OK, so the other thread asking about which race to do got me thinking. I’m planning on doing my second IM next year (1st will be IMFL this year) and am trying to decide which one to do. One friend wants me to do IMCdA with him and another is doing IMLP so that has crossed my mind. So why not pose the question to you guys. Which IM should I do next year?
You don’t have to sell a race to me and don’t worry about what I am looking for. Give me your experiences and I will draw from that to make a decision.
It depends upon what you like in a race. If you like flat courses, IMFL rocks. If you like hills, try France or Silverman, maybe LP. But it’s an individual decision. If I did Nice, I’d walk the whole marathon, because those hills would nuke my legs. Some don’t like FL, because riding the flats can kink your back permanently…
For me, a more moderate course but not quite flat, like Vineman or C’dA here in the states.
I should have specified that I want to stay in the US next year. May start going abroad to destination races the following year but want to get a couple domestic under my belt first.
I would prefer a middle of the road race as far as hilly vs flat. I went with Fla b/c of timing more than anything else.
Well, I can only comment (thus far) on IM Wisconsin. If you want freakish weather (94 and windy in 2005, 55 and raining/windy in 2006), great town, great bike course (with lots of rollers), and an absolutely great run course, then choose Moo. Also, the local folks on the bike and run course are absolutely fabulous. There are some hills at Wisconsin that make you feel like your climbing the Alpe D’Huez at the Tour…the road is one bike wide with screaming people cheering you on. I’m doing IMLP this year, primarily to do something different and to go check out the Adirondacks.
IMFL was my first last November, and I want to try different ones each year if the budget allows. I’m doing Canada in August, and for next year, would like to do either IMLP or possibly Australia (my wife is from Port Macquarie where the race is held). Word has it that Canada and LP are the “biggies” as far as “spectacle” goes if you’re into that.
I’ve been to seven or eight ironman and iron-distance venues, participated at three of them. Hands down, my favorite to participate in has been Lake Placid. It will always have a very special place in my heart for a zillion reasons.
I have no experience at CDA but can vouch for the fact that IMLP is a spectacular event. I will definately do it again, probably in '09.
Here’s why
-Gorgeous, challenging and fun bike course.
-great community support…this town did host an olympics after all.
-wonderful swim venue. Mirror Lake is beautiful, clear and fast.
-two loop run course is spectator friendly because you go through the town 4 times (if my memory is correct)
-Well-run event…'08 will be the 10th running of the event…they’ve got it down.
Lake Placid – gorgeous scenery, very friendly people in town, plenty of restaurants and places to stay at all price levels. Clean water, clean air, clean roads. Great crowd in town and a few spectators out on course in little towns and at key corners. Challenging bike and run courses…it is in the mountains! The weather has always been relatively mild, even with a few drops of rain but that was not horrendous. The swim is in Mirror Lake…and has lane lines (buoys on submerged cable the length of the lake) for canoe/kayak racing, and so you can stay right along the line on both sides of the two-loop course. It is wonderful! The transition area and finish are in local high school field in the center of town and it used to be the Olympic speedskating oval, as I recall. The Olympic skating arena is right next door (wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! go inside in the rink’s stands and you get goosebumps thinking about the 1980 Miracle on Ice.) The Olympic xc skiing venue, biathlon, ski jumping venues all on the early part of the bike course. The local bars, for post-race debauchery, are quite good. Placid Planets bike shop was very, very helpful, and they are right there, too. On the bike course, you go by rushing rivers, wild flowers, mountains with climbers/repellers in action, eagles in the sky, hikers entering/exiting trailheads along the road, and beautiful tree stands, and you ride over the bridge through a little gorge. The small towns are quick in-and-out on the bike. The run is quite fun, I thought. The aid stations were all staffed and supplied well, the course was well marked. I only recall drafting on the 7-mile-in-each-direction out-and-back (H…something Road) but nowhere else. Travel to LP is not nearly as challenging as Penticton. To LP, you can fly directly into LP or another airport which is a drive but not terrible, and you can also fly into Burlington, Vermont, and take a ferry across and have a pre-arranged taxi waiting for you at the New York-side landing (that’s what I did – affordable, easy, fun, relaxing, and you do not need a car in LP). Burlington is a cool city, too. Driving to LP is pretty easy and enjoyable, too; I have done it from Montreal and drove back to Chicago from LP…easy, lovely drive.
i’ve done imfl and placid 2x. i absolutely hate panama city - course is so flat and boring. lots of drafting. no good places to eat, etc.
placid on the other hand couldn’t be a better im race site. the town is picture-perfect with mirror lake right in the center of it. the adirondacks (sp?) are spectacular and provide a challenging but doable course. the locals support it 100% and most plan vacations so they won’t miss being home for the race. lodging is excellent with great places to eat (virtually no chains).
also, you can stay after the race and enjoy a beautiful vacation with everything accessible outdoors like trail running, mt biking, kayaking etc and two great bike shops (and plenty of outdoor specific places like ems) to rent gear from.
ps, my wife liked placid so much that she now wants to go back for vacations.
Of the 3 I’ve done (LP, Canada, Moo), I’d rank LP & Canada well ahead of Moo. Both LP & Canada are beautiful courses (nice to have some gorgous scenery to take your mind off the pain) and fantastic town support. Getting to Canada can be a chore - fly in to Vancouver, then drive 5 hours to Penticton or fly yourself, but not your bike (it gets sent on a semi-trailer that gets there when it gets there), to Penticton.
For Moo, the town has a love/hate relationship with the race, with one farmer famously letting his cows cross the road durting the bike portion of the race. Also, the run course has LOTS of concrete - my knees have never been the same.
IMC is just a great course all one lap with a bit of every thing also the town realy supports the race which is awsome. Getting there is not that big a mission if you fly into Kelowna rather than penticton and is only 1hr away. The bike has a bit of every thing flats short hills long hills rollers, whilst the run is preety flat with a few short hills.
You might get dizzy after 40 loops of the Formula 1 circuit though!
I was quite happy to be done for the 1/2 after 20 loops as it started to get boring!
However it is an extremely fast course!
