Sergio

Weather should be nice, temperatures in the 60-70 F range. Could be sunny or rainy. Last year we had both. Depending on the weather, the swim could be very choppy or glassy smooth. Water temp should be in the 70s.

Bike course is mostly on rural roads. Pancake flat. Some wind in the first and last sections. Other than that, no problems. Might have some cars to deal with from time to time.

Run course is on residential streets, two loops. Pancake flat also.

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Simplify, Train, Live

Sergio, i did IM Fl last year.

Course - SWIM: it's in the Gulf, you can have anything!!! most likely will be wetsuit legal, be prepared for some rough surf. plenty of beach to spread out on. BIKE:very flat, mostly just rolls along very gently (sometimes decievingly so, as you will be on a gentle incline wondering why you are going so slow), roads are ok, there is some auto traffic (be careful, they aren't, one guy was badly hurt last year), not too many turns, packs will form - the ugly side of IM. RUN: 2 loop out-around the park and back, dead flat, no shade, bunch of turns, through quiet neighborhoods.

Weather - as everyone always says, you have to be prepared for anything. on any given sunday the weather... But, you can expect that the day will be hot. it can get very hot as in the 90s (F) but it will probably be mid 80s, it will be humid and there's a good chance of an afternoon thunderstorm, that will cool things off. you can get some stiff wind off the water too so be prepared for that. also, it get dark early as we head into fall, so be prepared to run in the dark if you will take over 10-11hrs.

People - there will be big crowds at the transition area but not a lot along the course. most all are pretty friendly though. in general it's a 'tourist town' in the off season so they're used to tourists and gald to have people in the off season. you'll find the area friendly.

Accomodations - i can't give you any specific recomendations - you should try the chat sites or something. i can tell you that this is a tourist town and not an upscale one. actually kind of beat down but definetly on the come-back. so, the upscale places are expensive but there are NUMEROUS cheap accomodations in a few mile radius. you can almost surely arrive without accomodations and find a local small motel that is clean and reasonable but very sparse. but, of course i wouldn't recommend that. and that also involves renting a car. also, if you want to go an hour away there are some nice beachfront house rentals that are probably less than the event hotels.

good luck

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"Competetive sport begins where healthy sport ends"

I think the weather can be a big variable there, based on last year's experience and the sequence of events that have taken place in the last few IM's. It was nice the few days leading up to the event. On Thursday, they cancelled the practice swims due to dangerous water conditions, on Friday, it was glassy, on Saturday (race day) it was choppy (as soon as the last swimmer finished, they put up the red danger flags on the beach warning people not to swim). Then we had moderate to strong winds on the bike, and rain at about the 6 hour mark or so, the first amount of rain since I was there (arrived wed.). The rest of the day was pretty nice. If the race had been on Sunday, I'm sure it would have been a massacre. The humidity was nearly unbearable, I could barely stand being outside more than a few minutes at a time (of course I was tired and extremely nauseous, but I still couldn't imagine racing in it). I was thankful for the weather we had.

So, moral of the story is be ready for rough weather, they've been fortunate in past years, but the IMNA events have been getting killed this year by mother nature, and the region of IMFL is not immune to bad conditions.

As far as accomodations go, there are tons of cheap motels and hotels. Just call and you could probably negotiate a good price.

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"What the mind can conceive and believe, the mind and body can achieve; and those who stay will be champions."

Sergio:

Organization - great. I was in and out of registeration faster than any other IM and most Oly's.

Pre-Race: Fun, but not as great as IM Canada or IMUSA. Still, plenty of vendors and take advantage of the Gatorade practice swims.

Swim: The year I did it - flat as a freakin pancake. Could see schools of fish and an occassional small ray along the bottom. Got a few swells around teh far turns, but hardly anything. The start itself is pretty wide so body contact, while certainly existing, wasn't that bad. The worst part? the boat fuel stench. There were a few boats sitting out around teh turns plus the lead boat and it left a stink in the water. Water can actually get a bit cool by teh second loop (at least for my year) so if you are torn between full or sleeveless, if it were me, I'd choose the full (my op - I am sure there are plenty of others who would disagree).

Bike: Its killer on the legs - really. The only climbs are an overpass that you cross at the beginning and the end. Otherwise, stay in the same position, the same gearing, same leg muscles etc. almost the whole ride. I had little wind my year, but I have heard that it can pick up. The first 35 miles of pines was nice....by the 75th mile I was beginning to hate pine trees :)

Run: I really liked the run. Its two loops and much of it was through a state park with gravel paths along the road. Flat and if you have reserve in the tank can be very fast. Good support - lots of locals cheering you on. You go through a couple of boring neighborhoods, but overall its a nice run mentally.

Finisher's T-Shirt/Medal: Medal was nice 9it was my first so I love it). T-shirt was a bit overblown with the word "Finisher" (I mean, I have a well developed ego and like to brag....but 50000pt font is a bit much).

Accomodations: I think I stayed about a mile south of teh start....maybe a holiday inn? Got pretty decent rates. Its off-season, so I think if you shop around you can get a deal.

Meals/Shopping: Lots of fast food places around. I managed to find some healthier options - but restaurants didn't stay open too late. There was also a good size supermarket down the road and about a block off of the main drag. They will have whatever you need - powerbars, clif bars, gatorade, water, etc. The expo vendors have everything else you need.

Airport: Very small - so be prepared to make it but, if you take your bike on the flight, be prepared for it to be trucked in the next day. Take the shuttle from the airport - easy to spot and very cheap.

Entertainment: Like peewee golf or go carts? If so you will be in heaven.

Have fun!!!

Alan

p.s. Since it is your first, go dump a paycheck on some race logo gear, pre-order finisher's photos and/or video, etc. First, they are great memories and souvenairs to have of your first IM. Second, if all the hours and your dreams that you have invested into finishing are not enough at mile 20....think of having $200+ worth of crap around reminding you every day that you didn't finish. That will get you over the finish line!

I rented through www.pcbeachrentals.com, just ask them to get you close to the race site. They fairly affordable condo's in the area

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The Cuban Comet
(Comets are unbelievably slow over Cuba)

Semi-local here. If you want my shopping for sherpas reccs, so back a few pages and they're under a thread called something like "Why do I have to check in on Thursday?"



Airport- It is very small. If you're planning to rent a car anyways, check the flight prices out of Ft. Walton Beach/Okaloosa County (Airport id VPS) and see if they come up noticably cheaper. Will add a half hour-40 minutes to drive time, but it makes it a bit easier to avoid the evil ASA (Delta's hellspawn commuter airline) out of Atlanta. Do not think to go cheap by booking into Orlando and driving. You're talking a 5-7 hour drive from there to PCB.

Weather- it's actually usually very pleasant in early November, and nothing like the awful heat of Gulf Coast in May. I'd put the over-under for high temp on race day at 81F, with moderate humidity levels. (well moderate humidity levels by Southeastern standards) Statistcally, there's about a 15% chance of the water being over 78F on race day, but we had a relatively cool summer, and the water temp right now is barely 84F.

Since this year's IM races have had bad conditions, take note that November is still part of Atlantic hurricane season. While water temps in the northern Gulf are usually too cool by then for direct tropical action, a TS hitting Cancun down south of there will stir up the surf in PCB to red flag conditions.

Swimming in the Gulf- dangerous conditions are normally related to rip currents, not big waves.

Food- Publix is the good grocery store chain in Florida. If they've got a Greenwise flyer in ads rack in front grab, it. Good coupons like buy one, get one free Powerbar Bites.

Restaurants- haven't eaten there a bunch, but Pineapple Willy's has acceptable fish sandwiches, The Spinnaker looked edible when we've been there for concerts, and I've heard good things about 30 Degree Blue. Florida Trend gives Golden Spoons to Boar's Head Restaurant, Hamilton's and Capt. Anderson's in PCB. IMO, the Treasure Ship is a tourist trap.

Accomidations- It's off season, so there should be bargains. But a lot of the lower end places aren't great about upkeep in general, and even less so these days since ownership figures they'll get bought out and torn down for condos within five years anyways.

Daylight- don't expect much of it. PCB is on the far eastern fringe of central time zone, so it gets dark really early starting in November. Unless you're really fast, figure on finishing in the dark.

Tanks for all the info that you guys posted!!!

My main concern right now is to lower the investment that i will do to travel and accommodate in florida for about a week to do the race. I will be racing as pro but as a student my pocket its usually empty ;-)

Thanks again for the help

Sergio Marques

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S�rgio Marques
When it hurts is when it feels good ;-)
Sergio-Marques.com

I've heard rumblings that this is the last year for IMFLA due to the venue's five-year contract. Anyone know if this is true? I'd like to do the event next year.

Matt