I would, in a snap. I am doing GC in the spring to try for my shot at STG 2021. The WC is a fantastic experience. There is no charity path in, so almost everyone there is a top tier athlete. The whole environment is probably as close as a mortal can come to being in an Olympics-like environment.

It depends what your goals are for the the full. It's unlikely to make a drastic difference to your time, but you probably won't be at 100% for it.

I'm in the same position as you, I just squeaked in and wouldn't have come close to qualifying if it was not 2020. But who knows when or if I will get another chance, so i'm looking forward to it. I say go for it, enjoy the experience, if time/budget permits, spend a few days recovering after the race and check out the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park, then head to Chattanooga and become an Ironman. After that I think you will have earnt some rest and a few beers!

For sure do both. You only live once!

Unless you are trying for a KQ at Chatt, you should do it. The 70.3 WCs are great events. They increase the challenge of the course, you get a lot of great athletes, and the split M/F days make it fun to see the best of the opposite sex. St. G is an iconic IM venue and worthy of hosting the event.

The 2021 edition will be far less competitive with AGers given the travel restrictions and the number of people that took deep rolldowns to the 2020 Taupo event. Nevertheless, it will be the place to be that weekend.

GC is a 2021 qualifier? Hope you're not 30-34.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

Now you got me nervous. I have not paid attention to any race schedule since the world ended. I assumed that STG WC was a fall race and 2021 GC would be a qualifier. I have no clue what is going on these days. Whatever. I will go to whatever WC Gulf Coast qualifies me for.

Go to WC, you will never regret.......and then you go to Chattanoga.

First off, congratulations.

Were it me, I would absolutely do both events. My overall plan would look something like this:

IM70.3 WC would be a 'B' race. I would approach it like a longer training day, keeping my HR comfortably in Z2, dialing in nutrition and transitions. I like having a mantra that I repeat to myself during IM events; in this event, mine would probably be 'stress-free' or something like that. I'd be smiling my ass off all day long.

Not sure how you are wired, but if this was me and I passed it up I am pretty sure I would regret the hell out of it down the line.

Day after WCs are over I hit the road (assumes you are driving). That's a long drive (28 hrs) and it crosses 2 time zones, I believe. I would want to arrive in Chattanooga no later than midday on Thursday. Particularly since this is your first full-distance event, make sure you give yourself time to be there and enjoy the whole IM atmosphere ahead of time. Take a bit of time on Thursday and Friday to check out the course, do a little light exercise to flesh out the body after all that driving and recovery from the WCs, and spend some dough at the expo. Get your restaurant reservations set up and all that stuff.

Then, on race day I am keeping everything in Z2 again, just trying to be smooth and steady. Listen carefully to your body, and single biggest piece of advice is don't burn your legs out on the bike. If you do, well, at least enjoy the walk.

Cheers.

Well, 2022 is Taupo. I'm in the same boat as you. I was gunning hard for a St. George slot, but COVID came up and I realized there are more important things than racing triathlon. hah. But I agree, if it's Taupo and I get a slot, I'll go.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

Do it!!! I've done WC twice, the 2013 and 2017 additions and they are remarkable experiences. It seems that all the top pro's are around the weekend and you get to see them. 2013 I saw Crowie at the expo and in 2017 Javier Gomez was in the lane next to me when I went for a swim a few days before at the local pool. I wasn't competitive at either event, but the experiences are ones I wouldn't trade. I have Chattanooga 70.3 on the schedule for 2021 and if I can get a spot then, I may try to go and just do it on my road bike for the experience again.

As far as your first full. You will have some time goals, but take it easy on that too so you enjoy it!

How do you feel today 72+ hours post race? If not physically, mentally, and emotionally spent then you could be ready for a full IM 8 days after an IM 70.3. Both races are hilly settings. The swim will be enhanced at Chattanooga by the river current. You'll be faced with similar geography, IMCHOO will be twice as far. If you train with hills, then your legs can handle both events. Utah will be a dry climate and Tennessee more humid. Nutrition settings will differ because of this and distance. St. George is a beautiful part of the country. Bonuses include Zion and Bryce Canyon NP's are nearby, and worth relaxing in the days after the race before heading to Tennessee.

The IM personnel put on quality races. Yes, the events are expensive but held at unique locations and with lots of interesting people. Both create memorable experiences. And IM ramps up their quality experiences for participants at Worlds including unique pre & post celebrations, finisher's medals, shirts, awards, and something new at every event.

The point person that talked me into my first IRONMAN always said, "Never turn down a qualifying spot." You never know if one will come your way again. And really project ahead towards the end of your racing career, imagine a look back of your races, and ask if you have any regrets. Most people regret more of what they did not do, than what they did do. Do you really want to forgo Worlds so you could do your first IM fresh? Or do you want to be able to claim that your legs were trashed when doing two big races on consecutive weekends but you finished, and achieved your goals?

https://www.palmtreesahead.com/
https://www.palmtreesahead.com/tactics2faster-new

I could be totally off on this, but I believe there are going to be two 70.3 races in St. George next year: the normal race in May and the WC later in the year. The email you received was a marketing email that went to everyone with an Ironman account. In fact, I just signed up for the same race, and I've got a little way to go before I qualify for a WC.

Another data point is that when you qualify for a WC (70.3 or Kona) you typically have to appear at the awards ceremony for the race at which you qualified and plunk down the registration money right then and there. Not sure if Covid weirdness has changed that though.

At any rate, interesting discussion around going to WC events in general.

Aaaaand and after rereading your post I realize that I'm just dumb. Got confused about 70.3 choo being close to 70.3 st george. Disregard my post, and best of luck at WC!

With Covid, rolldowns are virtual now and awarded via email. OP was at gulf coast 70.3 this past week so more likely he got the WC70.3 due to the dates.

I've waited to chime in after thinking about this for a while........

My first reaction was: no way! You'll be spent for your IM attempt.

Then I was on board with: accept the slot & do both! You'll regret turning it down later in life.

Now, here is my suggestion: take the slot, make WC70.3 your A race & transfer or defer Choo to the next year or a later IM. WTC has become very liberal with transfers & deferrals recently (and I'm talking before COVID).

Just my 2 cents......

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

2 weeks before an IM, you should be having your last looong ride and getting ready to taper... Also, travelling to a race take a fair bit of time and energy (not used for recovery or tapering)

So, if St George is in your backyard or you have limited objectives for you full. You could do both, otherwise you will need to make choices.

Also keep in mind that WC are usually (with no covid restriction) VERY competitive... I did 70.3 Nice last year, really fun ambiance but not the place you go to boost your ego. ;)

In 2017 I made it my goal to qualify for 70.3 worlds since they were going to be more or less local to me (~8 hours) in Chattanooga. It was an awesome experience despite a gnarly flat tire 2/3 of the way through the bike. Just admiring the sea of $10,000 bikes in transition and meeting pros at the expo tents was awesome. I think the fact that you snagged a spot in a year where the US is hosting is a sign you should take it. Not to mention the St. George course is amazingly brutal.

Now having never raced a full, I can't talk to the one week of recovery, but I think I would look into finding a way to defer Chatty as another poster mentioned. Chatty full happens every year, whereas a 70.3 WC in St. G is maybe a once a decade thing. I imagine it would be more fun if it were your A-race and you could give it your all with a true taper and all that.

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Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

Without a doubt DO IT! You don't know if or when you'll ever qualify for Nationals or Worlds again. Don't pass up this opportunity

Thank you all for the feedback and perspective - I really appreciate the time you took! As a spoiler for this post, I punched the ticket and signed up today about 10:30AM EST so now I need to get a plan together! When it came down to the decision my wife said "you'll already be in race mode so why don't you get both out of the way at once" lol!

And thanks in advance for your feedback in a future thread, where I'll share my plan and ask for you to constructively critique and help evolve it!

In response to specific questions/points that folks made:

@exxxviii, 42point2, devashish_paul, waingro, mtrib, vonagut, gtjojo189, dv8r: thank you for the encouragement - registration confirmation is now in hand!

@japarker24: I committed to doing the full-iron distance with one of my best friends a few weeks back - or more accurately, his wife bought him the registration for Christmas this year and I went ahead and registered - he doesn't know about the race yet. A full iron race is one of his named bucket-list activities (hence the secret/present) and I feel like I can't go back on the commitment. If it wasn't for this I would definitely transfer or defer Chatty. Plan at this point is to plan as if I'm doing both, and if big life-stuff happens that doesn't allow him to go then I'll look at deferring Chatty.

@benleg: totally understood on the taper - I've been working off about a 8-10 taper right now, dialing back the intensity and distance coming in to a race. This year got me rethinking the taper a bit, though, given the 2/3 distance GFT was in the taper window for Gulf Coast this year and things went ok. I know past performance doesn't predict future results, but my plan is to just sort it out and consider global life stress (including training, travel, etc etc) as part of the planning and execution. In terms of competition - if I don't get a serious beat-down from the best then I'll be sorely disappointed! :)

@lesmash and djmsbr: thank you for the feedback on designing the plan! I'm really feeling good this week, with much fresher legs and mind than I expected to have; not sure where they came from, but hey - not complaining. I did a couple recovery spins on the trainer, a walk-run, and a couple hour MTB this week and though a full-distance race 2 days from now sounds like an elephant to eat I also wasn't training for it this year - so I'll feed this all into planning for next year. In terms of travel, I'm located just north of Tampa, FL and will likely fly to and from St. George - so that I can drive my wife and daughters up to Chatty to meet my buddy and his family, arriving either late Wednesday night or noonish Thursday. Love the advice on the experience of both races and also the zone suggestions - I learned to dial back the bike the hard way! I'm still considering the A-B race choice and will look for feedback in the future on the various configurations!

Sorry if I missed responding directly to any topics/questions/posts - I read each one and folded it into the decision!

Travis