Can anyone tell me how the bike and run course compares to any of the courses in North America (i.e. elevation, crowd support, terrain, climate, etc.)?
Thanks.
ironboom
Haven’t done the race but am in the UK, weather, glorious sunshine up to 33 deg C or pouring rain and 13 deg C, or any variation in between…generally the South West of England does get good weather.
If you want more details head over to www.tritalk.co.uk where there is a thread on the race
P3C
Hi,
The race is in Dorset, whilst there are no mountains there are lots of hills! I think total elevation was something like 2-3000m. On the run there are plenty more hills to work on as well!!
Tri 220 (uk magazine) did a review of a lot of the IM courses,it put up IMUK along with IMlanzarote in the challenging course group. Some of the pros who raced the course said it was the toughest they had ever done.
I am racing it next year as the idea of suffering for 12+ hours seems strangely appealing 
At least it is not as hilly as the IM70.3uk course, which if I am correct has 52 hills in 56miles!!!
I did it in 05 as my first ever tri. It’s in the countryside so support is light but enthusiastic - think old folk on their deck chairs in the fornt garden rather than Roth style crowds. Bike course is technical and if I were a better rider I’d have been frustrated about the lack of places to really let rip. Run is very hilly and quite dull. Still a fantastic experience that I’d theoroughly recommend
I did it in 2005 and will be doing it next year. The only course in the US I can compare it against is the Grand Columbian (as thats the only tri I’ve done in the US). IMUK was a slightly tougher bike as far as hilliness goes - but the Grand Columbian had more wind. The IMUK run is hilly too.
None of the hills are big, but it is constantly up and down and some can be quite steep. Much of the road is chipseal so is a little rough.
If you do it make sure you let the Tritalk.co.uk crowd know as they will give everyone they know a special cheer…
Phil,
You should be absolutely clear that it is your ‘intention’ to race IMUK.
As we all know here in sunny England, you have not yet formally committed to the event!!
Even on Slowtwitch, there is no place to hide!!!
See you at turbo sesh tomorrow mate!
It is no longer an intention!!!
I have just completed the online forms and clicked ok!!
I am entered for IMUK and IMUK70.3 oh bu&&^r what have I let myself in for!!!
Phil, You have let yourself in for months of continual stick over training input, technique, equipment, motivation and anything else we can think of. We know you love the attention!!
As a start, how was the ride on saturday? Sundays effort?
Hi,
The race is in Dorset, whilst there are no mountains there are lots of hills! I think total elevation was something like 2-3000m. On the run there are plenty more hills to work on as well!!
Tri 220 (uk magazine) did a review of a lot of the IM courses,it put up IMUK along with IMlanzarote in the challenging course group. Some of the pros who raced the course said it was the toughest they had ever done.
I am racing it next year as the idea of suffering for 12+ hours seems strangely appealing
At least it is not as hilly as the IM70.3uk course, which if I am correct has 52 hills in 56miles!!!
I did it this year.
On the bike course:
They changed the bike course to a three loop course. Rolling hills and by far not as much vertical climb as it says on the website. I came there quite intimidated by the claimed 2200m (7.000 ft.) only to find out that it is roughly 1.800m! And: the course is roughly 173k not 180k. Still due to the rough surface and no real flat parts it’s a tough course.
Being from Germany (I’ve done IM France, Switzerland, Germany & Roth) I can’t compare the course to any IM NA Race but would say it’s the toughest I’ve done so far. I biked 5:06 at IM Switzerland in July and then 5:17 at IM UK.
On the run course
They claim it has 770m (~2.500ft) of vertical climb and I was quite afraid of that!!! It turned out it is roughly 450m (1.400ft). First two loops of ~5mls, then through town once and twice out and back on the left lane of a major road. Then back to the finish line. The first half is on dirt roads, the second half on asphalt.
To sum it up: tough bike course but by far not as bad as Lanzarote (been there for training camp)!
Have fun, nice surroundings and very nice people!
Doing IMUK this season I will say this:
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train hills. It is hilly, my polar said a tad under 2000 metres of climbing. Nothing is to steep but adds up so have a 39/25. There is one hill where you will need this gear for sure.
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I felt the bike course was fabulous. There is a section that is fast, winding, traditional british farmer road that is a tonne of fun. There is a hot corner with alot of fans at the end of each lap. Last lap you turn right and head DOWNHILL back into town which is really refreshing on the legs!
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train hills for the run. Ah, the run is hard. You cannot hide. There are little spots of flat running but really it gets to the point where you don’t remember if the run had a flat section or not. Honestly!
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bring arm warmers, clear lense googles, toe warmers for shoes, rain cape. It can be 30 degrees celcius and sunny or 8 and windy. You neve know in south england! come prepared. I raced in my cycling jersey and arm warmers on the bike and just kept the jersey on for the run.
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it is not a north american ironman and that I found VERY refreshing. I love IMNA races (sorry, NA Sports!) but it was refreshing not to have the capitalist all mighty running the ship everyday. The expo really only gets going 2 days before the race, it is small, but there is quite the area for kids and family with jumper gyms etc. Alot of fun for them. Also, because it doesn’t have a title sponsor the size of a Ford or Subaru, it is a scaled down version of the ironman production which I found kinda nice.
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last, the people are really friendly. We stayed at a B&B nearby and they were amazing. I recommend this route of accomodation. The town is very small, architecture is beautiful but the chances of staying “in town” are minimal.
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skip the carb dinner. Waste of time and money. Stay at your B&B and relax.
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last, after the race stay a few days. The area is gorgeous and about an hour away is Bath. One of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Highly recommend a day visit there.