10 or 15 minutes. There was a huge line for taxis on the side road just out of T1; to get to the buses you had to walk out to the main road.

Of course, there was nothing at the swim start to tell anyone where the buses were or that they even existed, which seemed fairly typical of the event.

next time I'll lend you one of our phones and you use it to meet up and grab a ride back with my husband and kids.

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http://harvestmoon6.blogspot.com
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katasmit

In my experience, 5:22 in boulder is sub 11 talent on a flat course consider 1:20, 5:30, 4:00 , 9 minutes to transition.

Cool, you're on.

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BC Don
Pain is temporary, not giving it your all lasts all Winter.

Thanks. I can only hope!

Anybody have any idea when it sold out last year?

Mid-September