I’m doing the Peterborough Half Iron race in a few weeks and was wondering if anyone knows what the bike course is like. After being somewhat caught off guard by Muskoka’s rolling course I thought I might do some advance planning for Peterborough. Hilly or flat? Are the roads good or like the ones in Muskoka? Any info would help.
The roads are much better in Peterborough than in Muskoka. There is a section that was newly paved a couple of years ago so they did an alternate bike route in 2003. There are still some typical Ontario road sections but overall pretty good. The course is rolling. The hills are not as steep as in Huntsville but there are some long rollers. The run is the toughest part of the Peterborough course compared to Muskoka where the bike leg is more difficult.
How is the run tougher in Peterborough, other than the extra distance? More hills? I have heard that if it is hot and sunny there is nowhere to hide on the run and you can get fried.
The run has the same type of long rolling hills as the bike which is much different than Muskoka where you have a climb to get out of town and then it is relatively flat for the rest of the run. They are tough after the bike and if it is hot (which it always seems to be on that day) there is no shade anywhere.
Allan is correct. The best way I can describe Peterborough is pretty well the gross elevation gain of Muskoka spread over 90K. The run has more elevation gain than Muskoka, more distance, and it is typically in mid day meltdown heat. It can also be pretty windy and there is no protection from the wind, unlike Muskoka where the bike course is pretty sheltered from wind.
I described the race in some more detail here:
http://www.xtri.com/article.asp?id=1257
The story is appropriately titled, “Meltdown Zone”
Dev