For anyone that is a veteran to this race or lives there: What is the best hotel to stay at that is convenient to the expo and the start line that is the best value? Thanks.
The Transition Area is located off of Randolph and Lakeshore Drive; therefore, any hotel near there will work. The Transition Area closes early. If you are doing the OLY (and dependent on your wave #), you can get setup in the Transition Area and go back to the hotel to relax. The race has many participants (7,000 +/-) and there is a lot of downtime after the transition closes. The Sprint waves go off first.
I’ve stayed at the Hilton (host hotel where the expo is) and the Sheraton on Columbus and I prefer the Sheraton. It is one of the closest hotels to Transistion. I got up at 4:15 was at T1 before 4:30, racked my bike, walked back and was sleeping again in the hotel bed by 5:00. My wave didn’t start until 9 something so this allowed me three more hours of sleep.
After I finished I went back to the hotel showered and packed up and then went and got my bike after the crowd was not as bad.
It was about a mile and a half walk from the hotel to the swim start and finish line but I thought it was worth it to be close to transition. If you stay at the Hilton you are right at the expo and much closer to the finish line, but you still have to make the trip over to tranistion before and after the race.
There are a few other hotels just a little closer than the Sheraton that I’m sure would be good as well.
I did it there last year, and stayed at the palmer House on Wabash…it’s pricey, but I had a bunch of credit card points to spend. It was a great family trip. The host hotel is the downtown Hilton, the expo is on site there. It’s an OK race. The bike course is a little sketchy; it’s on Lakes Shore Drive, on the inside lane, w/the outside lane(s) carrying 60-70 mph traffic. Andy Potts got taken out there by a guy riding a rusty mountain bike last year, (broke his collar bone, I think) and the pro’s were pretty critical of it .
It’s great scenery, and more of a social happening than a race. I’m considering doing it again if it’s open…