I've done the half at cedar point twice. It's a nice course but you won't have the crowds that you have at IM races.
I'd recommend it to anyone/everyone.

Thanks! How hilly is the bike course? A bit of a concern for me since I live in Illinois and there are few big hills to train on. Rolling hills are fine but IM Wisconsin type hills are out of the picture for me at this point.

Thanks!

There is one hill going into town (Milan) and a false flat going east on 113

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/360516909

This is most of it but doesn't include the ride on Cedar Point road. That part was quite bumpy but only for a few miles at the very beginning and very end.

Never mind the wrong turn I took on 134 :(

jaretj

To be honest living in Illinois myself it's super easy to get to Madison and ride that course to death. Doesn't make the hills any easier but gets you fit for it. But I understand your point.

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I'm from Rockford and will be headed out for it (2015) as my first full. It was roughly half the price of IMWI and the wife would enjoy the park way more than walking around Madison. Challenge (Formerly REV3) has a much more generous policy in case something prevents you from being there too.

Exactly the way I look at it. I have a 7 year old that would love the roller coasters.

Wisconsin is a great course, spectators, etc... I love Madison too.

I would love to do it but it is probably too hard of a course for me. I don't plan on getting an M-Dot tattoo or call myself an Ironman (since I wouldn't be doing an IM event) but the challenge of a 140.6 event is something I want to take on at some point. This seems to be a very happy medium for me.

If I can complete the distance, maybe an actual Ironman would be in my future. (if there is any difference).

Nice. I have volunteered at IMWI before and done some spectating too. It's a cool course with a lot of energy.

It's hard to get too jazzed about WTC though.

I actually did Cedar point for my first full as well. It's a fantastic family venue and was a great race. I highly recommend it. It's definitely flat and wasn't too hot when we raced.

Because the Cedar Point Full doesn't draw huge numbers as the half does, the folks in the full event may experience more "by my self" running than they would have in an IM full event.

I did the Rev3 full for my first in '13. Loved it! My family was able to run with me down the finish chute. Not sure if they still allow that with Challenge-but it was awesome. Best family photo ever!
Bike elev map says 1200' total climb. That's flat. It was nice was a racecation destination for my family. My kids always tell me they want me to do another triathlon so they can go back there.
Since it wasn't IM event, I was able to take my phone and take pics, text friends family of my progress.
They say expect wind to be a factor. It got a bit windy when I raced. Mile 64 seemed to stay on my bikes computer FOREVER!
I am considering doing it again in '16

Yes. You are allowed to have your family run down the finish chute with you at Challenge Americas races.

I highly recommend it.

It was my first full in 2011...and my second in 2012.

I had two small kids, and Cedar Point more than kept them busy. Plenty of food and toilets available, too.

The park was open on Friday night for racers and family. I've never had so much fun at an amusement park in my life.

We stayed at Kalahari just down the road. It was a very short drive to Cedar Point (remember, it will be like a ghost town there because it's the off season). The rooms there have separate bedrooms and kitchens, which was super convenient traveling with young ones.

The course is flat. There are a fair amount of racers on the course, at least for the run. The two loops for the run helped with that. There were times on the bike that were a little lonely.

It can also be deceptively warm. You might not realize it because it's not 100 degrees and the wind makes it more comfortable, but 80 degrees will sap your fluids.

All in all....my favorite race so far. My wife is going to make it her first half in 2016.

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Chris Harris

Depends what you are looking for. CP has much less hoopla, the full has a much lower participant count, and the town is only marginally into it. So if you want a lower key race, CP is it. If you want a big festival atmosphere, Wisconsin seems like an obvious choice.

There is no 'easy' IM bike course, there are some hard ones, but I would not choose CP over IMCheese based on the hills.

The run at CP could not be more flat. I am trying to think if the causeway has any bridge, if so, that would be the only hill.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

Thanks all! I think Cedar Point is going to be my first full event next year! I am sold on it!

Yeah!

Michigan Titanium in Grand Rapids is also not that far from you and has a full option. It is a bit hilly by flatland Midwest standards (speaking as a Detroiter) but even a sucky cyclist like me was able to do OK (for the half). And I know it's not Cedar Point, but the local Y allows participants and spectators free use of the facility for the day, so the kids could go splash in the family pool or whatever while you're racing.

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http://mediocremultisport.blogspot.com

Bike is certainly unusually hilly by our standards. Great race though.

Here's my .02. I raced Cedar Point after IMLou and IMLP. Swim won't get cancelled which is great. Wind could be an issue. The course is really flat which can also be an issue because you're under constant load. The bike does get lonely. The run is pretty easy and it goes by quick with 2 loops. What I didn't like is that they were already tearing everything down when I finished before 6pm. The place was a ghost town. They charged extra to eat at the awards, I don't mind paying but, have more than a pan of eggs and prepackaged danish for $9 a person. Hotels and restaurants in the area kind of suck but, that's not the races fault. It's a good race if that's all you want. I know it's cheaper but, for a few bucks more you can get 10x more experience. Take a look at Beach to Battleship too. I hear that's a great race.

ive done wisconsin, louisville and then cedar point full last year, cedar point was flattest course of the three, bike is slightly rolling, i actually liked cedar point the best, only 250 were in it but that meant i didnt have to dodge people for 5 hours on the bike, you got people in the half on the course too so its not as lonely as people say, wisconsin/louisville bikes are overrated in difficulty, if you are scared of a course that has hills because youre not a great biker and consider yourself a terrible runner are you sure you should be signing up for a full?