hey ya’ll,
I was thinking about doing the Great Floridian but did not know what the feelings were about the race. I read the race site and it seems very well put on. But does anyone know or have a review of it?
Thanks
PA
Very Good Race. Don’t expect the level of hype/marketing that you might see at an Mdot. Still, they do a very good job of making you feel like this is a VERY big deal and that you have done something special.
Also, don’t expect it to be easy, just a long day. Not at all. When you combine the rolling hills of the farmland of central Florida with the heat and humidity that can hit at that time of the year, it makes for a painful day. And this is the diamond in the rough, because, let’s face it, you don’t want easy. You wouldn’t be doing any of this if you wanted ez.
Good luck.
Good community support. Not an easy race by any means. The area is hilly and it is usually hot and humid.
I did GFT back in '05 (as my 1st) and thought it was a great race even though race volunteers left early to prepare for hurricane Wilma. I maybe back down for '08 running.
As someone has mentioned, it doesn’t have the hype of an M-DOT, but it’s still 140.6 mile race in what could be very tough conditions.
Go for it… You won’t regret it.
I have done the race 4 times and I used to live on the bike couse at one point.
Overall, the race is a good race. The swim distance is not always marked accurate, but this is not all that uncommon in triathlon. There are some good rolling hills on the bike course, many of which you can blast up using momentum from the previous uphill. There is a very steep hill towards the beginning of the run before 3 flat laps around the lake.
The multiple laps around the lake are good if you have any friends or family there watching you.
I had a very bad experience at the “not so” Great Floridian - as it is refered to in my house.
- Volunteers not ready for racers off the front.
- Police and course mess ups - I was guided off the course twice once bike, once run with places 3-12 in my age group - we all ran 30.2 miles on the “marathon”…still ran a 4:02…
That said…
- A good grass roots organization which isn’t WTC with strong local support - certainly hard to find in the USA
- Certainly above average aid station volunteers and organization
- Strong competition who weren’t a$$holes and new long course racers who weren’t clueless - a good mix of racers
I would do this race again but be prepared as if I was racing solo/adventure race with a map and enough sports drink/etc to be self supportive. When the wounds heal I will go back and avenge my first experience there.
Strong B grade race.
I’ve done the race as my first full in 03 and then the half in 04, back again for the full in 05 and 06 and again this year. It’s a good race, only marred in 05 by the imminent hurricane that lost a lot of volunteers the day before the race. There were a lot of logistical problems that year trying to get water out at the right times, and lack of enough people handing up water on the bike, etc. Other years have been great though, and I personally didn’t have any issues that year, though I think KJGrog did. I may at some point consider doing IMFL again, but I had a worse experience there in the freezing cold than I have had at the GFT in the heat.
For a race review, the swim is in a lake that’s pretty dark with tannic acid from all the oak leaves. The water is perfectly safe, just looks a bit like tea. Transition is set up very well, close to the shore with good changing tents and wetsuit strippers. It’s been barely wetsuit legal all 4 years I’ve done it, but I’d recommend a shortsleeve suit or a slightly thinner one since the temp will probably be right at the legal limit. The bike course is rolling hills with a few flat areas and a couple of short but extremely steep (10-20% grade) hills, so good gearing is a requirement. I’ve heard rumors that the course is going to change this year, but nothing confirmed so far. Supposedly August we’ll see the final course layout. The run course is basically flat with a slight hill on the north side of the lake, and is usually very well stocked with everything you’ll need (except fresh legs or brain cells). At least half the aid stations treat it as a big party, so the atmosphere is great.
Hope to see you out there, it’s a tough but fun race!