In the race packet Ultramax included info on 2004 taxes: Take $27 off the Quartermax price, or $37 off the Halfmax price that you paid and the rest is a tax-deductible donation for purposes of your 2004 taxes. The 27/37 amount represents the “take homes” that you get (medal, shirt, food tent, goody bag), the rest goes to eye research. Beat that IMNA!!!
Could not agree more, I did 1/2 Max last year and it was super. My 1st full Iron distance race will be Ultramax 2005, not any of IMNA events. I was furious when I saw $425 entry for IM Tempe and decided to just say no!
Did the 1/4 today… it was awesome, well my bike wasn’t, but the race organization and atmosphere is great. there were a ton of volunteers, great race venue, everything A+. they are building a great series of races and as you said, it all goes to charity. I’d do ultramax before IM again.
UltraMax in '05 is going to be my first IM distance too. Tempe is tempting (great wording right?) but I’ve heard nothing but good things about the UltraMax organization, support and surroundings - and the price is really hard to beat!
See you in KC in '05.
Josh
Ultramax 2005 will also be my first Iron distance. We should do a “slowtwitch team in training” for the race.
I did the 1/2 yesterday. Very well organized. Great swim venue. Bike was challenging. Run was brutal, but not as bad as last year. Best of all, the weather was great. I don’t think I could finish this course in 90 degree heat.
Did the 1/4 Max Sat. as well. Must completey echo the compliments heaped on the Ultramax folks. Nicely organized, awesome course and great venue. Still debating my first IM location but Mark L. and the Ultramax gang have me leaning towards staying close to home!
Open note to Mark, Amy, Vern and the rest of the Ultramax group:
THANKS FOR A GREAT WEEKEND OF RACING!!
Paul
I’ve been eager to find the results for the races but haven’t found them posted yet.
I take it the podium times were just under 4:30? What was the race temp?
You guys doing the 1/2 got it easy yesterday, alot less wind, and you got to wear wetsuits! But double the distance 
It was a very hard run. The hill on the 4th mile after the creek crossing went on forever. When there is a run course with an avg. gradient of 6% and 50% of the course is climbing, it’s hard. It’s definetly the hardest tri run I’ve ever done. If the bike was tougher it could rival the Worlds Toughest Half IMO.
I’ve been looking for the results as well but haven’t found them. I had a sweat shirt on at 06:30am and I was cool. I’m guessing 65 to start and about 80 when we finished. Lots of sun, some wind.
Results are up now at:
One friend went sub 4:30 and got 14th overall. Marcel Vifian broke 4 hours.
Wow, how much easier was that course than last year? Vifian destroyed last year’s winning time of 4:29 and change. The swim times seem pretty fast as well as the bike splits. For most of the human competitors however, the run splits seem slow. Looks like a great race.
Kyle Handley won last year and was 8th this year (including teams) and he dropped 8 minutes, so I’d say the course was faster based on that. It wasn’t nearly as hot as last year. There was more shade on the run this year also. I think the run had more challenging hills than last year.
I rode slower than last year, but it’s still my opinion that the bike was easier, I had an off day. Saturday we had alot of wind, Sunday was reported to have been a little calmer.
For the 1/2 on Sunday, we had great weather, basically no wind and temps in the low 70’s. Combine that with an awesome venue and you had racing as perfect as it gets… Don’t know about the course, I didn’t do the race last year. My PT showed the bike a bit short, but it could be the unit mismeasuring things. I think they also changed the run a bit, but not much. All in all, I think it was just great conditions to race in. Vifian passed me on the run, I was doing low 7:00’s - he was doing 6:00 flat and not even breathing… it was impressive.
These guys put on great races, I’d highly recommend them to anyone.
I agree, the weather was great this year and that was a major factor in faster times. Even though I put less emphasis on the race this year resulting in an overall 5 min slower time, I ran the course 10 seconds faster than last year (roughly 6:55/mile each year). IMO, the run is slightly easier than last year, but it is still a roller coaster that turns this into a pure guts race in the end. Given that Innsbrook Resort spent a lot of funds paving roads for the race, I’m hoping that’s a sign that it will continue to offer up this venue for years to come.