What you said x 1.
Dev, this is Geoff Williams, you know I just did this race. It is far tougher than LP, IM Penticton and Tremblant by far and the bike is more like Savageman. The second loop of the swim had incredibly large wave action. I was 7 minutes slower on loop 2, lots of people got sick and disoriented. Uphill swim was an apt description. Above description describes the bike well. Parts of the course were too narrow, think 3-4 feet with with drifting sand in one place by Angle, opposing bike traffic on a narrow road in another spot. I used every gear I had. Lots spots for great aero riding. Crowds in towns were outstanding! The run has 4 loops of about 4 km uphill, think fortune hill with some shallower spots but all uphill, nasty turns and some short up hills, cobblestones and the smell of food in Tenby was disgusting. Chips and beer! A great adventure, a lot less coddling than North American Events for Athletes. I had some tummy issues but all in all loved this race. Weak cyclist and poor runners should skip this. This swim will remain in my mind for some time, I felt like a rowboat in a mid Atlantic storm at times. Geoff.

Ha! Now you are obviously not from the UK ;-)

Brits travel to America for fast races! Personally I have done Florida and Texas, and plan on doing some more fast flat IM's in Amereica in the future. Here in the UK we have an abundance of Iron distance events to choose from, so fast and flat rarely appeals. There are some flat and fast ones, but they are not branded, the stand out one being Outlaw. Everyone here wants harder, not faster!

I did Wales on Sunday and have to say I thought it was harder than Lanzarote, mainly because of the run not the bike. It was hard core in every sense. I was over 1.5 hours slower than my PB but I thought I gave one of my best performances. There are more things to life than finishing times and PB's. I honestly cannot remember that much about racing my IM PB. If was flat, fast and know I had a great holiday to boot as well. For sure I am glad I did it, but Wales will be in my memory for a lot longer and for the right reasons. I loved it!!!!

Maybe you need to have a think about coming to the UK and testing yourself on a 'proper' course :-)

I appreciate the sentiment that the UK needs a faster race, but maybe America needs another St. George as well!!!!

---

He who understands the WHY, will understand the HOW.

Geoff...fantastic race...was thinking of you all weekend and your comments in the lead up at our training camp in July. Looks like you had a very solid day and magically as you predicted, you brought "good" weather with you. Wow, that run loop really sounds tough.

To the other posters, no, no, I think the Brits/Welsh have the right attitude! Hard races have a place. America does have another St. George and that is in Tahoe. In Canada, Whistler is decently tough, although seems to be a tier down from Wales and Muskoka should be a fair amount easier too.

Not quite the same (although it does sound like they used a recording from a match at Cardiff), but here's the anthem from before IM Wales this weekend.

https://www.facebook.com/...?v=10152340704663059

And the new Millennium stadium that superseded Arms Park allows for about 20,000 more voices belting out the anthem before games :)

Thanks. It's 7am where I am and you just made my day magic.

I was at the Arms Park once with dad. Been to millennium now a good half dozen. The most amazing being the Grand Slam day, first in 25 years with mom and dad. That was by far my favourite sport moment as a fan. Incredible day.

---

@rhyspencer

 
Or imagine a sea to sky triathlon swimming at English Bay in Vancouver, riding the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler and running directly up Whistler or Blackcomb Mountain to the summit.

I really think that part of the reason our sport has less monuments is like cycling we have no stadiums to play in, but unlike cycling we don't take advantage over the topography to make our events more dramatic. At the half distance though, it is possible. I actually felt that the 70.3 WC in Tremblant could have been a lot harder by taking us a good 300m of vertical up the mountain (and back down) on each loop. Sure the times, would be slow, but who cares!

****

+1!

There were, at one point, a few GVA triathletes considering a grassroots, "Norseman" style race up the sea to sky. Having done Norseman this year with all my training base in Vancouver and the Sea to Sky corridor...I think we could seriously come up with something pretty gnarly. You in? :)

Saved me typing a long post myself... couldn't agree more.

As a firmly BOP athlete IM Wales kind of scares the proverbial out of me... but it's an area I know and love, friends rave about it and the photos are astonishing. I feel like it's sitting in my future like some kind of crushing inevitability- not so much that I want to do it but that I can't imagine *not* having done it!

Hope to god it's still going in a few years when the kids are old enough that I can do some training again.

Re: can't imagine NOT doing it...

---------

Yes agreed, I just registered!

It was Welshinphilly posting the anthem that done it!

---

@rhyspencer