Is the swim start at IM FLA as rough as the IM LP swim? Just curious if Fla is any less rough since you dont have people looking for the Lake Mirror cable and if the beach start helps at all.
Thanks
I don’t think the IMF swim is nearly as bad, probably b/c @ 1/3 of the field is cutting the course which didn’t seem to happen much at LP.
I’ve done both races twice, IMFL isn’t nearly as rough since people tend to spread out more from the beach start. If the weather is dicey in FL, then the swim gets interesting. In 2002 there were storms in the days leading up to the race that left behind some good-sized swells on race morning that made it tough to sight and also pushed swimmers into each other.
how is crowd support at IM FLA?
Crowd support at IMFL is few and far in between since it’s a one-loop bike course that goes through a lot of nothing. Run course goes through residential neighborhoods before getting out to the turn-around at the beach (the sunset off the dunes is awesome), but the crowds are mostly near the transition area.
IMFL06 vs. IMLP07
Human-wise I got pounded much more frequently at LP following the cable, although I got pounded harder at LP.
Water-wise the surf/swells at FL were pretty brutal which pounds you in a different way.
FL definitely has much less spectators and is much less spectator friendly.
Hey, the 1.5 million pine trees on the IMFL course aren’t nothing 
.