Thinking about signing up for the Kansas Ironman 70.3 as my first half ironman? Has anyone done the course before? Is it a good entry into 70.3s?
Hines Ward did it.
Enough said, I am sold on it now. 
It’s decent. What are your other options?
I did it this year and thought it was a great race.
Does not sell outDoes not have a huge “corporate” feel to itProbably best organized race I have doneDowntown Lawrence has some good restaurants etc. for pre/post raceProbably best volunteers on bike and run that I’ve experiencedBike is a very fair test with continuous rollers from start to finish on good roadsGreat 2 lap run course with one decent hill you do twice. Run through campgrounds with great crowd supportLike a lot of races I imagine this one can vary greatly year to year based on weather. We had perfect weather this year but it can be hot and windy that time of year.
Racine or Muncie. I am from MN. I was thinking Racine, but I am trying to avoid swimming in Lake Michigan.
Kansas is far and away a much better race than Racine or Muncie. The road quality alone makes it so much better, but it is also tougher. Keep swimming though, as a few years ago the swim at KS was one of the worst I’ve been in.
Personal Favorite 70.3
Pro-
-small race feel that is well run
-Pretty competitive for most age groups if you like some good competition
-fair course that is not extremely hard or easy
- good weather most of the time
- crowed support on run is great as you run through the camp grounds
- if you like camping this is a really easy race logistically (just camp in the state park)
Con
- parking/entrance into the state park can be a nightmare if you are staying at a hotel
- Always wetsuit legal magically, but often the water is pretty warm
- weather can on occasion be nasty/hot but this year was amazing
.
My only WTC 70.3 and 3rd HIM distance event. But I thought it was a good honest course. Logistics were typical of the large races Iv’e done, but not too bad with a little planning.
I really liked the multi-lap run format. You family if they planned well could see you as many as I think 9-10 times on the run course. Run was pretty flat, had some shade and lots of turns to keep you mind busy. Crowd support was so-so I thought. Overall it felt relatively low key.
Bike: roads were very good overall. It was a hilly but honest course. No really steep climbs. a couple U-turns and some 90 degree turns, but not narrow technical descents. Wave starts were a little annoying, especially since mens 30-34& 35-39 were in 2 waves each. I passed a podium spot with about 2 miles left and never realized it. Bike traffic was manageable. No really drafting that I saw because of the hills breaking it up. Only got held up maybe twice by lap traffic and once for a car.
Overall, since it’s so close, I’d do it again. Logistics would be the easiest race ever if camping. But I’d want a small camper with AC so I could sleep easy.
Oh, and once again my wife and I managed as we somehow always do, to find a good sushi place downtown for my traditional pre-race meal. 1 beer, 2 mixed drinks, a couple rolls and some sashimi fueled me up.
I loved Kansas 70.3 and will go back. Great course, great area, well run and as others mentioned it doesn’t have that corporate vibe.
I did it as my first 70.3 last year, and I think it was a good choice for that, and I agree with the other comments
Hillier bike than I thought, and the run was a bit hot
People smoking briskets and pulled park in the campsite made me very hungry on the run
Lawrence was a great little town with great food and nice little places to hang out
I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, it was pretty convenient
Oh and I beat the football player, who by the way is a lot younger than me
.