I did IM Muskoka the one year they ran it and had a blast. The bike was very nice but there were a lot of hills. In the full you were either going up or going down. There were a few flat sections but not for that long.

I saw minimal to no drafting in the full.

The run was a little uninspiring to me. Too much time on the highway section but it was fun to run through town. It would probably be much nicer as 13.1 than it was as 26.2.

Muskoka is a beautiful place to visit. We enjoyed it and are thinking about heading up this year for just a vacation, no race needed......

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Jason
None of the secrets of success will work unless you do.

The run (and swim) courses changed since the IM year. More of the run course loops around in 'downtown' Huntsville (and there is less on Hwy 60). The run course is better for spectators now for sure.

The bike is slightly different, since it starts in Huntsville now, rather than Deerhurst resort, but is mostly the same. It's a tough bike course (at least IMO - though the bike is my weakest leg as it is) - nothing flat, it's up and down all the time.

The bike is more a Van Avermaet/Philipe Gilbert/Valverde course than a Froome/Quintana one. Short, punchy hills that are over before you found your climbing rhythm, and some of them quite steep, especially on the western shore of the lake. The eastern section has a couple of more stretched out climbs, but nothing longer than about 2 km. But it's essentially never flat.

Looking at the run course (which I've never ran as it is now) it looks like most of it is through town, which is nice, and only a fairly limited 5km or so stretch along the highway which is pretty miserable. But, like the bike, it's never flat.

The swim is flat though, they tell me. And there's nothing wrong with swimming in a clear Muskoka lake.

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Citizen of the world, former drunkard. Resident Traumatic Brain Injury advocate.

They just updated this year's Muskoka 70.3 course again.

The swim is like last year, 1st half in the Fairy Lake and the 2nd half swim up against the current to the Summit Centre. So expect 3 - 5 minutes slower than your normal 70.3 swim time.



The bike course has the biggest change this year. Due to a bridge construction, they changed the course to an out-and-back instead of the usual loop around the Lake-of-Bays. That means we'll have an exact 90KM bike course at Muskoka 70.3 for the very first time. Also, Dwight Beach Road was cut out, the section with the worst pavement each year.



The run course also had a minor tweak. It doesn't stretch over the whole Huntsville downtown anymore, but instead extended over to Hwy 60 a little bit (5KM in total across two laps out and back).



More details here: http://www.ironman.com/...e.aspx#axzz5GWgLjCBP

Do this race. I have done twice as half and did the full. The swim has changed but no reason to think there will be anything negative about it. The bike is more or less the same. Drafting won't be much of an issue unless you count bunching up on the uphills as a negative. As others have said lots of up and down most of them short. You go through a few small towns cottage areas along lakes. Be careful on the downhills as some years there are some potholes and uneven sections. The long section of the run along the hwy plays less a part of the race which I think is a positive. Good atmosphere in town.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

The change to an out-and-back on the bike was just announced this week (or maybe last week). It was unplanned, due to bridge work on Hwy 35. Bike is still plenty tough, but the worst road surface is eliminated. I'm interested to see how the bike will work with 2-way traffic, given it's not a closed course.

It still goes down Main street, and since it loops and you do it twice, spectators on main street can see runners 4 times. It's definitely more spectator friendly.

I was hoping the one good thing about the course change is they would close the roads to traffic.

It looks like the construction has forced them to take out Britannia, the longish climbs on 35, and the climb out of Dorset? It's not a walk in the park, but looks like an easier course than in the past. Still a beautiful place, and still a pretty tough ride at race pace.

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Does anyone know if there is a start list posted anywhere? There is no start list at the Ironman Muskoka 70.3 page, which is odd.

No S. Portage though. That's the biggest byotch in all of Ontario in my opinion.

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Citizen of the world, former drunkard. Resident Traumatic Brain Injury advocate.

I've done this race fives times now including the last three years and the full IM. This year the bike course will be 90 km for the first time and it will be the best road surface with some of the steepest hills gone. There remains one hill over 8% at 7km, the rest are 8% or less. Total vertical should be about 850m where it has been as much as 1200m with the older course (2016 and earlier). The one big issue is going to be traffic, I don't know how they are going to cope with two way bike traffic without closing the roads. The run is the flattest it has ever been, 100m of climb compared to 225-250m in the past. The swim is horrible. It's the worst I have ever done at a long distance tri. The swim at Deerhurst was much better. This swim was so congested going up the river, I had to swim around and over so many people. The current does add about 4 minutes to your time but the water quality is the biggest problem. I got an eye infection last year, that has never happened before. With the really warm temperatures this week, that river is going to be a cesspool! It may also not be wetsuit legal with the warm temperatures but that is OK with me. I just hope that if the temp is high they don't try and "stretch" the wetsuit legal zone.

Remind me what the wetsuit cutoff is? 24C?
Water temp at my lake nearby is currently 22 - and with the weather right now it should rise over the next week.

Oh hell, this is shaping up to be "just right" for me. Shortened bike with fewer hills, less elevation on the run, and an upstream swim possibly with no wetsuit. It's literally the complete opposite of what I need! If anybody in 35-39 wants to pull me up-river, please PM me!

If you don’t care about awards, can you choose to wear the wetsuit?

Friday and Saturday high temps predicted at 80/82
Overnight lows are 48 and 50....

Pack the suit

I saw they posted the race is now sold out. I wonder how much the “easier” course led to that!

The wetsuit legal water temp limit is 24.5 C(76.1 F). You can choose to wear a wetsuit above that temp but you are supposed to be in a non-competitive wave and are not eligible for awards or WTC spots. I think it will be marginal this week. It's a shallow river and the temps are supposed to be up to 33-34C this week. If you say it is already 22, it is very possible. I have never seen a non wetsuit legal swim in Ontario. I remember a Peterborough half were the water temp was clearly above the legal limit but they still allowed people to wear wetsuits and it was miserable, I got so hot in the suit, I felt nauseous. I think if it's a warm day and the water is warm, people will start the bike overheated. It's important for the organizers to follow the guidelines. I'm not sure if the race director follows this thread (they usually do). Maybe they could comment if they do?

I initially avoided this race because of the long bike and the thought that it would hurt my perceived PB times but it is a great course and a great event over all so I keep coming back now. Yes, it's challenging but it's worth it. The town has been very supportive and the people are really welcoming. The bike should be the best this year (that is if they can control the automotive traffic). It avoids the wicked hills and sharp turns on North Portage and the dangerous downhill (think flying water bottles) of Dwight Beach Road. Even the run is the easiest it has ever been. I'm sure that is why it is sold out. But having said so, I'm sure people will keep coming back after participating this year.

No idea what the temp is currently in the river. But my cottage is on a lake about 40 mins east of Huntsville. Yesterday, the water temp hit 24 off my dock. I swam in my wetsuit yesterday and was definitely hot. Water temp is the warmest I’ve ever seen for the July long weekend and the forecast is for high temps all week. Could be a warm one on race day too.

I think the chance of a wetsuit illegal swim is very high then. Bring your wetsuit though. And it's not so bad without a wetsuit. You will not have to take the thing off and you will start the bike cooler if it's a wicked hot day. Always look on the bright side!

If my memory serves correctly, it's usually wetsuit legal. (Did in 2016 and the water was chilly with the overnight lows)

I would love to see a wetsuit optional swim for this race. I am currently scheduled to start in the second last wave which means huge congestion on the swim and bike. If Muskoka ends up being wetsuit optional will those who choose to wear a wetsuit start after all of the non-wetsuit participants?

I did 2016 as well. I remember the water being perfect - not too hot, not too cold. I also remember it being quite warm by late morning on the run.