Do you have a link? I don't see it listed on the main or event page.

Well that's a bummer as this is my first full distance...

Not the official race page, somebody posted to the Facebook group titled IRONMAN Chattanooga 144.6. It was posted from the athlete briefing. TVA made the call.

Legit-friend is racing....bummer for him, he's the fastest swimmer I know...

Yesterday the riverwalk was closed. There is no way to safely hold the swim. Areas around Chattanooga received over 11" of rain in 3 days Mon-Wed. That's a shit ton of water.

somebody posted a video of the river and it was like a rapid. and yeah flooding happened becuase they had to increase the flow. real bummer

FB Link here:
Official statement apparently to be posted later

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Karen ST Concierge

Your friend should have picked a different race altogether given the downstream swim takes away his advantage.

And overall thoughts, bummer for the swim to be cancelled for some but I figure most people pick this race because it is the easiest/fastest "IM Swim" of the circuit so I imagine many finishers are happy about this.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

River is up over the landing where swim exit would be.
That's also a part of the run course.
Swim squashed due to fast current and ecoli. River will crest 3 more feet by Saturday night. No way it will be down enough for race time, nor safe to swim in.

Run course is going to be modified, keeping the full distance.

142.2 > 140.6

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Ryan
http://www.SetThePaceTriathlon.com
http://www.TriathlonTrainingDaddy.com
I got plans - https://www.trainingpeaks.com/...dotcom#trainingplans

I think you’re right but pretty sure they won’t be whistling Dixie trudging up Barton Avenue. ;)

Chattanooga is a great race venue though. One of my favorite places to race.

especially not 3x up barton if that's true!

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

Yes. I love how everyone has to take a crack at this swim course every time the race is mentioned. Hardest Ironman run course I've done. More than makes up for the fast swim.

I've had that thought as well (haven't done the race). People complaining about the quick swim, but the bike is 116, right? That's more than 12 extra minutes of biking for 80% of the field. Exactly how fast is the swim? More than 12 minutes?

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

So youre saying people missed out on PB swim splits...

*pink. Sort of

Ummm, yeah, in strictly math terms you are correct but, uh, i hate be impolite but the swim, bike, and run are three distinct skill sets, and separate parts of the race. The 4 extra miles on the B and the hills on the run do not "make up for the short swim". The 2.4 mile (3.86 km) swim is already way short compared to the B and R, and making it downstream just makes a joke of it. A real three sport event would have a 7.0 mile (11.25 km) swim, non-current assisted, to go with the B and R. However, if you want a hilly run like Chattanooga, then we will make half the swim against the current. Can't finish the swim??? Bummer but work on your swim and try again next year.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Man you are the poster child of swimmersRUS! IM Chattanooga is no easy race and I swim just fine :)

The swim is the shortest part of any IM. Its not that hard and a faster swim doesn't make any IM easier nor is it the reason people pick a race in general. IMAZ and IMFL sell out quickly and those swims are not fast in general. How often does the first person out of the water win? The swim is a warm-up....the run is where Ironman dreams go to die.

Tons of people pick IMCHOO and IMLOU for the easy current assisted swim.


IMFL does not sell out quicky anymore. It was June or July before the race actually sold out this year.


And yet, this attitude/stance is one of the many reasons why so many people are walking on the run in an IM.

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blog

Not saying it was hard, but I think 1400 m of LOU is upstream.

BOOOO!!

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Ruble Triathlon Coaching Average of 30 coached PR's per year
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I would say people over-biking is the #1 reason people walk on the run.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

 It’s pretty clear very few want that race setup.

+1* and this is coming from someone who is definitely NOT a fish despite my 52 min. swim PB at Chatt last year

*7 miles is a bit crazy for me, in my perfect life, it would be a 6k swim (4x Oly dist), a Century on the bike (about 4x oly and a non-arbitrary distance) + marathon (Ok, a bit of an arbitrary dist but still ~4x Oly). Oh my real swim PB is 1:06 at placid.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

100% disagree. A current assisted swim that only takes 50% of the energy of a standard swim will leave you far fresher for the bike and run.

A lot of the time dreams die during the run in Iron Man is because people burn too many candles surviving the swim because they're not properly trained for it.

Since the swim is so relatively short in an Iron Man, it's really about being able to get out of water fresh, not necessarily fast. A downstream swim helps a tremendous amount in that respect.

And people definitely do pick races based on this one. I look for ones that have a more challenging swim so that I can maximize my advantages in the swim. I know weak swimmers to look for the easiest swim possible.

Many people pick course that have flat bike and run legs as well. I have friends who bounce between IM Florida and IM Texas because they want flat bike and run. They even consider the bike courses for HIM Chattanooga and Augusta too hilly. I know I’m not a fast swimmer (generally MOP-ish) so my focus in the swim is minimizing the energy I expend in the swim. I’m not FOP so I’m just making sure I don’t burn too many candles a d really affect my bike and run.