I was there as an athlete rep and spectator and I can say from a spectators perspective it sucked, except on the NYC run side. Spectators that started the day in transition were basically locked there. You could walk up the hill out of transition and watch mile 7 and 14 of the run, but hardly. You could hardly see the turn around and were not allowed up the course. As an athlete that must have sucked to to be running those miles with no spectators. The IM staff had no idea how to set up the area or what to tell the spectators, like how to get back down to the ferries. I heard that if you wanted to walk up to the bike turnaround you couldn’t get back to transition as it was too dangerous for the athletes flying back into transition.
I had a chance to sit with a non-racing pro, who was there supporting a few other athletes, and he said that the spectating issue were out of control. These are the people that bring the money to the race and the city and put more money in the athletes hands. It should have been better planned. That being said the finish line area was pretty cool.
Talking to the athletes that I rep they said the run was the hardest run they’ve done. As they came into the athlete lounge after each one said the exact same thing. I think they enjoyed the challenge.
Again I am only speaking from a spectators point of view. Exciting place to race but frankly seemed like a logistical nightmare. It was a bit spread out.
I .
I heard from MANY experienced racers that the run was one of the hardest they had done
Over 10 years reading ST and have never read someone say “that was easy” after any Ironman 
I was there as an athlete rep and spectator and I can say from a spectators perspective it sucked, except on the NYC run side…
Again I am only speaking from a spectators point of view. Exciting place to race but frankly seemed like a logistical nightmare. It was a bit spread out.
I just got home and I’ll weigh in. Here’s my thoughts:
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Pre-race logistics.- I felt they did a pretty good job getting things done and getting my packet to getting my bike to transition was pretty painless. A bit a pain in the ass with the ferry but, obviously, I knew the deal going in. I stayed at the Sheraton (Host Hotel) and, IMO, that’s where the IM village and Expo should have been. Too far a walk into an area devoid of anything other than the Expo.
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The Course- The swim is being panned, however, the rest of the course made up for it…in a big way. I was guilty of burning the candle a bit too hard on the first 56 and paid for it the second. The heat and humidity reared it’s head and, worse, a steady headwind was with me all the way in the last 25 miles or so. I thought the bike course was deceptively hard and would have rewarded patience…also, the first lap was carnage with at least four or five wrecks. A couple of BAD ones. The run…well…it was freaking brutal. No other way to say it.
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The Course Part II- No other way to say it: They managed to make an Ironman in the largest city in the US the loneliest experience in the world.
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Spectators- I had my fiance, her parents, my parents, and my brother and sister there. To be blunt: a miserable race for them to try and watch and, worse, they were being DISCOURAGED to watch. They were not allowed to go to the bike turnaround, nor on the run course, and, as noted, not much to see on the swim. While they waited for me in transition there was ONE place to get something to eat that had ONE guy running it. They said it would, literally, take an 1.5 hours to get a burger. It was so bad that they were eating my nutrition that I had left in my swim bag. (sidebar: they are all big fans of Stinger Waffles). In short, they nicknamed transition “Death Island”. My fiance’ actually tracked down the RD and asked her where they could watch and her response was “this course and race was not put together for spectators; you’ll have to go across the River and watch him run in the Park”
The course that did go through NYC went through the park with BBQ’s galore and, when the sun went down, PITCH black. If I were a woman racing this, i would be terrified in some sections. The finish was a cluster fuck squeezed in the smallest area I’ve ever seen for an IM. My parents have seen me run four and they said, hands down, the shittiest venue they’ve been to yet.
When I signed up for this, and before the course was announced, I had visions of an IM with the support of the NYC Mary. Complete opposite.
I will give the RD kudos for pulling it off…I know an event this long in a city that big is a nightmare and it was done, for the athlete, pretty well. For spectators: leave them at home.
Coming over the GWB was pretty cool and there was a great crowd at the base of the GWB.
If I ever go back to that Park in NJ it will be too soon.
EDIT: Forgot to mention, and should have been number 1, the volunteers were freaking phenomenal. The humidity on the bike was brutal and had to be worse for them. Kudos to all of them and thank you.
Thanks Cobalt.
I would definitely do the race again.
I live in Brooklyn, but if I was coming in for the race, the NJ Sheraton is apparently right across the street from the ferry to the start, so that would be nice.
I caught a ride with a friend to the start and avoided the 4am ferry crush (still had to wake at 2:15am for morning rituals).
Not trusting TriBikeTransport (perhaps fortuitously), I instead palmed the $50 and used up a huge favor from a good friend of mine who picked up my bike and bags for me. Problem was, it took him nearly 4 hours when the athlete guide predicted a 1-hour round trip (now I owe him big time). If I could change anything, it would be to assign more volunteers to bike/bag handling in transition.
Everything else went very, very smoothly. I am generally a fan of the underdog and have been critical of WTC over the years, but this was my first race with them and it was a positive experience.
I’ll be out there next year volunteering, so perhaps I’ll have a chance to cheer you on.
Congrats to all IMNY finishers!
Would you do it again?
Where would you stay?
What would you change?
Any spectators, volunteers, or locals who were present for the race would love to hear your thoughts as well!
Thanks
So you were able to be dropped off up by T1? I was under the impression you couldn’t get there due to the closures on the Palisades.
“this course and race was not put together for spectators; you’ll have to go across the River and watch him run in the Park”
Interesting, but not surprising.
I had a bit of an epiphany last fall when I was in Tempe for IMAZ. As many know, I am a bit old-school. My idea of a great course has scenic beauty and is challenging. Both IMC and IMH score high points for me. You actually feel like you are doing something. But I know, ironically, that neither of those races would be considered that spectator friendly either. Then I was in Tempe. It’s three loops on the bike and I think 3 - 4 figure-8 loops on the run. The bike runs through a down-town section then out onto a highway through an Native Reserve. The scenery is litter strewn fields, falling a part houses and burned out wrecks of cars! They seemed to go around and around in circles. However, friends family members, loved ones etc* loved the course! *Could not say enough nice things about it. With minimal work you could see your athlete 3 times on the bike and 5 - 6 on the run!!
Point being with the various IM race venues you have lots of choices these days. If spectator viewing for friends and family is key, then obviously IMNYC is not the event for that . . consider IMAZ. It’s perfectly set up for them!
Rookie.
IF you truly want a spectator friendly Iron-distance event, then the only answer is:
Esprit.
S - 2 laps of the rowing basin - your fans can literally follow along the WHOLE WAY on shore if they want.
B - 41 laps of the F1 course - they’ll get to see you go by every 7-10 minutes or so, depending on your pace.
R - 9 laps around the rowing basin, they can sit in the stands and see you about 90% of the time.
IM is a turrible (copyright - Charles Barkley) spectating event, in the best of circumstances. It just is.
IF you are determined to inflict spectating on the ones you love, at least pick a good course for it.
(or one that has lots of easily accessable diversions for them, while you are out doing your thing).
So you were able to be dropped off up by T1? I was under the impression you couldn’t get there due to the closures on the Palisades
the entrance to the park was open. i walked in at 3.45am. you need to park on the side streets in fort lee and walk aprox 1.5 miles to T1**.** not sure why the RD didnt offer this to the athletes and foreced everybody to take the ferry. maybe because once you enter the park there is no lights and you are walking in complete darkness???
“this course and race was not put together for spectators; you’ll have to go across the River and watch him run in the Park”
Interesting, but not surprising.
I had a bit of an epiphany last fall when I was in Tempe for IMAZ. As many know, I am a bit old-school. My idea of a great course has scenic beauty and is challenging. Both IMC and IMH score high points for me. You actually feel like you are doing something. But I know, ironically, that neither of those races would be considered that spectator friendly either. Then I was in Tempe. It’s three loops on the bike and I think 3 - 4 figure-8 loops on the run. The bike runs through a down-town section then out onto a highway through an Native Reserve. The scenery is litter strewn fields, falling a part houses and burned out wrecks of cars! They seemed to go around and around in circles. However, friends family members, loved ones etc* loved the course! *Could not say enough nice things about it. With minimal work you could see your athlete 3 times on the bike and 5 - 6 on the run!!
Point being with the various IM race venues you have lots of choices these days. If spectator viewing for friends and family is key, then obviously IMNYC is not the event for that . . consider IMAZ. It’s perfectly set up for them!
Completely agree…I’ve done IMAZ (2008 Spring) and it’s tailor made for spectators. I thought Louisville was just as good and the finish, IMO, is the best I’ve seen anywhere. When I signed up the course wasn’t posted and, like I said, I had visions of a NY Marathon-like experience. Far from it.
I know they cannot re-do the NYC course…hell it took 7 years to put it together. Here’s some tweaks I think they CAN do:
– Put the IM Village at the host Hotel. I think the location probably hurt the exhibitors…most of my crew, who love going there, said “f*ck it” when I told them where it was.
–More lighting on the run course.
–More timing mats. I was surprised how few there were and even more surprised they weren’t at every end of the “M” turns in Riverside park. Since it’s hard to spectate, it’s a better way of keeping track of your athlete. Could have been a ton of cheating in that M turn section.
–They’ve already addressed and I say kudos…15.5 hour cutoff time and avoid having the PA cutoff.
–The finish is too squeezed…There is no way to easily get around…not sure how to fix it.
So you were able to be dropped off up by T1? I was under the impression you couldn’t get there due to the closures on the Palisades
the entrance to the park was open. i walked in at 3.45am. you need to park on the side streets in fort lee and walk aprox 1.5 miles to T1**.** not sure why the RD didnt offer this to the athletes and foreced everybody to take the ferry. maybe because once you enter the park there is no lights and you are walking in complete darkness???
Our ride dropped us on the off ramp from the GWB into Fort Lee. We could not even make it to Hudson Terrace (which is what we were told at the mandatory athletes’ meeting thurs night). It was probably closer to a 2-mile walk than 1.5 for me, but all down hill and excellent to walk off some of the anxiety.
IM is a turrible (copyright - Charles Barkley) spectating event, in the best of circumstances. It just is.
IF you are determined to inflict spectating on the ones you love, at least pick a good course for it.
(or one that has lots of easily accessable diversions for them, while you are out doing your thing).
I don’t “inflict”, hell, I tell them to stay home…but they enjoy coming with me. I sent them all to the 9/11 memorial and Freedom Tower for the morning. And if it was my finace’ out there you can bet your ass I’d be out there watching and supporting her.
No argument it’s not easy to watch…supported my friends through many an IM.
Would I do it again?
Not sure. It is my “hometown” race, even though I am not a local anymore, so it had sentimental appeal. And, it was a challenging course, which makes me feel like I “earned” it. I didn’t sign up for next year, but I might in the future, if I am still racing long course. Logistics were tough, and it was a LONG day because of the ferry rides. Lots of hurry up and wait.
Overall, I thought it was a good race. The IM isn’t spectator friendly by nature, so I thought this race was OK. I have done IM Cozumel and the Great Floridian. Both were more spectator friendly, but there was less for spectators to do outside of the race.
The volunteer support was great, and there was lots of ice and water at more than 2/3rds of the stops. It made a HUGE difference for me.
There wasn’t any pizza at the finish when I got there- 12:19 (12:11) which sucked. Luckily, I walked to my hotel and plenty of pizza nearby!
Where would I stay?
NYC. Hard to pass up the good food! I stayed in the upper 70’s on the west side and it was easy to get where I needed to be.
What would you change?
Buses from the GWB bus terminal to transition, or at least to the top of the hill from 4 AM, last bus at 5:15 AM.
More awareness/opportunity for crowds to come to the exits that are easy to spectate on the bike- Exits 2, 4, and 6 come to mind. They are close to some towns, and there is grassy parking nearby and people can walk onto the course. I thought there were OK crowds there actually.
More running in Manhattan- I know it would be tough, an they loop/snake at mile 23 was a good start. This was well spectated and fun.
Mike,
BAM! Esprit is The Bomb for Ironman Spectators - no question.
Point being with the various IM race venues you have lots of choices these days. If spectator viewing for friends and family is key, then obviously IMNYC is not the event for that . . consider IMAZ. It’s perfectly set up for them!
I think one needs to put few things in perspective first before unleashing how spectator unfriendly this IM was. It was a massive logistical undertaking to make sure it goes off without a major glitch and the safety of athletes was the priority this time around. I am pretty sure going forward, knowing how all the moving parts interacted this time, there will be more emphasis put how to make it more spectator friendly. The park in NJ has lots of paths that can be utilized to move people around in a safe manner to cheers athletes in other parts of the run course as well as the bike. However, people need to understand that there always will be some amount of walking invloved either around Palisades Park, across GWB, or along side Hudson river in NYC. If they are expecting to be shuttled in AC’ed coach it ain’t gonna happen…
I know it took 7 years, etc…but I wonder about the future of this race if changes are not made. Many signed up because it was a novelty and they were willing to take a flier on a NYC experience. I did so because it is 25 miles from my house. The spectator issues are legitimate and probably hurt WTC on revenue as well. My family couldn’t even find any water to buy at the finish! Anyway, the course needs to be tweaked somehow because it is a long, lonely and rather boring excursion out there. Obviously we all knew going in that it was largely in NJ but perhaps figured they would have some surprises on the course (Inspiration Station, cheering sections, etc.) to liven things up. Not so much…Many have complained about the logistics which were annoying but not a deal breaker for me. The bigger issues are (1) the lack of spectator support; and (2) a largely boring course. The race is in no man’s land between NJ and NYC and clearly is being more tolerated than embraced by NYC. Even when you get into NYC you are (literally) skirting the edge. I admire Korff and WTC for taking on the huge challenge of doing this in probably the most difficult venue one could imagine. They should be commended for thinking big. But it does feel forced. I will go one step further and say if they do not change this up in a significant way this race is unlikely to be around long-term.
My family couldn’t even find any water to buy at the finish!
I was pretty shocked by this as well. Hundreds of spectators at the finish line and nowhere to buy water or food. Not only would this have been nice for the spectators, but it was a wasted money making opportunity.
My family couldn’t even find any water to buy at the finish!
I was pretty shocked by this as well. Hundreds of spectators at the finish line and nowhere to buy water or food. Not only would this have been nice for the spectators, but it was a wasted money making opportunity.
Food trucks were on Riverside Drive, right next to the fleet of port-o-johns.
I kind of felt bad for Rappstar as he was pulling in to the finish given how few people were out, though it did fill up later.
Other interesting observation is that while I live less than a block from the finish, I would have never known there was a an ironman or race of any kind if I did not know about it in advance.
Rookie.
IF you truly want a spectator friendly Iron-distance event, then the only answer is:
Esprit.
S - 2 laps of the rowing basin - your fans can literally follow along the WHOLE WAY on shore if they want.
B - 41 laps of the F1 course - they’ll get to see you go by every 7-10 minutes or so, depending on your pace.
R - 9 laps around the rowing basin, they can sit in the stands and see you about 90% of the time.
IM is a turrible (copyright - Charles Barkley) spectating event, in the best of circumstances. It just is.
IF you are determined to inflict spectating on the ones you love, at least pick a good course for it.
(or one that has lots of easily accessable diversions for them, while you are out doing your thing).
I immediately thought about Esprit too!!! The Canadian IM in Ottawa is also decent…you can see your athletes 2x on the swim, 24x on the bike (12 times out and back), and 8x on the run (4x out and back).
But I agree with you on inflicting the pain of watching an IM on family. I usually suggest to people to recommend to their families to sleep in, have a brunch, hang out for at the beach, have lunch, take a snooze and then stoll over to catch the end of the run course (but don’t actually go to the finish line because it is a noisy mess, where athletes never notice family members anyway…ex: Lance in Galveston).
Then the family knows that you did your race, they can go back to the hotel and have dinner and athletes can spend time talking post race talk with other athletes, that always takes waaaaaaaay toooooo long and which families find annoying anyway, after being outdoors and on their feet in the sun with crying babies for 12+ hours.
I enjoyed the race, and am unsure if it will be a one time deal. Here is my take:
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The logistics were tougher than usual, both from an athletes perspective and from my wife’s spectating prospective. I prefer a venue where everything is close by. It is easier for me to get my pre-race things done. It is also easier for my wife to take a break when the hotel is close to transition hub.
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The enjoyed the swim. It was a fairly unique start which made it fun. It was also nice because it wasn’t the usual washing machine. The only comparable start I have seen was Louisville.
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The bike course was great. It featured a nice mix of climbs/descents. The fast downhills were great 45 MPH. The long, steady uphills balanced things out nicely. There were also stretches where you could settle in a good rythmn on the flats. All in all, a good bike course. There were a few unmarked potholes, but nothing to complain about…my training ride roads are much worse. You just have to keep your eyes open.
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The run course was pretty tough. The shade was nice, particularly in first section of the race in New Jersey. It was very cool going over the GW bridge and the parks were great on the New Yrok side.
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The volunteers and spectators were awesome. This has been true of every IM event I have been in. It is cool to get cheered on by complete strangers.
It was a good event and a pretty unique experience. The logistics were weird, but that was a given for this venue. Part of the fun for me is going to the different venues, so my natural preference is to try something different. I remain undecided on whether I will race NYC again.
1- Awesome Race. Yes I would do it again.
2- I stayed at home (I live in Downtown Manhattan)
3- It was hot. How about a September race date?
To the folks complaining about spectator options…are you kidding? It’s a 10+ event for the fast folks. How would you prefer to accommodate a NYC crowd?
To the complaints about logistics…My gf picked up my bike at 3:30, dropped it off at my apt, picked up my dog, and was there to meet up with my support crew at the finish line, with several hours to kill before I finished (around 7:30) When I finished the race all I had to do was smile for the camera and have a beer…didn’t seem so bad too me.
My only complaint is the expo was boring, the entertainment lame, and didn’t like the design on the finishing t-shirt. Oh, and whats with the sizing? My small is way too big, and I’ll 5’11’’ 165lbs.
I posted by own experience under: IMNYC Race Report First Timer
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=4104953;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread