I am signed up for Ironman Arizona in April '06. I’ve completed on iron distance, but it was a smaller, non IM sanctioned event. This will be my first IM sanctioned race. I would love any feedback from racers in 2005.
Be prepared for the wind, it can be very strong. the run course is nice that it has several sections of unpaved trails which will help your legs stay a little bit fresher as you run.
I enjoyed the 2005 event and will be back for 2006.
I’m contemplating signing up for this race as I may be moving to Sedona later this year. I’ve looked at the IMAZ website and see MANY racers on discs. The wind can’t be all that bad. What do you mean by “very strong”?
motrigal,
The city really put on a good race this past April, it being the first one and all. The swim in Tempe town lake was good though the locals thought we were crazy for swimming there for some reason. I’m from Louisiana so anything other than muddy brown water is fine with me. The bike course was windy, 35-40 mph. is what I heard, and it sure felt like it at times. Be sure that you at least drive the bike course because it was kind of confusing on the final lap; you had to make a different turn to the finish. The run is nice, a two loop course on various surfaces with plenty of refreshments and out of this world supporters. Be sure to take in the views as well, the mountains are beautiful on some parts of the run. You don’t run through them but you can see them in the distance.
Trav
I rode a disc last year and will ride one again next year. It was quite windy and many people who rode discs regretted it.
There was this thread about the AZ wind:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=437881;search_string=IM%20arizona%20wind;#436100
In that thread this article from Ironmanlive is posted:
FROM IRONMANLIVE.COM
Al-Sultan and Major win in Arizona
By Kevin Mackinnon for Ironmanlive.com on Sat, Apr 9th 2005 (9:22 PM).
On a day that defied expectations in terms of weather, Faris Al-Sultan and Kate Major managed to follow through with many pre-race predictions in winning the inaugural Ironman Arizona Triathlon. 
Click to see a picture of the two Ironman Arizona Champs.
Who would have thought that an Ironman race in Arizona would have spectators looking for extra clothes, and athletes saying that the temperatures weren’t too bad – **it was the “Hawaii-like” winds that made the day so difficult. **
On a day that defied expectations in terms of weather, Faris Al-Sultan and Kate Major managed to follow through with many of our predictions in winning the inaugural Ironman Arizona Triathlon.
Al-Sultan’s win was a show of pure dominance. The third place finisher at the Ironman World Championship in Kona last October rode away from Tom Evans, one of the sports best cyclists, and then managed to run away from everyone else in this talented field as he cruised to his first Ironman win.
It was the wind that made the day tough for the German.
“These winds were just like the ones in Hawaii,” he said after he came across the line. His winning time was 8:25:42.
Michael Lovato, the 2003 Ironman USA Coeur d’Alene champion, finished second overall with a time of 8:42:48, while Portugal’s Sergio Marques finished third in 8:46:47. Petr Vabrousek, from the Czech Republic, finished fourth in 8:49:46 and Canada’s Jasper Blake was fifth in 8:50:54.
Major patiently worked her way through the women’s field after a relatively slow swim, finishing the bike course just a few seconds behind Desiree Ficker. Major managed to pass Ficker early in the run, but then had to hold the determined Texan off over the closing miles of the run.
The Australian, who won the 2004 Ironman USA Lake Placid Triathlon and also finished third in Hawaii last year, finished in 9:44:26.
Ficker was second in 9:48:26, with Germany’s Ute Mueckel third in 9:51:43, Ukraine’s Tamara Kozulina fourth in 9:58:46 and Switzerland’s Lisabeth Kristensen fifth in 10:05:17.
There were 1,830 athletes from 25 countries at the start line, competing for 80 qualifying spots to the 2005 Ironman World Championship, in addition to the $75,000 pro prize purse.
Paul, I was running a disc in AZ and had no problem with it. But I’m also a heavy weight rider. The wind was more annoying than anything else. The course (run and bike) was oriented so that you most of the time we had either front or rear wind. So either I was flying or fairly slow. The one long and slightly uphill section had the wind right against us, so riders were struggling there.
I also think that the wind picked up later in the day. I remember running over the bridge and holding onto my running hat, so it didn’t get blown away. Late in the run, this is when it really bothered me. Not sure if the second half of the marathon was slower because of this or PERHAPS I was just plain tired. :o)
Stefan
I think it is a fine event. Particularly positive is the fact that there is enough lodging around the venue and the airport is so close that you do not need a car. Not having the logistic hassles of staying a car-ride away from the venue (and trying to park everytime you want to be at the race location) is a huge plus. Unless it is Hawaii, don’t worry about the weather as each IM venue has pretty decent weather in general and the variants are something that you can’t plan on.
sean, that makes me feel better… I didn’t think the winds were THAT bad… so if they say it’s “hawaii-like winds” it takes a bit of pressure of my shoulders!
um, I believe the newspaper reported an average of 39mph!? Although I don’t think this is normal. We just got lucky. 
It was VERY windy! I should also add, I usually like the added challenge of wind, but I didn’t really like it all that much on this particular day.
That sounds really high…that means you had wind gusts probably into the 50 mph range or more. I don’t think so. 39 sounds like gusts not average. We had 40 mph average wind speeds during hurricanes last year.
this was a very nice first time event
swim was fine - cool water temps - long out and back - very easy - bit of chopp because of the wind - if a calm day this is a fast course
bike - 4 loops - not soo good - have heard the RDs will try to reduce this - that will be a huge improvement - no real hills but it is not flat - lost of low grade climbe and then the 1/4 mile on and off ramps to ride up and down - few too many turns but less loops will resolve this. If you prefer bike courses that are less rolling and less climb oriented you will like this course.
run - I hate running but liked this course - again not all flat but no big hills. the packed dirt was GREAT to run on - very clean surface - interesting run course few things to see and look at
overall I would give this race a B to B+ being very particular - has huge potential - could become a classic.
The AZ winds were different…more gusty and swirling. Not constant at all and because of the nature of the bike course, you actually had times when you had a tailwind.
Hawaii’s wind, at least in '04, was seemingly never-ending. 3/4 headwind going out, full headwind coming back. There were times when I was going downhill in my small ring pedaling hard going a whopping 15 mph. It just wore on a body. Plus frequent pick-you-up-and-move-you-over gusts made it even more interesting.
Having trained for 9 years in northeastern AZ, the land of never ceasing wind, I felt well prepared, but saw many, many folks struggling on the bike.
Not wanting to put the pressure back, just wanting you to be as well prepared as possible.
G
interesting as I’ve been told just the opposite. AZ’s wind on IMAZ day were constant where IMH has gusts which catch you off guard. This was told to me by someone who has done both races.
If you train at speeds approaching and above what you plan to race the bike on the course, IMO was not bad. I didn’t think the winds were bad at all. Go with the disc. The swim can be choppy since TTL is only so wide. With the wind it caused swells to approach you from four directions.
The one thing I did notice is the 200 or so people who passed me before the first turnaround were riding the tailwind section like it was a 40k TT. You have to race tactically in an IM, more so when the conditions are less than optimal.
I second Desert Dude. Once you got on the bike, there was a tailwind and everyone was hammering it. Once we hit the turnaround, it was like everyone was standing still. I rode a disc and a tri spoke and was happy that I did. When the wind was hitting me from the side, it moved me around a little and I am no small fella (215 lbs.) I would say gusts up to 40 maybe but not an average. Supposedly, they are going to be doing the same course that was originally set for '04 and that is why they moved it to Sunday instead of Saturday. The dump that was going to get affected by the closed road is not open on Sunday.
I’m glad to hear they’re changing the bike course! Cycling is my strongest event and I didn’t like the four loop course. It was too congested and many benchmark times of other competitors I know were a lot closer to me than usual!! I think times were affected by the nature of the course in town. Out on the highway, out of town was fine!! I’ve done IM Hawaii 5 times and the winds at IM Arizona are NOTHING compared to Hawaii. The one saving grace on the Arizona course was you never had to fight the wind for a very long time due to so many changes in direction. The run course is tremendous, fairly flat, forgiving and scenic. The swim could be fast provided the distance is accurate. All in all, it was a good race and I’ve already registered for 2006.
I could see where that would be tempting to do in a tailwind. As I recall, AZ had the same stange spring we did here in CO more or less with lots or rain / snow late and although CO can be windy in the spring it seemed we had more last year. I also remember that AZ was also going through a cooler than normal time too, is that right? I think there is more of a chance of racing in really hot weather, or at least really hot for those coming from states that have a winter;)
I am afraid of getting there and enduring 90 degree heat and coming from a winter of indoor rides and cold temps. A 90 degree day with no chance to really acclimate to training in that heat could be tough, although I am planning on that type of day. I will be there in 06 for my first IM and think that is more of a concern than wind. Your thoughts?
This is kinda what I was trying to say. The winds at AZ didn’t seem to be as constant, as wearing…you got some tailwind/crosswind sections due to the nature of the course.
Kona was just consistent winds with occasional gusts. The gusts were bothersome for sure, but the relentless grinding against the wind…I had maybe 10-15 miles of tailwind at best…just wore a body down, mentally and physically. There was no respite. If you let it get to your head, it would be a mighty long day.
G
What is the wind typically like in AZ that time of year? Are strong winds the norm or was last year a freak year?
FWIW based on the numbers I could find the average wind speed for the whole month of April is only 6.8 (Phoenix Sky Harbor) http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/htmlfiles/westwind.final.html#ARIZONA and last year the race was cooler than average and twice that windy sustained wind at 13 w/ gusts to 39 and the high was 72 vs. average of 83