People who have done this race, what advice do you have for me? I did Eagleman, Syracuse and Muncie last year. Any comparisons?
Anybody else doing this race? What does your training plan look like for right now?
Thanks in advance!
Im in for next year. First time doing Florida 70.3 and first time doing a race this early in my season(April) From what I have gathered is that it is a pretty flat bike, until the end. The run doesnt look bad either. My only concern is going to be the heat/sun, coming from the Northeast. You can acclimate to heat indoors but the sun may be the killer. Swim will non wetsuit, so if youre a bad swimmer get to work!
As far as my training right now I just finished my first block back after 12 days off of no training. my block was 4 weeks, rest next week, all easier stuff to get back into shape. 12-13hr max over the last few weeks. ramping up after next week sprinkling in intensity.
Thanks! Yeah… those are a couple of my biggest concerns. I am not a strong swimmer so I know I need to spend extra time in the pool. I am also from the Northeast, so getting in long rides will be challenging.
I would be shocked if the swim isn’t wetsuit legal.
Last year was wetsuit legal. Advise - practice riding in aero. Very flat bike course.
The run has a steep hill in the beginning of each lap that when combined with heat can make keeping heart rate down. I did it in when it was in may a couple years back with 100+ heat index. There were a lot of people walking that hill. But a lot of experienced racers dnf that race. I also used to live in Haines city. The bike isn’t flat as some have suggested, but that is relative. Most of Florida has no more than 300 feet of climbing on any given course. This one has bout 800. Which if you are coming from Miami may be a surprise. But since living in Arizona, this course would seem flat to me.
I did it in 2013. Stopped after the first lap of the run, we had crazy weather in colorado and I just didn’t get enough training in, no reason to suffer for the sake of just finishing. I think it was snowing when I left for Florida. Its not a hard course. The second half of the bike is hilly, but nothing bad. If you can’t handle the heat then it could be an issue, I didn’t think it was too hot but thats all relative. The biggest thing is just get enough training in since it is an early season race.
I have done the race twice in Haines City. The run is challenging with some steep hills. Swim was wetsuit legal last year. I would be shocked if it isn’t this year (2015). Lake is not pleasant. The swim was much better when it was at Disney, and imho, so was the race in general.
Parking: get there early for a good ‘on street’ spot nearby. you’ll be glad you got there early after the race
Swim: water quality didn’t seem bad to me. M shape makes it a little interesting so you’ll probably need to site more often. I swam pretty slow here for me (:33…swam 1:05 ironman 5 weeks later) and think it had to do with a lot of weaving around the course
Bike: pretty curvy & slightly congested roads early on depending on your wave placing. hills that begin about midway are enough to break up the packs but around me there were a lot of people going back and forth with trying to ride hard up the hill and coasting the downhill. headwinds were annoying at times but nothing horrible. road conditions overall are pretty good except for a few areas near transition.
Run: couple of hills early in the run were challenging, especially on the last loop. in 2013, there was road construction so we were all on the sidewalk and there was a LOT of congestion on those hills. the back half of the loop is nice with a fair amount of shade and some good downhills to recover on.
Overall: great race with solid support all around. I’ve signed up again this year as prep for IM Texas. Looking back, the course is much hillier than expected but I was anticipating pancake flat. if the temperature and winds cooperate, it can definitely be a course for a solid fast time.
Unless you’re already registered, my advice would be pick another race. The water is nice, but too many turns. The bike course is the best part of the event, 1 loop, classic FL scenery, mostly flat and a couple rollers. Then the run is the worst… 3 loops, therefore super crowded, and there’s a stretch that’s super narrow, can barely run 2 abreast. If you’re in an early wave it might not be terrible, but I was in a late wave last year and it blew.
I did the race last year. I read lots of negatives about the swim, but it was no big deal. A few turns, but whatever. It’s certainly not memorable, but the water was fine.
The bike course is as flat as everyone says with only a couple of minor hills. Wind can be a bit of a factor.
The heat and run were what surprised me. First, I didn’t expect any real hills. While they are short, they were tougher than I anticipated. So I would advise adding hills into your training. Second, coming from the far north, the heat cooked me. I failed to get enough fluids and cramped badly throughout the run…and my hope of a 5 hour time tailed off.
Overall I thought it was well organized and a fun race.
Finally, ARRIVE EARLY. Parking is no problem that way. The Disney resorts are about a 30 minute drive so there are plenty of great hotels nearby for the family.
I raced last year and had a fairly good race even though I didn’t think so at the time.
Swim is no big deal. Wetsuit legal last year, but there are a few turns. Add a minute or two on your expectation and you will be fine.
Bike is mostly flat and fast. I remember on hill, maybe. I started late, so congestion was my major issues
The run caught me off guard. It was hot considering the time of year and the amount of training I did in the heat. It turned into a death march with the heat and hills. I ran somewhere around 1:30 and it was one of the top time in my ag.
If they finished the construction that was underway last year, it’s a pretty good venue.
Good race, did it last year….doing it again in 2015. Seemed smaller than most Ironman circuses (sp?). Agree with what most people said….swim is slow probably due to shape of swim and increased sighting, bike seemed slower during the last part of it……there are some “hills” but I think it was a combo of wind and rollers last year. I liked the 3 loop run…made the run go by fast. Yes there are hills, I had no problem passing people and people had not problem passing me. The hill last year was under construction so we were forced on the sidewalk. Just yelled “left” a lot. Should be fixed this year. Heat and wetsuit legality are a crap shoot. Wasn’t horrible last year and the swim was wetsuit legal. I heard that was odd for this race, most of the time it isn’t wetsuit legal (at least thats what I was told). There is absolutely nothing to do in Haines City.
Last year was wetsuit legal. Advise - practice riding in aero. Very flat bike course.
It’s not a flat course. I’m not saying its the GF, but for sure not falt. The run has a bit of hill each of the three laps.
Heat is the wild card that time of year.
I’ll be there… Best of luck.
I’m in for 2015. I did the old Disney course 3 times, but this will be my first at Haines City. I’ve done Muncie twice, so expect this to be a tougher swim due to the M shape, tougher bike, and much easier run. Heat will be the wild card, but that’s true at Muncie as well. I’m from Tampa and am surprised at all the comments as if this will be similar to last year in terms of course crowding. While the course may be the same, the date change makes the 2015 edition essentially a brand new race. And unless Tom Z is willing to open the books for us, I’m going to bet there will be fewer participants than the past 2 years. Here’s why:
- When the course was in May, the FL 70.3 had zero competition. By moving it up 5 weeks, they are now competing with 3 other local HIMs in a very short time span: Toughman in Sarasota on 15 Mar, the Florida Challenge in Clermont on 21 Mar; and HITS in Ocala on 29 Mar. WTC may be the mack daddy, but three independent competitors at a cheaper price just a few weeks before will draw off entrants. 2. The new date is also just one week before the New Orleans 70.3 making these two direct regional competitors whereas before some folks could and would double them.
- When WTC moved the date they put it on the same weekend as the Escape from Fort DeSoto (near St Pete), the state’s largest sprint triathlon. And St Anthony’s is just 2 weeks later. These events were used by many locals to build towards the FL 70.3 in May but now folks must choose. And not many will choose the FL 70.3 if St Anthony’s is their A race.
- Potentially fewer northern entrants since there are now 5 fewer weeks to get ready.
- Only 30 WC slots in 2015 compared to 50 in the past. This is due to the reallocation of slots since the Worlds are in Austria for 2015. So Europeans who have come to the US in past years to try and snag a slot (when there were fewer in Europe) are now looking at trading more slots on their home courses for fewer slots at FL 70.3. And no Canadians coming to try for a slot at Mt Tremblant as some did last year.
I’m only guessing, of course, but there is no question that the date change is a huge dynamic. It would be interesting to know why they shifted the date, perhaps a date conflict with Haines City, or perhaps too many complaints about the heat in May, but I doubt it was because they wanted fewer people. However, I hope I’m right because a smaller race will be more enjoyable for those competing.
It’s the same weekend that it was last year. It wasn’t in May of last year. Last year it was on the same weekend as New Orleans & Galveston so that could help numbers if people want to do multiple WTC races in the south/southeast.
Thanks for all of the input! Any recommendations for indoor training during the winter and how to train for the heat??
I did the race this year. My takeaways:
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Swim course was a bit challenging but not overly so. The water is black and you can’t even see your own hand for the most part. You will be hard pressed to see the person in front of you. Due the the M course shape, there was people swimming different directions all over the place (people with poor sighting skills). If you can sight well it’s not a big deal but if you can’t, get that sorted beforehand. I wouldn’t expect a swim PR on this course.
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Bike course was easy with a few rollers towards the end. Wind can be an issue depending on how the weather is race day. Overall, nothing to worry about here imo.
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Run course was much harder than I thought it was going to be. Definitely has some climbing at the beginning of each loop that you have to climb 3 times. Add in sunshine with heat and it can be a challenge. This was the hardest aspect of the race course for me.
If I was racing it again, I would add in some hill work with my run routine. I always run on the treadmill without a fan and found that to be a good way to simulate hotter conditions. Outside of adding hill work and making sure your sighting skills are up to par, there’s not much else the course requires from my point of view. It was a great race and venue. I think you’ll have a great time!
Rumor was the high drop out rate by seasoned racers due to heat encouraged the move to April. Don’t know if that was true but sounds good. May is also later and in the hotter part of the dry season so the chances of shallow water are greater. The first two years of the race came close to not having a swim.
The race was two weeks before St. Anthony’s last year as well. So a lot of your analysis goes out the window. As for the run course difficulty compared to Muncie, according to this website, the Florida 70.3 run course finish times are about 10 minutes slower than Muncie. http://www.runtri.com/...astest-half.html?m=1
I’m in for 2015. I did the old Disney course 3 times, but this will be my first at Haines City. I’ve done Muncie twice, so expect this to be a tougher swim due to the M shape, tougher bike, and much easier run. Heat will be the wild card, but that’s true at Muncie as well. I’m from Tampa and am surprised at all the comments as if this will be similar to last year in terms of course crowding. While the course may be the same, the date change makes the 2015 edition essentially a brand new race. And unless Tom Z is willing to open the books for us, I’m going to bet there will be fewer participants than the past 2 years. Here’s why:
- When the course was in May, the FL 70.3 had zero competition. By moving it up 5 weeks, they are now competing with 3 other local HIMs in a very short time span: Toughman in Sarasota on 15 Mar, the Florida Challenge in Clermont on 21 Mar; and HITS in Ocala on 29 Mar. WTC may be the mack daddy, but three independent competitors at a cheaper price just a few weeks before will draw off entrants. 2. The new date is also just one week before the New Orleans 70.3 making these two direct regional competitors whereas before some folks could and would double them.
- When WTC moved the date they put it on the same weekend as the Escape from Fort DeSoto (near St Pete), the state’s largest sprint triathlon. And St Anthony’s is just 2 weeks later. These events were used by many locals to build towards the FL 70.3 in May but now folks must choose. And not many will choose the FL 70.3 if St Anthony’s is their A race.
- Potentially fewer northern entrants since there are now 5 fewer weeks to get ready.
- Only 30 WC slots in 2015 compared to 50 in the past. This is due to the reallocation of slots since the Worlds are in Austria for 2015. So Europeans who have come to the US in past years to try and snag a slot (when there were fewer in Europe) are now looking at trading more slots on their home courses for fewer slots at FL 70.3. And no Canadians coming to try for a slot at Mt Tremblant as some did last year.
I’m only guessing, of course, but there is no question that the date change is a huge dynamic. It would be interesting to know why they shifted the date, perhaps a date conflict with Haines City, or perhaps too many complaints about the heat in May, but I doubt it was because they wanted fewer people. However, I hope I’m right because a smaller race will be more enjoyable for those competing.