Planning for IMFL

Jan 22, 05 9:19

Post #1 of 24 (2792 views)

It may be real early for this (or not!), but I guess I should start planning my venture to Florida. I'll be coming from California. I've already started arrangements to have my bike transported through Wheels on Wheels. They'll ship from my LBS to the race site a few days before the race and, after the race, they'll take it off your hands and return it to the LBS. Such a deal and one little stress thing out of the way.

This event will also be a 50th birthday party for me, so hopefully lots of family can make it. The plan is to do the race (and actually finish) and then get to Orlando and stay at a Disney resort and visit all the Disney attractions (assuming I can move at all!) My kids will love it - 9 and 12 y.o. at that time. I want to fly into the local area (PCB) and rent a car, if necessary. After the race, hop on a plane to Orlando and take a taxi to whatever hotel, spend a couple of days there, then fly home from Orlando. I figure walking around Disney will aid in recovering and certainly better than a 6 hour flight home, wondering if I'm getting DVTs. What is the nearest airport to PCB that lands the big planes? What's a good place to stay in PCB for the race?

Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Re: Planning for IMFL [HalfSpeed] [ In reply to ]

Jan 22, 05 9:31

Post #2 of 24 (2729 views)

Probably biggest airport (besides the one in PCB) is Tallahassee.

As for where to stay, we rented a house there...but some family and friends got a new 2 bedroom condo (hadn't been baptized to Spring Break yet) for $70/night right on the beach 1/4M from Start, along the bike out /in actually. Here is a link to the rental agency we used...

http://www.panamabeachrentals.com/

If you have over 6-8 people traveling with you...I would recommend Simply the Best. Had 3 families there and we hardly bumped into each other.

Re: Planning for IMFL [HalfSpeed] [ In reply to ]

Jan 22, 05 12:10

Post #3 of 24 (2692 views)

I'm super pumped about doing IMFL next year. It will be my first IM. I too need to start thinking about accomodations for my wife and I. I'm not sure if we'll bring the kids, or leave them with Grandma. I live in Macon, GA, not too far from PCB, so we'll probably drive.

This brings me to a good question. For spouses... I would imagine it would be a long day for them to be there the whole time cheering you on. Do people actually hang around the whole time, or do they head off and do other things during the day, and maybe try and meet up and cheer you on at certain spots along the race... Coming out of T2 for example.

I'll have to check out that link you posted below for lodging.

Thanks,
Trae

--
Trae McCombs
TSR - Sponsored by the Masses. Racing for the hell of it.
Ironman Finisher 2005 -- 14:09:18

Re: Planning for IMFL [occy] [ In reply to ]

Jan 22, 05 12:21

Post #4 of 24 (2686 views)

Been there as a spectator and as a participant. There is pretty much nothing to do during bike. Fun to watch entire swim portion and athlete leave out of T1, but after that rest up and have a plan on what time to be back to watch T2. I enjoyed standing in the shoot and giving high fives to the finishers. BIke portion is boring, but once the finishers start arriving it gets very emotional. Your wife might want to volunteer at an aid station during the run. Great time to see you and a great time to encourage the finishers. The race is a blur now, but I remember alot of the encouragement I received from the people during the run.

The Cuban Comet
(Comets are unbelievably slow over Cuba)

Re: Planning for IMFL [HalfSpeed] [ In reply to ]

Jan 22, 05 12:35

Post #5 of 24 (2678 views)

Airline-wise the Panama City-Orlando segment of the trip is a problem. US Air has ended a lot of their intra-Florida flights including their Panama City/Ft. Walton Beach to Orlando/Tampa routes. So in order to get a non-stop to Orlando, you need to go out of Tallahassee on Delta, IIRC.

I'd definitely rent a car in PCB. Everything's pretty spread out, and not much in the way of public transportation.

Re: Planning for IMFL [occy] [ In reply to ]

Jan 22, 05 12:45

Post #6 of 24 (2671 views)

I did IMFL in November and my parents flew out to watch. What I did for them was set up my laptop with Ironmanlive.com so they could watch my progress. When I was getting close to coming in to transition or the run turnaround they could walk down and cheer me on. We stayed in the Boardwalk Beach Resort so they only had to walk down to the parking lot to see everything.

Archer

Re: Planning for IMFL [Archer] [ In reply to ]

Jan 22, 05 12:49

Post #7 of 24 (2662 views)

Not a bad idea...(laptop) I think my wife will probably either want to go shopping or something. She might want to do the volunteer thing too. Not sure, I'd have to ask her. That'd be kinda cool.

tx for the ideas guys,
Trae

--
Trae McCombs
TSR - Sponsored by the Masses. Racing for the hell of it.
Ironman Finisher 2005 -- 14:09:18

Re: Planning for IMFL [Archer] [ In reply to ]

Jan 22, 05 12:54

Post #8 of 24 (2660 views)

I can attest to two of the most important items from my 2002 finish: Having a massage every Monday for the 10-weeks before the race and having a solid family plan at the finish. My wife and daughter crossed the line with me hand-in-hand and is still one of the top 3 photos in my life!

Of course the two biggest mistakes were not training in aero for 3-5 hours; on race day I had a great bike but paid for it with a bruised chest wall on the run (aero-bars to close together) and the second was not having a light on my watch during the run. I couldn't read the time split at every mile, thus not allowing for any feedback.

Good luck!

ST

STIndiana
America Multi-Sport, Inc.
America's Half June 10, 2017
USAT RD Century Club
http://www.americamultisport.com

Re: Planning for IMFL [occy] [ In reply to ]

Jan 22, 05 15:59

Post #9 of 24 (2625 views)

Shopping- there's a big outlet mall called Silver Sands on US 98 just east of Destin about 35-40 miles west of the finish line. If she's interested in that kind of thing, prices there tend to be better than similar outlet mall stores in Orlando. (Bonus is if you hit the Saucony and Nike stores at the right time, you can get wokrout gear dirt cheap. We're talking $10 for drylite running tights that list for $50) About 10 miles west of that in Destin proper is Destin Commons Mall, which is going more for the upscale full price shopper. Some fun little botiques in Seaside about 15 miles west of PCB.

Not much shopping-wise right now in PCB except for t-shirt shops, tattoo parlors, head shops, and condom stores. The big new shopping areas in development are probably a year or two from completion yet. But it's fun for the kids to see the gators at the big Alvin's Island if the beasts are still there.

Re: Planning for IMFL [FLA Jill] [ In reply to ]

Jan 22, 05 16:05

Post #10 of 24 (2620 views)

Good piece of info. Thanks. What's the drive (time) from/to Tallahassee?

Movie theaters in PCB should have an 'Ironman Spectator Special'. They should show movies all day long. Spectators can purchase a ticket and walk in/out as they please, when they're bored. The theater should have an occasional Ironman newsfeed - tickertape style, on the screen and maybe an ironmanlive.com newsbreak, when something significant is happening. That'd be cool.

Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Re: Planning for IMFL [HalfSpeed] [ In reply to ]

Jan 22, 05 16:26

Post #11 of 24 (2611 views)

I am in ....this will be my 4th IMF.....

I shall never misuse Rex Kwon Do
I shall be a champion of freedom and justice

Re: Planning for IMFL [HalfSpeed] [ In reply to ]

Jan 22, 05 17:31

Post #12 of 24 (2592 views)

Mapquest says 2 1/2 hours. I'm about 60 miles WNW of PCB and take a different route to get there so don't have direct experience. My guess would be at least 15 minutes quicker than that, maybe two hours. Right lane speed on I-10 is normally around 80 so you get some time there.

You also might get a direct flight to Orlando if you go through Pensacola, which is also a little more than two hours west from PCB.

Re: Planning for IMFL [IronZ06] [ In reply to ]

Jan 22, 05 17:50

Post #13 of 24 (2588 views)

This will be my first and most likely my last. I'm way better at sprints. But, should strange things happen and a Kona slot rolls down to me, I'll take it in a heartbeat. Highly unlikely, though.

Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Re: Planning for IMFL [FLA Jill] [ In reply to ]

Jan 22, 05 18:08

Post #14 of 24 (2579 views)

It looks like Pensacola and Tallahassee are nearly the same distance from PCB. I'll hand it over to the wife, now, to work out the details. The good thing is, I'll be able to get on the plane first, after the race. They do let the disabled on first, right?

Thanks for the info.

Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Re: Planning for IMFL [HalfSpeed] [ In reply to ]

Feb 2, 05 12:26

Post #15 of 24 (2522 views)

Don't know how the travel plans are working out yet, but it looks like Continental is starting to pick up some of US Air's old intra-Florida routes.

http://biz.yahoo.com/...050110/dam030_1.html

Re: Planning for IMFL [FLA Jill] [ In reply to ]

Feb 2, 05 12:57

Post #16 of 24 (2498 views)

Sweet. Thanks, I'll put the watchdog on it.

Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Re: Planning for IMFL [occy] [ In reply to ]

Feb 2, 05 13:37

Post #17 of 24 (2480 views)

I've been teaching my kids to taunt and harass me when they see me out there. Some other thread, here, gave me the idea. Can't wait to see other spectators' reactions when my 8 yo son yells at me, "You're slower than Heinz Ketchup!"

Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Re: Planning for IMFL [HalfSpeed] [ In reply to ]

Feb 2, 05 13:42

Post #18 of 24 (2471 views)

i would estimate talahassee to be a little bit over an hour from PCB. i've flown into pensacola before and can confirm that it will take 2 hours to drive to PCB. fort walton would be the closest airport other than panama city airport, which is probably 50 minutes away. one other option is dothan, alabama, which i think is about an hour and a half north of PCB.

Re: Planning for IMFL [HalfSpeed] [ In reply to ]

Feb 2, 05 13:45

Post #19 of 24 (2469 views)

Halfspeed, looks like we will be competing together. I'm doing IMF and I turn 54 on Saturday. So I'll be the old guy in the age group. This will be my 3rd time to do IM Florida. Fast course but very boring.

18x Ironman, 3x Hawaii
US Army (Ret.), Vietnam Vet ('71-'72)

Re: Planning for IMFL [RSum716] [ In reply to ]

Feb 2, 05 13:49

Post #20 of 24 (2464 views)

If Ft. Walton Beach fits the travel plans, it really is a nice little airport with a brand shiny new terminal. (we now have bathrooms on BOTH sides of the magnetometers so you no longer have to go back through secuirty to take a pee) Real easy to get to PCB from there too- just follow the signs to Niceville/Valapraiso hook onto eastbound FL 20 there, and stay on that road to just past Freeport. Go south US 331, across the bridge, and then east on US 98 when 331 turns into a T. From there, it's four lane highway without too many traffic lights to PCB.

Re: Planning for IMFL [HalfSpeed] [ In reply to ]

Feb 2, 05 14:16

Post #21 of 24 (2445 views)

I'm flying into Tallahasse on United from Sacramento on Wed. & driving in from there. I'll take my chances on adding the bike to my regular luggage--they're pretty cool in Sac.Staying @ the Boardwalk--wanted the true IM experience first time out--still reasonable. Flying out on Tues. after soaking up Panama Beach and a few cold ones to battle the soreness.

Re: Planning for IMFL [occy] [ In reply to ]

Feb 2, 05 18:17

Post #22 of 24 (2391 views)

My wife kept the kids at the beach for most of the race and brought them out during the run portion. I kept my cell phone in my transition bag and was able to let her know my progress coming out of T2. It worked out great.

Tallahassee to PCB is 2 1/2 hours, maybe slightly less. I lived in Thomasville, GA just north of Tal and made the commute several times.

Re: Planning for IMFL [IronRod] [ In reply to ]

Feb 2, 05 18:41

Post #23 of 24 (2374 views)

We'll have to plan a Slowtwitch Geezer's meeting place. Where we can all recount our injuries leading up to the race and look at each other's gray hair. I'm looking forward to it being entertaining through at least half of the marathon. Then, I'm willing to accept misery and suffering, until the finish where, if there's any bit of energy left, I might raise a fist in the air. Oh, and stop my watch.

Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Re: Planning for IMFL [occy] [ In reply to ]

Feb 2, 05 19:42

Post #24 of 24 (2353 views)

I probably made a mistake by not reading all the posts first--but if I could not do the race, and had to be there all day, being a volunteer would be awesome. You can kind of pick what you want to do. Next to srtipping wetsuits off the girls, I would want to be a bike wrangler in the morning, and a "catcher" at the end of the day when people finish the run. I don't remember what the guy looked like who "caught" me at the end, but he was tall I remember how good his strength felt when mine was pretty shot.

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