But just checking in to see if anyone else has any interesting or useful bits of information they would want to share about the race in general ie. what the swim is like, best place to start the swim, any transition issues, any bike/run course nutrition info/tips, or anything else in general about the race given it’s my first IM (5 halfs under the belt though).
Thanks all, and good luck to all anyone racing there in 2 weeks. I hope we get some nice weather!
But just checking in to see if anyone else has any interesting or useful bits of information they would want to share about the race in general ie. what the swim is like, best place to start the swim, any transition issues, any bike/run course nutrition info/tips, or anything else in general about the race given it’s my first IM (5 halfs under the belt though).
Thanks all, and good luck to all anyone racing there in 2 weeks. I hope we get some nice weather!
The exit from T1 can have people running at it from all directions - be aware and look out for people running into you.
On the run you go through some tunnels near the town centre - be prepared that they can be humid and feel very tight.
I did this race in '07 and to date it is my favorite event even thought I ended-up in the med tent and then the hospital. Anyway, this may be the only race where the swim finish is more rough than the start. The lake is absolutely pristine, a friend of mine was purposely drinking from it during the swim! If it’s hard for you to see the buoys on the way out, sight the BIG antenna on the hill (you’ll know it when you see it). The last few hundred yards are up a canal that is fairly narrow and shallow, I swam 1:03 that year so I think I missed the bulk of the swimmers, but it was still pretty crowded in there (think salmon spawning). Just be prepared and stay calm. Tons of crowds on the bike and run. The bike will remind you of stages of the Tour de France (including the peloton ;)) and the run makes its way through the town of Klagenfurt, very cool little Austrian town. The finish is like nothing you’ll see here in the States, BIG crowd and cheerleaders!
Have fun! I really want to do this race again sometime, minus the med tent.
I did this race in '07 and to date it is my favorite event even thought I ended-up in the med tent and then the hospital. Anyway, this may be the only race where the swim finish is more rough than the start. The lake is absolutely pristine, a friend of mine was purposely drinking from it during the swim! If it’s hard for you to see the buoys on the way out, sight the BIG antenna on the hill (you’ll know it when you see it). The last few hundred yards are up a canal that is fairly narrow and shallow, I swam 1:03 that year so I think I missed the bulk of the swimmers, but it was still pretty crowded in there (think salmon spawning). Just be prepared and stay calm. Tons of crowds on the bike and run. The bike will remind you of stages of the Tour de France (including the peloton ;)) and the run makes its way through the town of Klagenfurt, very cool little Austrian town. The finish is like nothing you’ll see here in the States, BIG crowd and cheerleaders!
Have fun! I really want to do this race again sometime, minus the med tent.
Did the race in 09 and 10 and did’t see any of these “peletons” draftint yes and groups but they were all less than 10 people.
I did hear lots of people complaining about the packs - although generally people who weren’t ahppy with their races and wanted to explain why their bike splits were so poor in comparision to the rest of the fields.
Worth remember that its a mecca for germanic uber bikers. Bike splits that are indistingusable from run splits 4:3x, 4:4x and so on all over the place
Great course, swim very fast (or course short), long steep climb on each loop, bring extra gear if not very strong cyclist. Be sure to go to pre race meeting, I went to wrong meeting in a language I could not understand and ended up with a penalty, for blocking - as I am a slower swimmer 1:03 I was passing a lot of people in first 30km and motor cycle did not like that I just stayed in left side of lane rather then weaving in and out, he tried to talk to me but I cannot understand German. Run can be hot (short run course). Expect time to be 30min faster for 10hr North American course.
Drafting effect in the canal at the end of the swim is awesome- lots of bodies in a small area means it’s a lot like swimming downstream. Not sure if they are doing a beach start or deep water start, but if it’s the latter make sure you’re up near the front. I was caught well back on the beach when the hooter went both times that I raced. That assumes you are at least a decent swimmer!
If you get the chance in the days beforehand swim out to get a look at the canal entrance so you know what you are looking for on raceday. It’s easy to miss with the sun behind if you don’t have a good idea of what you are looking for. If you don’t swim over at least walk round so you get a feel for the geography and landmarks.
drluke12 -
I’ll be leaving next week for this race as well (from Texas). Here are a few of my overall tips as I’m going with a large crew, some of which have done it back in 2007…
Swim: Fast swim, clean water, good temperatures…about 71 right now. line up in the front if you are fast, line up in middle if you are not. Plain and simple…just like any other IM. I’d say sub 1:10, need to line up front. Above that line up in middle. above 1:30 should line up near back if I had to make suggestions.
T1/T2 - changed this year from previous years but from what we have looked and seen, the run is longer from water exit to T1…maybe 400-800 meters? It’s a long haul it seems like. Make sure and get all your gear that you are planning to take on the bike with you. Put all your gear back in your bag…I have lost a few things over the years that I somehow didn’t put back in my bag. Don’t “lolligag”…get your crap and get moving!
Bike: Believe it is around 5k climbing with 2 major climbs (Rupitberg being the biggest and longest) on each loop. Many rollers, but nothing worth worrying about. Personally I have been told to either ride a compact crank or have an extra gear in the back to get up over the climbs easier. I love the new 11x28 cassettes b/c you have that really easy gear so you don’t fry your legs on loop 1 and you spin up much easier. But you still have speed with your bigger gears like 11, 12, etc. and a standard crank. Somewhere around 5k feet climbing (according to mapmyride, or 7k if you look at the euro websites). I’d say there is always a margin of error with those sites, so plan on 4500-6500 ft climbing mentally and just ride within your limits. Heard to get ready for fast descents.
Run: pancake flat course, shaded a lot of the way, but can still warm up into the 80’s so be prepared
Nutrition: they are changing their nutrition this year at this race and it is the Powerbar products (similar to Ironman Perform) gels, bars, etc. but they are a bit different over in Europe and just came available about a month ago and very hard to buy, even overseas. Can’t say I have tried any of it, but I hope it is similar to IM Perform in content and I’ll just deal with the taste. Otherwise, pack your own.
Special Needs: they radio ahead a few miles before you get there so they will have your bag ready…just know how to say your number in german I was told.
All of the above.
As to the sighting…the radio antenna tower heading out on the swim (but it can get obscured by fog). When you turn at the first buoy, there is a castle to sight off of…hopefully still in line with where the turn is, but with the different transition, I believe that may have changed slightly.
There are tiny hills on the run…where you go from canal level up to street level. They’re not big, but towards the end of an Ironman, sometimes they feel bigger.
What is the deal with the bell? I don’t recall that…but in 2007, the downtown part of the run was changed because of construction around the Lindwurm—I’m psyched I get to run around it this year!
The Bell: Just before the turn around point in Klagenfurt, they hang a bell over the course. So you pass it before and after the turn around point. Each time someone rings it, they give a euro to charity.
Thanks for the info. Appreciated. I too am going with a rather large group out of the Southern Ontario region. There is like 70 of us going.
One thing that I am curious about are the road conditions. Does anyone know how they are? Smooth? Bumpy? Potholes, etc? I believe it gets below zero (celcius) in Austria, so do they have issues with the freeze/thaw problem like we have here and the rest of NE US?
Does anyone know the grade of the Rupitberg climb?
I’ve seen some You Tube video’s of people ringing the bell. I’ll save that for the last lap in case I come down the wrong way! Good luck everyone. Save travels and thanks for the insight. Now I need to learn some German.
I did it last year and it’s probably the best overall race (organization, water quality, roads, support, crowd friendliness, etc…) I’ve done w/ IMLP being a close 2nd. I’ve done IMLP, Germany, Austria, and Texas. Some tips:
Swim: incredible water quality, you’ll want to swim forever! sighting is really important. make sure you practice finding the canal on the LEFT side, some people aim for the wrong canal and end up wasting time w/ poor sighting.
Transitions - put a bunch of tape or something on your bags to make them standout
Bike - don’t kill yourself on the hills, be patient and remember to keep your effort (not speed) the same – this means take it back uphill, but remember to push hard to match that effort on the downhills. it started to get pretty hot at the middle of the bike for me, so remember to take in fluids. Don’t get intimidated by the hills, it’s a really fast course and the euros are really really fast! I did a 5:35 and did a 5:32 this year at Texas on a completely flat course, thus, hilly doesn’t equal slow b/c you’ll be flying on the downhill/slightly downhill grades. Just keep your effort even…your legs will thank you on the run.
Run - flat and pretty well covered, but it can be pretty hot at that time of the day. you’ll love running past the crowds and the support is top notch. I walked each rest stop and took in whatever my body wanted. I can almost guarantee that miles 13-22ish will be the toughest thing you’ll face…just keep that in mind and keep pushing through that rough bit. I always know that’s the toughest part of an IM and still suffer a load! I did a 3:50 marathon walking through each stop (other than the last few miles b/c I had energy to run).
Depending on when you finish, there is a good italian place near the finish that you can go eat after the race. Also, you’ll really love hanging out on the grass by the lake the days before the race, it’s better than being at the beach! Good luck!!! You’ll love it.
Excellent. Some great tips here. If you see bib 1412, that’s me. I’ll be wearing a full red and white K Swiss Canada outfit. After reading all of this, I’m super excited now. Good luck again to those racing!
