Choosing an Ironman to Race While Training in Edmonton

As KK mentioned in the previous post, we've decided to train for Ironman Arizona 2012, we had quite the discussion about this and a bunch of factors went into the final decision including overall cost, time of year most training would be done, sell out date/difficulty, and of course, one of the most important factors, overall elevation gain on the bike!  Here is a list of the possible options we narrowed down to IMAZ 2012:


Ironman Coeur D'Alene (IM CDA)

• Driving distance from Edmonton, easy to get to
• Apparently hotels are somewhat cheap and plentiful
• I haven't done this race, but Mike and KK say it is very nice around there, beautiful scenary, etc etc.
• Very early in the year though (end of June), in Edmonton this means A LOT of indoor/trainer/spin biking, over a 30 week training plan only about 4 weeks of that would be guaranteed to be outside...
• Course: tough, but not too tough: Bike Course on MapMyRide, elevation gain is 395 M X 2 laps = ~800 M
• Conclusion: the time of the year is the real negative here, which is why we rejected this one (also, KKwould have be training when she gave birth...)

Ironman Lake Placid (IM USA)

• expensive to get to from Edmonton, expensive to stay at (presumably there is a somewhat premium for hotels close to the race site)
• its difficult to take your bike on a plane, which is another negative (but one that all the upcoming races share)
• timing is quite a bit better,  basically add another month of outdoor biking and running, which is a boon
• I haven't done this race, but I imagine Lake Placid is ridiculously scenic and awesome (a quick flickr search confirms that).  Also, this race has a lot of cachet, it is one of the oldest in North America and has a lot of tradition.
• This race is difficult to sign up for, since we wouldn't want to go in person to sign up we would have to be ready on our computers the minute registration opens (Monday July 25, 2011).  There "might" be a little more time this year with the addition of new races and the fact most races seem to allow a lot more entries now (3500?)
• Course: looks pretty tough, arguably the toughest? Bike Course on MapMyRide elevation gain is 724 M X 2 laps = 1448 M
• Conclusion: just too expensive for this year, an expensive flight, bike hassles, and hotel potential problems mean this is not the race for this year...  Some were also worried about the elevation, but I won't say who...

Ironman Mont Tremblant (IMQ?)

• this is a new race, which is kind of cool, only the second WTC branded race in Canada (note: Mike will only do WTC branded races, which is why we only consider those, another post from him on why, maybe?)
• flights are still likely expensive, but hotels are apparently supposed be plentiful near the start line since transition is in a ski village
• course is supposed to be awesome, if hilly (transition in a ski village)
• the race is late in the summer (August 19, 2012) which is good for biking outside in Edmonton, and registration is open RIGHT NOW!
• Course: hilly and tough: Bike Course On MapMyRide elevation gain is 505 M X 2 laps = 1000 M
• Conclusion: this was a very tempting option, but the flight expense and big hills made us consider this for a future year, instead of next year...

Ironman Canada (IMC)

• IMC is of course the king of Ironman races in North America, so it is mostly positives for this one, the only real negatives are expensive hotels (arguably expensive and crummy motels) and the fact that we have done this one 2wice in a row and are looking for a change...
• Penticton is within driving range of Edmonton, big bonus there
• IMC is at the end of the summer, so a full 3 or 4 months bike training could be done out of doors
• the atmosphere in Penticton is pretty awesome, carnival like atmosphere pervades all and it is quite an event, last year we stayed in a motel on the lake and while it was super expensive and we had to stay 5 days to get the reservation it was pretty awesome being so close to the action
• the course is pretty fantastic, with all single loops there is no biking/swimming/running over the same ground same direction twice!  Though the run is not the greatest, a long run out into the dark wilderness, some have described it as...
• Course: tough, but awesome (Bike Map on MapMyRide).  Elevation is 1153 M X 1 lap = 1153 M second only to Lake Placid
• Conclusion: time to mix it up, otherwise we would be very tempted by this one...

Ironman Arizona (IMAZ)

• Real late in the year, the entire summer and spring and fall that can be biked can be used for training.  The only downside is there is the potential for some of the last long rides to be forced indoors by cold Edmonton weather...
• Flights are fairly direct and cheap, though obviously not as good as driving
• Hotels are reasonably priced and within walking distance of transition, last year we stayed at the Best Western and we "may" try to stay closer in downtown Tempe itself this year (or just do it up BW style again?)
• Swim is pretty awesome, under scenic bridges, but apparently the water is pretty filled with micro-organisms, which has made people sick some years
• The bike is a little boring with 3 loops
• The run is 3 loops too, but is a very awesome course, with tons of spectator opportunities and great aid stations
• The outlet deals are exceptional!
• Course: the flattest of all, but wind can be a major factor: Bike Map on MapMyRide Elevation gain is 145 M X 3 laps = 450 M
• Conclusion: this is a solid fun race and works best for everyone in combination!  Race chosen!