I am hoping some of you guys in Florida have done both. I was planning on doing the Miami 70.3 in October but it got totally blasted by the participants last year for the course and organization of the race. So i have the option to do Miami or the Great Floridian in Clermont. Anybody have any input?
yup fred Sommers races any day
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If you want to do a 70.3 note that the Great Floridian is a full and an intermediate distance, they do have a 70.3 in clermont, but is is called the Florida Challenge on April 15. Having done both, they have plus and minus, however, one is in April and the other is in October, so you have to decide which you want to do. The Florida Challenge has been around for ever, the course is great, and well organized, it is very low key.
Have not done the Miami 70.3, but there are plenty of posts on it. It appears that while 2010 was rather chaotic in terms of race organization, 2011 was much better.
With regard to the Great Floridian, (I assume you are referring to the Intermediate Distance and not the full 140.6), keep in mind that it is not a true 70.3; it is a 2k swim, 62k bike and 15k run (1.2m swim, 37m bike and 9.3m run)…don’t know if this is important to you or not. From a family perspective, the Great Floridian is in immediate proximity of all of the Orlando area attractions - this is a nice plus. With regard to the course, and there are a number of threads on this race too, it is a lake swim, hilly/windy bike, and mostly flat run. Swim has been wetsuit legal all but two years (I think)…lake water temp in central Florida in late October is usually around 65-68 degrees - not terribly cold, but chilly enough to get your attention - particularly if you live in a warm climate. Also, it is Florida, but the course is indeed hilly…the Great Floridian website has the bike course elevation profiles (there are numerous posts regarding this anomaly as well). Field size between the two races will be dramatically different. I have done both the full and intermediate distance races in Clermont and really enjoy the smaller venue. It is a well-run race, one that I would do again. In addition, there is very good support for this race from the local community.
Hope this helps.
GFT logisitics are SO much easier and MUCH more cheap that anything in Miami. Sommers does a great job with this event. Agreed, it is low key, but I feel I have had better race experiences due to such.
I did 70.3 in 2011 was well organized, but weather was bad…
If u want a 70.3 distance check Miami Man here in Miami, www.multirace.com it is a jice family oriented race, your family can stay closer and is inside the Metro Zoo Park so is fun.
Clermont will be low key and much cheaper
Miami 70.3 is going to be very high profile which can also add some nice excitement.
Being a South Florida local, in my opinion, if you want to come down to Miami and race…Miami Man is the only way to go. Multirace.com puts on a race that is as professional as it gets. There event team blows away the event group which puts on the 70.3
I have done a bunch of the Clermont venues. Last year did the 70.3 distance which IMHO is the toughest course in Florida. It is super low key and ran extremely well. That said… All depends on what your after. The crowds, energy and size of the field around an IM70.3 is its allure. Not sure you can go wrong. It just depends on the flavor your after.
+1 for checking out MiamiMan. I raced their Olympic distance 2 years ago and liked it so much I made this past years 70.3 my first ½ iron. Btw… we drove down from MD so it’s not like it’s around the corner. If I didn’t get into IMAZ this year I’d prolly be racing it again. Great race and venue!!!
Saundo, Are you only able to race in October? Is that why you are thinking about the Great Floridian? Since you are asking about two different distances (the GFT is a full iron distance triathlon), are you looking at doing another half or ready to move up to a full iron distance? If you are looking to stick with the half iron, how about heading to Clermont in mid-April, April 15th to be exact, for the Florida Challenge Triathlon, which is 70.3 miles in distance?
If you need more information about the Florida Challenge, let me know.
Disclaimer: I work for Sommer Sports, and we produce the Great Floridian (now in its 22nd year) and Florida Challenge (28th year) as well as the March 24/25th Great Clermont (which for 29 years has been traditionally regarded as the Florida Triathlon Season Opener).
Mark