I've done both races.

Wilmington Pros: Fast swim, flat bike course, great run course. I stayed about 15 min. from race site and it was cheap. You can take a bus to swim start-no problem. Potential for PR
Cons: Weather could be a factor, making for a very windy bike course, or flooding on any given day. *Sign up as late as possible if you go this route.

Augusta Pros: Fast swim, good rolling bike course, flat (I mean really flat) run. I stayed about 20 min. out and it was cheap-lots of restaurants. No problems parking. You can walk or take the shuttle bus to swim start. If you walk, there is a church on the way to swim start that opens around 5am and serves breakfast treats, coffee, bathrooms w/ no lines. Finish line was a ways (1 mile-ish) from bike transition so a minor hassle picking up bike at the end unless you parked at the swim start, but there is a shuttle bus for that as well. Potential for PR.
Cons: This race can get super hot. Seeding yourself very high to ensure earlier start helps. Swim start is like 2 single lines-it goes quick. Bike course has a few railroad crossings at beginning and end.

Both races are good choices. Note: I did not have any family with me to worry about so I have no input for spectatorship. Hope this helps.

That helps! Thanks.

Which would you choose?

Also, are both wetsuit legal typically? Not a strong swimmer, but been working on it.

Both swims are current assisted. The bike at North Carolina is much flatter by about 1000 feet. Both runs are flat. Augusta is usually hot AF. I’ve had friends that did Augusta several years running and by the run they were really feeling the heat. Bank on 90 degrees. North Carolina is on October 19th, which is very late season for that time of year. I’m signed up and hope I don’t freeze my ass off. It was cancelled last year due to the hurricane, so hopefully there won’t be a weather issue in 2019.

Correction: I did the IMNC that first year (the bike was shortened to 56) but the course is the same. It was wetsuit legal. Augusta was non-legal. It was the first time I wore a swimskin. I am a mid-pack swimmer. Trust me-you will be happy no matter what in both races when it comes to your swim time (barring some weird weather that affects water chop...)

For me-Augusta edges out Wilmington. The overall experience was better. If you can handle HOT-go for this one.

I have done them both as well and the comments are pretty spot on.

Wilmington is the beach though, so it is a different experience outside the race if you want (not just a city). I love that city (got engaged on Wrightsville) and make a mini vacation out of it. The year I did B2B, it was pretty windy, and the swim got a little choppy, that wind made the bike miserably tough for the section on 421, felt like a very long climb into the wind even though it was flat. Coming back was fun though with a big push. The pajama pants instead of a hat was also a nice touch (not sure if this is still a thing though).

Augusta run is very flat, and is very spectator friendly as it just meanders back and forth down city streets, you can catch your athlete 3-4 times per lap without walking more than a block. No doubt about it, it is a very hot race though.

All great feedback, it is nice to hear from people that have done it.

Many thanks.

Augusta is a fast course if you’re prepared for the heat. A lot of folks pick it for the fast swim but end up losing all the saved time on the run. It is a well run event.

Thank you!

I looked at potentially doing Augusta... after all those fees on Active it was going to be nearly $450 for the entry. Crazy!

Where do you live? That can be a factor if you drive or fly in. Augusta holds the record for the most participants and it sells out quick.
As far as I know, it wasn't wetsuit legal for the past couple of years in Augusta. I think popular ones are more expensive than others such as Lubbock 70.3 vs. Augusta 70.3.

Can confirm. Missed tier 1 registration. Tier 2 with insurance and active fees came out to around $420.

With IM 70.3 Chattanooga recently getting approx. 4,000 registered participants, I think that is the new standard.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Damn! Didn't know that. That's a lot of participants.

I have never done Wilmington, but I have done Augusta twice. I would vote for Wilmington. Augusta is kind of an armpit of a town. The city itself has an abandoned, post-apocalyptic looking vibe. And, it is crazy hot. Not as hot as Gulf Coast, though. Most of the restaurants and hotels are around 6 miles away from race start. It is probably the best on the planet for spectators during the run.

Wilmington is a great town. I do not know the environment close to the race, but I think it has a lot of hotel inventory in general.

If you respond well to heat on the run, then Augusta would be very fast.

I've done both races. They're both very good events. For me the deciding factor is the run course. Augusta's run course is really hot and pretty boring. The Wilmington run course is great!

This.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Swim courses are comparable. I hated Wilmington bike course. A large portion was on the highway. It was awful. Augusta bike course was definitely better than Wilmington. Run courses are bother decent. Good crowd support on both. As far as the cities go? Both are meh. Downtown Augusta is pretty much dead. Wilmington is like one big strip mall.

Thanks to all that contributed here. Much appreciated.