I’m looking for anyone who has done both Steelhead and FL IM 70.3 (Orlando). I’m trying to get a sense for which course will be faster. Here’s how I would break it down:
**Swim - **Advantage to Steelhead; swim with the current and wetsuit legal
Bike - This is hard one for me. Both courses are relatively flat but the forecast for Saturday is winds out of the SSW at 10mph and with last 18 miles riding driectly into the wind, I’m just not sure what that will do to the overall course speed.
Run - Advantage to Steelhead; no overcrowded trails to deal with.
Other - The other factor that gives Steelhead the advantage would be the heat. FL was brutal with temps in the low 90’s and no cloud cover and the forecast for Saturday is 81 and sun.
I did both last year so I can’t speak for the Steelhead swim but overall the course is much faster than Florida. The bike is very fast and last 5 miles or so is all downhill. The run is probably a little slower than Florida. I didnt have problems with people on the Florida course. Your not running on trails in Florida. It’s an open field with the grass mowed down. It’s also as wide as 2 lanes on the highway, I really don’t know what the problem is other than holes maybe but I didnt see any. It’s also dead flat. The Steelhead course has a couple of decent hills that are short but steep. What you lose on the run you more than make up for on the bike. Just hope the swim isnt too rough and that you breath towards shore since it’s point to point.
I did Steelhead in 2008 and Florida 70.3 earlier this spring. Since Steelhead turned into a duathlon last year I cant comment on the swim.
For me the Steelhead bike course was slightly faster (0.5 mph) however, since I live in Michigan I didnt have months of outdoor riding in before doing the Florida race (due to the weather), like I do when August rolls around every year. Given that, I would say that Florida has the potential of having a faster bike course. However, both are pancake flat and the differences in timie may relate moreso to how you approach the courses.
FWIW: I used a Bontrager Aelious 6.5 (rear) and a 5.0 (front) setup last year at Steelhead and then used the same front wheel with a disc at florida
In my opinion the Steelhead run course may be slower due to some rolling hills and a sand finish. I didnt have a great run at either event, however, it was not the fault of the course conditions (crowds, etc). The heat got to me in Florida this past spring, and last year Steelhead represented my 5th half distance triathlon in 7-weeks time. I was fried…
I will not be doing Steelhead this year. I did IM Switzerland on July 12 and really havent been training much since then (work, vacation, time with the family, etc).
Last year was an unusual year for me where I jammed in a lot of races in the course of 2-months time. I had a lot of fun doing this and for a time my performances steadily improved with each race. However, all good things must come to an end, and what had been minor aches and pains at the begining of the season turned into slighlty more than “minor”. Nothing too serious, it was just my body saying that it needed a break
The last several years I have averaged 5-halfs and a couple of sprints per racing season (April - October). It sounds like a lot, but I really enjoy competing, and racing my way into shape.
I will not be doing Steelhead this year. I did IM Switzerland on July 12 and really havent been training much since then (work, vacation, time with the family, etc).
Last year was an unusual year for me where I jammed in a lot of races in the course of 2-months time. I had a lot of fun doing this and for a time my performances steadily improved with each race. However, all good things must come to an end, and what had been minor aches and pains at the begining of the season turned into slighlty more than “minor”. Nothing too serious, it was just my body saying that it needed a break
The last several years I have averaged 5-halfs and a couple of sprints per racing season (April - October). It sounds like a lot, but I really enjoy competing, and racing my way into shape.
Best of luck to you…was Switzerland your first IM. I’m going to make the leap I just don’t know if it will be this year (FL - 11/7) or next year.