1-2. Stadler and Brown (too close to call)
3. Claus B.
4. Bjorn A.
5. Gordo
I think Normann will surprise with his run and it will be shades of 2001 with Cam and Normann battling it out in the last quarter mile. With Claus not far behind.
clm
You’re right. Everyone calls him the Baron anyway, though I plead lack of coffee…
will go to IM France instead. although, crap, it’s full of french there :-)<<
I will want full details! IM France is on my short list to do and I have no problem with the French. I love the French, the French love me. Hmmm, maybe THAT explains it! 
Francophile clm
Back to the predictions…
Bjorn is gonna tear up the bike course with Normann, but both will get run down by Brown. Clas will get really close but will only manage 4th (again). The top 4 will all be less than 15 minutes apart at the finish, with Gordo another 5. McFayden will be too far back at the swim and will puncture on the bike.
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Brown
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Gordo
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Mr. A
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Stadler
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Baron
I really want to see Gordo win it all, but that’s my heart speaking. If I were putting money on it I’d say Cameron Brown all the way. He’s going for his fourth victory at IMNZ and I bet he’ll be nearly unstoppable…unless Gordo has an EPIC day. This should be good. Real good.
I’m just telling you what my crystal balls here are saying =P
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Francois
Signed to do IM France this year and was wondering if you have scouted the new course (or anybody else out there)- what was the old (2003 - not the dreaded 2002) one like? 39x23 OK? On profile/ map it just looks like they have dropped out one of the dead turns but any elevation changes that you know of? Tough luck re: NZ, I am sure you will crack it elsewhere.
Cheers in advance
What about the women? <<
Jo Lawn to defend her title.
Francois
Thanks for all the info and my apologies for assuming that you were in la belle France (Texas, eh - that i was not expecting). I am somewhat disconcerted about your assertion that STI is the way to go (Road bike is road bike, but my race bike is Composite Giant with Carbon X front end - yes bar end shifters, and HED Alps). Would rather ride this so i guess I’ll just have to bottom out the gear before the start of the climb!
I’ll also be there on Saturday - staying just above the lake with support group so I may see you on the course! BTW any shade on the run course - we pasty paddies tend to suffer heavily in the heat and I believe that it was hot even for Gerardmer last year!
Most predictions seem to have Mr A back in 5th. Granted he has never finished a IM but if he does (Have not seen a DNF prediction yet) He has got to be in the top three. Lead group out the water and as strong as anybody on the bike. He can run faster than you think too.
The Barron wil probably not be happy if his marathon is over 2:50.
So Cam will have one Swede to run down, another running him down and Stadler too. Big respect to Cam if he does it.
I think,
MR A 1st, Cam & Clas damn close and Norman just behind. Of course if they all kill each other with the pace Gordo could place high.
It’s tough to be predicting a DNF when we know that Mr. Andersson will be reading it! Of course probably Cameron Brown and most other english speaking pro athletes at least lurk here and in other forums, except maybe tri-newbies ;-), but we know for a fact that Bjorn, Gordo and Jonas read this forum.
As for my predictions: Biker vs runner, I’m loving it! Going for Cam, my money is always on the runner :-)))
Paulo
What a fantastic morning here - lovely blue shy, still, lets hope it lasts for tomorrow.
I say Cam has got to be number 1 and if Rhodes doesn’t throw it (again…) I can see him there at two or three.
Go Nz
Jo Lawn has got to have a good chance for the women
These are all good predictions but it seems some people don’t look at race histories.
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Brown has an excellent consistent history of top finishes.
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Norm Stadler is so strong and consistent.
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The Baron has a strong overall game that can cause him to go as high as 3rd.
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Garret MacFayden has a strong bike and run, but his swim skills must really come up to stand a chance at top 3.
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Gordo is good but his bike is lacking which consistently leaves him out of the hunt for the top starting the run.
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Bjorn has an excellent bike and swim, but does not know how to pace in an IM distance race.
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There may be some IM lurkers who wreak havoc on race day =).
As for the women…
I agree with clm that Jo Lawn will win again, followed by Karyn Ballance and Diana Hassel (who just turned pro!). Then there’s Tamara K and Lynley Allison - both super solid. Anyone know if the rumor is true that Erin Baker is racing and what kind of shape she’s in?
Audrey
Did IM France on the “dreaded 2002” course and took and 39x26 but I do like to spin up those climbs '-). & yes it did hurt, but not as much as the run, but then it was 40 degrees and I did tear my calf 6 miles in! I swore that would be the first and last time I would finish in the dark.
Dude, I´m right here!
I don´t think the boys are surfing the web at this time. If I know Björn he´ll be casually relaxing with a cyclingmagazine and as Gordo put it “gnarly heavymetal”…
Björn is a much better runner than most people think and I´d say he is in his finest form ever. My predictions, slightly Swede-biased, is that Björn is going to swim at the front and then take off on the bike like there´s no tomorrow. If nothing mechanical happens (like last year when his seatpost-clamp broke) he´ll have between five and seven minutes on anyone else into the run. I think someone chasing need to run fast to catch him…
Clas the Baron will swim way better than before, bike conservatively and then run a 2.45-2.47 depending on weather. He might be the man tomorrow!
Gordo will be a steady-state machine all day working his way up the field as it progressess. The longer the race wears on, the better Gordo will do. The question is only if he´ll run out of race (so to speak) to catch up…
As for all the other formidable athletes toeing the line and giving it a go, I don´t know. But one thing is sure. It will be one helluva race to follow on ironmanlive!!!
My tip is that the three Epic-amigos will all be top-5 and duke it out to the end…
OK, let’s hear another set of predictions.
How many folks sub 9, sub 10 and sub 11 ?
Well, if I was Bjorn, Clas or Gordo, I wouldn’t mind reading your predictions :-)))
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Jonas,
What is your race schedule this year?
clm