Cool I love Sicily, great race site.Ocean swim,tough bike and coastal run. 
I lived there for 10 years. Not necessarily a great place but if they have the event outside of the city there are some beautiful areas they could host.
Gross
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Any bets on whether this is a hilly or flat-ish course?
Interesting. Now there are two 70.3 races in September one week and about 500km apart - 70.3 Muskoka and this new one in Syracuse.
You could have a sweet finish in the Carrier Dome!
I can’t wait for Ironman 70.3 Kalamazoo, MI
Andrew
Jamesville = hilly!!
… and bring your woolies. Mid-september is likely to make for a CHILLY morning!
Meanwhile, I have family in the area & hence a free place to stay, so sign me up!!
Gross
Agreed. While it’s a great advantage having this race 20 minutes away, I can’t think of a single selling point. The venues (particularly for 70.3) seem to be getting quite generic - a natural response to growing demand. Nonetheless, it’s later in the season and I’ll most likely end up doing it. One thing I can predict is a good overall race experience. While the triathlon community around CNY is minimal, events like this usually garner strong support from the area and highly competent organization.
Very accurate description, although I’d use COLD, not chilly. Also have family near by, so it looks like a good possibility, but with the Westchester Toughman the weekend before, not sure I’m up for back to back 70.3’s.
Seriously, I don’t really understand the draw to immediately sign up for a “70.3” event.
There are dozens of half Ironmans in the region that do not sell out, that frankly are much better events, in some cases run by the exact same companies putting on a sister 70.3 event. In the case of Muskoka, the same company puts on the Peterborough half ironman in July. This race never sells out. The course is much more beginner friendly. The weather is much nicer.
Recently I was on a group ride and one of the guys said, “my next race is Ironman Muskoka”.
I said, “WTF…that race is not an Ironman…it’s half ironman”. So it seems the only logical reason for people going to have Ironmans that have an Mdot logo is so they can tell people they are doing an Ironman when they talk to co workers, when in reality, they are not.
Kind of like someone saying, “Yeah, I’m doing the Marathon 13.1 this weekend…or better yet Marathon 3.1”…or perhaps we can say that Usein Bolt won the marathon (.00237 version) in 9.59 (which happens to be a good Ironman finish time if we are talking hours…).
I love racing the half Ironman distance, but what’s wrong with all the great non Mdot events. Why are you guys opening your wallets immediately to support the Mdot ones…off the top of my head, you have Tupper Lake, Peterborough, Carleton Place, Canadian, Demi Esprit, Vermont Sun, Musselman, Ste. Agathe, Harriman, Black Bear Tri, Westchester Toughman, Mooseman, Demi Ironman Levis, American Zofingen and many others within driving distance of Syracuse that are non Mdot half Ironmans or in the case of AZ long course duathlon and offer great racing options. There is pretty well one half IM every weekend in the region from late May till mid Sep.
Look, don’t get me wrong, I do a few Mdot events a year, but I don’t really get the mad rush to sign up for the virgin 70.3 events.
Dev
I too would be able to do this event quite easily with many friends in the area… and just may depending on how others events go next season.
Nothing directly against the greater area, there are some great roads, beautiful land, lakes, etc in the surrounding country-side…but Syracuse (proper) as you mentioned is a generic place…best known for having some good sports teams and a big mall…and is basically only on the map because of the building of the NYS thruway.
I think central NY is actually a good area for a race…gorgeous clean lakes, tough rolling roads, nice cool early Fall weather perfect for running.
I personally think it would have been better to do an eastern style Vineman and have the race strictly in the Finger lakes wine region. (Fingerman) lol!
I will be interested to see a course map. Perhaps a point to point bike?
Seriously, I don’t really understand the draw to immediately sign up for a “70.3” event.
There are dozens of half Ironmans in the region that do not sell out, that frankly are much better events, in some cases run by the exact same companies putting on a sister 70.3 event. In the case of Muskoka, the same company puts on the Peterborough half ironman in July. This race never sells out. The course is much more beginner friendly. The weather is much nicer.
Recently I was on a group ride and one of the guys said, “my next race is Ironman Muskoka”.
I said, “WTF…that race is not an Ironman…it’s half ironman”. So it seems the only logical reason for people going to have Ironmans that have an Mdot logo is so they can tell people they are doing an Ironman when they talk to co workers, when in reality, they are not.
Kind of like someone saying, “Yeah, I’m doing the Marathon 13.1 this weekend…or better yet Marathon 3.1”…or perhaps we can say that Usein Bolt won the marathon (.00237 version) in 9.59 (which happens to be a good Ironman finish time if we are talking hours…).
I love racing the half Ironman distance, but what’s wrong with all the great non Mdot events. Why are you guys opening your wallets immediately to support the Mdot ones…off the top of my head, you have Tupper Lake, Peterborough, Carleton Place, Canadian, Demi Esprit, Vermont Sun, Musselman, Ste. Agathe, Harriman, Black Bear Tri, Westchester Toughman, Mooseman, Demi Ironman Levis, American Zofingen and many others within driving distance of Syracuse that are non Mdot half Ironmans or in the case of AZ long course duathlon and offer great racing options. There is pretty well one half IM every weekend in the region from late May till mid Sep.
Look, don’t get me wrong, I do a few Mdot events a year, but I don’t really get the mad rush to sign up for the virgin 70.3 events.
Dev
Frist off, Syracuse is a great option for a race, and the bike course is one hilly bastard. I train on the first few miles once a week in the summer, and that is hilly and that is not the hilly part of the course.
In terms of the magnetic appeal of the M-dot, I agree with you and I think the organizers see the appeal as well, hence the reason for the race. We had over 700 women register for the "Iron"girl in syracuse this july on the same weekend as IMLP. I beleive the same guy organized that race.
In the end, the organizers really dont care for the reasons why people sign up for branded races before others, point is they do.
Location wise, (ok, i’m biased) you cant get better for the tri-state area. NYC, DC, philly, cleveland, huge citeis within 4-6 hours away, and hotels here are CHEAP.
The parking lot at the site is HUGE and logistically, it works well.
The bike crouse is beautfiul, and the run course goes through the heart of the city, down Salina street, which has some pretty good history, and will finish at the Inner Harbor.
There is this project called “Destiny USA” and a huge expansion project around the mall in syracuse that has pretty much been a cluster fuck, but my bet is the finish area was chosen because of this, as the first phase of the expansion will be done by sept 19th.
and weather in September in Syracuse is awesome for a race like this, IMO.
and shit, worst case you grab dinner here after the race:
I too would be able to do this event quite easily with many friends in the area… and just may depending on how others events go next season.
Nothing directly against the greater area, there are some great roads, beautiful land, lakes, etc in the surrounding country-side…but Syracuse (proper) as you mentioned is a generic place…best known for having some good sports teams and a big mall…and is basically only on the map because of the building of the NYS thruway.
I think central NY is actually a good area for a race…gorgeous clean lakes, tough rolling roads, nice cool early Fall weather perfect for running.
I personally think it would have been better to do an eastern style Vineman and have the race strictly in the Finger lakes wine region. (Fingerman) lol!
I will be interested to see a course map. Perhaps a point to point bike?
Good analysis. These days, the brand sells, and people buy. I’m wondering how far (or short) the IM brand will go … perhaps Ironman 31.9? That’s why I said that I’m unsure what the Syracuse venue has to offer. It’s pretty much central to Tupper Lake, Geneva (Musselman), and Harriman - all great/indyish races. The only thing I can surmise is that someone saw a hole in the 70.3 schedule during September and jumped. The inaugural event will undoubtedly do well … but subsequent performances will be the real measure. This particular event is in my back yard, but even so, I’ll only be in the “consideration” mode until well into next season.
WTC has definitely gone out of their way to blur the lines between 70.3 and 140.6. Research any of their 70.3 races, and you’ll see minimal emphasis on distance in their advertisements and page titles (or the web addresses for that matter). While I still like to draw the distinction, Ironman is no longer a race distance, it’s a brand. WTC is not the devil, but they are a corporation. They answer to a board, and the board says “sell.” As participants, our only consolation is that the relevant community is educated on the difference between a full and a half.
While I am with you about the 70.3 thing, the area around Cuse might actually be great for a race. The roads in that area are generally great for riding on as they are generally rolling farmland with Huge shoulders .
The real bummer about this is I imagine that the rumored Albany 70.3 race is very unlikely at this point. The hudson river swim and finishing right down town would have been cool.
I think central NY is actually a good area for a race…gorgeous clean lakes, tough rolling roads, nice cool early Fall weather perfect for running.
I personally think it would have been better to do an eastern style Vineman and have the race strictly in the Finger lakes wine region. (Fingerman) lol!
I will be interested to see a course map. Perhaps a point to point bike?
Course maps are online. The course is rolling, but I wouldn’t classify it as hilly. Once I saw this, my first thought was the impact on the Finger Lakes (OLY) Tri, which is normally slotted for the same weekend. Much of the local tri community heads in that direction mid-september, but this will definitely change the playing field.
Gross
Agreed. While it’s a great advantage having this race 20 minutes away, I can’t think of a single selling point. The venues (particularly for 70.3) seem to be getting quite generic - a natural response to growing demand. Nonetheless, it’s later in the season and I’ll most likely end up doing it. One thing I can predict is a good overall race experience. While the triathlon community around CNY is minimal, events like this usually garner strong support from the area and highly competent organization.
Really?
I go to a weekly training series that has anywhere from 50-100 people show up. Every week. one week we had over 100. Set up like a sprint race (400 swim, 10m bike, 5k run), but the organizers allow you to do what you want as long as you’re in by a certain time. Life guards and a marked course. $35 for a family for the whole season ($25 for yourself), which is around 10 events.
this year they added a tri-kidz feature, that encouraged participants to bring their kids and allow them to participate.
maybe this is common place in cities the size of Syracuse, but the people I talk to from similar cities tell me otherwise.
While syracuse is not the triathlon hub of America, you would be surprised how big the tri community is.
Any bets on whether this is a hilly or flat-ish course?
Looks like 1000ft in 50 miles with a nice downhill the last 6 miles. Not bad at all.
someone pee in your porridge today? So the guy on your ride was a douche trying to pass off a 70.3 as an Ironman… bad on him
I think I will end up registering for this event because (1) its located where I have immediate family & a free place to stay for race weekend; (2) its a relatively easy drive (< 5hrs) from where I live vs. much longer drives for Timberman, Muskoka, etc.; (3) I have ‘room’ for an extra event to add to my race schedule in September; and (4) there’s a nostalgia factor for me based on having spent my childhood summer vacations swimming in the Jamesville reservoir and knowing that area in general.
I don’t imagine this race is going to fill up anytime soon, so I’m not crapping my pants to be the first in line on the chance that it might close out.
FWIW - Musselman Half and probably AmZof also are on my race calendar plans for 2010. Up to now I haven’t given my business to Ironman brand races, but given the alignment of the stars for the reasons above, I’m inclined to give this one a go.