As per the RD to me an hour ago, don't make any assumptions regarding the bike course, they are still in discussions and sorting out all available options.

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-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

That's because IMAZ has had a deferral policy for several years that is specific to that race, most IM's as far as I'm aware do not have a free deferral policy.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Anybody paying attention to what happened to multiple racers at the Giro? Racers and tourists travelled to Sicily and stayed at the same hotel. Multiple racers were exposed to COVID. The Giro most likely won’t finish. Hundreds of racers and support staff have been exposed to COVID. Many racers including EF Education want race cancelled. Many elected officials in Arizona played down the outbreak. 5,789 people are dead and the infection is still not contained. If you participate in Ironman Arizona, then you are putting your health and the health of other people at risk including your fellow racers. I understand the pull to race. You put in all of the hard work and you want to complete your race. Unfortunately, your desire to complete a race isn’t worth the risk of harming others. Please stay home. Let’s race again when we won’t harm our fellow athletes.

Do you think IM organization is aware of this? do you think they will ignore it?

Let me guess you want to cancel Christmas too?

The Giro is still racing. No report yet on the covid tests conducted yesterday.

Just like there is nothing stopping anyone from going to IMFL or Challenge Daytona from another state. They're aware, and what is there to ignore? That would be interstate commerce and is in the hands of the Federal Government.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

I actually do want to cancel Christmas. There are predictions that there will be a huge outbreak after Christmas due to families giving each other COVID. This pandemic is not going to get better until everyone (including you) get serious. Traveling to Arizona for a triathlon and flying to Aunt Ruby’s for Christmas is not taking this situation seriously. I want to race in 2021. I want my kid to go back to school. If our country keeps acting like you and our President, then we are never going to get out of this nightmare.

Plus one. Bye-bye IMAZ 2020, hello Manchester, NH Marathon as an A-race of year 2020.

Unless, of course, something else happens in the next 4 weeks :)

I mean, Phoenix has a fairly large airport where people fly in and out of everyday. Not to mention, a few dozen (if not hundred) massive tech companies that have people coming in from all over the place on a regular basis. A 70.3 or Ironman doesn't make a dent in the amount of out of state traffic that Phoenix gets. Plus travel from Mexico, people coming from CA (to use our restaurants) and more. And still, the Covid situation is holding steady.

I respect your opinion and how you are personally handling the virus. I am not going to tell you how to live your life. You are free to tell me how to live my life but I don't have to agree:). The virus is real and we should all be very aware and cautious. Based on my own research I am doing things differently. We went to Universal Studios the second week it was open. My kids are in school. I will continue to take my wife to dinner once a week. I will continue to wear a mask everywhere I go, stay socially distanced as best I can, and be overly cautious with washing/sanitizing my hands. And I will race the Arizona 70.3 this Sunday. I am impressed with the work they put in to keep everyone spread out and safe. It is an outdoor even and based on my own research I feel it is safe. Grateful to live in a state where I can make the choice to race!

Americans going to triathlons, Trump rallies, family gatherings, indoor restaurants, and amusement parks, and fraternity parties have led to a major spike in COVID. This statement isn’t an opinion. See below. Americans unwillingness to limit their pursuit of fun during a pandemic has caused us to have the highest number of deaths in world and postponed normalcy.

https://www.google.com/...us/%3foutputType=amp

This comment is just so narrow minded. While what you say is true it's not the whole picture of why there are so many deaths. One of the main problems as a society is that for most of us the disease is not a serious risk; and as time has passed and we learn more we continue to realize this and in turn stop taking it so seriously. The truth is, without a comorbidity you'll be fine and even with one is not a certain death especially at this stage in the process. My wife is a nurse (41 years old) and contracted COVID early on, she gave it to me (38 years old) and my two children (16 months and 9 years old). We had very mild symptoms and had she not have been a nurse we would never have gotten tested and known b/c it was that mild. Our sinus issues each year are a far worse concern for our family.

You're just never going to get our society as a whole to stay at home and hide when 95% of us in society have 0% risk of complications. I got the flu 3-4 years ago and was shut down, off work, no training, in bed, lost 10 lbs, couldn't move...that is something I don't want to get again, but COVID? My 9 year old, after her positive test said "This is COVID? Why are they making such a big deal about it?" Now of course we stayed away from our parents, their grandparents and quarantined and no one else in the extended family contracted it. We wear masks and wash our hands and socially distance as much as possible but we won't be fearful of it or hide and there are many people that believe this, and that will never change.

It's behavioral. 650,000 people die a year (1 every 36 seconds) from heart disease, which is largely lifestyle related to bad choices of taking care of oneself. Another 480,000 die from smoking related issues...

If generally healthy people want to race, or gather, eat out, or god forbid gather with their family then they should. Hiding from it won't stop it, nor is it realistic.

Just wanted to send you one of thousands of obituaries of young, healthy people who shared your philosophy. I look forward to racing again after the vaccine arrives. Hope that happens soon. https://www.johnsoncountychapel.com/obituary/John-Garry

Obviously you're on some sort of crusade to change opinions which is fine I appreciate differing views, but on a grand scale it won't change anything. There are always outliers in any situation and I don't know anything about Mr. Garry's situation. It's possible he had asthma or something underlying, but not worth getting into here. Of course his death is sad but it's not the norm and to change societies opinion his death would have to be the norm. If 30 something year olds were dying by the thousands then people would potentially change behavior, but maybe not even then. Over a million people die every year for reasons they have absolute control over so it's going to be hard to expect them to change behavior on something that's not really an issue for most.

Check out the COVID statistics in the Bay Area. Shows what happens when a majority of citizens follow science instead of a clown in a stupid red hat.

...and there it is! lol

I had no idea your comments were politically charged, I am sorry I engaged. I actually enjoy a good discussion about differences...too bad this couldn't be one.

Best of luck to you!

Either you agree or you don't this really isn't the discussion here, this is about Ironman Arizona. I am hearing its going to be many laps of the half course, probably the worst course there could possibly be. Beeline was the great equalizer, this is going to be a shit show.. I am in Covid or no Covid, I could as easily get it at the post office.

According to a well respected scientist John A Ioannidis, the IFR for those under 70 is about 0.05%. See here - https://www.who.int/...st/BLT.20.265892.pdf. The average age of a COVID victim in the US is right around the average life expectancy age, also according to the CDC's latest stats. The triathletes fit enough to do a 70.3/140.6 should def be shaking in their Hokas.IMO, they take a bigger risk by swimming in TTL, but hey....

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Exactly! Enjoy the race!

Rolling 3 and 7 day average trend is worth a look...can be misleading with reporting but there is some creep over last 30 days.

https://www.worldometers.info/...navirus/usa/arizona/

I'm sure I will see positive feedback from racers after IM Arizona is finished, but I also would like to see from you guys, in your right conscious, that you can share how many of you (and families) got sick during the event or traveling so we can conclude if the event was a good or bad idea.

So you have an advance degree in virology? You're a epidemiologist? A medical provider, infectious disease doc? An internal med doc, or at least a proctologist? Assuming all those answers are no because of what you have said already your predictions are weak at best.

The deaths caused by this virus have been in people with 2 or more comorbidities and/or over the age of 65 have been 80%. Since we know this we should have protected this population. Instead we started by doing what you have advocated and spent $16 Trillion in tax money and loss to the economy.......not to mention racing. So we have tried it your way and it didn't work. The overall death rate in the US has been about 3-4% depending on who you believe. If I promised you a 96% chance of wining at Las Vegas you would go and bet your mortgage every day! So please take your fear and politics in the lavender room unless you actually have a cogent argument to offer.

That was very informative, thanks for posting.

where did you hear this?