I agree, I think the race is very good, the swim looked like it would have been great, the bike course is very scenic and fun but the road conditions are very bad in spots. The run course was great if you had 50% fewer people, at least when I got on it. I left T1 at 8:50 and rode 2:22 so I moved up into the field quite a bit. I ran a 1:33 and literally had to dodge, dice, run sideways beteeen people, it was a challenge to be sure.

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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

Having never done a TT start after a cancelled swim, I'm curious why they didn't start the bike similar to the way they start the self seeded swim.

Meaning - seed yourself based on projected bike time and then still release in the TT start way, but instead of being with a random bunch of people, you're at least riding with people of similar speeds.

I think low bib numbers had more AWA points, so they are giving benefits to their better customers.

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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

I don't know why but the run course was different this year from last. We didn't have the out and back, instead it was a one way run. Hopefully someone from the race chimes in on why, but a friend who regularly volunteers said that when IM moved it out of windsor locals decided to stop volunteering and that's why the run course had to double up more.

I didn't see the congestion, but it had to be terrible. I ran into several people on my 2nd lap and got to start the bike very very early.

My first suggestion ... Reach to Dave Reid the RD on the survey when it comes out and make comments re: the run. He is a very good RD and his job in Sonoma County is challenging.

If I were racing I would prefer last years course to this years. It was 2 loops ... one loop was 8.5'ish the other 4.5'ish. The only out and back traffic was on the Greenway (cement) which is wider than the creek trail. For some athletes the two loop (long & short) was confusing ... which is baffling to me since the way it was signed, marked, described in race briefings etc. was clear. It is possible the course was changed for that reason. (I have not discussed that with Dave)

Some people have mentioned bottles getting launched and equipment strewn about etc because of roads. Our team does group rides here and we ride a lot those roads during race season. I can't recall one incident this year where we have had a bottle launch ... and we have a variety of hydration carrying options on a variety of bikes (BTA, rear, seat & downtube etc.). To my point ... there are a lot (not all) of athletes using stuff on race day they never train with (i.e. stuff strapped on 24 hours before the race & cheap, ill fitting water bottles), have broken or non functional equipment (inc. cages), have bikes that rarely get ridden or ridden outside, and choose not to do any sort of pre-race bike tune up. It is non only here but also at other races ...

The roads on the course overall are in best shape they have been in years and will continue to improve. HWY 128 corridor was previously very nice and now its the worst stretch of road on the course and needs attention (it is a state road where everything else is county / city)

I hope ya'll keep supporting the race, the county and Dave Reids efforts

EDIT ... I attached a pic of the race morning fog

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Dave Latourette
http://www.TTENation.com

There's never any complaining about people seeding themselves in the wrong swim group. And nobody would be tempted by an earlier start to be on the run course sooner. Especially on a hot day.


Sounds like a perfect formula for a draft fest.

Without a doubt the bike was slower for people leaving later due to congestion, warming temps, and a pick up in wind.

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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

nailed it!!! What could go wrong? 5 somewhat equal guys every 10 seconds??? Yikes!

Going by bib number randomizes things significantly (but not perfectly). I went by hundreds of people and didn't see anything resembling drafting. Blocking? Yea, but, unintentional.

I doubt I'll do the event again. I can't see the run paths being much less crowded/spread out, even with a swim. The 140.6 is likely better because the swim and bike "should" spread people out more. I'll consider that event.

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

AWESOME... not like some of us started almost dead last and were the first person off the podium #notbitter

I completely agree. I am not a fan of TT bike starts and always want some sort of swim to avoid the long time it takes to get everyone off racing. I am usually freezing in these situations and that was the case on Saturday. I was in the 1200's and it took 1.5 hours after normal race start to get on my way. But with that said, the air temp was at 50º and the water temp at 74º that caused some very thick fog. I couldn't see out of transition the entire morning. I highly doubt we would have seen any bouys in the water and with the high number of first time racers, I feel the call was a very good one. I ran into the official after the race that made the decision on the swim. He is a longtime firefighter and was working Ironman Texas a few months back when they lost one in the water. It was absolutely not safe at all to swim. With planning, I've had swims cancelled due to hurricanes, oil spills and last minute cold fronts with waves and currents that prevented Navy divers from being able to get out of the water. Some things you just can't plan for or adjust to. These guys made the right call.

With that said - I did the same as mpderksen and put the swim behind me the second I was off on my bike. I absolutely loved the entire race. Yes the roads were a little rough in areas but honestly any of the courses in Texas have much worse road conditions. And omg have any of you experienced the 10 miles in IM Florida that murders your brain?? It makes no sense that I chose to race that twice. I did find it odd that there were a lot of flats and bottles thrown and really couldn't make sense out of it because I didn't see much road debris out there. In fact, I was impressed at the lack of gravel - especially on the turns. They could have placed the second bike aid station in a better spot. The run course was challenging and awesomely shaded. A tiny bit crowded in one part of the run course but it wasn't a show stopper. This race was well supported, well thought out and the race official communicated extremely well over Facebook. I will definitely do this race again.

I didn’t think roads were too bad, better than last year and most of the rough spots were really well marked. But there were times I was stuck with nowhere to go but over an obstacle due to congestion.

Last year’s run course was definitely better.

Edit: FWIW I do think the IM team did a great job overall dealing with a tough situation.

Having a really high race number 3300+, I think the bike course seemed tougher because it was crowded the entire ride. Difficult to see too far up the road.
While I would have preferred to seed myself by my projected bike split, I think the way it was done was the most efficient way to do it.
The run course was crowded in that one stretch.
As far as bike equipment goes, you are spot on. I can see bottles being launched on occasion, but I saw entire rear seat bottle assemblies in the middle of the road.
Thanks for great weather! Very cool for a late July race.

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Team Zoot So Cal

Yeah I started at 8:50 am!

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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

My Garmin said 9:05am:
2:19 bike
1:29 fartlek

You are my hero. I started at (ding, ding) 9:05am (#3,5xx). 2:40 ride with many friends in the countryside, and a 1:45 "slow" fartlek.

Here's why your my hero: You must not have second guessed yours self about flying by so many people. I flew by a zillion people at my pace and questioned that I should have gone harder (I should have). Alas, I got a good IM pace workout. Not whining, 'cause w/o a swim that's all I expected.

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

Thanks for bringing this up although I realize it's slightly off topic for this thread! I also did Ohio 70.3 and while it was my 16th HIM, it was the first non-wetsuit one I've done in 5+ years so didn't know where to seed. I started 40-43 min since I wasn't planning to gas it for this race and was chatting with a girl next to me in the swim wave. She did a wetsuit legal HIM earlier in the year and swam a 45' - I was stunned and didn't know how to respond...A lot of people were confused about how to treat a non-wettie swim!

I also had a slower-than-anticipated swim there and still passed a lot of people who were kind of bobbing. I was suprised how crowded and physical the swim seemed, it was a bit bizarrre. Other than that, agree that it was a very well-done race! I was impressed and would definitely recommend it!

Yeah, leaving when I did and riding 2:22 I basically rode on the double yellow line for a lot of the ride.

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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

This is a good topic.

As some someone who announces some IM & 70.3 races, it is part of OUR responsibilities as announcers to be clear on how we want athletes to seed themselves. We should elaborate that it's important to seed by NON WETSUIT time which is SLOWER than if you wore a wetsuit and also to consider that if you really struggle without a suit to be conservative on your projected time.

Thanks

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Dave Latourette
http://www.TTENation.com

I thought riding the double yellow was an automatic dq?????
Am I mistaken?
I saw a lot of that going. I started late and was tempted, but am one of those rule followers.

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Team Zoot So Cal

Crossing into the other lane is, I'm aware of that. There were even moments when there was local traffic on the road which I passed on the left.

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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

Be safe out there! It was a little wild with some of the slower, less experienced riders.
Congrats on a great race!
Are you part of the Zoot-Canyon Team?
I love my Canyon and may look to join the team next year.

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Team Zoot So Cal

Thanks! Yeah I’m the regional Soutwest Captain for Team Zoot and Canyon is our bike sponsor partner. I love my SLX Speedmax. Shoot me a message with your info and where you live and I can put you in touch with the appropriate regional Team Captain.

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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

The highlight of my day was seeing a group of 4/5 Team Betty racers in a draft line on the bike course. "Do epic shit" must mean just take turns drafting.

hi Dave / others,
any insights on the run course planned for 2019? From the course map, it says 1 loop and looks to go up one side and down the other of the creek. Will this avoid the congestion of 2018 or is it in effect the same course?

thx!

This is 1 a Loop course as opposed to 2, therefore not the same as 2018 2 loop course w/ the 2 mile out & back on narrow trail.

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Dave Latourette
http://www.TTENation.com