Snyderman wrote:
I really liked those big orange Ironman-type plastic statues pointing directions on the swim and bike turns. Very helpful visual aid.Have any pics?
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Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Snyderman]
[ In reply to ]
Have any pics?
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Bouldertri]
[ In reply to ]
I assume WTC has control over this, but as RD is there any way to see the results that separate or designate the wetsuit from the non-wetsuit athletes? I figured only a small number of athletes would wear wetsuits but it sounds like it was as much as half. Also, what was done about the athletes who wore wetsuits or Roka shorts but started in the non-wetsuit collars instead of with the wetsuit athletes?
I really enjoyed the race overall and loved the run on the path. My only minor complaint was the way the wetsuit start was handled and not being able to see how I placed among the other non-wetsuit athletes in my division.
I really enjoyed the race overall and loved the run on the path. My only minor complaint was the way the wetsuit start was handled and not being able to see how I placed among the other non-wetsuit athletes in my division.
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [colinlaughery]
[ In reply to ]
colinlaughery wrote:
Road worx wrote:
What are some issues or complaints that people have with IM Boulder?The only complaint is that the city of Boulder doesn't allow aid stations to use sponges. That's it.
IM Boulder is a damn fine event top to bottom. There is no better WTC event in NA with the exception of Kona.
I had a towel in T2 that I wrapped around my neck for the entire run...easy solution to the no sponge business...get it icy cold wet at every aid station.
_________________________________
Steve Johnson
DARK HORSE TRIATHLON |
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Bouldertri]
[ In reply to ]
Thank you for giving us the RD perspective on the race. I've never been an RD but I imagine the logistics and timing of all you have to do must be overwhelming! I absolutely loved my experience at IM Boulder last weekend.
- Run course: um, I LOVED it. I don't understand why people are complaining about the concrete. So once a year some of us run on a concrete surface. What's the big deal? Sure it hurts. But at that point everything hurts. I loved that we were on a path rather than a wide road and that spectators were right beside us. The part of the course going through the park with all the kids playing (top of the hill, Mile 12/24) might have benefitted from some additional marking or taping to close off the course. Honestly, the most annoying thing on the run course was the large number of family and friends pacing participants....not just for a few feet, but for mile after mile. That really bothered me and I wish there had been a crackdown on that. I understand running alongside someone for a few feet to encourage them, but outright pacing for a few miles is blatant cheating. Loved the ice at the aid stations and I was impressed by how well stocked the aid stations were.
- Bike course: loved that too. If you could lower it by a couple thousand feet, that would be great (flatlander from Canada writing this.) The big orange plastic guys pointing the directions were a great idea and made me smile each time I saw them. The only thing I'd change is combine Special Needs and the aid station that was just up the road at the top of Nelson. It made more sense to me to stop once - pick up my bag, grab a water bottle, use the Porta Potty - than to do two stops within a mile. although I recognize that it could cause some congestion if the two were together. At the very least, adding more Porta Potties at Special Needs Bike would have been helpful. Having racks for the bike in front of the Porta Potties was very handy. The railway crossing we had to do somewhere on the bike course was brutal, even with the tarp covering it. I think it needed a bigger tarp and more warnings leading up to it.
- Swim course: I did think it was funny that the one day in the past eon that the reservoir would actually be warm would be on the day you run an Ironman. What are the odds, eh? My only gripe was with the start. There were way too many people were getting into the water at the same time, creating a very crowded course. I believe this is being covered in another thread. Using large signs held high by volunteers to mark off corrals or predicted swim times would have helped since people would have seeded themselves better, and using gates to funnel people into a narrower line down the ramp would have streamed people in better.
- Finish line: AMAZING!!!
- Overall organisation: Pretty standard as far as registration goes, getting around Ironman Village. My husband pointed out that the buses taking spectators from the reservoir back to the high school after the swim start took forever to load. He mentioned they were loading one bus at a time, which made the wait pretty long. Had they been loading buses a few at a time or had a couple of lines (as they were at the high school to take us to the reservoir), that might have been more efficient. The $25 vouchers for meals in Boulder were a great idea. In the Village, putting the athlete registration tent first, so that an athlete walked in the entrance, went to registration, then walked down toward the far end of the village to pick up the race swag, might have made for a better flow (and would have encouraged people to browse the kiosks once they had their kit and had to walk back to the entrance.)
Overall, congratulations on doing so well on an event that's only two years old. There are a lot of logistics involved in something like this, and I don't think we always appreciate the level of detail and coordination that these events require. This was my sixth Ironman and one of the best athletic experiences of my life.
- Run course: um, I LOVED it. I don't understand why people are complaining about the concrete. So once a year some of us run on a concrete surface. What's the big deal? Sure it hurts. But at that point everything hurts. I loved that we were on a path rather than a wide road and that spectators were right beside us. The part of the course going through the park with all the kids playing (top of the hill, Mile 12/24) might have benefitted from some additional marking or taping to close off the course. Honestly, the most annoying thing on the run course was the large number of family and friends pacing participants....not just for a few feet, but for mile after mile. That really bothered me and I wish there had been a crackdown on that. I understand running alongside someone for a few feet to encourage them, but outright pacing for a few miles is blatant cheating. Loved the ice at the aid stations and I was impressed by how well stocked the aid stations were.
- Bike course: loved that too. If you could lower it by a couple thousand feet, that would be great (flatlander from Canada writing this.) The big orange plastic guys pointing the directions were a great idea and made me smile each time I saw them. The only thing I'd change is combine Special Needs and the aid station that was just up the road at the top of Nelson. It made more sense to me to stop once - pick up my bag, grab a water bottle, use the Porta Potty - than to do two stops within a mile. although I recognize that it could cause some congestion if the two were together. At the very least, adding more Porta Potties at Special Needs Bike would have been helpful. Having racks for the bike in front of the Porta Potties was very handy. The railway crossing we had to do somewhere on the bike course was brutal, even with the tarp covering it. I think it needed a bigger tarp and more warnings leading up to it.
- Swim course: I did think it was funny that the one day in the past eon that the reservoir would actually be warm would be on the day you run an Ironman. What are the odds, eh? My only gripe was with the start. There were way too many people were getting into the water at the same time, creating a very crowded course. I believe this is being covered in another thread. Using large signs held high by volunteers to mark off corrals or predicted swim times would have helped since people would have seeded themselves better, and using gates to funnel people into a narrower line down the ramp would have streamed people in better.
- Finish line: AMAZING!!!
- Overall organisation: Pretty standard as far as registration goes, getting around Ironman Village. My husband pointed out that the buses taking spectators from the reservoir back to the high school after the swim start took forever to load. He mentioned they were loading one bus at a time, which made the wait pretty long. Had they been loading buses a few at a time or had a couple of lines (as they were at the high school to take us to the reservoir), that might have been more efficient. The $25 vouchers for meals in Boulder were a great idea. In the Village, putting the athlete registration tent first, so that an athlete walked in the entrance, went to registration, then walked down toward the far end of the village to pick up the race swag, might have made for a better flow (and would have encouraged people to browse the kiosks once they had their kit and had to walk back to the entrance.)
Overall, congratulations on doing so well on an event that's only two years old. There are a lot of logistics involved in something like this, and I don't think we always appreciate the level of detail and coordination that these events require. This was my sixth Ironman and one of the best athletic experiences of my life.
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Bryan0721]
[ In reply to ]
Some of the bike lanes had significant rocks/pebbles/debris. Were the bike lanes swept the night before?
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Bouldertri]
[ In reply to ]
Fantastic race overall. This was my 4th, hardest, and favorite Ironman. It thouroughly kicked my stupid ass and I didn't rank/time very well, but I have nothing but good feelings about my experience there.
Swim: Loved the wave start. Having been completely beaten up at the mass start at IMTX the last 2 years, I thought this was infinitely better as far as early swim contact. I was caught by the wetsuit group with about 1000m to go, but I think this point has been made.
Biike: I've never found myself sitting up at mile 70 of a bike course smiling and enjoying the scenery. I thought the roads were very clean (think I saw 5 people all day changing flats). Traffic was controlled well and the course was marked clearly. Miles 90-105 were the worst I've felt on an IM bike course. That's a function of conditioning, though, not the course. Excellent job here.
Run: Awesome venue. We're frickin' Ironmen...we can't run on concrete? I was shocked at how long they were about to have ice on the course. Volunteers and spectators were amazing.
Random: Finish was amazing and the staff/volunteers from top to bottom were top notch. The backpack is the best I've received. The $25 voucher was much appreciated. The videos before the race were invaluable...partly to me, but mostly to my wife that was spectating (and still suffers from a severe case of HopeMyHusbandDoesn'tDieDoingThis - itis). The spectator video helped us plot her course on race day so she could make sure I was still moving. Got a good rate at the St Julien and it was a beautiful hotel and perfectly located.
Complaint: Really the only thing here was the practice swim on Saturday. Maybe I missed it somewhere, but I had no idea that the cutoff for getting in the water was 8:15 when the practice swim was listed as 7-9. Luckily, they opened up a smaller section of the res, but there were a lot of angry, whining, shaved-legged triathletes (including myself in this) at 8:30 that morning.
Again, an overall fantastic experience that started months ago when I signed up for the event. Thanks, DC, and hope to see you there again.
Jeff
Swim: Loved the wave start. Having been completely beaten up at the mass start at IMTX the last 2 years, I thought this was infinitely better as far as early swim contact. I was caught by the wetsuit group with about 1000m to go, but I think this point has been made.
Biike: I've never found myself sitting up at mile 70 of a bike course smiling and enjoying the scenery. I thought the roads were very clean (think I saw 5 people all day changing flats). Traffic was controlled well and the course was marked clearly. Miles 90-105 were the worst I've felt on an IM bike course. That's a function of conditioning, though, not the course. Excellent job here.
Run: Awesome venue. We're frickin' Ironmen...we can't run on concrete? I was shocked at how long they were about to have ice on the course. Volunteers and spectators were amazing.
Random: Finish was amazing and the staff/volunteers from top to bottom were top notch. The backpack is the best I've received. The $25 voucher was much appreciated. The videos before the race were invaluable...partly to me, but mostly to my wife that was spectating (and still suffers from a severe case of HopeMyHusbandDoesn'tDieDoingThis - itis). The spectator video helped us plot her course on race day so she could make sure I was still moving. Got a good rate at the St Julien and it was a beautiful hotel and perfectly located.
Complaint: Really the only thing here was the practice swim on Saturday. Maybe I missed it somewhere, but I had no idea that the cutoff for getting in the water was 8:15 when the practice swim was listed as 7-9. Luckily, they opened up a smaller section of the res, but there were a lot of angry, whining, shaved-legged triathletes (including myself in this) at 8:30 that morning.
Again, an overall fantastic experience that started months ago when I signed up for the event. Thanks, DC, and hope to see you there again.
Jeff
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Bouldertri]
[ In reply to ]
Loved those big orange noodle people. They were really helpful at the turns on both the swim and the bike. Do you know if other IMs will start to use them?
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [RowToTri]
[ In reply to ]
RowToTri wrote:
This is a weird thread. You want to start an IM Boulder-bashing thread just for the fun of it?you must be new here......
"I would definitely smell her seat after a century ride"
Rappstar wrote:
That might be the post of the year right there.
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Bouldertri]
[ In reply to ]
Please tell us more about "zero waste". To me, this means you don't throw anything away but clearly that is not possible.
Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.
Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Elsa]
[ In reply to ]
Elsa wrote:
Loved those big orange noodle people. They were really helpful at the turns on both the swim and the bike. Do you know if other IMs will start to use them?As opposed to the huge orange buoy's and signs that say "Turnaround".............
"I would definitely smell her seat after a century ride"
Rappstar wrote:
That might be the post of the year right there.
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Bouldertri]
[ In reply to ]
Bouldertri wrote:
Some good points raised here on this thread. I enjoy hearing these items as it helps me improve where we can. A few comments to add from the RD - who has finally caught up on some sleep
The run course is concrete - this is documented well in this thread. I agree with everyone....i would rather run on dirt trails. I love the feedback on this one as I think the group puts it into good perspective. Ideally we would love to be on asphalt or trail but we all know why it is on the Boulder Creek Trail. Shaded course, low community impact, and what people do not mention here is so many safe places for your friends and family to spectate from and see you many times.
The sponges on the aid stations....i love this one. We are a zero waste event here in Boulder and sponges are incredibly hard to to dispose of and are not something you will see added to Boulder anytime soon. I hear people loud and clear on this one, but we wont be adding sponges, sorry.
Wetsuit swim and non-wetsuit swim - I was chatting with the other RD of Boulder races that morning and neither of us could remember a time in which the water temp was above the limit. Certainly an anomaly. I would be shocked if we saw that again. In retrospect, i should have built in more of a time gap between the wetsuit group and the non-wetsuit group. I will note that in the future, as it sounded like people were catching the westuit people very quickly and ended up swimming through a large group early on. I totally can see that and will adjust in the future.
All in all these are great comments and I would love to hear more. IRONMAN Boulder will always be the friendliest IRONMAN on the circuit and we want to get better each year so keep the comments and feedback coming.
DC
IRONMAN Boulder Race Director
A couple of thoughts here 1) other Boulder races would still use 78 versus 76.1 F as the cut off, no? Those 2 degrees can mean a huge difference (I am thinking specifically IMTX and 2011 IMLP races were in between. 2) Wasn't the Res over 76 degrees heading into last years race, before some rain came and cooled it down? Collectively, my point being that I can envision this race quite often being right on the cusp of the cut-off. The wetsuit optional scenarios really are a mess, and I think the #1 issue that IM needs to address. Please consider separating by at least 30 minutes since you have a single loop swim. Wetsuit wearers will catch no WS athletes with only 10 min separation and when they do, they just swim right up others backs; often when there is plenty of room not to have to. I am not saying that this is on purpose, but I promise you that it happens.
FYI I did your race last year, think you do a fantastic job, and I plan on coming back next year. Keep up the great work!
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Bryan0721]
[ In reply to ]
Bryan0721 wrote:
Snyderman wrote:
I really liked those big orange Ironman-type plastic statues pointing directions on the swim and bike turns. Very helpful visual aid.Have any pics?
On the website is a video of the race. At several points in the video you can see statues, the first one is at 23 seconds in.
https://www.youtube.com/...19&v=nO0xCmaEgxY
.
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Once, I was fast. But I got over it.
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Bryan0721]
[ In reply to ]
Bryan0721 wrote:
Snyderman wrote:
I really liked those big orange Ironman-type plastic statues pointing directions on the swim and bike turns. Very helpful visual aid.Have any pics?
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [ChrisT]
[ In reply to ]
great photo
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [ScrapIronSteve]
[ In reply to ]
ScrapIronSteve wrote:
patsullivan6630 wrote:
For people who aren't from Boulder or don't otherwise know, the Boulder Creek Trail (where the marathon is put on) is not really a "sidewalk" as people understand it. It is a wide pedestrian/cycling path which covers most of Boulder. Since it goes under the roads it cuts down traffic interruptions wholly for the run portion. It is narrow at times and it is still open to the public (stoned tubers don't pay attention to the special events sign) but it is a very valid place to do a run. Hell, they do a huge cycling event in Boulder every September that utilizes the path.Pat, I was referring to the surface of the sidewalk, which is concrete...;)
I watched the coverage of the IM Texas race this past week and Leanda Cave stated she was looking forward to the heat and concrete run course. If the IMTX run course is primarily concrete, why do we not see this same "complaint" of that race? Or maybe I've missed that complaint about IMTX over the years?
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [trifreemc]
[ In reply to ]
trifreemc wrote:
ScrapIronSteve wrote:
patsullivan6630 wrote:
For people who aren't from Boulder or don't otherwise know, the Boulder Creek Trail (where the marathon is put on) is not really a "sidewalk" as people understand it. It is a wide pedestrian/cycling path which covers most of Boulder. Since it goes under the roads it cuts down traffic interruptions wholly for the run portion. It is narrow at times and it is still open to the public (stoned tubers don't pay attention to the special events sign) but it is a very valid place to do a run. Hell, they do a huge cycling event in Boulder every September that utilizes the path.Pat, I was referring to the surface of the sidewalk, which is concrete...;)
I watched the coverage of the IM Texas race this past week and Leanda Cave stated she was looking forward to the heat and concrete run course. If the IMTX run course is primarily concrete, why do we not see this same "complaint" of that race? Or maybe I've missed that complaint about IMTX over the years?
Because no one blames a crappy run on the concrete. They blame it on the heat! I did Texas in 2012 and it didn't really bother me, but I live in Chicago and my "soft" surface is either asphalt or a tiny bit of crushed gravel on the lakefront path I run on. So my legs don't get beat up by concrete. I also think the crowd support at Texas might have something to do with it. The only time I remember being without many spectators was running through a development, which may now be developed. I am talking myself into racing there again...damn you!
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Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [ChrisT]
[ In reply to ]
Nice. Never saw those before on any course.
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Bouldertri]
[ In reply to ]
I volunteered in the T1 change tent and as a catcher at the finish line. I want to thank all the super athletes that did the race, finished, and had a great time. I had a great time with all of you!
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [kjanracing]
[ In reply to ]
I've only done IMTX (2013&14) so that's all I have for comparison but I thought IM Boulder was very well run and organized. Props to DC. The pre-race course videos were awesome tools. The swim start was a bit congested but I didn't think it was as bad as being in IMTX with the mass start... THAT was crazy. I remember freaking out and worrying that if someone started to drown me or push me under no one would know it with all the commotion that was going on. Which was a terrible feeling for a first time OWS with other people around.
Anyways... this start seemed much more chill. Knowing that your time didn't start till you crossed the mats was freeing in a way. I didn't feel like I was getting screwed out of some time by letting the faster people go in front. Sorry to the non-wetsuit people I swam past. My only complaint was the walk up to the water could have had some carpet or something as it was a very rough and the boat ramp with ridges or whatever was even worse.
The bike course was great and I was able to ride the course in training and familiarized myself with it. Nelson hill sucks. The volunteers were awesome as always. The railroad crossing could have used an extra mat as I also lost a water bottle there. I'm surprised Mary's Market didn't do a promotion or something considering all the weekends leading up to the race it was packed with IM Boulder riders doing the course. Not a complaint just wondering why they didn't seize that opportunity. My only complaint on the bike course was at some aid stations the Gatorade/water wasn't chilled. They were straight pulled right out of the cardboard boxes. I poured the water on me and it was literally hot. Bleh. Maybe I was just too far in the middle of the pack and at the busiest for picking up drinks but I was looking forward to cold drinks and then getting sun blasted drinks killed my spirits.
Run course was awesome. Lots of places to spectate and shade and it was safe.
Orange stick people were funny and I always grinned like a goof going past those.
Busses in the morning were great. I don't know about after that though but didn't have any feedback from the family. Body marking, number of port-o-potties, pre-swim warmup, etc was all great.
Parking wasn't too bad after the family found out the nearby garages were FREE that day. So that could have been mentioned in the packet or something.
IMTX was the same way... but can we figure out how to get some air flow in those transition tents?
All in all it was a great course and I'm already registered for next year.
Anyways... this start seemed much more chill. Knowing that your time didn't start till you crossed the mats was freeing in a way. I didn't feel like I was getting screwed out of some time by letting the faster people go in front. Sorry to the non-wetsuit people I swam past. My only complaint was the walk up to the water could have had some carpet or something as it was a very rough and the boat ramp with ridges or whatever was even worse.
The bike course was great and I was able to ride the course in training and familiarized myself with it. Nelson hill sucks. The volunteers were awesome as always. The railroad crossing could have used an extra mat as I also lost a water bottle there. I'm surprised Mary's Market didn't do a promotion or something considering all the weekends leading up to the race it was packed with IM Boulder riders doing the course. Not a complaint just wondering why they didn't seize that opportunity. My only complaint on the bike course was at some aid stations the Gatorade/water wasn't chilled. They were straight pulled right out of the cardboard boxes. I poured the water on me and it was literally hot. Bleh. Maybe I was just too far in the middle of the pack and at the busiest for picking up drinks but I was looking forward to cold drinks and then getting sun blasted drinks killed my spirits.
Run course was awesome. Lots of places to spectate and shade and it was safe.
Orange stick people were funny and I always grinned like a goof going past those.
Busses in the morning were great. I don't know about after that though but didn't have any feedback from the family. Body marking, number of port-o-potties, pre-swim warmup, etc was all great.
Parking wasn't too bad after the family found out the nearby garages were FREE that day. So that could have been mentioned in the packet or something.
IMTX was the same way... but can we figure out how to get some air flow in those transition tents?
All in all it was a great course and I'm already registered for next year.
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Li0nel1234]
[ In reply to ]
Quote:
Parking wasn't too bad after the family found out the nearby garages were FREE that day. So that could have been mentioned in the packet or something.It was
Edit. Actually was stated at athlete briefings.
Last edited by:
fredclausen: Aug 18, 15 13:45
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Li0nel1234]
[ In reply to ]
I think the worst thing was that after finishing there was no place to sit down and have food. In previous races I was able to grab food and go sit in a tent - at a table. I realize there wasn't a ton of room for a huge tent, tables, and chairs - but after finishing I want to sit and surely if I sit on the ground I'm not getting up.
This is super small and dumb - but damn those railroad tracks in hygiene! Putting the carpet over it simply made it impossible to see where the pot holes are. I ride that road frequently and don't have problems but without being able to see the actual road and tracks I hammered my front tire.
Overall I really enjoyed the race and it was well done. The videos DC put out before the race were awesome and greatly appreciated.
Follow me on Instagram @bouldersportschiropractic
This is super small and dumb - but damn those railroad tracks in hygiene! Putting the carpet over it simply made it impossible to see where the pot holes are. I ride that road frequently and don't have problems but without being able to see the actual road and tracks I hammered my front tire.
Overall I really enjoyed the race and it was well done. The videos DC put out before the race were awesome and greatly appreciated.
Follow me on Instagram @bouldersportschiropractic
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [tovi]
[ In reply to ]
If you happen to be in technology for a field (i.e. software developer, product management, or even sales) we are always hiring. I moved here from Seattle in Oct 14. You can email me at brandon.watson [at] oracle. I run product for the Oracle Data Cloud.
Re: biggest complaint about IM Boulder? [Road worx]
[ In reply to ]
I loved IM Boulder. From my experience, suggestions for an even better race next year are:
1) Narrow the swim start entrance. Spread out the crowd a bit. It would help A TON to hold the wetsuits back from the non-wetsuits. Easy.
2) Consider making the 3rd/final 30 miles of the bike the first loop. The final 30 was brutal/steep/dry/hot and empty. It would have been very helpful to have that first 30 out of the way. Also, please cover the tracks with a thicker tarp. Consider giving cyclists more room on Flatiron Drive or whatever the road is at the bottom of the mountains. I was not a fan of all the traffic along side this road. Please consider moving the "Last chance Trash" signs back .25 miles. It was not enough time to switch out nutrition.
The volunteers were fantastic. The run course was nice, a little congested but overall it was a nice distraction to have so many people along the course and see the activity in the Creek. The finish chute could be a little longer but overall it was great. Thank you for a great weekend!
1) Narrow the swim start entrance. Spread out the crowd a bit. It would help A TON to hold the wetsuits back from the non-wetsuits. Easy.
2) Consider making the 3rd/final 30 miles of the bike the first loop. The final 30 was brutal/steep/dry/hot and empty. It would have been very helpful to have that first 30 out of the way. Also, please cover the tracks with a thicker tarp. Consider giving cyclists more room on Flatiron Drive or whatever the road is at the bottom of the mountains. I was not a fan of all the traffic along side this road. Please consider moving the "Last chance Trash" signs back .25 miles. It was not enough time to switch out nutrition.
The volunteers were fantastic. The run course was nice, a little congested but overall it was a nice distraction to have so many people along the course and see the activity in the Creek. The finish chute could be a little longer but overall it was great. Thank you for a great weekend!
KMF,
These two points are the two items, I feel like I could not agree with you more on!
The swim start in my opinion was something I have never encountered before as a race director. In hindsight, I would have had the wetsuits go first, 10 minute gap, and then the non-wetsuits. Second to that, is like you said, narrow the swim start. Year 1 we did that. And to be honest, I did not not notice it until minutes before the start that we did not have the fence and start chute built in a way that would thin you guys out. I take that one on the chin for sure. that was on me and I have been doing this long enough, that I should have caught that. But I agree with you completely, the swim start needs re-worked. If we by slim chance have a non-wetsuit swim again, I would certainly change the way we did it. If it is like 2014, we really did a great job on that one to thin the race out.
I really like your other suggestion as well about having the last 28 miles be the first. For two reasons in my opinion. One is to get those two climbs out in the exposed area where wind can really kick up over with early. But the reason that I really have come to like over the last couple of weeks thinking about the same thing is that it would essentially give you 70+ miles of riding that would not be looped and have people from the first and second lap conflicting. To extend my thoughts on that, it would get hundreds of people off of the double loop section by the time the first 28 miles is done.
Both great points, and things I have been thinking about a lot lately. Keep the feedback coming! This is the stuff I want to make sure we address so that this race becomes more special each year! What a great year we had and I hope you come and race again!
DC
IM Boulder RD
DC
Dave Christen
IRONMAN Race Director and Operations Manager
dave.christen@ironman.com
These two points are the two items, I feel like I could not agree with you more on!
The swim start in my opinion was something I have never encountered before as a race director. In hindsight, I would have had the wetsuits go first, 10 minute gap, and then the non-wetsuits. Second to that, is like you said, narrow the swim start. Year 1 we did that. And to be honest, I did not not notice it until minutes before the start that we did not have the fence and start chute built in a way that would thin you guys out. I take that one on the chin for sure. that was on me and I have been doing this long enough, that I should have caught that. But I agree with you completely, the swim start needs re-worked. If we by slim chance have a non-wetsuit swim again, I would certainly change the way we did it. If it is like 2014, we really did a great job on that one to thin the race out.
I really like your other suggestion as well about having the last 28 miles be the first. For two reasons in my opinion. One is to get those two climbs out in the exposed area where wind can really kick up over with early. But the reason that I really have come to like over the last couple of weeks thinking about the same thing is that it would essentially give you 70+ miles of riding that would not be looped and have people from the first and second lap conflicting. To extend my thoughts on that, it would get hundreds of people off of the double loop section by the time the first 28 miles is done.
Both great points, and things I have been thinking about a lot lately. Keep the feedback coming! This is the stuff I want to make sure we address so that this race becomes more special each year! What a great year we had and I hope you come and race again!
DC
IM Boulder RD
DC
Dave Christen
IRONMAN Race Director and Operations Manager
dave.christen@ironman.com