I have a bunch of questions for those that have done the race before. Some of these may be a little late depending…
Anybody driven from the midwest? I’m considerieng driving to save on some of the costs of the race (two people and a bike to PCB is expensive). I figure it will take about 17 hrs in the car. is this a really bad idea?
What day do I need to get down there before the race?
Where should i stay?
Where should my wife watch the race from?
Where are the best places to eat?
Will I be able to drive the day after the race? (this is my first IM)
I’m sure that there are a lot of thing that I don’t know, so any pointers about making this a fun experience woudl be great.
In a pleasent departure from other IM races there is ample accomodation available and not very expensive at all.
**Where should my wife watch the race from? **
The layout of the courses here is such that the best place to watch the race from is from the area of the Transition area and the finish line. Unless you know a local who knows the roads, I would say don’t go out on the course. IM courses are getting too clogged up with cars. If you do go out o9n the bike course, you run the risk of getting stuck in traffic way out on the bike course somewhere and not seeing anything! Run course is a double out and back so people will see you at the 1/2 way point.
Where are the best places to eat?
Strangely there are almost zero places to it near the race site. You will need a car to get to some nicer resturants.
Will I be able to drive the day after the race?
Not sure what question you are asking. If you are asking can you drive to the race site on race day, the answer is yes, but you may have to park as much as a mile away due to road closures and parking/driving congestion. If your question is about driving after the race, that will depend on what shape you are in after you finish - it could be OK or you may be in rough shape
I’ve driven down a couple of times, both to race and to volunteer. I’ll tell you what worked for me…
Drove down from N.W. Ohio, about 15-16 hours. Prefer this so I dont have to ship my bike plus I can pack a shitload more stuff than I really need.
When I raced, I got down the weekend before. Other Ironman I have showed up on Friday… guess its just personal preference.
I stayed in a condo about 5 miles from the start. There are a lot of options down there, from small rooms to condo’s as well as camping depending on how much you want to spend.
The best place for the S.O. to view is from the race start/finish. It is kind of hard to get out on the bike course and because it is only 1 loop, not really worth it.
You will get lots of opinions here. I mostly cooked in kitchen condo. Wafflehouse’s everywhere…mmmm. There is also a couple of good seafood joints.
As far as driving the day after the race?? I guess it depends on your training and how hard you go. I’m usually sore but can still drive. I think everyone is a little diffrent and you will have to play it by ear.
If you have never swam in the ocean/saltwater before, it might be a good idea to catch 1 or 2 of the pre race practice swims. It will give you a chance to taste the salt water, see the jelly fish and feel the waves.
I got there on Wednesday night, which was fine IMO (it is a Saturday race)
Use www.VRBO.com to find accomodations. There is PLENTY of availability of condos during that time, no need to lock yourself in to something non-refundable. We stayed at the Majestic Beach Resort, which was probably 1-2miles from the start…nice to be away from the action, but not too far. I got 4-nights direct from a condo owner for $350 total, for reference. And I booked it about a week before the race.
Don’t know, but I’d say within a mile of the start/finish she could see plenty of action.
There isn’t any.
The question isn’t will you be able to drive the day after the race, it’s will you be able to SIT for 17hours the day after the race. Seriously. We did make the drive back on Sunday (8hrs?), and luckily my wife drove almost the entire way. Hardest part was getting out at the rest stops! Actually, it likely won’t be any easier to drive (I mean SIT) on Monday…in fact, it could be worse. So, I would drive back sooner rather than later unless you plan to sightsee.
Im coming from Ohio and driving. Im going to start the drive down on wed and split it into two days. That will put me there mid thursday and thats the last day you can do packet pick up and stuff like that. SO Thursday would be the absolute latest you could get there I think. Thats the most of your questions I can answer however Im going to take a guess that you should not factor on being able to drive the day after.
A lot of good answers so far. I would add the following:
Stay at the Sunbird condos. Great rates, nice units right on the beach less than 1/4 from the start. Makes for an easy start tot he day and will allow your wife to go back for a nap or such while you are on the bike.
I drove from Minnesota my first year. It’s like, really far. Airfare is cheap and I would reconsider driving. Three or four easy airports- Panama City, Ft, Walton, Pensacola.
Cook for yourself. There are places to eat, but the beach is fairly empty that time of year. You may have to go into Panama City to find something you like. The beach has the usual junk- Hooters, BBQ, and all the fast food chains. There is also the usual Waffle Houses and such. There used to be a fairly decent Itilian resturaunt across from the Holiday in about one mile from the start. Not great, but good enough. Cooking for yourself is a great idea. There is a Super Walmart across from the Sunbird Condos and you can get everything and everything you need there. The condos come stocked with a full kitchen so you should be all set.
I wouldn’t want to drive home the day after the race. The race is on a Saturday. Take Sunday to get your pictures, and chill out on the beach. You deserve a little break and IMFL has one of the best beaches you will ever find. Take the time to chill.
I have a bunch of questions for those that have done the race before. Some of these may be a little late depending… I’ve done the race 5 times
Anybody driven from the midwest? I’m considerieng driving to save on some of the costs of the race (two people and a bike to PCB is expensive). I figure it will take about 17 hrs in the car. is this a really bad idea? Drove from northeast Indiana everytime, took between 15-17 hours depending on stops and/or other…
What day do I need to get down there before the race? I’d get there by at least Wed. **** 3. Where should i stay? Anywhere on the beach a mile or two in either direction of transition is a safe bet…
Where should my wife watch the race from? Plenty of room for spectators, watch from the beach for the swim then walk up to bike exit
Where are the best places to eat? Hammerhead Fred’s
Will I be able to drive the day after the race? (this is my first IM) You’ll be able to drive, but wouldn’t try walking after you stop to get out
I’m sure that there are a lot of thing that I don’t know, so any pointers about making this a fun experience woudl be great.
Anybody driven from the midwest? I’m considerieng driving to save on some of the costs of the race (two people and a bike to PCB is expensive). I figure it will take about 17 hrs in the car. is this a really bad idea?
I drove from Columbia, MO, stayed in Birmingham on the way down, then drove straight back without stopping. ~14 hrs
What day do I need to get down there before the race?
Get there at the latest point possible. Wed. Night or Thurs. morning.
Where should i stay?
Limitless.
Where should my wife watch the race from?
The swim start, bike mount, then have her navigate to the out and back intersection on the bike course (there is plenty of time for this), T-2, the turn around, the finish line.
Where are the best places to eat?
There are a lot of resturants, but I found this NY deli that was fabulous. Also, there was this Italian restutaunt that had a great salad and bread sticks.
Will I be able to drive the day after the race? (this is my first IM)
I drove home (with my wife) the next day. It wasn’t bad at all.
I’m sure that there are a lot of thing that I don’t know, so any pointers about making this a fun experience woudl be great.
When my parents come to visit, it’s about from 16 hours from western Michigan to Destin, which is an hour west of PCB. Under no circumstances do you want to be hitting Nashville during rush hour, because that easily adds 30-60 minutes to the trip. The segment between Montgomery, AL and PCB has no great route, but the best way is to probably take US 331 south at Montgomery because I-65 takes you too far west.
Arrive Tuesday night, and get a full day in on Wednesday.
Lots of good options that time of year, and you can get a new, essentially untrashed by college kids condo for a very good price that time of year.
Transition start/finish is probably the best point
Forget Walmart, Publix is the far superior grocery store. The dining scene isn’t great compared to what you get further west, but we generally hit Pineapple Willie’s when we’re stuck in PCB around meal time.
Can drive, yes, should drive, probably not, unless you’re going to be good about getting out to walk for a bit every two hours. That long of a trip after that long of a race, you really need to be religous about active movement to reduce the risk of blood clots.
Enjoy your first IM. Florida is a great place for it. Good posts so far, but here’s my .02
Do it in 2 days, don’t show up trying to recover from the drive.
Show up by Wed., although you usually have to be there by Thurs.
Lots of good places. Anyplace on Thomas Drive is good because you can park very close to the start/finish. I usually stay at Dunes of Panama E building.
Of course watch the start, then if she feels confident with where she is going, she can drive out to the out and back part of the second half of the bike, see you twice, and get back to the start finish area to see your run start. Drive the bike course and she’ll know where it is. Usually lot’s of folks there.
Lots of places, but check out Boondocks essentially under the bridge on the race course.
You will not feel great about driving the day after, take an extra day and enjoy the beach if you can.
For your first race, show up for the pancake breakfast, carb dinner and gatoraide swim on Friday. Do it all. Have fun.
Hooters probably is one of the better bets. The atmosphere is tacky, but in the end harmless, and from the accounts I’ve heard, the food is adequate enough if you stick to the basics.
