nice write up! the 70.3 folk didnt have pros. I was in the water for that and got pulled about 500m in to it. In fact i was in the water in May when it happened before.
Theres been a few issues with the local wildlife recently. They are definitely on the rise.

Well done on getting through it though, it got very hot. The bike leg rattled my teeth, im really not a fan of that section which veers off tuart road (not the rolling section but the other left off the main strip at the far end of the course). I had a roo jump out in front of me and i had to veer away, but i didnt smell the dead one lol.

I think they will struggle to fill this event up for the full IM. In fact the half in May is normally always full and it still has spots left. The shark thing is turning people away.

Nice report and great blog.

As a fellow expat (in HK), I've had some similar choices to you in terms of local 70.3 races (done Cebu x 2, Phuket x 3, Vietnam x 1).

I opted for my first IM last year and went for Korea in September - loved every minute of it and of course, no cancelled swim! Maybe look into it for 2018?

Cheers...

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Great write up, if you’re concerned about the sun consider a full visor helmet like the aero head, and a sleeved suit :) you can even wear calf sleeves.

My mistake about the pros. I thought they started right after the disabled - maybe elites?

I would totally go back next year but only if they had shark nets.

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Yep, a lot of us here in Singapore went to Korea. Looked good. This year not fulls for me - maybe in 2019. I'll be at Vietnam and probably Phuket this year. You should try Bintan - fast swim and not as hot as Cebu.

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Yeah, the flies were totally insane. But:

1. Before the swim, while waiting around, there were none
2. During the bike they can't catch you
3. In the run, I only started seeing them towards the end, but again, when you're running they don't get you

It was only afterwards, in the outdoor restaurants and other walks/hikes in WA where the flies descended with aggression.

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The half in May will sell out, but doesn't usually sell out till march, well it did last year. I do agree though, I think the two swim cancellations last year would have discouraged a lot of overseas visitors. If they are determined to stick helicopters and drones up in the sky and go actively looking for sharks then the event is doomed. There are thousands of sharks out there, always have been, but now we are looking for sharks it's inevitable they are going to find them....

I'm done with Cebu - amazing experience but just a bit too much of a circus these past years.
Might try Bintan, but all about dates and time of year.
I'm in for Vietman and Korea this year. Roth next year too!
See you on the road!

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You're so right about Cebu. Two of them for me was enough. I would call it a novelty race - a race people sign up for just because it's so hyped up and so hard to get in to. Competitive to get a spot in but not competitive to race in.

I remember in the swim this year, everybody self-seeded. So we had millions of guys cramming into the sub-30 min section with white caps on (white swim cap = not comfortable in water). Next to guys in gold caps. What a mess.

Although I loved it...no more Cebu for me.

I think Bintan is 25 Aug. Let me know if you're coming through SG. See you at VN and good luck at Roth!!

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It was a hot day. Bloody hot, and I wasn't competing.

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'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'

Nice report! Thank you for posting!

This was my very first IM, in 2008. I loved it and would love to go back one day. I live on the eastern side of the US so it is a VERY long journey to get there. But, once you are there, it is so nice. All the people are great and the town of Busselton is very accommodating.

I had two flats during the bike. The first flat went very quickly because bike support came along and helped me. Only problem is, he took my flat kit with him. Unfortunately, did not recognize this until my second flat. The flies were awful while I stood on the side of the road for nearly 90 minutes waiting for bike support again. I was ready to walk my back back but I was about 50km form the bike finish.

that is a good point. On the other hand it does seem that the sharks are coming inshore a lot more than they used to.
I grew up in Cape Town ZA and swam in False Bay throughout the summer, over 20 years there was one sighting and no fatal attacks. There were many more attacks, four fatal, since 2000 or so. There's research on that but I wonder if something similar is happening in WA ?

Great Whites are no longer protected as of mid 1990s so their population has ballooned, last estimate was around 5400 GWs cruising off the coast of WA!

Yep, that's a huge trip to get to WA from the E. Coast of the US. Two flats is pretty bad. I can't imagine waiting 90 minutes.

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