Come on? You mean there are 6 million people signed up for IM Canada 2013 and no one knows anything about this course? Is it CANCELLED? How do I get my 8 hun back?

Nah, we all said screw it. We're doing Challenge Penticton... ;)

Darn, I tried getting into Challenge Penticton but it was full so opted out for my Kona spot, oops I mean IMC. Have a blast in Penticton, the place rocks.

I'm interested in hearing back from your recon mission....I am hoping to head out in June to trial the course too.... getting nervous..... ;-)

Cheers!

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"It's a line you have to cross to understand."

Was out there two weeks ago. Wasn't able to recon the course, wanted to rent a bike out in Whistler but none of the shops were renting road bikes yet and I was only there for 3 days so didn't want the hassle of packing my bike for the flight.

I was able to hit some of the run course though. Not sure what to say, it's a gorgeous run course with epic scenery. Looks like lots of the run route will be on some fairly wide pathways, some through the forested areas, so there should be more coverage from the sun than what we got in Penticton.

It wasn't exactly an Ironman recon trip. I can tell your for certain though, Cougar Mountain has some great ziplining and one of the most beautiful frisbee golf courses I've ever seen :-P

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Raf
http://www.shutuplegs.org

I'm on it, a holiday to BC is always great and the course will be fun as long as it doesn't take us 10 hrs to get around. You're getting nervous? Do tell? Good for you!

Maybe they can turn the 180 into a 180 Zipp line course, that would be cool :) I have Zipp Wheels so I'm off to a good start. Thanks for the reply, I was getting nervous know one was geared up to race. I will recap in a few weeks. I'm pumped. We will run the first lap on day 2 after the ride unless the weather isn't cooperating. It's all going to get interesting, any one here about the staggered swim starts? Don't think Canada is on the North American list? Yet? Any good restaurants?

Press release specifically says Whistler is a two loop mass start.

I am off to Mexico for a week of diving tomorrow, then start my IM build when I get back.

Mass start, great! Mexico sounds like a night after IMC, have a great time. By the time you start building for IMC I will be burnt out. Bring me some tequilla for my recovery :)

Yeah, plan was to do Oceanside then Wildflower 70.3, then a week in MX for Mid Training Recovery. I've done the race in March and September thing before, it's tough and turns into a long season. Oceanside went fine, switched to WF Oly nursing an injury I didn't want to linger into post MX. Better to be undertrained than overtrained they say??

Getting to the start line healthy is my goal :) So far so good.

If you get a chance, dive a cenote.

Did that last two times we went down. Very cool, but not going to this time. Last time there was a wicked halocline that you literally could not see out of when in the middle of it

I rode 130 km of the course today - I cut out the start from Alta Lake (I started in the Village) and only did 20 km of the Pemberton out-and-back. My Garmin 800 registered 5400 ft of elevation (when I used the elevation correction feature in Garmin.com it changed the elevation to 8,900 ft which I imagine is not correct?)). I believe IMC stated 4,200 ft of elevation. I'm thinking they are short on the elevation reporting but who knows. We will have to see what other recon missions report.( For comparison purposes, my Garmin reported ~4,800 ft of elevation for the Penticton IMC course).

All-in-all it will be a challenging course - the first climb into Callanghan Valley will be tough as there is a 10% grade hill that lasts ~1 km at the beginning and then a few more shorter 10% grade areas. My guess is that a lot of people will go up Callaghan too hard and pay for it when returning to Whistler from Pemberton (km's 145 to 180). Once you get back to Whistler Village from Callaghan Valley you have completed ~55 km and ~2400 of elevation. The trip to Pemberton is for the most part one large decent for ~30km's (with a short but steep climb into Pemberton). The out and back (I only did the first 10 km's out) is flat, windy and will be a welcome 'ride' as the trip from Whistler is fast and downhill (it will be hectic). The return to Whistler is the opposite and will be one hell of a climb up to Green Lake (especially in the heat) - this will hurt at the end of the bike course before the marathon.

Overall I thought the ride was better than when I drove the course. It wasn't hot today (max temp was ~26 celsius with a low of 12 celsius) but I imagine that the heat will especially hurt when returning from Pemberton on race day.

My $0.02.

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ItsAGoodLifeIfYouTriIt

I'm riding in Whistler next weekend, how was the weather/temp?

per my Garmin there was a low of 12 celsius (I assume early at the top of Callaghan) and a high of 26 (most likely Pemberton area).

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ItsAGoodLifeIfYouTriIt

Thanks. Good intel. Will be using a power meter for the first time in a long course, looks like it may come in handy

I did IMC in Penticton a long time ago and I lived in Whistler at the time. I just found out that IMC is now in Whistler and am jealous. It is a great place.

I will look it up but assume you ride out to Pemberton and then back again. That will be challenging to do the ride back to Whistler in the last part of the race.

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Thanks a lot, I will plan some climbing at the end of my training rides.

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Formely stef32

Great feed back my man, I'm almost there. We hit the road next Friday morning. Riding Canmore to Banff to Lake Louise these days with awesome head winds is always fun, not! Took a tale wind home on the flats yesterday and got the P3 upto 57K. That was cool. I lived in Whistler in 95 and it was a year long blur. I'm sure the ride in Whistler will be worth the return. Last year when I went to Penticton pre race I rode 160 K or so, I'm hoping to ride all 180 on Saturday this round and run 1 loop on Sunday. Interesting stats on your Garmin. Cheers

How's the scenery on the ride? Will it be as nice as Penticton?

The scenery is still epic although very different (as it is a different mountain range) - close (or on par) with the Catherdral Range on the way to Keromeos. The views are great but from my perspective you are more 'in' the mountains versus riding along looking at the mountains.

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ItsAGoodLifeIfYouTriIt

The return to Whistler is the opposite and will be one hell of a climb up to Green Lake (especially in the heat) - this will hurt at the end of the bike course before the marathon.

Indeed, the prevailing wind there will be straight in the face, and picking up as the day goes on on that very long drag back up to Whistler from the Pemberton Valley. In other words, it's going to hurt the slower folk more than the faster . . . if that makes any sense. Sort of the same as in Kona, where the wind shift really can slow you up coming back from Hawi, the slower you are. It barely effects the Pros and faster age-groupers, but back from that, just get's worse and worse. It will be the same in Whistler.

Of course that is the prevailing and typical wind pattern. Who knows? race day it self may bring something different! :)

Curious to know what your thoughts were of the Callaghan Valley out-and-back. I've not cycled it, but been up and down there in a car. Seems like a narrow twisting and turning road and wondering about yellow-line issues when people are going up, and others are speeding down!!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

The Callaghan Valley out-and-back was easier than it looks when driving (as long as you are ok with 8% to 10% grades for short periods). The roads appear wider now that I have ridden the course. The steep sections are 'steep' for triathletes and I hope most triathletes will sit up and ride with due care on the decents.

Oddly enough, the expected head wind when returning from Pemberton will be a 'refreshing' wind that I guess will be more welcome than not (same logic as my previous comment that everyone should be happy in the Pemberton out-and-back even if it is windy as it is one of the few areas that is flat for more than a few kilometers). The head wind will help regulate body temperature when climbing back into Whistler in the expected heat for ~25 odd km's. Given the grade, I doubt a wind on your back will help push you up the hills (about three hills on the return) and would also not help cool you down.

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ItsAGoodLifeIfYouTriIt