I just completed a year-end survey by trisportcanada (they put on the Subaru Triathlon series here in Ontario). One of the first questions was whether or not I would be interested in a full iron-distance race in Ontario. That would be so great. Does anyone know if this is seriously being considered?
Dawn
At this years canadian half ironman (in ottawa on Sept 4, 2004), somersault promotions (www.somersault.ca) announced that next year, the race will include a full ironman
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Saw some sort of note from them a little while back on that topic.
Even if Ottawa doesn’t have one, it’s not like we lack venues in Ontario to host one. Sheesh, I can think of a half-dozen good locations off the top of my head.
I was at the Somersault sprint & 1/2 IM event in Ottawa on Labour Day weekend. They announced that there will be a full IM next year. I don’t know if they are going to drop the 1/2 or run the 1/2 and sprint on the day before the IM. It doesn’t seem that feasible to run a 1/2 and a full IM on the same weekend. My guess is they’ll keep the sprint and IM and drop the 1/2. There’s also some rumors that Somersault may also be considering a 1/2 IM or Olympic in Prince Edward County at Sand Banks Park south of Belleville. That would really be a beautiful venue and they could also keep a 1/2 IM in their events.
that would be one flat and loopy IM. 
But I guess not as loopy as the Esprit. but i hope they don’t drop the 1/2. it’s my favourite.
k
Aren’t there congestion problems on the Ottawa 1/2 bike course due to the number of laps you have to do? Won’t a full IM on the same course be even worse? I guess they may change the course for a full.
D.
Too bad the logistics for using the Rideau Lakes route would be too complex. The riding around Kingston is great - beautiful and challenging…
Like mfreeman, I can imagine many great locations for an IM in Ontario…Collingwood comes to mind (think of the Eliminator 2X!).
ccy
They will have a full Ironman in Ottawa on labour day weekend. Somersault plan to keep the half ironman and perhaps the sprint too. I I heard they will likely stagger the starts to spread out traffic between the events. They have asked the local Ironman dudes to work with them, so I will try and help out. If they start the Full and half ironman at 7 am and the sprint tri at 10:30 am (when most of the half ironman folks are leaving the bike course), there will be minimal congestion issues. I think they will also have to cap the sprint tri at no more than 400.
This will be a great event and an awesome event for family and friends. Anyone who can’t get into an IMNA event should put it on their agenda. 4 loop swim - 12 loop bike - 4 loop run and the weather is usually perfect. There will be more news coming in the next few months at www.somersault.ca. Put it on your calendar for 2005.
Starting the Ottawa IM and 1/2IM at 7am makes a lot of sense. Having the 1/2IM off the bike course before the sprint also makes sense. But that still leaves the IM racers to deal with the congestion of the sprinters and try-a-tri. And these two groups would collectively have very different riding experiences, skills and speed. After that, the 1/2IM, sprint and try-a-tri runners would all crowd the running path at the same time.
Rob
Eliminator x 2 on an IM?
You are a very sick individual. Anyone running a sub-11 minute mile in the marathon would win.
I also noticed the trisportcanada’s IM question. It made me wonder…
Somersault has announced an IM event. Trisport seems to be testing the waters. And Multisportcanada added the Parry Sound 1/2IM to their offering this year making me think they might be considering something longer in the future.
Can Ontario support 3 IM races? Seems to me it would be fantastic for participants if these organizations pooled their resources into one really, really well run event.
Rob
p.s. I’m using IM to mean “iron-distance” (all that trademark stuff – you know).
I’d love to see an IM race in Prince Edward County. They are running a marathon there on October 3rd and the area around Sandbanks park is excellent for riding and running. I would imagine that a swim in West Lake would be a pretty good venue as well since it is relatively sheltered and a nice transition area could be set up right in the parking lot at the edge of the park. Perfect for Olympic, 1/2 or full IM distance and close to home too!
Prince Edward County would be perfect for an IM. Much better than Ottawa. The marathon course is already laid out, the bike roads are excellent and wouldn’t be umpteen times around the same course as in Ottawa. West Lake would be ideal for the swim, one heck of a lot better than Mooney’s Bay. There’s camping at Sandbanks and all kinds of B&B’s as well as the Isiac Tubbs resort and Belleville isn’t far away.
Hills are not ‘sick’. They are ‘fun’!
(at least that’s what I tell myself…)
Over the years, I’ve done some long training on the C’wood bike course - usually doing two loops (if I’m feeling good, even two loops around Ravenna). Generally wasted at the end of those days!
ccy
NO Cerveloguy, ottawa would be much better. I can sleep in my own bed, get up at 5:30 am and get to race start for 7 am. This would be an ultralow cost Ironman. Alternatively, I can do the half ironman, and then work for the rest of the day/nite as a volunteer for the full ironman (the more likely scenario). With respect to the comment about the sprint tri crowding the course, realistically, I see no more than 100 people in the full ironman at least for the first two years, so the ironman folks can use some company and would likely appreciate the sprint guys. As for crowding on the run course, there are may ways around that. We can design a loop course that uses both sides of the canal and stays on the rec paths (ie off the road) and comes back through the gravel/dirt paths in the arboretum.
I might even suggest a 15 hour cutoff like Ironman Australia since this is a pancake flat course and as a first time event, the logistics would be much easier wrapping up at 10 pm than at midnight.
By the time I hit those rollers after Ravenna on the Collingwood LC, I was hallucinating. Giggling like a little schoolgirl, as my brain was so addled that point.
4 loop swim - 12 loop bike - 4 loop run and the weather is usually perfect.
I can’t be alone in thinking that a 4 loop run course would just be demoralizing…
Eliminator x 2 on an IM?
You are a very sick individual. Anyone running a sub-11 minute mile in the marathon would win.
Naah not quite that bad, this is a sick bike course 
But yeah, an IM distance in ON would be awesome 
But please, not flat.
a 12 loop bike course? that would be ridiculous. there’s no room for a loop longer than 15k at this venue? makes me think the venue is too small then.
The Esprit Triathlon in Montreal does 41 laps of the Circuit Gilles- Villeneuve, which is the F1 race track out there. I’m thinking I might do it in 2007.