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IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021
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Exited for this race. At this point I'm assuming it will take place, but does anyone have additional details to share?

Especially curious if the special use permit for the Blue Ridge Parkway was reapproved? I see last year's permit proposal, but nothing for 2021. https://parkplanning.nps.gov/parkHome.cfm?parkID=355. And nothing on the NPS park calendar.

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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [mlbTri] [ In reply to ]
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Athlete Guide now posted. Course does show Blue Ridge Parkway, which is great.

https://www.ironman.com/...-blue-ridge-athletes

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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [mlbTri] [ In reply to ]
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Just read through the athletes guide and I can't tell if they'll let us have a swim warmup. Anyone know? Or best guess?

First time doing a point to point race like this...a lot of logistics for athlete check-in and race day morning. Don't love leaving the bike for Ironman to transport either
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [ In reply to ]
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Agreed that the logistics of the point-to-point course are a bit intense. Athlete shuttles start loading at 3:15AM ... ugh.

Can anyone in the Roanoke area comment on the safety of pre-riding the course? Considering driving down there is weekend (definitely not Memorial Day) to give it a look.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36084153

I know the Blue Ridge will be fine. What I know of Lee Highway (rt. 11) is from over in Lexington, VA is that it has quite heavy traffic.

There would also be the need to leave a vehicle at T2 (river park) and ride up to T1 (reservoir) which seemingly cuts right through the middle of the city. Thanks!
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [westandrew] [ In reply to ]
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I'm curious about the course aswell but live to far away to recon. Can anyone familiar please give a report of road conditions? Are they smooth or potholed? Can we comfortably bomb that descent?

Anyone reconsidering their gearing? I know there was a separate thread for that already but didnt see many responses

I did IMCT last year and the roads were miserable
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [Chester9189] [ In reply to ]
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Regarding potholes - this was posted on the Facebook group a few days ago:

PLEASE READ - Anyone coming from out of town to ride the course, or even locals riding it for the first time...
About 50 yards after Mile Post 101 (this is about a mile after the start of the "big descent") there is a significant pothole on the right side of the road. Sometimes it's in a shadow and can be hard to see. You don't want to hit this pothole, trust me!

Also, be attentive around MP 107 as well. There are a couple of decent potholes at/just after this MP, too. One area is bad enough that it would behoove riders to get in the center of the road. Yup, the center of the road, not the center of the lane! Please, please exercise caution when doing so.

This is a beautiful course but, unfortunately, like many of our roadways these days, repairs are in order. Generally speaking, I would recommend being watchful for "road blemishes" from MP 106 (the entrance to US 460) all the way to Route 24 (where we exit the BRP).

Finally, it looks like the BRP will be closed for repairs JUST AFTER the exit to Route 24 starting May 9. Do not panic - this will not affect the race! Just letting everyone know that if you planned to come into town after May 9 and ride the BRP south past Route 24, you won't be able to (if they start construction when they ay they will).

Hope this helps.
Last edited by: lteal: May 20, 21 8:38
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [lteal] [ In reply to ]
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Watching the times for my training partners and all I can say this must be a brutal course.

All I Wanted Was A Pepsi, Just One Pepsi

Team Zoot, Team Zoot Mid-Atlantic

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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [Billabong] [ In reply to ]
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Agreed. In addition to the course, it’s also brutally hot today. Anybody know why the finishing times are being adjusted? Everybody is getting a different amount of times subtracted. Seems to range from under a minute to over three minutes.
Last edited by: proftri: Jun 6, 21 9:42
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [Billabong] [ In reply to ]
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It was brutal. The 4 mile climb to the blue ridge parkway followed by more climbing on the parkway itself + the completely exposed hot run course made for slow times.
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [proftri] [ In reply to ]
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proftri wrote:
Agreed. In addition to the course, it’s also brutally hot today. Anybody know why the finishing times are being adjusted? Everybody is getting a different amount of times subtracted. Seems to range from under a minute to over three minutes.

I see some mention of a big train going through and stopping riders on the bike course for a while. That's where the adjustments are coming from. I'd be curious how exactly they did that. Sounds like a real mess.
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [TJL3] [ In reply to ]
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It was a fun and beautiful, but hard course. Stunning swim in a mountain lake. Bike had lots of climbing which made it tricky to pace (tri bike was the right call, descent was not technical). The weather was very hot and humid which made for a brutal run. Doubt many set a PR yesterday.

I thought it was exceptionally well organized, especially given it was the inaugural event and the extra logistics of point to point. Great volunteers and city support.

Had not heard about a train. I only recall a single rail crossing about a mile from the finish. Most times seem to have an adjustment (mine included) so it must be from something else.

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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [TJL3] [ In reply to ]
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TJL3 wrote:
proftri wrote:
Agreed. In addition to the course, it’s also brutally hot today. Anybody know why the finishing times are being adjusted? Everybody is getting a different amount of times subtracted. Seems to range from under a minute to over three minutes.


I see some mention of a big train going through and stopping riders on the bike course for a while. That's where the adjustments are coming from. I'd be curious how exactly they did that. Sounds like a real mess.

I can't believe they still plan courses crossing active train tracks. You can't control that at all, they would never agree to adjust schedules if it's even possible
CSX and the like are not good neighbors.....
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [bulldog15] [ In reply to ]
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I was in the group stopped by the train. There were about 10 guys already there when I rolled up - one said he had been waiting 8 minutes. A volunteer was recording the time each person was stopped, so that's how they figured the adjustment. I ended up waiting about 4 minutes - good opportunity to take in some hydration/nutrition and stretch with no time penalty to prepare for the run. Maybe automate this for next year with timing mats on either side of the tracks - your time crossing the tracks doesn't get counted.

I think the other adjustment is for the rolling swim start, which applied to everyone.

Overall I thought it went really well for a first year race and the logistical challenges of point to point. The early wakeup for the shuttle was unfortunate but I don't know how that could have been avoided - the road up to the reservoir could barely handle the buses, much less any other traffic. My only suggestion for the bike course (besides timing mats by the train tracks) would be to put the aid stations on uphills (not sure why they were all on downhills but this is not ideal for the participants or volunteers safety).

The run course was fine, pretty exposed in places, but with a good variety of scenery. Would have preferred cooler weather of course, but running in the heat of the day is part of the challenge of the 70.3 distance in this part of the country this time of year.
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [offthebike] [ In reply to ]
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I raced as well - as stated before, unfortunate tough weather conditions (it was 25 degrees cooler a week before - 90 degrees is definitely hotter than usual for Roanoke this time of year) but a well run event.

Bike and equipment check-in the day before were smooth, and shuttles out the day of the race ran well. No issues that I encountered or heard of.

Beautiful mountain lake swim. Rolling start due to covid, water temps made it wetsuit legal (barely).

Bike course is one of the tougher ones out there with a lot of climbing, but great road choices for the area and beautiful views on the parkway. I didn’t encounter the train issue (I think it only affected the very first few riders out there). I’ll second the comment on location of aid stations, but they ran smoothly. Great community support along the course.

Run course was hot, with about half the course exposed without shade. Normal conditions this wouldn’t have been an issue, but the temps this year made it tougher. Good crowds along the course, and aid stations ran smoothly.

Overall, for a first year event it was run exceptionally well. I plan to be back for next year (with hopefully cooler temps)!
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [ In reply to ]
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Did anyone happen to grab a picture of the slot allocation numbers?
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [macwhinb] [ In reply to ]
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here it is
Last edited by: SBR.NYC: Jun 8, 21 6:32
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [SBR.NYC] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you - any chance you have one of the WFT slots too?
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [macwhinb] [ In reply to ]
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No, i pulled this one from FB group
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [ In reply to ]
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Awesome course and a well-run event.

A 2:40AM alarm to a 3:20AM shuttle loading, to try to nap in a parking lot for ~2hrs before swim start wasn't ideal -- but I understand why it had to be done this way. Barely wetsuit legal.

Logistics of the point-to-point were smooth, and all volunteers were super enthusiastic.

Maybe I'm just a climb-loving sadist, but I'd substitute "challenging fun" instead of "brutal".

Does anyone know the winner/standings for the KOM? I was expecting it to end ~1mi up the parkway, but timing splits suggest it was just 3.7mi. I don't recall any signage marking the end point.

FWIW, my Garmin data has the entire climb at 4.98mi from base to top, at a 6% average grade. I was done in 29:35 and made nothing but steady forward progress.
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [mlbTri] [ In reply to ]
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Just got back from Roanoke last night, this was definitely my favorite triathlon event ever! The atmosphere, course, and especially support from volunteers/city/locals were unlike anything I've ever experienced! I also loved Roanoke too, have wanted to get there for a while (live just south of Charlotte) and it is an outdoor (and train) lover's paradise!

I actually set a pretty big PR on this course, but I haven't raced a 70.3 since I really took my fitness and especially running to a new height last year. I wish every tri course was like this- it was super challenging, fun and fair! I'm a terrible swimmer, FOP cyclist (with a lot of mountain riding experience), and pretty close top FOP runner, so this course was almost tailor made for me. Ended up 12th overall of 1500+ starters with a 4:46, which shows you how tough this course was to be that slow.

The swim in the reservoir was beautiful, wetsuit legal by 0.1 degrees! Maybe a touch long, but I added 200yds because I can't swim straight to save my life. No current or chop. Times across the board seemed a little slow- my speed was actually good and I spent a lot of energy in the swim. All told I had a 41' swim, 721st overall (bet not many in the top 15 can say that)!

Bike course was an absolute dream for me. Lot of total elevation gained but pretty much all in 3 spots- short climb out of T1, the main climb at mile 20 (~5 miles at 7%), and another 1-2 miles around mile 30 on the BRP. I had the 4th fastest bike split at 2:26 (~305 FTP, 158lbs). My watch missed several miles with pausing itself, but overall averaged ~260NP and low 240s AP including 26' at 300W up the main climb. Descents were straight and non-technical- couple holes that were mostly marked off with cones or paint. I didn't see any drafting even on the fast downhill section on 11 at the start. Only complaint is that the aid stations were on fast downhill sections, which made it hard to grab bottles (and I know someone who hit a bottle and wiped out).

Run course was pretty nice, mostly along the greenway with a TON of spectator support. Fairly flat, but sneaky elevation gained from a few bridges plus a long false flat from miles 3-4 going upstream along the river. Like other said, it got HOT though (probably started low 80s off the bike and ended at 90, very sunny). I came out of T2 with others running a 6:50 pace, and by mile 3-4 everyone I had been running with was long gone. I lasted until mile 10 at that 6:50 pace, but then started stitching and overheating and dropped to 7:30s miles (but limited any further losses). Ended up with a 1:33 split, 15th fastest. Only complain on the run was that the first aid station took over 2 miles to get to, and that really set me back on my hydration given the heat and my high sweat rate. Some aid stations also didn't have ice, but generally had cool water and were really well maintained.

I would do that race again in a heartbeat. There's a couple logistics than can be improved but I have no doubt that year 2 will be even better. Definitely not your flat/fast PR course, but if you want a legit race that is challenging and fair (and rewards weak swimmers), this is the one for you!
Last edited by: mikeridesbikes: Jun 8, 21 8:27
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [mlbTri] [ In reply to ]
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This was a great event. Lots of logistics with a double transition course set up and 0630 start. Clearly a lot of planning was done on the logistics. I can't believe they got all those bikes shipped out to T1 and then got us all out there in time for a 0630 start. Of course, that was the earliest I ever got up for an event.

I stayed out of the fray on the swim, keeping to the outside by 10-20 yards, and there was plenty of free water, drifting in occasionally to draft.

Bike: loved it. After a climb out of T1, lots of rollers, flats and downhill until the 5 mile climb. Once on the BRP, some rollers and climbs until a fun, non-technical descent. I believe tri bike was the right call: I gave up some time on the climb but more than made up for it on the rest of the course. Then flat-rolling with a minor climbing back to Roanoke.

Run: it was "IM Chattanooga hot". Not normally that hot, just a freaky weekend. Lots of suffering due to the heat. Agree with the need for ice and earlier first run station coming out of T2. Very flat run course with varied scenery. Run course very spectator friendly (no chance for spectators at the swim, but who in your family wants to get up that early anyways).

Volunteers and locals seemed very supportive of race. Roanoke: great host city. Great downtown market area to wonder around before/after race.

Drove home evening of race and was surprised to see I snagged a Worlds spot when I got home (11th in 55-59, didn't stay for awards, way too hot). Chattanooga and Roanoke are now my favorite 2 SE race venues and I am now trying to decide between those 70.3 events in 2022.

Tim Shea

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Last edited by: IL2tri: Jun 8, 21 17:25
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [SBR.NYC] [ In reply to ]
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I think they re-distributed after this list was made; M30-34 went to at least 20.

I’d echo a lot of the comments here, this was organized race in a hospitable locale. The climb was tough; but, the non-technical decent was a ton of fun…a hair under 50mph on the aerobars was a first.
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [BevK] [ In reply to ]
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Just to sort out the time adjustment...

There were 2 railroad crossings a couple miles from the finish. The space between these crossings was a technically not part of the course. There were timing mats at each crossing. The amount of time you spent between theses crossings was removed from your total time.
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Re: IM 70.3 Virginia Blue Ridge 2021 [offthebike] [ In reply to ]
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offthebike wrote:
I was in the group stopped by the train. There were about 10 guys already there when I rolled up - one said he had been waiting 8 minutes. A volunteer was recording the time each person was stopped, so that's how they figured the adjustment. I ended up waiting about 4 minutes - good opportunity to take in some hydration/nutrition and stretch with no time penalty to prepare for the run. Maybe automate this for next year with timing mats on either side of the tracks - your time crossing the tracks doesn't get counted.

I think the other adjustment is for the rolling swim start, which applied to everyone.

Overall I thought it went really well for a first year race and the logistical challenges of point to point. The early wakeup for the shuttle was unfortunate but I don't know how that could have been avoided - the road up to the reservoir could barely handle the buses, much less any other traffic. My only suggestion for the bike course (besides timing mats by the train tracks) would be to put the aid stations on uphills (not sure why they were all on downhills but this is not ideal for the participants or volunteers safety).

The run course was fine, pretty exposed in places, but with a good variety of scenery. Would have preferred cooler weather of course, but running in the heat of the day is part of the challenge of the 70.3 distance in this part of the country this time of year.

If you automate with timing mats around the tracks I’d just take a 15 minute breather even without a train. ;)
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