My buddy and I are planning on doing the whole Ironman Arizona next month together…and crossing together…Have any of you guys done a full ironman with someone else.
We might lose each other on the swim, but we agreed to meet up at the transition area as I will be about 10 minutes faster than him.
Also, for those of you that have done Ironman Arizona, how is the transition area? Are you assigned a spot or is it first come first serve? I hope that my boy and I can get a spot next to each other.
Your transition space is assigned to you. I’ve never tried to finish a race with someone- can’t help you there.
Not only is your transition spot assigned, but it’s location is largely irrelevant. When you enter T1 you’ll be grabbing a gear bag and doing 95% of your transition in the changing tent. Only after you are changed and ready to go do you run over, grab your bike, and leave so you’re only spending 2 seconds at your bike’s racked location.
At T2, WTC usually has catchers take your bike from you and re-rack for you it so you won’t care where your transition location is at that point.
kind of difficult to ride together for 112 miles no? It’s not like the run where you can talk to each other and run side by side for 26.2 miles.
Also, you will have none of your gear at the bike racks. The only thing at the bike rack is your bike. All of your gear and stuff are in the T1 and T2 bags that are stored away from the bike racks. Everything that you know about transition area setups at the shorter distances are out the window when it comes to IMs.
Oh wow…its much different from a half ironman!
I remember for the small tri’s (including half iron), you have to setup your own area under your bike…it was just mad hell when everyone is trying to change…
That seems really cool that you are changing in the tents after grabbing your transition bags. So the bags are in your assigned number spot and the volunteers rack your bike for you?
Its like first class/ vip service LOL. I’m glad…so I should just forget trying to complete this with my buddy. LOL…unless he plans on catching me on the bike portion.
wait for him when you get out of the water… or just swim slower… or chill on the side of the road at a designated spot on the ride… or wait in the steam room that is the changing tent… or after you’re done drafting wait in the penalty tent for him… or wait at the finish line for him… or crush his dreams!
Damn. I just wrote a lengthy description and my internet crapped out. Bottom line - yes, it’s very different. You’re not allowed to have anything at your bike rack location and everything goes in/comes out of your gear bags. Go here and look at the transition map:
http://c28904.r4.cf1.rackcdn.com/2010/09/SwimToBikeTrans.pdf
It should explain things
I more or less get why you think you want to do this, but I have to say - the physical (and mental) demands (and rewards) of the Ironman are such that I don’t think it’s really a great idea to plan on it from the start. Yes, on the one hand you may be able to help each other through the low spots (which will happen, and not at the same time for each of you)…but that might ultimately dilute the experience for one or both of you. Training diligently together and then encouraging the hell out of each other before the start and if/when you see eachother on the course is one thing, racing side by side start to finish on purpose is something else entirely.
It must be the case that neither of you (at this point) care too much about a specific result, and that’s fine, but it is, after all, a race, and at some point one or the other of you is going to feel good - better than the other person, and want to capitalize on that…maybe even NEED to capitalize on it to get to the finish line. Or one is going to feel worse - however you want to look at it. You can’t dawdle when you feel good, that’s when you’ve got to get on down the road. Now if you’re literally talking about both taking it so totally easy that you’re both always well within one another’s comfort zone, it could work…but are you so certain that neither will become even mildly frustrated that you’re willing to make that commitment, and then live with the consequences? Think of all the people who build running relay teams, with supposed emphatic agreement on how competitive or not the team will be, which then blow up, sometimes with lasting consequences, when the emotion of the day starts to take hold…it’s not pretty.
I think you can get a huge percentage of the camaraderie you are after by training hard together and firing each other up before the start, and congratulating each other at the finish, and with far more interesting stories to tell one another, without the potential downside of having to cover the course in lockstep from start to finish and having that for whatever reason not go exactly as you picture it will. Even spouses racing together where one is clearly holding back in all 3 disciplines don’t always have a rosy time of it. I’m not saying you are going to have conflict - I’m saying you are potentially shortchanging yourselves (both of you) by putting this type of structure on the event, without anything to really be gained. Just my opinion.
I just finished my first Ironman (did Canada on Aug 28) and I raced it with my girlfriend. It was also her first IM and we crossed the line together. Here is how we did it:
If you want to do, GO FOR IT! It is a great way to experience Ironman for the 1st time.
I think that it is too much of an individual sport to plan to stay with someone for the bike and run. I’m not trying to be negative, but you should remember that first and foremost IMAZ is a competitive race and not a charity walk (and unfortunately many competitive athletes are shut out of every year). Agree to the recommendation that the best thing is to see each other before and after and compare stories. Who knows, you both might meet other people and all of you can compare war stories over beers after.