I'm in.

I doubt the race gets canceled, not so sure about the weather being pleasant though. Oh well, can't worry about what you can't control. See you out there.

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Tough Times Don't Last, Tough People Do.

I am in.

I train in sauna like temps every day.

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All I Wanted Was A Pepsi, Just One Pepsi

Team Zoot, Team Zoot Mid-Atlantic

Long time listener, first time caller ready for Ironman numero uno over here. I did the 70.3 back in 2017 for my first half distance and am pretty excited to come back. Had a great time and really enjoyed downtown.

I am in. First full distance race. Kind of hoping for a strong downstream current that day! 😂

In! This crazy year Chatty is my B race, with St George taking the A slot. Fly back from St George to Tampa on Sunday evening, then pile my wife and kids into the truck to tow our travel trailer up on Wednesday. Staying at a campground on the bike leg, with a buddy who CampBnB’d a trailer and bringing his fam too.

Luckily race day conditions are out of my control, so I’m staying focused on controlling the controllables and running and biking at lunchtime in Tampa FL.

Get after it!

Travis

let's get after it indeed folks! i've booked my flights into ATL, have my VRBO set-up, and will rent a car shortly... pretty excited to get back to the Ironman distance !

I'll be there. Recovering from IMMD the week before. Or training for Waco a month later; however you want to call it.
Hoping for less than 100 degrees and 100% humidity.

I deferred to 2022 because of a nagging foot injury but I'll be catching at the finish line from 8-midnight.

I'm in.

Doing St. George one week earlier as a "C" race, with the goal of getting lapped by all the pros and collecting my finisher medal in just enough time to make my 5:15PM flight out of town.

Literally thinking of setting Garmin alarms to yell at me if I get caught up in things and start outputting too much power or running too fast.

CHATT is the "A" race. A little bummed about the 26 slot situation. I deferred into CHATT out of Lake Placid on the basis that had I gotten lucky, that Boston Marathon and Kona were on the same weekend this year.

I've been doing sauna sitting in prep for the heat.

I'm in, its my first try at the distance, here's hoping that the hot summer training really pays off! If anyone has some pro tips for their first time I'd love to hear them!

It's the same for me: IMCHOO is B race and St. George is A. Back to back weekends of racing to end a pretty memorable triathlon season :)

I'll be playing sherpa and cheer squad shuttle while my wife races

Any fun spectating spots on the bike course? Before we moved, we would head to to IMMOO and park it in Midtown hill for a lot of the day - it was always a party. Anything like that here in chatt?

Or is it just a bad spectating course? Tips appreciated.

from my experience on this course (3x70.3 and 1xIM) as an athlete, there is great spectating on the run course, not much at all on the bike...

You can go to Chickamauga and spectate the bike. It's a smaller town 10-15 miles away from Chattanooga.around miles 51&100 and can be accessed without having to drive on a race course.My only request is to check your route down. The course is open to cars and as someone who has done the 70.3 & full around 8 times total and racing this year, I feel like every year there are cars impeding the bike traffic. I doubt most are spectators, but I can see how you could get stuck in the race if you just followed waze.

Me too and I still have PTSD from Chattanooga 2019

I'm in for IM #3 (first time at CHOO) with a friend who is tackling her first. We've been training in the hot, smokey heat of CA, so we'll see how that translates to humidity.

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The beatings will continue until morale improves

I live in East Tennessee and I can tell you that I would be shocked if this race gets cancelled unless Ironman decides to themselves or the medical infrastructure is so strained that it forces it. With the current local political attitude you would think we all literally dreamed a pandemic and things are business as usual. Numbers are very definitively on the rise, but there is zero conversation about closings, restrictions, or mandates at the moment. If you want to race, you're going to get the chance in 3 weeks in Chattanooga.

Sorry, where did you read that it only has 26 Kona slots? I heard it mentioned a couple of time on slow twitch but can't seem to find it on the Ironman site, thanks

https://www.ironman.com/...hampionship-register

Here.

First IM. Woefully underprepared. Praying to all the Gods for a cooler day but my obsessive weather watching has not been encouraging.
Our summer hasn't been warm at all.

awesome! you're going to show up, put in an honest effort and enjoy the day!

my first was 2014 IM Louisville, back when it was in late august - that day the humidex was reported at 104 deg's; and run course carnage was crazy to witness.

if CHOO is hot (like it was in 2018 when i did it), adjust any expectations accordingly and really try and enjoy the awesomeness that is an IM event... not only do we get to do these things, we pay to do them - might as well do everything we can to enjoy....

I'm in, The heat took me out of CDA so I am looking for redemption!

2 weeks to go and our first glimpse at the forecasted temps look promising

Yeah, so far the mornings have been nice and cool. Temps in the mid 50s to low 60s. If this continues, should make for an excellent race day experience.

Is it? I hadn't even checked.

I'm in! And I'll be on a brand new bike that I'm getting three days beforehand! It's a Quintana Roo, and they're actually based in Chattanooga, so I'm picking it up directly from the factory! Though this is further evidence that I suck at the whole don't-try-new-things-on-race-day rule haha...

Cheers,
Ginger

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https://www.instagram.com/gingerhowellracing/
If you find yourself thinking "What if I can't", instead think "What if I can!"

Congrats on the new bike, that’s awesome! But as a clarification, technically it won’t be new-on-raceday if you get a bike ride in before the race :)

Good point... definitely taking it out for a couple of test rides! Making some changes that would ideally happen a bit further out from an A race - smaller frame & shorter cranks for starters. But I've been having a laundry list of tech issues this year with my current bike, so excited to be getting the QR!

Cheers,
Ginger

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https://www.instagram.com/gingerhowellracing/
If you find yourself thinking "What if I can't", instead think "What if I can!"

Very cool you get to pick the bike up in town, then race. I didn't know QR was in Chattanooga, might have to check out the store.

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Tough Times Don't Last, Tough People Do.

Are we looking at a wetsuit legal swim? Anyone know what it’s trending to with the forecast?

Logistics question : We drop off athlete at the swim start and the head into the city?
also, how is the parking situation? Easy to find and no need to plan ahead?

My wife is racing and is clueless on everything but swim, bike, and run.

There is parking at the swim exit/finish line area where you could start your morning. They have buses that will shuttle the athletes to the swim start. Not much you can spectate on the bike unless you drive out of downtown. Plenty of time to catch them on the run though which is nice.

7-day forecast for temp/humidity looks to be the mildest for Chattanooga in recent memory. With all the rain that is hitting the area at the early part of this week, will that impact the river current at all? According to the Tennessee Valley Authority, it's releasing water from Lake Chickamauga until further notice. That seems like it would increase the current speed of the river. I just hope that it's not increased so fast that the swim is cancelled.

Just rolled into Raccoon Mountain Campground in Chatty - feels like it could be shaping up for a chilly one!

I'll be there this afternoon.

This may be the best weather IM Chattanooga has had

Bumping this thread. Month out.

I think we had a '22 thread, too, but I don't remember. Good luck everyone, enjoy the polishing work in this last part of the buildup! After 2 years of Chatty I'm jumping into IM Florida for my full-distance race this year so will be missing this one, but will keep an eye out on this thread!

Oddly, or interestingly? I’m in again this year!

Displaced from the cancelled IM Canada, but I love the Chattanooga area, venue and course. Sure I’d prefer a lake swim, but still love all the things about Chattanooga.

I'm in for my 2nd full, first full in Chat. I have done 2 -70.3's there and love the town.

I'm in! Will be my first time in Chattanooga. Need to read through this thread a bit to find any tips about race logistics.

I’ve done the half 3 times and this will be my 3rd full here, plus I was on Sherpa duty for last years Ironman….. I can try and answer any questions you might have…

I'm in! Can't wait!

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Inside The Big Ring: Podcast & Coaching

How is parking the day of? Figuring out if its worth staying a bit further out and driving in or staying within walking distance (walking distance is about 1 mile from the finish)

i've always stayed within walking distance with the furthest away at Chestnut and 8th (about 1 km)... but, from all my times there, i've never seen (or heard of) any issues for anyone finding parking on race morning... typical parking lot congestion getting in and out... but a bit further up on Chestnut there are several surface level parking lots that i've never seen with any cars in them on Sunday.

Zero parking issues. Easiest race you will drive into. Most people stay downtown and walk to transition so you won't have to worry about cars. DM and I'll give you my secret spots. Just can't put them on here or they won't be so secret anymore. lol

Get on the FB group, tons of good information and a few laughs too. Also, how good do you know the course?

What he said! We are often rated best venue largely because of the convenience of everything to the venue and the ease of parking. Plenty of spots within 4 blocks. My only callout is that everyone shows at at 5:45/6:00 so just know its going to be a zoo!

Brian- RD

you put on a GREAT event Brian.
and, IMHO, the convenience is second to none.

Great! Thanks everyone. I am still debating my stay. I always prefer a kitchen so I can cook my last couple nights of meals and worry less about food issues from a restaurant but there is a hotel within walking distance to the finish that is hard to pass up. Happy to hear parking is easy.

Anyone have a good bike and run course gps maps? Any tips on the bike course?

And, which facebook group is the most active? Of the two I found (that had the most followers), one was private and the other was public.

IRONMAN Chattanooga 144.6

The swim is cancelled btw.

i also require a kitchen and have been fortunate for all my trips to Chattanooga.

i do not have the gps files... the facebook group noted is always kidding about the swim being cancelled :)

For the record, Ive cancelled the swim one time in nine years, and that was due to major flooding. The hard edge, where we exit the water, was two feet under water and the the amount of debris in the water was crazy. The rest of the years we have had great swims.

ya, I was there that year.... I find it odd the FB group is always joking about it...

I’m in. Looking forward to it. Haven’t raced there since 2015.

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Instagram | Team Kiwami North America

haha yea after reading the group a bit I realized that the swim cancellation thing was a running joke.

Look forward to the race next week - did the 70.3 a couple years ago and really enjoyed it.


A couple quick questions - will this will be non-wetsuit (my assumption)?

And is the participant list posted anywhere?

The river "sits" around that wetsuit, non wetsuit temperature so its really hard to know.

Last year it was wetsuit, i dont remember the exact temperature but it was perfect. And i swam about 20 minutes faster than I would at a non current swim. So even if you arent a "fast" swimmer, the current makes it much easier.

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Inside The Big Ring: Podcast & Coaching

Any locals have insight as to current/temp in the river?

Here in chatty!

Is all the parking everyone is talking about paid parking lots? There is a bunch of lots around but doing a quick drive only found ones that are paid parking.

Also, any place I can find the water temp info? Want to know if I should do my practice swim in my wetsuit or swimskin.

Thanks!

Parking is so cheap in Chattanooga. I once got a parking ticket there for 11 dollars. Just park in the garage off broad and 3rd street

Reports on the water is that it’s looking like a swim skin swim this year. 78 was this morning.

Awesome, thanks! Yea the parking doesn't seem unreasonable but wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

Yea at check-in I heard the river isn't running as quickly as usual since they have received rain in a while. Will be interesting to see what swim times are like with non-wetsuit and a slower current.

Depending on how fast you swim… you’ll swim faster than a normal ironman. Id say you’d be somewhere between a 1:20 per hinder and 1:30 per hundred swimmer

I’ll be tracking you.