(Sonny and Cher "I got you babe" playing in background)

Okay campers rise and shine and don't forget your booties cause it's cold out there today.

It's been THE topic of discussion among all the IMTX athletes I know. I'm sure there are people who are unaware, but anecdotally knowledge is approaching 100% in Houston.

I spoke to a friend last night ( we did IM TX 2013 together) who worked for WTC/Ironman in their Merchandising department out of Tampa, Florida. She knew nothing at all about the Bike issue going on here. Said all the IM sites she has been following has made no mention of any possible snafus that we are going through at present.

I would expect that kind of knowledge at ground zero, but let me assure you that in the hinterlands, and especially with folks who don't follow ST and IMTX Facebook (read many newbies) there are a lot of people completely oblivious to this.

Makes sense, and those are the very people I feel the worst for if they don't get this done.

(I still think they'll get something done).

I think those folks are the lucky ones, with their blissful ignorance. Most likely a solution will be found and they will have been completely unaware of the uncertainty, except for maybe some slight surprise when a revised bike course is announced. Meanwhile, all of us fools who are worrying about the outcome will have wasted valuable mental energy worrying about nothing!

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-Andrew

That's a tough one to answer. I'm pretty embedded in the business community here and I've gotten pretty solid information that some rather important and influential business people, with no real interest in this race are getting organized to raise money for the next election. Beyond our little world of the race, this has become quite the community event, and people want it here. They also see those non profit donations to some great causes as a great thing.

Add to that, the political climate here has become toxic on unrelated matters, so who knows if any seats are changed what the new leadership will look like.

Add to that, locally within the Woodlands, there's a loud minority of people essentially trying to push The Woodlands, voted one of the best places in the country for an active lifestyle, to essentially become a retirement community, by trying to clamp down on events of all shapes and sizes. The overwhelming majority is on our side, but every once in a while you get an elected official that gets talked to enough that they think that's what everyone is thinking. And local elections can be won on a small turnout alone.

Add to that, a Grand Jury was just granted an extension in looking into some of the actions of some of these very same people on another issue. If that comes down, there may be some turnover.

So I don't have the answer. The reality is that the wind is generally at our back on this event, but this has been a tough year. With new roads and a better climate all could be fine next year....or not.

So hopefully great minds will come together, as I'm pretty sure they're reading this.

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Badig| Strava

Good insights and I understand we are totally speculating. But I do hope that at the same time WTC is trying to resolve this year's crisis that they are quietly scoping out an alternative venue to put the Woodland's politics behind them. Worst case scenario is to lose IMTX altogether since it's the only IM in NA for the first half of the year. Maybe this will motivate WTC to also start looking for another spring venue besides Texas.

^^This I can guarantee..they are 3 steps ahead of you.

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Badig| Strava

Put St. George back to a full!

+1

I would be all over that.

It sure would be nice to get a substantive update today, before such a huge volume training weekend.

Drop a race that sells out every year for one that barely pulled 1000 in its last year. That makes sense.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Well, at least make the run on IM SG a little easier. A hard bike and a hard run is what's killing registration.

I'm training for IM TX as scheduled because I'm hopeful WTC will pull it off.

Just move it a little north! Maybe this will be completed by the time the WTC contract with the Woodlands ends.


http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2016/04/06/texas-developer-bringing-in-states-first-cabo.html










No - I don't think this will happen... but how cool would a lagoon swim be?!

Bob - Not drop Texas ... move it from the Woodlands to Austin or someplace else in Texas, AND bring back the ST George full so there are 2 IMs in the spring. One thing is for sure, if they don't have a bike leg next month, IMTX will not sell out next year if it remains in the Woodlands. When St George was struggling, there was also TX, CDA and Cabo (if my memory is correct). It might fare better now given the dearth of alternatives. r/Paul

My gripe too..... In Biggest build weeks, tired, high risk of injury phase of build, balancing job, other life items and in the back of my mind - all for nothing as this conditioning can only be maintained for short period of time... At least for me...Old guy ;)

I'm doing an IM on May 14th. If it's in the Woodlands with 3000 other people, great. If it has to be on my own then so be it.

Is the window to transfer gone? Have any of you athletes been contacted by WTC?

College Station has always been a great choice for an Ironman in Texas. Right in the middle of the triangle of Houston, Dallas, and Austin and a zillion hotels in the Spring not being used because it's not football season. Lake Bryan is exactly 2.4 miles across and back, and the surrounding area has nothing but cows and chickens for a hundred miles. It's an hour, 1.5 hour drive from the Houston airport and we have our own airport as well. I do my own self-supported Ironman here every fall and it's wonderful. But shrug...

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I don't hate this idea. Any chance to visit the motherland is alright with me. :) Gig'em!

deadline was March 30th I believe.

I believe the transfer date was March 30th. In the event they cancel the bike or even altogether I would think they would allow some kind of transfer if they didn't want a PR nightmare.

There are some who actively work against these types of things. Not only what we see here but things like Woodlands High school scheduling ACT at the same time as the marathon a few weeks ago. They could have used College Park and it been a non issue. But then they complain about traffic. Or how they schedule prom the same weekend as Ironman every year. I hear all the time how they want to keep it a small town. Thats silly there are over 100K people here now.

The construction I would think would be easy to work around. 149/1488 move the blocks and sweep, there wouldnt be any work going on on saturday. Now if they start work on the 149 n out of montgomery that could create something.

Gotcha. I read that again and saw it wasn't swap TX for StG.

I'm real leery of the talk of Austin since the 70.3 course is such total shit. If they moved the 70.3 (or did a 140.6) on the west side of Austin it would be epic.

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Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One