The St. George 70.3 Experience

Triathlon Forum
1

Hello,

Here are a few notes on St. George for anyone considering this race in the future.

Everyone should have this race on their list! The town of St. George is welcoming, with plenty of western charm and hospitality. The race course is amazing. The race runs like clockwork and the support is excellent. Just as important, the area has attractions that will please Race Support. My crew, including wife, son (12) and daughter (10) all rated our Racecation a 10/10.

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Pre-Race:
If you have just one day for pre-race (like me), plan on at least two hours for check-in and staging. The Village and T2 are conveniently located in the center of downtown St. George. However, T1 is 30 minutes out of town. Everything is well managed and flows nicely. It just took a chunk of time to park the car, check in, stuff my bike and run bags, stage T2, get my bike from TBT, number the bike, drive to T1, park the car, stage T1 and drive back to town.

Race Course:
Make sure you are fit. Very fit!

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The bike course is spectacular, and the clear highlight of the event. Miles of smooth, wide, controlled roads through gorgeous and challenging terrain. I found the course fun to ride, with a true “race course” feel (well controlled, no cars).

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I didn’t have much fun on the run! That fantastic bike course has lots of variability that will sap the strength from your legs, and then finish them off with a big, long, hot climb through Snow Canyon. This is a tough ride for a Diesel engine like mine. And that ride is followed by a hilly, hot beast of a run! The first three miles are hard enough to impair your will, and plenty of exposed, hot, tough terrain remains. Did I say it was hilly and hot? While tough, the course is closed, well managed and well supported. Just go from one aid station to the next, get to mile 10 and ride those hills home.

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The professional field is a nice bonus. Big Names everywhere, like a mini-Kona. My Little Girl got a picture with Rinny (so nice!), and I had the privilege of watching the leaders blowing for home just feet away as I covered the first few miles of the run. I saw a post today from another Slowtwitcher who got pics of each leaving T1 while waiting for his swim wave (http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...t_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;). You’ll have a chance to see the best in the world. Super cool!

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Equipment:
I recently made the switch to a sleeved tri-suit (LG Course). I’m glad I made the change! I appreciated the extra coverage on my shoulders in the baking sun. And I was surprised to find the suit kept me cooler than a two piece. While fast to dry, the fabric holds water better than bare skin and regular dousing provided a cooling effect that I appreciated in the 90 degree heat.

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Lodging:
http://www.innatentrada.com
The Girls loved this location! High School Musical was filmed here, if you (or Race Support) are into that. Luxurious accommodations situated at mile 40 of the bike course, but only 15 minutes out of town. Race Support was able to sleep in race morning, catch dad 2.5 hours into his day and then rendezvous at the finish. Happy campers.

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Dining:
Bear Paw: http://www.bearpawcafe.com
Can’t go wrong here!

Zion:
http://www.citrusmilo.com/zionguide/
A quick one hour drive put us into Zion National Park for a few days of R&R. A few short hikes and a trail ride were great recovery for dad, and fun for all. The hiking options inside the park are endless, so plan what works for you.

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Our family friendly itinerary follows.

Lodging:
http://www.zionlodge.com
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Real Good Eats:
http://www.bitandspur.com/index.php
http://cafesoleilzionpark.com

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Sunday:
http://www.citrusmilo.com/...ide/emeraldpools.cfm
http://www.citrusmilo.com/...de/riversidewalk.cfm

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Monday:
http://www.canyonrides.com/…-zion-national-park/
http://www.citrusmilo.com/zionguide/sandbench.cfm

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Tuesday:
http://www.citrusmilo.com/zionguide/grafton.cfm

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ST knows all, so please add any recommendations or highlights that I may have overlooked!

Scott

2

I am glad you had a good time in our state. Keep coming back!!!

3

Don’t forget the pie shop in veyo,absolutely fantastic.
It’s a shame the full IM was cancelled,i travelled from the UK for that race & would love to go back again but its a bit far for a half.
The town & people were just fantastic.

4

Thanks for the info. I plan on doing St. George for the first time in 2016 (opted for Wildflower this year).

5

Completely agree - this is becoming one of my favorite 70.3s (my others are Hawaii and Vineman). The town and volunteers are great, and the course is honest. A little bunching up in spots on the bike, but I only saw one blatant drafting incident - a woman jumped on a guy’s wheel on the descent after Snow Canyon (couldn’t believe how unabashed it was!).

I did the last full in 2012 and then the half last year and this year. The half is definitely more enjoyable. :slight_smile:

My restaurant find this time was the Cliffside Restarant on the bluffs to the west of downtown - great food and views.

Pretty sure I’ll be back next year, even though Wildflower’s a lot closer for me.

Ian

6

Cool, I hope it helps. How was Wildflower? I’m thinking of giving it a go next year.

Scott

7

I love posts like this! Thank you for the insight and the pictures. As a husband and father of three, who also has a personality flaw of enjoying Ironman triathlons, it is nice to see you and the family had a great time.

8

Thanks! It’s always a bit scary putting yourself out there on the internet, but ST has been a great resource for me and I hope this helps folks get a feel for St. George. We had a great time!

9

Funny that Wildflower and Vineman both come up so quickly. Both are on our to-do list.

I can’t imagine how hard the full would be in St. George. Did the old course cover the same ground as the 70.3?

Scott

10

Funny that Wildflower and Vineman both come up so quickly. Both are on our to-do list.

I can’t imagine how hard the full would be in St. George. Did the old course cover the same ground as the 70.3?

Scott

It similarly connected from Sand Hollow to town and then did 2 loops. The loops passed Snow Canyon but went up another climb, which included a section called the Veyo Wall. Here’s my Strava file: https://www.strava.com/activities/12771703

We had pretty strong winds in 2012, which affected both the swim and the bike, contributing to a high DNF rate. It was my slowest IM by far (out of 15), but the proudest finish.

Check out this video of the swim: http://youtu.be/zKWdavNM0Tw

Ian

11

I think my greatest athletic achievement was finishing the IMSG swim in 2012. The second greatest was crossing the finishing line before midnight. It was EPIC!

12

Funny that Wildflower and Vineman both come up so quickly. Both are on our to-do list.

I can’t imagine how hard the full would be in St. George. Did the old course cover the same ground as the 70.3?

Scott

I have done Vineman Full (last year) and St. Geroge 70.3 (3 times) and these are two of my favorite races. Vineman is an awesome venue and the race is very well organized. I will be doing it again in 2016.

The 2012 St. George Full course was not the same course as the 70.3. The Bike loops were different and the run did not climb up the hill to Pioneer Park, instead it stayed closer to downtown and involved a whole bunch of loops. I do think that at some point it included two loops of a similar course as the 70.3 but I’m not sure whenthis was. I have no idea how anyone could do two loops of the bike and run of the current 70.3 course. That would be inhuman. I really hope they bring back the full some day.

13

I think my greatest athletic achievement was finishing the IMSG swim in 2012. The second greatest was crossing the finishing line before midnight. It was EPIC!Same here! Though I would consider finishing the swim my greatest mental achievement, and the bike my greatest achievement from a combined mental + physical perspective. The run (haha, what a funny word!) included some running, lots of walking and some lying down on the side of the road questioning my sanity. 14h 57’ finish, I was embarrassed about it at first, took me a few days to understand it was just an epic day.

14

Funny that Wildflower and Vineman both come up so quickly. Both are on our to-do list.

I can’t imagine how hard the full would be in St. George. Did the old course cover the same ground as the 70.3?

Scott

I have done Vineman Full (last year) and St. Geroge 70.3 (3 times) and these are two of my favorite races. Vineman is an awesome venue and the race is very well organized. I will be doing it again in 2016.

The 2012 St. George Full course was not the same course as the 70.3. The Bike loops were different and the run did not climb up the hill to Pioneer Park, instead it stayed closer to downtown and involved a whole bunch of loops. I do think that at some point it included two loops of a similar course as the 70.3 but I’m not sure whenthis was. I have no idea how anyone could do two loops of the bike and run of the current 70.3 course. That would be inhuman. I really hope they bring back the full some day.THe run course was changed in 2012, when it would only go up Diagonal and no longer up Red Cliffs Parkway. No more steep hills but lots of false flat going either up or down. THe bike course was much harder than the 70.3 course, going on much rougher chipseal roads towards Gunlock and Veyo via a canyon that was funneling the 40mph right into your face just to make you more miserable. Definitely a much more difficult ride than the 70.3.

15

Funny that Wildflower and Vineman both come up so quickly. Both are on our to-do list.

I can’t imagine how hard the full would be in St. George. Did the old course cover the same ground as the 70.3?

Scott

I have done Vineman Full (last year) and St. Geroge 70.3 (3 times) and these are two of my favorite races. Vineman is an awesome venue and the race is very well organized. I will be doing it again in 2016.

The 2012 St. George Full course was not the same course as the 70.3. The Bike loops were different and the run did not climb up the hill to Pioneer Park, instead it stayed closer to downtown and involved a whole bunch of loops. I do think that at some point it included two loops of a similar course as the 70.3 but I’m not sure whenthis was. I have no idea how anyone could do two loops of the bike and run of the current 70.3 course. That would be inhuman. I really hope they bring back the full some day.THe run course was changed in 2012, when it would only go up Diagonal and no longer up Red Cliffs Parkway. No more steep hills but lots of false flat going either up or down. THe bike course was much harder than the 70.3 course, going on much rougher chipseal roads towards Gunlock and Veyo via a canyon that was funneling the 40mph right into your face just to make you more miserable. Definitely a much more difficult ride than the 70.3.

I can’t imagine that. Just thinking of doing the current bike course twice is nightmarish. I would love to do it. I’m sure I’m not alone in my desire to bring back a tough, epic full as part of the IM circuit.

16

This was my third time racing STG 70.3, great course and very well run. I live in SoCal and raced or volunteered at Oside the last 9yrs but gotta admit STG is my favorite 70.3. I’ve also raced Vineman 70.3/full/ wife did Barbs and Wildflower all fun races, very well run. The new race is Silverman, very similar to SGT, same general area and again very well run.

Never did Hawaii but it’s on my list :slight_smile:

17

I think my greatest athletic achievement was finishing the IMSG swim in 2012. The second greatest was crossing the finishing line before midnight. It was EPIC!Same here! Though I would consider finishing the swim my greatest mental achievement, and the bike my greatest achievement from a combined mental + physical perspective. The run (haha, what a funny word!) included some running, lots of walking and some lying down on the side of the road questioning my sanity. 14h 57’ finish, I was embarrassed about it at first, took me a few days to understand it was just an epic day.

I was wearing the finisher’s shirt after some race, and a guy came up to me and said, “I did that race. Anytime I see someone with that shirt, they have my immediate respect.”

I probably had hundreds of mini-conversations with myself that day to keep going. It was my 11th IM, and to that point I’d never gone over 12 hours. When I finally got off the bike, I saw that unless I ran 3:34 (which seemed unlikely), I was going over 12. I asked myself what I wanted more: 10 sub 12s and a DNF, or 11 finishes.

I took 11 finishes. :slight_smile:

Ian

18

I passed a woman on the bike up one of the hills this year and she was wearing a bike jersey from 2012. She had a large ‘DNF’ printed diagonally across the back - I thought it was awesome. Gave her kudos for the humor.

19

I have friends that raced IM STG 2012 and Lake Tahoe 2013 all said SGT was the hardest day of the two…and LT was a tough day.

20

I crashed at about mile 19? Still unsure as I don’t remember crash. I was lucky, concussion, no head bleed, nothing broken, terrible road rash especially on my face! And a separated right shoulder which ER Dr thinks is grade 1, see ortho next week. The EMS crew as well as Dixie Medical center ER were outstanding and I can’t thank them enough.This would have been my first SG 70.3. I had a strong swim for me and was loving the bike and the beauty. I also was having a wonderful experience in St George and the race was so well organized. Unfortunately it was not my day to finish. I will be back next year to complete the course as I wanted the challenge of snow canyon and the tough run. I agree with everything said in your post, the race vibe is incredible and all the pros certainly bring an excitement to the day.