Swim - I know the water is warm but the single loop rectangular course looks good on paper.
Bike - Lots of false flats and rollers. No sustained climbs.
Run - Heat, heat and more heat. I have also heard there a lots of little hills.
Any advice from those who have done it before?
Swim… nothing special. we start heading straight east into the sun. That is the biggest challenge.
Bike… flat… fast… fun!
Run… right now they are saying high 80’s for Sunday… who knows. No shade on the run, but Barry takes care of us. I really wouldn’t qualify anything on the run course as a “hill” maybe that one a little over a mile into the course on the dirt road, but it’s not much.
Be prepared for 1)A lot of people out biking that aren’t doing the race
No shade on the run.
Beer and massage after the race
Swim is usually great. You may have trouble sighting on the first leg due to the sun but keep the boats on your right in view and you’ll be fine. False flats on the bike really only applies when you are on the diagonal highway heading in towards the reservoir, and it is always a painful false flat for me. Leaving the res and heading west on Jay is a slight uphill, not flat. The run, well, I’ve done that run probably a hundred times and I still don’t particularly like it on a hot day. No shade, but about as close to flat as you will see for Colorado, and you can’t beat the packed dirt you are running on. Overall lots of fun, and Barry really is in the top tier of race directors so you know he will have a good, safe, organized event come Sunday.
Enjoy!
I would not say there are lots of little hills on the run. By my count, there are seven places on the course (14 for two loops) that might meet someone’s definition of a hill, but most of those are about 10 feet of elevation gain. The hills at the end of the first and second miles are a bit more substantial.
Unlike the run course, which is dead flat for quite a ways, the bike course is rarely truly flat. There are lots of little changes in angle. The descent down St. Vrain can be pretty fast.
During the past week or so we have been in a pm t-storm pattern. Mostly the storms have hit later in the afternoon. But, the weather has been a bit less settled lately.
Prepare for HEAT. The forecast high now hovers between 95 and 98 depending on who you believe. Hopefully we will all be off before it gets to that point but it will be toasty regardless. There is no place to hide from it on the run. I would suggest a hat and tons of sunscreen. The run (as discussed) is rolling and is hard pack most of the way. Pay attention to your footing, it isn’t the same as the mindless street run. I also am wondering about erosion since we have had some big rains over the last few days.
Water will be warm. I did BP in a wetsuit but too warm for the pros. Many people went without wetsuits and I would expect similar water temps.
The bike is fun and a nice course through mostly rural farm land.
Other than that prepare for a great time. Barry always puts on a great race and his crew is top notch.
Has anyone discussed a ST meeting??
Thanks for the notes. This will be my first Half IM and I chose to drive 8 hours to Boulder to do this race because appears to be a good one and has a great reputation. There is an innagural Half IM on Saturday just 30 miles from my house and I conciously chose 5430 over a much closer race.
I promise you will be impressed with the race, the staff and the competition.