Curious to know if anyone has done either. I weigh 180lbs and I’m 6’2" guy. Is lake placid that much hillier than Louisville? I would think LP plays to the hand of a smaller, lighter athlete but the heat could also get me at Louisville. Also, I’m about 5 mins faster with wetsuit on and Louisville is non wetsuit. My FTP is around 260 and my most recent marathon time is 2:57.
I would worry more about heat on the bike/run at IMLou versus Placid being a “bigger” guy. The swim is a push in my opinion as the partial downriver swim negates the non-wetsuit swim.
I live in Kentucky and I can tell you that the heat is a real concern for anyone racing IM Louisville. The average daily high for August 24th is 88 degrees. That doesn’t take into account the heat index. We have been hitting near record highs for the past month, so I am really hoping for a cooler than average July and August (Hoping…). I know a lot of people that have raced Louisville and had a great time. I also talked to a guy who told me he raced it when it was 105 degrees…ugh! Despite it being in my backyard I won’t consider it, due to the extreme conditions. In my opinion, Ironman should really consider moving this race to mid or late September. On the other hand, I am giving thought to racing Lake Placid.