I am sitting in my office looking out the window about 100km away and so happy I did not drive up to watch the race today. I have a buddy at work up there and he just sent an message saying he is not happy being out there watching his brother in law racing and his family went back to the hotel as they are soaked already.

It is going to be very cold and wet for anyone racing today and I wish them all the best and for a very safe race as it is going to be slippery out there

I did the swim and 20 minutes into the bike I pulled the pin.
Temperature of 9 degrees and heavy rain was just not working for me. I could not warmup and since this was my 12th IM I had nothing to prove.
Weather warning has now been issued.

Sorry to hear.I'm over in lot four, sleeping it off seems like rain stopped

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http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

Well, looks like everyone praying for rain a few weeks ago got their wish...

That would be miserable riding conditions. I live just on the coast, and 9 degrees and raining feels a lot colder then it sounds.

Hopefully everyone rides safe, stays warms and has a decent day. That would be a very, very grim ride to do in those conditions.

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Long Chile was a silly place.

Sorry to hear that. You are not the only one. Fourth person I know who withdrew because of the cold.

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Francois-Xavier Li @FrancoisLi
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." George Bernard Shaw
http://www.swimrunfrance.fr
http://www.worldofswimrun.com

Nasty day for sure. That bike will be miserable.

Not sure why, but Symonds is out too... and he usually toughs it out. Hopefully not an injury/crash. Maybe just saving himself for Kona;)

that temperature doesn't sound too bad to me. Gotta be better than 90 degrees (F) right? I'm from Colorado and love cold weather training, but never raced at that temperature.

not trying to be insensitive, but would love to hear what it's like in those conditions. Sorry that people are pulling out...that must be horrible.

I'm not quite sure about how it feels in Whistler, but near by on the water in Victoria, it feels a lot, lot colder. It is just such a damp, misty ocean wind that no amount of layering really seems to helps with. I've done my share of rides in weather like that and it is truly just miserable.

I raced last year when it was pushing 98*F on the way out of Pemberton. That was also miserable, although I think I would rather deal with the heat then the cold.

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Long Chile was a silly place.

Ugh, Buckingham and McDonald just finished the bike - barely broke 5 hours. Must be horrendous.

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Sylvan Smyth | http://www.sportstats.asia | sylvan@sportstats.asia | Starvas

Code

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Sylvan Smyth | http://www.sportstats.asia | sylvan@sportstats.asia | Starvas

We were on our way up to spectate and cheer, when our friend pulled out due to cold and slippery roads :-(

We both raced IMNZ in 2011 when it was about the same conditions - 70mm of rain during the day and very cool by Taupo standards - but we had the advantage of having trained all winter in Canada so the cold was generally not an issue for us. That said, I still donned a full cycling jacket, knee warmers, toe covers and wool socks for the ride, and was very glad I did. The hard part can be that when you start to get a bit calorie deficient, your ability to keep warm by moving/aerobic activity is diminished and you can become quite susceptible to hypothermia. So those who stick it out will have to really stay on top of their intake.

Knowing what it can be like to race in these conditions, huge props to those that finish and I get it for those that don't.

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

Just to compare, I did this race the last 2 years here. First year was cool but fine. Last year was hot but once again fine (for me). This year I put on a Tri top, jersey and light jacket along with gloves. I could not warm up and I weigh 180. Others may be fine with this type of riding but unfortunately I am not. I feel good about my decision but disappointed with the overall situation. Oh well, time for burgers and beer.

Coming from Austin, this was weather that was colder than I have seen in years. I was so cold I nearly blacked and was taken off the course and treated for hypothermia. For those coming from warm climates this was a most miserable day, and for the rest, a very tough one that was testing to a high degree.

Great race, venue and location, but today's weather made it very much a nightmare, sadly.

Jack

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"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S. Elliot | Cycle2Tri.com
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I did the Shawnigan half a couple of years ago in similar conditions, it really wasn't that bad other than it taking 10km for my feet to thaw (and that was with toe covers on the bike).

Lots of other people ended up in the med tent with hypothermia though.

98? I was racing last year also and I don't remember it being anywhere near that hot. Mid-80s maybe. Regardless, despite training in North Carolina heat, I'd much rather race in the cold than the heat.

I was at bike aid station # 2 and had my truck running with the heater on full blast and a constant stream of bodies filling it up. It was gut wrenching to see these guys and girls coming in after the long descent from the Olympic park. One girl I had to lift off of her bike and lift her into my truck and we just could not warm her up even after I stripped as much off her that was wet that I could and she was taken away from my truck into another car and driven away. My thoughts have been with her ever since and I hope she is ok. The first person that came in was a guy from Germany and between him and her, I have never seen anything like it, it was horrifying to see these people in such a bad way, they looked like death and it is an image I will never forget. He warmed up for about 2 hours and dried off then continued on with another guy from Germany.
I ended up running around topless wearinng just a pair of shorts for so long while giving up my 4 layers of sweaters/raingear/tshirts to various cold people and building makeshift ponchos out of solar blankets to try and keep those who wouldnt stop warm.
I wish I would have remembered that girls race number but if someone knows her, hope she is ok, I wouldnt mind an update (it was a low, 3 digit number, under 500)

I remember reading your RR from that race. I think it depends on the person. I'm a heavy sweater, so even in cold conditions, I sweat a lot, then I'm just hooped no matter what I'm wearing. I can never stay warm, and I'm 180-190lbs. I would think the long descents at Whistler would be a teeth chattering affair for sure.

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Long Chile was a silly place.

I'm a slow biker, so later in the afternoon, yeah, the valley, and the climb back, were pretty cookin'. I remember slowly grinding past some guy on the climb back. I made some comment like "beautiful day for a little ride, huh?" and he laughed and replied "My garmin says it's 98 fucking degrees right now!". So, I don't know how accurate those things are, but that's where the number came from. I did the majority of my training in mid-80 weather and feel totally comfortable saying it was far, far hotter then that when I was leaving the valley on race day.

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Long Chile was a silly place.

I'm a slow biker, so later in the afternoon, yeah, the valley, and the climb back, were pretty cookin'. I remember slowly grinding past some guy on the climb back. I made some comment like "beautiful day for a little ride, huh?" and he laughed and replied "My garmin says it's 98 fucking degrees right now!". So, I don't know how accurate those things are, but that's where the number came from. I did the majority of my training in mid-80 weather and feel totally comfortable saying it was far, far hotter then that when I was leaving the valley on race day.
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I was in the last group on that climb. I agree it was Fu^king hot!

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Train safe & smart
Bob

Basically same thing with me.. Did the swim, and did 40 miles on the bike before I had to pull over. Couldn't produce any power in the bike cause I was shivering too hard. My whole body was numb; thought if I continued I might get hypothermia. Took about 2 hours in the hotel room to bring my temperature back to normal.

Just back to hotel after finishing. Brutal conditions on the bike. Freezing, pouring rain and dangerous descents. Going back down to find a friend who is still out there. Any word on KQ slot allocation?

A friend of ours pulled out early in the bike with hypothermia. About $1500 for her and her husband to fly there, another grand for the hotel for four nights, etc. etc. and then not much to do afterwards except to go to the bar and drink. It was an expensive weekend. Not to mention training all year just for this day.

Is it time for Ironman to move this race back to Penticton? What would happen if this Global warming stopped for a week and it really snowed at the ski resort?
.

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Push your Passion!