I was just chatting with my dad over the phone (he lives in Cancun) and told me he read on the newspaper that Cozumel (island near Cancun) was announced as host for a new IM event part of the Ford Ironman Series to take place in November 2009 (contract until 2014). At first I though it probably was just a local race that happen to be an Ironman distance, however I did a bit of Googling and found a video for a Mex TV news channel in which they refer to it as actual part of the Ford IM series confirmed by Steve Meckfessel. On the video they mentioned they 1st requested an IM in Mex 11 years ago and after ongoing negotiations they finally go ti…
I know, the island ain’t that big, that’s why I am thinking this can’t be right or they might be referring to a 70.3 race. Still the few info I read suggests it is an IM…
Saw this mentioned on a scuba board, a local friend says it’s been quite the talk lately. Weird that IM.com’s got nothing about any new race in Coz on its site, at least that I could find.
I haven’t driven around the island, but if the roads are anything like the road through the main town… yikes
It will be official soon! I met someone that works in the mayor’s office and said that its all done, she can’t comment more on the subject because WTC will be responsible for the press release, they will do so when they are ready. But all paperwork and negotiations are done. There will be an Ironman Mexico for 2009. I feel Playa del Carmen or Peñasco would be a better place but… they are not going to ask me! I also ran this info trough someone I know in CIE (the company that runs Cancun 70.3) and he got back to me with the news that they are working on that.
“I feel Playa del Carmen or Peñasco would be a better place but”
cozumel is the place. a friend of mine tried to put an ironman in cancun about a decade ago. i kept telling him cozumel. he said, no, there’s not enough tourism money in cozumel to make it happen. nevertheless, cozumel is the right place.
probably, you could do the bike in 2 laps. i’ll bet they do it in 2, with that one lap around the loop road that travels the west end of the island, and then a jig out to the airport and back. certainly 3 laps at the most.
cozumel is going to be a few degrees cooler than the mainland, and playa del carmen would, imo, be a disaster. i’ve ridden those roads, from playa del carmen to tulum, and they’re rough, narrow, and heavily traveled by greyhound-style tourist buses. and, it’s hot. africa hot. literally. maybe hotter than africa.
cozumel is more quaint, the roads are closable, no thru roads because it’s an island. the whole course is manageable, sort of like kona, but maybe even better, because it’s less built. i think this would be one of the better ironmans. people will find out that after all these races in cancun, a 70.3, many WCs and ITU races, all this time the much better venue for triathlon was a few dozen miles away.
The company that runs this new IM event is the same that runs Cancun 70.3, the same that did the world cup in Cancun last year, that will do the Huatulco worlds this year and that has been running a race in Ixtapa for a loooong time, this is a well organized and fun race. This is the Company that took NASCAR racing to Mexico, they were responsible for the U2, Rolling Stones, Metallica, some Broadway plays and many more concerts in Latin America (Argentina, Mexico, Brazil). These guys are the real thing. Lets hope they team up with the best to give us a worthy IM event.
I’m not going to argue with you!, you know the area better than I do. I just said that because I remember the island to be small, but I just called my friend again to ask and she said they have new roads and that it is long enough so… Lets race. The idea of a small place for a big race sounds nice, it will be low season so we will have the island all to our selves. Sounds good enough for me!
Man, I’d do this race in a second. Back in my diving days, I went to Cozumel a couple of times. The people are incredibly nice, it’s safe, there’s amazing and cheap food to be had, and it’s beautiful. The roads on the windward (East) side of the island are very pretty. I wonder how they would equip the aid stations on the windward side of the island? It’s pretty undeveloped and rugged, and I don’t even think there’s running water out there.
My only struggle with doing this race would be staying off my feet, and not diving (one have a window of 24 hours before and after a dive for physical exercise, or else you can usher in a good set of the bends). Wonder how the swim would work, as drift diving is effortless…drift IM swimming, maybe not so much.
It would be incredible to have the transition downtown in the main square.
Question for those who know Coz: If there’s an aid station at Mescalito Mike’s on the windward side, do the usual rules apply?
Dan… x2 on Tulum. I love the area (my fav beach vacation spot) but it is obscenely hot… Kinda like a death march. I get my runs in before 7AM otherwise, ur a gonner!!
I didn’t know Cozumel would be cooler. But man, that’s still going to be mega hot!!
