NXTRI in Norway is pretty damn cold, the swim is in a Fjord fed by melting Glaciers, temp last year 12 deg C, the bike then goes up onto the top of a Plateau, last year snow and hail, the run starts at a level and climbs to the top of a mountain, have a look at http://www.nxtri.com

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Trizilla...My local bike shop a few thousand Ks away


Speed Hurts ...How fast do you want to go

Excellent question. The problem is, you need to conduct a statisical weather reconnaisance survey over the target area using weather records. When planning an operaton, this is always a crap shoot- usually a losing one. This is what damned the military operation, operation "Eagle Claw", the failed attempt to rescue the Iranian hostages. Weather recon and statisitcs suggested a "go" enviro-condition. A freak "haboob" (sand squall) came up and compromised the weather window, created adverse flight ops conditions for the rotor wing aircraft of the time (CH-53 Sea Stallions).

Anyway.

If you were to use commonly available weather intelligence resources such as weather.com and type in the locations of the various Ironmans you may be considering then click on the link that has the statistics/averages/records that will provide with an insight in to the trends. But these are only the trends.

Several times in recent history nature has thrown a curve over the weather intel data on Ironman race day. The ones that come to mind most readily are:

• Forest fires create unfavorable respiratory conditions in and around Penticton for Ironman Canada.
• Adverse/extreme weather creates dangerous swim conditons at Ironman Utah.
• Unusually high temperatures create record attrition rate at Ironman Wisconsin (2003?).
• Adverse weather over Lake Placid area creates day-long rain squalls at Ironman Lake Placid.

As with any big operation, planning for Ironman includes the gathering of your weather intel and preparing for it. However, it is absolutely mission critical that you also add an "Adverse Weather Contingency Annex" to your operations plan. What will you do if you discover that, statitically, Ironman Canada is your best bet for lowest average high temperature and most favorable heat index, but on race day you encounter a statistical anoomoly and the high is 95 degrees fahrenheit over the target area with humidity in the 90 percentile? It can and has happened.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

Good questions. You're thinking.

"If you know yourself and you know your enemy you need fear the outcome of 1,000 battles. You will prevail 100% of the time." Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

OK, Norway sounds a little too extreme.

Not an IM but there is a skate, x-country ski, run triathlon in Ottawa every winter.

Ironman New Zealand...the first 2h of racing are the coldest...sometimes 5c in the am, and when you jump on the bike and go downhill for the firt 5km it's cooooooollllllddd....but then it gets pretty hot.

"If you know yourself and you know your enemy you need fear the outcome of 1,000 battles. You will prevail 100% of the time." Sun Tzu, The Art of War.


Shouldn't that be "you need not fear the outcome..."?

One of these days I'll read my copy of this book all the way through.

NZ sounds great. WHat's the water temp usually like then?

And what about IM Western Australia. Is it cool there?

Southwest australia, end of Nov? Cold? forget it man!

water usually is below 20c in NZ..beautiful place. love it there...if my wife told me she'd like to go back, I wouldn't hesitate.