Did it last year and stayed at the other end of the run course so 3-4 miles away.

They had free parking and a shuttle from the Walmart about a mile away which I had planned to use (easy enough to walk as well except race day etc), but when there I found one of the resorts near Alvin's Island (run turnaround point), probably about 400m from start/finish/expo etc that had pay parking for the 3 days (1 ticket that you could use across race weekend).

Sorry can't remember the place, or price but it was much more convenient, and for me well worth the cost. Easy on race day to set up in transition then hop back to the car for a coffee/breakfast/put wetsuit on etc before heading off to the start. Worked really well for me.

Thanks for that you pretty much gave me exactly what I needed to know. Just looked at last years athlete guide and saw the information for the shuttle bus. That should do the trick if I decide to go low budget. Thanks again!

Shores of Panama (nice enough place, right on the beach) is a short walk from transition and still has a bunch of condos for $100/night. Although with resort fees, taxes, etc. it's closer to $200, but still possibly worth it for the sake of convenience.

+1 on The Shores, you can do that on a fairly low budget and it's very convenient. I was solo for IMFL last year and got a small condo there (basically an efficiency) for a very reasonable price.

That being said, Walmart is fairly convenient too for parking.

IMFL is quite easy, logistically.

I stayed about a mile away and just walked in on race morning. If I were further away, I would have used the Walmart option. LOTS of people do this, and it seemed super easy.

Thanks again to everyone for the great tips on nearby accommodations. I am going to check a few of them out, but in the meantime I booked a rat's nest hotel about 4 miles away as an emergency backup. I am in hotels constantly and really can't appreciate them anymore whether 5 star or 1 star. The only things I really need are a functioning HVAC, hot water (sometimes negotiable), no bed bugs (extended stay america woodlands didn't quite deliver on that one!), and most importantly a 24hr super WalMart nearby. Everything else is lipstick on a pig. Thats what 20 years on the road gets you. Will let you know how I get on in a few months.

I did IMFL twice. Stayed down the beach a couple of miles the first time, and Shores of Panama the second.

I parked at the Walmart parking lot the first time but it's my understanding they cracked down on parking there in the years that followed. Shores is a 1/3 mile walk to transition.

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I've done IMFL twice and stayed at Treasure Island condos on the run course a couple miles down. Paid for parking at Club LaVela the day before to go to the expo and my family could relatively easily come and go on race day. Think I paid $20 for the weekend, and I found it worth it.