1/2 iron recommendations

Rev3 Cedar Point was my first half. Two major pluses:

1) FLAT course! FLAT, FLAT, FLAT!!!
2) Cedar Point! Lots of stuff for your support crew to do!

Wow. I live about 1/2 hr from you (Plainfield / Joliet ) and am contemplating my first HIM next year as well. Looking forward to hearing the responses.

Hello fellow locals (we're in New Lenox)! My wife and I are VERY new to triathlon, but we've done Racine and Muncie, and I can chime in with our thoughts. Now, some background - we are both currently "bucket-lister-triathletes" at the moment. By that, I mean what got us into the sport was that we said "one day we should do an Ironman". I know that mentality ruffles feathers amongst the "competers", but it is what it is. That being said, I think we're both transitioning more towards 'racing' from 'finishing' (maybe more so me, at least at this point), so there's that lol.

RACINE:
Anyway, we did Racine first in 2014. Check-in process was rough - line was long and slow moving. Took an hour or so to get from end of line to get through check-in. Not sure if we hit a peak in traffic or what, but was kinda annoying. Hotels were about 15-20 minutes from the area, not too bad. The Triathlon Village thing was nice, and right in the area of check-in.

Race itself: Swim start was a bit away from the transition area (point to point), so it was nice to have a fan (my mom) there to take any personal belongings (flip flops, for example) and drop us off at the start so we didn't have to worry about car keys or the walk there. It's in Lake Michigan and it was COLD. Wanna say 51-52 degrees F. Fairly calm, but wife's friend did it in 2013 and said it was quite choppy from a recent storm. We were fortunate in that regard, but was still chilly.

Bike wasn't bad, a "lasso" type course, where you head out, do a loop, then the route back was much of the same road as the route out. Started off right away with a HUGE steep climb, but after that not too bad. Had some hills, but nothing bad that I remember. Road conditions weren't too bad, rough patches were marked. Vehicle traffic was very minimal. Wasn't too windy, pretty calm actually. And then of course ended with that HUGE downhill, which was interesting. haha.

Run was okay. Some decent size hills, but nothing huge. Was a ~3 mile, out and back twice course. Through some neighborhoods, so a lot of people were out with hoses and such cheering you on, so that was cool.

MUNCIE:
Did Muncie this year, 2015. Check-in process was MUCH quicker - we were through it in about 15 minutes, maybe less. Weather was eh so we just checked-in quick, skimmed the Village area (again right by check-in), looked at the swim course, and left. Hotels again were about 15-20 minutes away, so again not bad. ONE THING to note: the morning of the race there is only ONE (well, maybe two if you come from other direction) way into the area, so the roads were SUPER backed up. They pushed back the start of the race 5-10 minutes because so many people were late. Not sure if that was isolated or not, but it was an added stressor we didn't need. I'd recommend getting to race area early on race day for that reason.

Swim was nice - water was low 70s and was a triangle shape. In a reservoir, so was calm. A nice, 1.2 mile loop.

Bike was nice as well. Some hills (nothing bad - I'd say comparable to Racine) and a minor (barely noticeable) wind. Much of the course was a loop, and the way in had the tailwind, which was nice. The wind wasn't too noticeable though, not even on the way out, but you could feel it. Hills felt similar on the way out and on the way in, but if there was a difference they were more down than up on the way in. Road conditions were good (similar to Racine), and the loop portion was closed to traffic, and minimal traffic (if any?) on the other roads.

Run was okay, again through some neighborhoods so good cheering and people hosing you down, if wanted. Was a ~6 mile out and back once course. Some hills, but they were more subtle than Racine hills.

I (not sure about her) preferred the Muncie swim (for temp and calmness), bike was a wash, and probably preferred Muncie run.

Both had good hydration/nutrition options and locations on the bike and run.

Some more info: We were SLOW (8 hours, 15 minutes for Racine, 8 hours for Muncie - we shaved 15 mins off bike, but swim and run were comparable) so take my info for what it's worth. Also, hills are all relative, so take that for what it's worth. We struggled on the Muncie run, but only because I think we pushed harder on that bike.

(unnecessary disclaimers: Racine was our 2nd tri ever (no regrets though lol) and Muncie was our 4th or 5th. We're both taking classes on top of our jobs, so time is somewhat limited. We recently (post-Muncie) learned that when we trained before, we were just going through the motions. We've re-done our "training" regimen to make sessions worthwhile and effective. We've already seen huge improvements since Muncie. AND lastly, I didn't go all out on both races for the bike and run because we decided to do those together to finish together (I know, I'm a great husband lol), but my time probably would have only been about 30-45 minutes quicker, all from the bike and run. /excuses lol)

OH, we've looked into Steelhead but after a few of our other Lake Michigan swims, we decided we want to get stronger and more confident before we take on any more Lake Michigan swims. We've heard horror stories.

Let me know if you've got other questions!

Oops, didn't realize that was so long, sorry about that! Oh yeah, also, there's a (new, I think) 70.3 in Ohio. Oh yeah, here is it. Maybe another one to consider. http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman-70.3/ohio....

I've only done Racine 3 times (2011-2013), so I'll chime in about my thoughts on that one.

Swim: The water is cold, but not low 50's. I'd say upper 50's is common. I think it was about 57-58 a couple years. A lot of the water temp depends on the wind direction. Also, the water can be pretty choppy at times (in 2013 there were some big swells). It's a point to point swim, but the walk to the start isn't bad and is nice time to clear your head.

Bike: The hill coming out of transition is a short little steep climb. Just make sure you rack your bike in an easy gear and you'll be fine. The rest of the course is flat. Some roads aren't in the best shape, but I don't think they are as bad as everyone says.

Run: Double out and back with two short steeps hills at the beginning of each lap. Nothing much else to say.

Overall: It's a nice community to visit. Parking hasn't ever been an issue. I really like the race. With it being in late July, temps can get pretty high, so have a plan. Hope this helps.

I agree, great race and support is fantastic! You just have to make it through the 1st/last 4 miles of the bike without rattling away as the road is a bit rough. I could recommend a few others (Mohican Endurance Festival) (Great Buckeye Challenge). But those are smaller races and not sure they would be worth the 4 hour drive. Mohican with the 4000ft on the bike is a great challenge...

I did Muncie this year. It was my first, so my input is limited to only that experience. I won't bother with "good to great" aid station folks and options and such. I'm "assuming" all the branded races are pretty comparable.

Parking wasn't bad at all for packet pickup. I was within 200 feet of the tent.
Parking on the day, I got there mostly early, but not insanely early....maybe 1/8th of a mile to transition.
Weather was perfect. Warm, not hot. (It could be pretty hot that time of year)....but a spat of cool weather and some rain that week made the swim 1 degree into wetsuit legal territory. Stroke of luck. Perfect conditions. Bike was flat as can be.
Run was less hilly than I normally run. A couple soft rollers. Some decent shade too, actually. Post race food was pretty meh. I didn't really care as I knew I was treating myself to some White Castle....which I haven't eaten in any significance since I weighed nearly 300 lbs. a couple years back.

On the swim, you're final leg is directly into the sun for sighting purposes. I wish I would have practiced with my darkened swim goggles.

Plethora of hotels about 20 minutes away....southwest of Muncie. Saw a lot of wristbands in that town at stores and restaurants. The Meijer grocery store was out of bagels by about 6:00 PM as it was within spitting distance of all the hotels and that seems to be a popular choice. Lucky for me, I'm a Coco Puffs or Chocolate Toasted Oats man. Many of the hotels started their breakfast service early. Not all. But many.

I'd love to do Steelhead. It's Lake Michigan. We don't call that region of Michigan "St. Louis' Air Conditioner" for nothing. I spend a week or two within an hour of there every summer. My take was that Muncie had a lower likelihood of getting cancelled...and if it did...I could maybe score a registration for Steelhead. If you get a storm on that lake, you can have pretty violent rip and undertow. I know they've had to cancel the swim before....but then again Muncie shortened to Olympic because of heat once.


St. Louis was rumored to have a branded half Iron Man in 2016. But I haven't heard boo about it since 2014. Being that most races open registration within days of completion, an early spring STL HIM appears to be out of the question. They do have a non branded one called Border Wars in Alton. Same folks who put on the Olympic length one in Litchfield, IL. I did that last year. It was fun and well run. Border Wars is all flat. In the river and along the Great River Road in Alton. I've not done it, but I know the course. I know the first year, the river was unusually cold. Not sure how it went this year. And that first year....they had the famous Pappy's BBQ as post race food. That's almost worth paying the entry fee and not even racing as you generally have to be in line for Pappy's by about 10:30 or they'll sell out before you get in.

Paul's right about the Muncie bike course. I wouldn't say 'boring"....I'm just never bored on a bike. But, there is really nothing inspiring on the course. It is closed, though...which is pretty nice.

Although, the raccoon roadkill on the side of the road that was jokingly (??? it was pretty much off the shoulder/gutter...not truly a hazard?) circled with orange road hazard paint....that was worth a chuckle.

Never done this race but have heard it is a very well run race. Most people I have talked with that have done Door County half and Racine prefer Door County.

New HIM in Madison next year, put on by Race Day Events. I did one of their sprints this year, well organized. Fairly cheap if you sign up now. No information yet on the actual course.I wanted to do another HIM after Racine in 2012-13, so I signed up. Racine is OK, just not in love with the event, plus this one is close to our cottage.

A thread has been started in the WI section.


https://runsignup.com/Race/WI/Madison/WisconsinMilkmanTriathlon

ETA: The date is June 19th.






Edited by cartman1966 2015-10-31 8:35 AM

It does not have to be IM branded. Those are just the closest races to me that I have found for sure.
I've heard great things about the Rev-3 races as well

I did Muncie last year. It has a relatively easy, smooth water swim in reservour vs. Lake Michigan for Racine and Steelhead.

The Muncie bike course is flat and fast. My average speed was 23 mph which is faster than I can normally ride that distance. That was partially due to the flatness of the course but there were a lot of people there on the two loop bike course so there was always someone to pass and get the benifit of some draft (legal if you pay attention). I thought the bike was fun because I like to race in traffic because it adds more excitement. It did get a little frustrating on the few small hills when traffic backed up. You do have to be careful about the legal versus illegal drafting. I saw a lot of people getting pentalties.

I though the run course was also fairly flat but it was hillier than the bike. I did hear some people complaining about the hills. That could have been exhaustion setting in.

The fans at Muncie are great. There are a lot of very enthusiastic volunteers. I have not done the other races you mention so I can't compare but I would recomend it. It has been one of my favorite races so far. I am planning to do Muncie again next year because I liked it and it fits my schedule.

Another vote for Door County. Well run and good challenge. Not incredibly spectator friendly though.

Just be ready to sign up Jan 1. The 2015 event sold out in a few hours.

Steelhead and Racine 70.3 finisher here. Both are considered on the "easier" end of things.

http://www.runtri.com/2010/08/toughesthardest-vs-easiestfastest-hal...

Swim:
Both have a Lake Michigan swim, which can be unpredictable. Racine was 59 degrees, Steelhead is generally a little warmer.

Bike:
Both are fairly flat with some rolling hills, but no real climbs. Racine has about 30-35 miles of really bad roads, where it feels like washboard bumps every 100 feet. Steelhead is beautiful, wooded, some parts along the Lake. Racine is more highway/urban.

Run:
Both similar, flat,

Venue:
Steelhead is somewhat remote, smaller crowds.

Definitely take Steelhead between the 2, unless Racine is going to fix their road course substantially.

Have not done it, but look at the Rev3 Cedar Point. Great family destination, my family is begging me to run it, so we can go back.

Edited by Swimbikeron 2015-11-23 2:12 PM