Im doing my first IM this year and its FL. I’m totally psyched and just cant stop thinking about it. To sweeten the deal a fellow slow twitcher hooked me up with a terribly spacious condo at the Boardwalk Beach Resort. SO im at the race site!!! However it seems like everyone on ST thinks florida is like the red neck IM. I lived in florida while at school (daytona beach) and realize florida is a bit cheap and run down in places but is that the only reason for the hate? Is the course that bad? Is the event run poorly? I dont really feel like eateries should be a judge of an event as im not going there to sample local cuisine im going there to do an IM.
I have done Florida twice and am doing it again this year. The race is run very well, first class the times I have been there. While there are rednecks in the area that don’t like triathletes, if people ride respectfully (i.e. single file and not blocking the road), they aren’t too bad. Good luck and have fun.
I agree. Very well done, and a very inexpensive destination Ironman race with the best beaches in the US. Most of the ego maniacs that bash this race have not done it, and feel it’s very easy, as there are no macho hills for them to brag of. It always has been incredible competition, as it used to be the first qualifier for Hawaii, so many of the best ag’s went there to get a quick in to Kona. It has a fair amount of slower racers, but not compared to some of the other races I have witnessed. A very nice race, and a great locale. You will love it, as long as you get yourself ready for long periods of staying in the aero position. See you there!
I think there is a general consensus that IMF is the easiest of the Ironman races becasuse it is such a flat course. This makes it popular for first timers but, at the same time, allows all the IM snobs to downplay it as an event… just my take. The course is also very ‘plain’ as compared to many of the other IM events in North America and the bike course is downright boring.
That said, IMF was my first and I completely enjoyed it. I liked the ocean swim and the one lap bike course (even if it was boring). Like all other NAS Events, it was run very well.
Deep down inside though, I always felt like I had to validate it with a ‘real IM’. In all honesty, thats crap! 140.6 is 140.6. Enjoy your training and enjoy the race!!
I hear often that it’s a boring course. The last time I remembered a course was the time I was not racing. If focused, I feel one doesn’t even see the scenery. If I’mm looking for scenery, I’ll do a tour in Tuscany. It is a very well done, and fast race, meaning one must be pretty fast to podium.
I did IMFL twice (it was also my first IM) - although the bike course is boring scenery-wise, it is a challenge since you are basically locked into the same position and using the same muscle groups the entire time. Run course is dead-flat also, mostly through residential neighborhoods, but the turnaround area in St Thomas Park is awesome. Seeing the sun set along the dunes will always be one of my favorite IM memories. The ocean swim is great as well. Enjoy!
Panama Seedy Beach may not the the ultimate touring destination but overall this is a great, well-run event with lots of convenient inexpensive places to stay - you’ll love staying at the BW condo-great location. And truth be known, PCB’s shortcomings really take nothing away from race day, which is what it’s all about. And there’s some reason this race sells out in an hour, so I wouldn’t say there’s no love.
As the others have mentioned, 140.6 is an awesome personal journey, no matter the locale. I enjoyed IMFL as well, especially the swim and 1 loop bike. PCB isn’t a great destination for sure (and my family is all in FL) though compared with LP, CDA, CAN, etc. I do think it is a good race for first timers as pacing is hard enough - throw in nasty weather and hills and it gets even tougher. IMFL sorta’ evens that part out.
After doing LP though - the contrast is pretty large. Distances are the same, but the experience is quite different.
Enjoy the race first and foremost. Then, do another. Each has it’s good and bad points (for LP for example it is the cost of housing and difficulty in getting there).
IMFL is a great race! There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, and I have no idea why people get down on it. It’s usually tghe Lake Placid snobs that give it such a hard time, and like you said, most have never done the race any ways. I have only done IMFL (2x) and IMWI (3x), but far prefer Florida. Here is what I like about it:
The beach. I love the ocean and there is no better way I want to spend my time. The beach is fantastic, the water is crystal clear, the sand is perfect and the views are great. The girls don’t hurt the views either :).
It’s late in the year. This gives me time to train and race short course and time to focus on IM.
It’s flat- so what? I can ride a 5 hour time at Florida or a 5:20 or so at Wisconsin. What’s the difference? They both hurt at the end.
It’s cheap. Hotels , condos, etc are all on the beach and very affordable.
It’s quiet this time of year. This creates far less stress. I am there to race, not vacation. No waiting in line at restaurants, etc.
There is a lot to do. Tons of ghetto shops for the family to poke around, putt-putt, a movie theater, a huge (nasty) arcade/bowling alley, etc. It is easy to kill time before the race.
The race is on a Saturday. I love this fact. Winding down on Sunday on the beach and drinking beer is perfect for me. I just don’t like Sunday races as much.
Far less traffic than Moo.
Easy access to the race site. You can easily stay at a condo less than a 1/4 mile from the start asnd never have to drive any where.
The weather is usually very good. High around 75 with very little wind. It’s a great reward / treat for us northern athletes in November.
There are plenty of places to eat depending on what you want and how particular your tastes are. Some of the best BBQ in the U.S. can be found in the panhandle.
I think it is a great race and look forward to going back- maybe next year. Gulf Coast is a great race as well. With the same race director, course, etc. I really wish I was doing florida this year instead of Moo.
“11. There are plenty of places to eat depending on what you want and how particular your tastes are. Some of the best BBQ in the U.S. can be found in the panhandle.”
I think it gets lotsa love from folks…those folks are probably not hanging out on ST. It fills every year by the end of the day. It’s a great swim with a WIDE start so you can pick anyplace you want to ease into the water. The bike course is one loop through open roads with very little traffic. No real hills and very slight rollers on the back half…but don’t let that fool you. IMFL looks like the fastest course in the world on paper but for some reason it is more challenging than it would appear. It’s a great first timer race because there are not many terrain features that could cause you to miss the cutoff times (like big climbs or merciless, unrelenting hills). I’ve done it twice and both times turned out to be the best race conditions of any of my IM’s.
PCB is not the nicest destination for IM’s but it’s not bad. All I need is a grocery store and pristine beach - it has both, with a Superwalmart within walking distance of the Boardwalk Beach Resort. My kids loved the beach and hotel pool while I was racing.
I think someone at the PCB chamber of commerce has seriously bribed the weather gods for IMFL weekend. Because we always seem to get the first seriously cool and dry weather of the season for race weekend when cilmatology says we’ve still got a week or so of impossibly humid 83F possibilities, and the Gulf always seems to be swimmable on race day.
I loved it. Maybe because it was my first, but I have fond memories of the event. Will I do it again? I have no idea. Maybe, but I want to do all the IM’s in NA first.
Hey-
Keep in mind, a lot of people that comment on IMFL have never done it, yet trash talk it. The fact that it sells out in under an hour speaks to the popularity of the race. It’s very good timing for many people around the country. Northerners can train outside for most of it b/c it’s so late in the year and Southerners go from training in the 100 degree heat over the summer to a 75 degree race day. I’ve done it twice, and am going back this November for a 3rd time. I’ve also done CDA, and IMMOO. There are things I like and dislike about all of them. Overall- Fla is a superbly run race, so that can’t be the reason for the hate. Very inexpensive destination b/c there are lots of condos and rentals everywhere. PC Beach has been slowly cleaning up its’ act as far as it’s old reputation is concerned- redneck riviera/seedy. Sure there are some airbrush t-shirt shops, putt putt/go cart places, and old spring break bars (La Vela/Spinnakers) still around, but the run down dumpy hotels have made way to high priced condos. If you are a beach person, the gulf is beautiful and the sand is white as snow.
The race- It’s flat and faster than the other NA IM’s I’ve done- but don’t mistake that for being easy. It’s still 140.6 miles. The ocean swim can make for an unpredictable 1st leg, but it’s ‘usually’ flat as a lake this time of year (ie- not much wave break at the shore) with little current. But even when the waves aren’t breaking on the shore, there will still be some swell action as you get out to the turn bouys. It’s very competative with a very large foreign contingent that shows up. Like someone said, you’ve got to be very fast to qualify at FL- in my age group (35-39) you had to do in the high 9:30’s last year to get to Kona. Everyone has different tastes when it comes down to the scenary they like to see. I personally am not checking out what I’m flying by when I’m out on the bike course. My head is down and I’m dropping the hammer. If you are there for ansel adams type photos, you will be dissapointed. the bike course is nothing but long straight aways through pine forests.
Doesn’t bother me a bit.
Now- Minnesota, but a large part of my life was spent in the Carolinas so I definitely know good BBQ.
Carolinas = good BBQ? Blasphemy! Try Memphis around May. Memphis in May = Best BBQers in the world. But I guess if you’re in to vinegar based BBQ maybe the Carolina’s might be ok.