I saw in the NAS email that there were “small” changes to the bike and run courses, but after looking at the course descriptions on the IMAZ site - they don’t seem to even warrant a mention.
Any idea what the “changes” are?
I’m not worried or anything, just curious. This is my fourth go at IMAZ, so I’ll welcome change however small.
If you look closely, you’ll notice that the bike in and out has changed, and the run is now set up where you do the “western” loop (about 3 miles) first, then, the “eastern” loop (about 5 miles). Last year, it was the other way around. The changes are better reflected in the transition area maps than on the big course maps.
Swim to Bike http://www.ironmanarizona.com/images_course/SwimToBikeTrans.pdf
Bike to Run http://www.ironmanarizona.com/images_course/BikeToRunTrans.pdf
It looks like the bike will go in and out of the expo area.
Jeff
I see…thanks for pointing out the maps as I didn’t think to look at the transition ones. When I read the run course description I was playing it out in my head and it didn’t feel right, but I could still walk through all the turns. Now it makes sense that the loops are reversed, and that we finish from a different direction.
Thanks!
With these changes the finish line is in the same place but flip flopped from last year so you actually finish on the other side…the side from Ash/Rio Salado, not Mill/Rio Salado, so make sure you tell friends/family.
Thanks for asking this because i was looking at the course map not the transition area maps and could not see the changes!
I’m glad they switched the loops on the run. If you are mentally segmenting the course, it just seem easier to get the first 5 mile chunk out of the way, and at the end, it means only 3.x miles to go after leaving the finish/transition area that last time.
Or, at least that is how I’m interpreting the change. I guess I’ll find out soon enough!
It kind os sucks as now you have to run uphill to get to the finish. Last year, you would run over Mill Ave. bridge, be able to look down over at the finish area, have an awesome downhill off the bridge to turn into the finishing chute. That was awesome. Now you plod by Transition and turn up that dumb little hill on Rio Salado.
Anyone notice that the run special needs is at the same spot as last year? Last year the SN came at around mile 14-15 but this year it will come around mile 8-9 or 17-18, which for me is either too early or too late.
So the run course is going in the opposite direction. You’ll run the 8.75, and then head out for the next 3 and as you round off of Mill to clover leaf
back under the bridge you’ll hit a run aid station (RAS), then Run Special Needs (RSN). You should hit it right about 12 miles. Last year you would have
hit it at just over 13. RSN last year was (I think) just west of Mill, this year it is just east of Mill. The biggest initial concern is making sure
that trash from the RAS doesn’t overrun RSN.
I actually would prefer to run it the other way (I run it weekly that way, will have to switch now). This way puts the hill at Curry the last time about
mile 24 where as before it would have been about 20.
I asked briefly why the direction changed, but forget to ask the right people.
-Jot “your April IMAZ RSN Captain, and still needing a lot of volunteers”