I am doing my first IMaz in April and was wondering if anyone had any good advice. How is the course, Weather, anything that would help. Thanks.
The bike course has a slight incline on the way out with a good hill right before you turn around to head back. I would say that both the bike and run are fairly flat, meaning there are no ‘major’ hills! The weather changes from year to year and it is usually windy, sunny and mid-high 80’s.
None of the courses are pretty, but since the run is loops you have TONS of supporters around the course!
You are going to have a great time! I have many friends who have raced and are racing IMAZ!
That’s so funny! The run course is anything but flat… The bike on the other hand is relatively flat…
I suggest you get several opionions on the run.
Oh…and watch out for the wind…
Deep water swim start was a breeze. I lined up on the inside by the bouys and it was the least congested IM swim I’ve done. You’ll need tinted goggles for sure as the first mile is straight into the rising sun.
Prepare for wind on the bike. Learn to really adjust your pacing/nutrition accordingly. I don’t normally race with a HRM but it would have made pacing a lot easier. Coming back through town 3 times was great.
The run course was very winding and the crowd support was incredible. There aren’t too many spots where you’re out of ear shot of someone cheering for more than a few minutes, that was a huge help.
I would have to agree with you. I think the grade up the B line to the turn around was over hyped IMO. The run isn’t super hilly, but there are several short, steep parts to get back over the over passes that can take you out of your rhthym for sure. I certainly wouldn’t call the run pancake flat.
yeah it was my first one too. i agree with everyone about the bike and the hill at the turn around. great support by the volunteers. the run isnt that flat but its flat enough that it doesnt make it too much more challenging relative to other courses. it was crazy windy last year but weather is always inconsistent.
Come on guy’s, there’s only one real hill on the run, climbing up to cross over a bridge is nothing. The BeeLine on the bike is very flat as well, the grade is tiny but lasts a while. I was just out there this morning cranking along at 22+ mph. It’s the wind that will rip the heart out of you.
2006 year-hot as hell on the bike. I think it was 88 degrees when I started on the bike, got pretty hot during the day. Then it got cloudy and the run was not too bad.
Winds this year were brutal. Just a plain ole whipping out there. Quite the beatdown but not as hot.
Flat course. Swim directly into the sun till the turn around.
Great crowd and volunteer support.
I thought the swim was a rather difficult to navigate course. I’m sure I spent an extra minute or so out there because I couldn’t see (against the sun and no substantial markers to site on). Nevertheless, nice to have no ocean chop and I was only a minute slower (:57) than at IMFL. The bike course was not difficult at all, no worse (or better) than Florida, but the wind made going uphill (pardon the pun) a breeze. Going downhill was difficult. The run had rhythm breakers all through it - dirt, uneven trails, plywood, bridges. The worst part of the run was, if you were feeling pretty bad and having negative thoughts, with three laps, it can get pretty easy to justify quitting. Then again, that can be the best part if you’re feeling great with friends and family getting to see and encourage you so often.
I’ve only done that one and Florida, but I imagine they are the industrial strength races of the entire series - not too scenic, just there to get the job done. Enjoy!
yes, the conditions on raceday will play a bigger part in determining your day out there. I rode the computrainer course all winter and knew exactly what my splits should be based on CT effort but on the day of the race the wind made the uphill feel like the downhill and the downhill felt like…up. I was 10-15 minutes slower than expected as I spent the last 10 miles going 13mph. I would say to always plan on wind and heat.
Oh, and the road conditions are disgraceful. One guy in front of me crashed into a cone and ate pavement. Hard to believe in the entire state of Arizona they can’t find a decent stretch of road instead of making you ride on the crappy sections 6 times (3 out and backs, not loops).
Swim was really good. Ugly water quality but plenty of room (compared to IMLP anyway).
Run is a crazy series of weaving in and around. Lots of jumping over curbs. I ran the 3 loops but could not recreate that run course if I tried. Again, why can’t they find a decent stretch of road?
Great volunteers but just not a great course. Kind of just get out there & do your thing.
"The bike course was not difficult at all, no worse (or better) than Florida, but the wind made going uphill (pardon the pun) a breeze. "
What year did you do IMAZ?
This year. The course itself wasnt hard, but the wind made me stay out there longer I planned. I posted my sad story (rr) here the day after the race.
I agree with you. There are no climbs on the run to speak of. However, the wind is a beast and should be considered for everything from nutrition to wheel choice. It will be hot, dry, and windy. Finishers will definitely earn their medal !
Can’t say I really enjoyed the course as my only other comparison is Ironman Canada. From reading other posts the wind obviously can be the biggest factor. Compare that the DNF’s this year was in the 10% range versus 2006 where heat was more the issue, but DNF’s less. As for the course, it is more up to the individual likes or dislikes. Personally, I prefer the solitude while running and the spectator support while great, threw me off my rhythm. The bike course really is flat, if it’s not windy you can crank out a good ride. Having said that, a flat ride means always pedaling and using the same muscle groups. The run is very confusing and lots of concrete. One issue of the three loop run is if you’re shooting for a Kona spot it can get confusing on the third loop when you’re calf watching as you don’t know what loop that other age grouper is on. In IMC if someone is in front of you, they’re ahead! Disgusting water and hard to see for the first mile, just follow everyone else. If you’re there 2 weeks prior there is a 2.4 mile swim race at Lake Pleasant just north of Phoenix. Colder water at 58° but nice and clear. Race put on by DCB Adventure. Good luck next year at IMAZ.
The issues with the course come from the City of Tempe and not NAS sports 
Tempe town lake is the only water source that has hotels within 10-15 miles of it and isn’t super hilly. I’m not sure why they don’t clean the B line roads better. The road is atrocious and I rarely ever train on it as you generally get at least one flat each time you ride it.
Ill agree with pretty much everything else others have said, I have done the race twice, but have yet to do it well. Maybe this year. My main complaint is that the run course is almost entirely on concrete. So my advice would be to do your long runs on concrete. I didnt think the roads on the bike course were bad overall, there were a few sections that were super sketchy and made me wish I had a bit lower tire pressure in my race wheels. Other than that, you are left to the mercy of the wind as you are almost completely exposed to the wind on both the bike and run courses. The first year I did it (06), it got really hot, but the wind wasnt a concern. This year, the heat wasnt as much of an issue, but the wind made me go about 30 minutes longer on the bike than I was expecting. (still no reason to NOT use a disc, I used one in 07 and will use it again in 08) AS far as the swim goes, the water is sort of gross, but the bridges over town lake really make it easy to sight.
I lost a few minutes on the swim for 2 main reasons.
- I seeded myself too far back and had to fight through a bunch of folks for the first 10 minutes. To many slowpokes put themselves at the front.
- They said that the turnaround would be just past the Rural Street bridge. It wasn’t and you can’t see the turn buoy swimming into the sun (at least I couldn’t). The turn buoy is about 4-500m PAST the bridge. I had decided that I was wrong about which bridge it was and decided to head to the NEXT bridge. I actually passed the buoy by a few yards. (I was swimming way right to avoid the crowds. From the post above I should have gone against my usual tactic and gone up the buoy line.
THAT DAMNED CANNON IS LOUD. (It was right above me when it went off–OUCH!)
The wind was brutal. The last trip back to town was very SLOW. That one run hill shouldn’t have been bad, but it was into THAT WIND.