Heading to Muskoka this weekend. Looking for tips and Couse knowledge. Found a few posts with some info. This will be my second 70.3 and I am going in not out of shape but under trained. My mother was sick and passed away a month ago, family responsibilities took over much of my training time for the last several months so I am not where I wanted to be.
I have always been just an age grouper having fun, My goal this weekend is to cross the line within the time limit and enjoy the day. Not finish in last!
If I read correctly the bike course is rolling, Some bigger hills in the first 12K?
I’m sure there are lots of folks with insights here who can chime in, but as another first-timer I found this video insightful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Ygii3huDQ
Sorry to hear about your mom. I’ve been in a similar boat with life circumstances recently so I know where you’re coming from.
Firstly sorry your mom passed away. Perhaps training now can serve as an escape/coping mechanism.
I lost track of how many times I did the various events put on by Trisport (now part of Ironman) in Muskoka but it exceeds 20x. Just don’t get demoralized if you see a slower than anticipated time. I did some tests in the channel a few years ago after the race, and my with current 100m times were around 15 seconds faster than (against) based on GPS.
The bike just eats away at you. There is no single hill that is tough, its just many and it is 900m of vertical. First half is a bit net uphill second half is kind of net downhill, however, in the second half there always seems to be a headwind making it slower (or it’s just me constantly overbiking the first half as I have no powermeter)
2022 file
2024 file (looks like I slowed down in two years)
On the swim, expect time to be 1-2 min slower than a lake swim as we swim the final 1.2km (or so) into a current and barely have it help us on the way out.
The run is a back breaker. It’s straight up after the first two rollers out of T2 and that goes for a solid km. After that it is rolling hills all the way to the massive downhill around 10km before the turnaround and then you have 1km of flats inclusive of the 10.5km turnaround and then you crawl back up the hill at 11km or so. After that you’re on rollers.
I found my full race file from 2022
I see its going to be 31C and crazy humid on Sunday. Let’s all make sure we stick to the hydration plan on the bike because on that run course there is no “catching back up”
Anyone know water temp? I may race in my sleeveless wetsuit to give away a bit of swim time to stay a bit cooler and sweat less on the swim leg.
I saw your analysis on age graded times for Muskoka from last year. Depending on depth of field I have to aim for a sub 5:30 raw time in 60-64 that gives me a sub 4:30 age graded time overall, and then count on a some sort of a rolldown. Last few years have been low to mid 5:2x, but I am slower this year.
So I should point out that I made a mistake in my analysis by not including winners from all AGs. 18-24, 65-69, 70-74 and 75-79 were not represented. Which means that the actual qualification cutoff for last year was an adjusted time of 4:18:56. This assumes that the winners of those AGs took the slots offered to them, which according to Coach Cox, they all did.
So if we assume this year is similar and the old folks show up again, you need a 5:15ish for a “guaranteed” slot and I need a 4:27 or so to qualify in M30-34. I think you have a much better shot than I do!
There is no way I am doing 5:15 on the Muskoka course. I did 5:12 in 2021. That was 4 years ago and slowed down a lot. My race is going to be what its going to be and then let’s see if some people decline and it rolls (or not). First weekend in Sep is not ideal time for many 40 somethings with kids starting school to go to worlds so there is some hope that the slots likely going to 40-49 (probably close to 50 percent of the slots) roll down a bit.
If you are 30-34 you still have a decade to keep improving before age has any effect (at least at the age group racing level)
Make sure your bike is in an easy gear out of transition. The number of people who mount and fall right over is laughable. Certainly living the stereotype.
Hey folks, yesterday on the way, over I swam without wetsuit in a lake in Algonquin park. Any talk of this being no wetsuit ? It was pretty warm in the Lake that I swam in and it was a large lake.
I left my swim skin at home and my tri shorts are like balloons in the water and minimally if it is no wetsuit, I need to shave down the fur on my chest and get some tighter tri shorts today.
OK at 74F today’s heat won’t push it up two degrees so no need for a shave down and figure out what tri shorts to use (I can use my comfortable looser ones which flap in the water, but not wind)
Quick update from me, I finished and finished not in last place. That heat was killer and slowed me down lots as I did not have enough sodium and ran into some cramping issues on one of the up hills on on Brunell road on the way back.
More cramping mid run.
Given my past several months of no training due to life circumstances I am semi happy with this
That heat and humidity was worse than what I had in Puerto Rico in March and worse than anything I experienced in Kona, so take that to heart. Congrats