Wanted to see if anyone has done these two events in the same season? I’m thinking about doing Quassy as my half prep for my first IM at MT. It seems like perfect timing at 10 weeks out. From everything I’ve read about Quassy it seems like it will be a great, tough race to get ready for an IM. I’ve raced Pat Griskus sprint before, so I have had a very little taste of what the race course has to offer.
Quassy is a bit tougher than IMMT. But if you need a race 10 weeks out, it’s a good one to do.
At IMMT the most challenging part of the course is about the last 20k or so of each loop. The first/last 5k of each run loop is the most challenging.
Overall i think that Quassy is tougher.
That’s great! Then IMMT will seem easy! Riiiiiiight? haha
But more seriously, I’m not a fan of hillier races. As can be seen by my horrific time at HITS Lake George last year, but I was severely undertrained for that. I think I need something like this to get me ready for the Ironman.
Quassy, IMO, makes just about every other race feel a hell of a lot easier by comparison. It’s my favorite half, period. (Little biased, of course.)
Swim is clean water, but there’s little to sight off of, scenery wise. The bike is one you must meter your effort out appropriately. Don’t attempt to be a hero early. The last three miles can feel like forever making the climb back to Quassy, especially if you burned a few too matches early.
Everyone talks about the bike at Quassy. It’s the run that’ll really twist the screws. Two miles downhill, one mile rolling, two miles climbing towards the sun, a mile out and back, two more rolling hard miles, a mile downhill, three more rolling miles, and then the hardest hill on the whole course at mile 12.3 taking you in. Get as much hill training in as you can and love it to death.
There’s something magical about Quassy. Perhaps it’s the quality of the competition, perhaps it’s the venue and scenery, but I absolutely love the place. Think it’ll set you up very well.
Yeah. The run seems pretty nuts from what im reading. I think I experienced that last hill in the sprint. It was brutal.
It’s hard, but as I said, you’ve got that in your back pocket the rest of the season: “It can’t hurt nearly as bad as this did…”
I owe that course a whooping. It took me down hard last year.
I did both Quassy and IMMT (70.3) last season. Quassy is a much harder course then Tremblant is and if you can race fast on the Quassy course you will smash the Tremblant couse. The only issue I found with Tremblant is swim is cold.
Cheers
did both last year and it’s a good tuneup for IMMT. i wont say it helped unless you talked about getting me ready to walk at tremblant…lol. btw, i was very happy to see that last hill on the run.
i spoke to a couple of athletes on the run course and they all say the quassy half is harder than tremblant’s.
note: i did the aquabike at hits lake george a month later and that bike course is a monster. that’s a great tuneup for tremblant. 5 mile climb to start, 3 mile downhill afterward and reverse it on the way back. 7000 ft of climbing to prep you for 6000 at tremblant.
we go to quassy each year and also do immt. as i run boston and don’t do much tri training until after, i am always just fit enough to complete it as a super-hard workout:) mile for mile this is as tough a course as you will see on both the bike and the run. i think it’s great timing for immt- we’ve done it both years and are going back again this year:) you’ll love it!
At IMMT the most challenging part of the course is about the last 20k or so of each loop.
When I read this I was thinking you were just talking about the run, and for a two loop course, that makes the above statement pretty funny, and probably appropriate for a lot of IMs. 
yeah the rev3 run ends the exact same way as the Griskus races, that hill is special. I’ve done Rev3 & IMLP the same year, perfect timing & preparation. Quassy’s bike course is so so so much harder than Lake Placid, which means IMMT will be even easier. At the very leasy its a great training day in your prep.
There’s something magical about Quassy. Perhaps it’s the quality of the competition, perhaps it’s the venue and scenery, but I absolutely love the place. Think it’ll set you up very well.
You nailed it.
Oh, Quassy '13… Will definitely go down as the race that all others will be compared to.
Early season hills and scorching heat. The gravel road. The last hill. The people on the side of the road being tended to by EMS. It was unreal.