For those of you who have done both IMUSA and The Great Floridian, which would you consider to be more difficult and why?
I did IMUSA in 2003 and GFT the year before and there was no comparison. The hills are much more significant on both the run and bike. The swim is also more of a contact sport at IMUSA due to the tight start.
IMUSA hands down. I did GFT in '98 and LP last year. The bike course is MUCH tougher than the 1 loop course I did in GFT, though I hear the course has changed. When I climbed Sugarloaf, I couldn’t believe all the hype I’d heard. They had made it sound like a mountain, which it definitely was not. Perhaps it was a comparison to the rest of the course. Aside from Sugarloaf, and some rollers the last 10 miles, I found the ride pretty flat. LP has next to no flat sections. And the run at LP rolls a bit more, with 2 larger hills. Once you start running around the Lake at GFT, it’s all flat, or nearly so. Just my opinion.
FWIW, the GFT bike course has changed since you did it. The former second loop (kinda flat) was replaced by a second tour of the first loop (hilly).
I have done the Great Floridian 4 times (Including the newer 2 lap course) and Lake Placid twice. Lake Placid is definitely tougher.