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How did you pick your first Ironman race location?
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 2016-09-05 11:02 AM |
Member  1083  |  Subject: How did you pick your first Ironman race location?I see this question asked a lot, "what is the best choice for my 1st Ironman." I'm not sure there is a single correct answer to that but I thought it might make a fun discussion to tell the story of how and why you chose your first Ironman course and whether it was a good decision. My first Ironman was Ironman France. I live in Miami so it wasn't the easiest to train for or travel to. But I got it done and in the end it was a great day and it was a great trip. Now you ... |
| 2016-09-05 1:05 PM in reply to: 0 |
Master 1718   Loughborough, England | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? I chose mine based on a combination of interest, scenery and a course that I felt suited me. At the time the UK IM was in Bolton (I think it may have returned there). The bike course contained a few relatively short but quite sharp efforts, which I am less good at and I wasn't particularly inspired by the area it was in. I too chose Nice, France mainly because of the time of year and the fact that the bike course was over a few small mountains, no more than 10% and nice long climbs, which I like. Also the weather was guaranteed and it was such an amazing course. When, one day, I do another one I want to do Switzerland for similar reasons. Edited by tridantri 2016-09-05 1:06 PM |
| 2016-09-05 1:41 PM in reply to: tridantri |
Expert 2380 Mastic Beach, NY | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? I choose my first IM on a number of different considerations. I wanted a course that suited my strengths but that I thought would still be challenging for me. I also wanted to do a race that would allow me to take advantage of training outdoors for the most part and that I could travel to by car. I wound up doing Wisconsin for my first one. I wanted a one loop lake swim with a challenging bike course and a reasonably flat run and I felt Wisconsin had all that for me plus it was in September. I live in the Northeast in NY so it allowed me maximize my training time outdoors especially during the peak of my training. The last consideration was travel. I drove there and that was probably about as far as I would've wanted to go by car. I thought it worked out great for me. I really enjoyed doing that race for my first Ironman. |
| 2016-09-05 1:41 PM in reply to: miamiamy |
Regular 585 Pueblo, Colorado | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? My choice, IM Boulder, was a practical one. Being less than 150 miles away made it accessible and since I race a number of triathlons in Boulder County, I had familiarity with the course. I figure I saved a few hundred $$$ by not having to purchase airfare and bike transport. |
| 2016-09-05 4:05 PM in reply to: miamiamy |
Master 2855 Kailua, Hawaii | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Mine was IMWA Western Australia. OMG it was expensive but amazing trip. Great first IM too. |
| 2016-09-06 4:34 AM in reply to: miamiamy |
Veteran 486 Newcastle, England | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Ironman Germany (Frankfurt) 2006 was my first IM. I chose it, as i wanted an overseas race. Plus, quite a few friends were also doing it. ... I like the social side of our sport |
| 2016-09-06 7:54 AM in reply to: WildWill |
Veteran 427 | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? For me it was simple logistics: I wanted a IM that was close enough to drive, but still had good reviews. Thus, I also did IMWI as my first one. What was really nice was that it was close enough for me to do some training rides on the actual bike loops which was key to preparing myself for the hilly parts of the course. Being close just alleviated any stress related to traveling far. Good luck! |
| 2016-09-06 8:12 AM in reply to: tridantri |
Member 1083 | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Originally posted by tridantri I chose mine based on a combination of interest, scenery and a course that I felt suited me. At the time the UK IM was in Bolton (I think it may have returned there). The bike course contained a few relatively short but quite sharp efforts, which I am less good at and I wasn't particularly inspired by the area it was in. I too chose Nice, France mainly because of the time of year and the fact that the bike course was over a few small mountains, no more than 10% and nice long climbs, which I like. Also the weather was guaranteed and it was such an amazing course. When, one day, I do another one I want to do Switzerland for similar reasons. I think you did a good job of thinking about the important things when picking a race. That France bike course is still the most beautiful course I've ever done. Thanks for sharing. |
| 2016-09-06 8:13 AM in reply to: tedjohn |
Member 1083 | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Originally posted by tedjohn My choice, IM Boulder, was a practical one. Being less than 150 miles away made it accessible and since I race a number of triathlons in Boulder County, I had familiarity with the course. I figure I saved a few hundred $$$ by not having to purchase airfare and bike transport. Yup I think not having to fly and transport the bike is a savings of almost the same amount as race registration fees. Definitely worth considering when choosing a race. I just did Boulder and thought it was a tough race. Thanks for sharing! |
| 2016-09-06 8:15 AM in reply to: FurnaceM3 |
Member 1083 | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Originally posted by FurnaceM3 For me it was simple logistics: I wanted a IM that was close enough to drive, but still had good reviews. Thus, I also did IMWI as my first one. What was really nice was that it was close enough for me to do some training rides on the actual bike loops which was key to preparing myself for the hilly parts of the course. Being close just alleviated any stress related to traveling far. Good luck! Yup Wisconsin gets great reviews. I do think that being able to train in terrain that is similar to you the race you are doing can be a big asset. Clearly not totally necessary but it helps. When I did Florida I didn't even drive the bike course I knew it would be similar enough to where I trained that it wasn't needed. Thanks for sharing! |
| 2016-09-06 8:16 AM in reply to: WildWill |
Member 1083 | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Originally posted by WildWill Ironman Germany (Frankfurt) 2006 was my first IM. I chose it, as i wanted an overseas race. Plus, quite a few friends were also doing it. ... I like the social side of our sport I love the social side too. For me having a group to train and race with is a big part of joy in the process. Thanks for sharing! |
| 2016-09-06 8:17 AM in reply to: metafizx |
Member 1083 | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Originally posted by metafizx Mine was IMWA Western Australia. OMG it was expensive but amazing trip. Great first IM too. That's fantastic! I really want to go to Australia. Gotta get that done. Thanks for sharing! |
| 2016-09-06 9:21 AM in reply to: miamiamy |
| 701 | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? While I haven't officially chosen....and I had sworn off a full....the pull is there....and I am beginning to align ducks. As I've said before. I'm 45. I was avidly watching Wide World of Sports when they showed the early days of this thing and I can remember thinking how I would do that some day. Yah, that worked out well. But then again, here I'm. With the capability.... I would choose by 'proximity'....which is good because there's 3 that are near enough/close enough. All 3 look to be well supported by the community and the local organizers. None of them appear to be 'brutally' hilly or feature treacherous swims, or have historically gnarly heat. None of them are at any altitude. One seems to have the most appeal. It is the closest. It looks like a grand finish....isn't too hilly. Isn't too boring. Isn't too hot. In order.... Louisville, Wisconsin Chattanooga Only 'concerns'... Louisville....because of that start, you might wind up with less time to finish. However, if it takes me to that very edge.....something's gone wrong, or I've done something wrong. I know I'm a completer, but darnit....I'm going to 'race it' as much as I can. While I'm a duffer, I'm still not playing around...not too worried about that. The bigger worry...it's kinda the last accessible one for me in the season. So....if something goes wrong....illness/injury/weather....I don't have many options to capitalize on all the effort I'd have put forth over the previous months. |
| 2016-09-06 9:36 AM in reply to: miamiamy |
Alpharetta, Georgia Bronze member | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Time of year (for both training and work scheduling reasons), distance from home (driveable) and group decision with two other athletes. Zero of the discussion was around course difficulty or our strengths or what not - as newbies to the distance none of that really mattered to us. Part of the discussion was IM vs non-branded and we collectively decided for our first, we wanted the IM brand. It was one of my most memorable races for so many (positive) reasons. |
| 2016-09-06 10:40 AM in reply to: miamiamy |
Member 560 Utah | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? I don't train or race on Sundays, due to religious reasons, so that left me with 3 options at the time. Texas, Florida, or Maryland. Texas seemed like a no brainer as though it was still 2400 miles away, it is where I grew up (about 45 minutes from The Woodlands) and it would be a hometown race with the chance to see many family and friends that week. Time of year as good as well...May works better for me than the late fall races of Florida or Maryland. I did it in 2015 before the bike course issues, and loved it. |
| 2016-09-06 12:21 PM in reply to: jhaack39 |
Member 1083 | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Originally posted by jhaack39 While I haven't officially chosen....and I had sworn off a full....the pull is there....and I am beginning to align ducks. As I've said before. I'm 45. I was avidly watching Wide World of Sports when they showed the early days of this thing and I can remember thinking how I would do that some day. Yah, that worked out well. But then again, here I'm. With the capability.... I would choose by 'proximity'....which is good because there's 3 that are near enough/close enough. All 3 look to be well supported by the community and the local organizers. None of them appear to be 'brutally' hilly or feature treacherous swims, or have historically gnarly heat. None of them are at any altitude. One seems to have the most appeal. It is the closest. It looks like a grand finish....isn't too hilly. Isn't too boring. Isn't too hot. In order.... Louisville, Wisconsin Chattanooga Only 'concerns'... Louisville....because of that start, you might wind up with less time to finish. However, if it takes me to that very edge.....something's gone wrong, or I've done something wrong. I know I'm a completer, but darnit....I'm going to 'race it' as much as I can. While I'm a duffer, I'm still not playing around...not too worried about that. The bigger worry...it's kinda the last accessible one for me in the season. So....if something goes wrong....illness/injury/weather....I don't have many options to capitalize on all the effort I'd have put forth over the previous months. I wouldn't worry about the start delay I think it's less than 10 minutes to get everybody into the water. Most folks fritter away more time than that socializing at water stops ;-) As for it being the end of the year that is an issue for sure. It's one of the challenges for Ironman training overall. It's a big commitment and a lot of energy focused on one day. My suggestion would be to purchase the insurance. You'll know long before if your training isn't going well and you can either ask for a refund or a transfer to another race later. Although you should double check this because I've never actually used the insurance. Thanks for sharing and good luck! |
| 2016-09-06 12:22 PM in reply to: KatieLimb |
Member 1083 | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Originally posted by KatieLimb I don't train or race on Sundays, due to religious reasons, so that left me with 3 options at the time. Texas, Florida, or Maryland. Texas seemed like a no brainer as though it was still 2400 miles away, it is where I grew up (about 45 minutes from The Woodlands) and it would be a hometown race with the chance to see many family and friends that week. Time of year as good as well...May works better for me than the late fall races of Florida or Maryland. I did it in 2015 before the bike course issues, and loved it. Yup you aren't alone looking for a Saturday race. I just read a report of somebody selecting Vineman for the same reason. Sounds like you put good thought into your selection for all the right reasons. Good job and I'm glad you had a great day. Thanks for sharing! |
| 2016-09-06 12:25 PM in reply to: lisac957 |
Member 1083 | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Originally posted by lisac957 Time of year (for both training and work scheduling reasons), distance from home (driveable) and group decision with two other athletes. Zero of the discussion was around course difficulty or our strengths or what not - as newbies to the distance none of that really mattered to us. Part of the discussion was IM vs non-branded and we collectively decided for our first, we wanted the IM brand. It was one of my most memorable races for so many (positive) reasons. It's interesting but being driveable seems to be a big positive for a lot of people. I travel with my family and honestly the idea of flying 4 hours with them was better than driving 12. When I type that out I realize that's still true. When I did FL and it's very hard to fly to PCB that was a big issue. I drove and didn't care but my husband and kids flew and boy was that a hassle. But it sounds like you did a great job of picking your race and had a wonderful day! Thanks for sharing. |
| 2016-09-06 1:22 PM in reply to: miamiamy |
Regular 233 Clermont, Florida | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? My first time I picked Great Floridian Triathlon - basically because I live on the course. I didn't know I was going to catch the bug and keep coming back. The next few were chosen cause they were still open when I decided to register - like Louisville, Beach to Battleship and Texas. The next phase was based on where I wanted to travel, and I got to go to Switzerland, Austria, Los Cabos and Cozumel. Now there are a couple of races I keep going back to multiple time like Texas, Florida, and Cozumel (Thanksgiving in Cozumel has become a tradition). Next year (60th birthday tour) heads to Brazil and Hawaii. People should not hesitiate to try the non-US based races. The travel and venus are amazing, and really not that difficult to arrange. |
| 2016-09-06 2:13 PM in reply to: miamiamy |
| Alpharetta, Georgia Bronze member | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Originally posted by miamiamy Originally posted by lisac957 It's interesting but being driveable seems to be a big positive for a lot of people. I travel with my family and honestly the idea of flying 4 hours with them was better than driving 12. When I type that out I realize that's still true. When I did FL and it's very hard to fly to PCB that was a big issue. I drove and didn't care but my husband and kids flew and boy was that a hassle. But it sounds like you did a great job of picking your race and had a wonderful day! Thanks for sharing. Time of year (for both training and work scheduling reasons), distance from home (driveable) and group decision with two other athletes. Zero of the discussion was around course difficulty or our strengths or what not - as newbies to the distance none of that really mattered to us. Part of the discussion was IM vs non-branded and we collectively decided for our first, we wanted the IM brand. It was one of my most memorable races for so many (positive) reasons. I flew to an Ironman a few years ago and even without kids just solo, it was a huge hassle for me. Having to disassemble my bike, box it up, haul it to the airport, get it from my vehicle to the terminal, paying the extra baggage fees, getting it from special cargo upon arrival, into a rental car (that had to be large enough to handle 2 bike boxes and 3 people + luggage = $$$), driving from airport to the race venue, un-boxing my bike and re-assembling it - then doing all of that in reverse to get home - ugh. There are no Tri Bike Transport services in my area either. I had a much more enjoyable experience throwing my bike on the back of my SUV and road-tripping with my girlfriends |
. Door to door the travel time was about the same, since I had a layover flying and you have to get to airports so early with oversized luggage and returning rental cars and such.| 2016-09-06 2:15 PM in reply to: exnavydoc |
Master 4118 Toronto Bronze member | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? When i decided i wanted to i picked Ironman Canada - the original in Penticton. But that's not what I ended up doing. My husband had done it and I had spectated. It's a great place. Even though it was across the country it was still in Canada. At the time it still sold out pretty quickly. That same year they announced IMMT - which would be closer and much easier to get into since it was the first year. So, i went with IMMT, we could actually train on the course there because it was a lot closer (but still a 7hr drive). I think it is less important now with more selection of races available but the sell out and possibility of getting into the race was a big factor for me. We live reasonably close IMLP but it always sold out super fast and lodging was crazy expensive I LOVED IMMT - would go back and do it again in a heartbeat. It's a great venue for a race. I would pick it again now because there would be lots for my family to do (now that i have a child) - and lots of accommodation choices. |
| 2016-09-06 3:04 PM in reply to: miamiamy |
Extreme Veteran 959 Greenwood, South Carolina | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? I choose Louisville, KY because I could drive with family and I wanted a IM brand race. I did B2B later in same year. The Louisville community did not disappoint. They were great and made for a wonderful experience for me and the family. The race was in August at that time and the heat hit me pretty good. I puked in the trash can after the finish and had two IV cocktails. |
| 2016-09-06 10:15 PM in reply to: GODAWGS |
Extreme Veteran 1332 | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? I consider myself to be both poor, and cheap. Because of that, doing one that I could drive to was the best option. It also helps that Ironman Canada was in my backyard for years as a kid, and I can train on the course in penticton as I only lived an hour away, and it's a nice course anyways. But at the end of the day, nostalgia, scenery, wouldn't have mattered. The first one would have been the one I could get to cheaply and easily. Also I did Challenge Penticton last year, not the branded ironman canada event as that's in whistler now, but it's essentially the same race, but under different branding, and I couldn't have cared less whether it was an ironman event. |
| 2016-09-07 7:33 AM in reply to: exnavydoc |
Member 1083 | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Originally posted by exnavydoc My first time I picked Great Floridian Triathlon - basically because I live on the course. I didn't know I was going to catch the bug and keep coming back. The next few were chosen cause they were still open when I decided to register - like Louisville, Beach to Battleship and Texas. The next phase was based on where I wanted to travel, and I got to go to Switzerland, Austria, Los Cabos and Cozumel. Now there are a couple of races I keep going back to multiple time like Texas, Florida, and Cozumel (Thanksgiving in Cozumel has become a tradition). Next year (60th birthday tour) heads to Brazil and Hawaii. People should not hesitiate to try the non-US based races. The travel and venus are amazing, and really not that difficult to arrange. I agree it's fun to travel to international races. Once you've done it and have the idea of how to make it work it's not much different than traveling to a US race. Do you still live in Clermont? I try to get up there from Miami about once a month. |
| 2016-09-07 7:35 AM in reply to: juniperjen |
Member 1083 | Subject: RE: How did you pick your first Ironman race location? Originally posted by juniperjen When i decided i wanted to i picked Ironman Canada - the original in Penticton. But that's not what I ended up doing. My husband had done it and I had spectated. It's a great place. Even though it was across the country it was still in Canada. At the time it still sold out pretty quickly. That same year they announced IMMT - which would be closer and much easier to get into since it was the first year. So, i went with IMMT, we could actually train on the course there because it was a lot closer (but still a 7hr drive). I think it is less important now with more selection of races available but the sell out and possibility of getting into the race was a big factor for me. We live reasonably close IMLP but it always sold out super fast and lodging was crazy expensive I LOVED IMMT - would go back and do it again in a heartbeat. It's a great venue for a race. I would pick it again now because there would be lots for my family to do (now that i have a child) - and lots of accommodation choices. Yup it is a much less stressful process right now that most races at least stay open a few days to register. Thanks for sharing your story. Mont Tremblant seems like an amazing place and race. |
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