Hi, I live nearby and have done the race. Overall it's a quick but not super quick race.

Swim is in a protected bay but occasionally can be a bit choppy.
Ride is mostly flat, few undulations in the middle. Road surface largely good except a mile or two through the gardens is a bit rough. Not a lot of scenery on the ride.
Run is mostly flat with good crowd support.

It can be VERY hot. One year it was 30C and v v strong winds at the start, although that is unusual. More typical is mid-high 20s by race finish, with light winds.

Do it, you'll have a great time.

I live in Melbourne and have done it maybe five times now. It's a great race overall. Swim is reasonably protected, bike isn't overly exciting and certainly not a fast surface but the run is not bad as far as runs go. Depends on what you call small as this year (which I did) I can see had 1128 athletes which is a fair number. If you read it was voted the #1 70.3 for overall athlete satisfaction. I would stay the night in Geelong or there about the night before as I always do. Renting bikes in Australia may be harder than the US as we generally fly free with our bikes and I personally don't know anywhere you would rent one but I am sure google will sort that for you.

Do it. Good part of the world. As mentioned above, roads aren't fast, but it's a good atmosphere.

+1

I completed my first 70.3 here and had a really great experience.

Raced the Geelong Half about 6 times in the last 10 years, including before it was Ironman branded. Love the race, love the location. Always stay Sunday night to enjoy post race celebrations in Geelong before heading home on Monday.

Swim is fairly protected, although some years there has been some chop and mild currents.

Bike has 2 short but fairly steep hills. First as you head out of transition towards the gardens, the other hill is near the far turnaround. Neither is steep enough to worry about special gearing. I race with 39-21 as my easiest gear and never have an issue. There are two loops of the bike, so you ride both hills twice.

The road surface is quite coarse, so not fast. Also the highway and especially the Point Henry turnoff can be very exposed to the wind. The pros seem to go fast regardless of conditions, but generally a slower bike course for the age groupers (depending on conditions, up to 10 mins slower than a fast bike course)

Run is along the coast, but has 3 hills per lap (on a 2 and half lap course). One hill at each far turnaround and a short but very steep ramp on the east side of transitions as you run up to the Gardens. The hills are small enough that you don’t notice them much on the first lap, but hate them on the second lap.

The athlete village and finish line are opposite the main strip of foreshore cafe and restaurants. Always heaps of the spectators in this area and you run through this 5 times. Always found it a great atmosphere on the run leg (whereas the bike leg is fairly boring).

Like others have said, this is a great race and a great location. I also live in Melbourne and its an easy 50 minute drive to the race on race morning. If you do plan on staying down there, I suggest booking now.

Geelong is also the gateway to the Great Ocean road. If you are going to rent bike I STRONGLY suggest you driving to Anglesea and riding to Lorne. Stop for lunch and ride back. It makes it a bit shorter than Geelong but my god it's great scenery. In my opinion it is one of the top 3-4 rides in Australia. If you didn't do this I really think you'd regret it. I am extremely flexible with work and could even meet up and come along.

As for the race, it's pretty good. Swim is good and you can see your hands under the water unlike Cairn 70.3 last weekend. The bike is a bit bumpy in parts but overall it's pretty fast. The run is rolling but only small pinches. However it can get hot on the run. Last years race, I cooked on the run but the swim and bike were fine. They don't run out of food or drink which is rare. Its an extremely well run event.

I'm also not sure if it will sell out next year as it's a qualifier for the 2020 Worlds in Taupo, so every man and his dog will be trying to get a spot. So keep an eye on race entries.

If you hire bikes, do so in Geelong. Also send the Geelong Tri Club or Beckworth training group in Geelong a message via FB as they might even have someone that can loan you bikes or have a room you could crash at. Both are great groups.

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Wow! Thank you much for the excellent feedback. I think I already know everything about this race. :) I will try to consolidate my plans and sign up for the race. Apparently I already missed the first tier price, but that's ok.

I appreciate all the help. :)
I will be in touch with people who offer a meetup. It would be awesome to hang out with Slowtiwchers from the other side of the world.