Ironman races for 2011. Which one to do?

[Damon]

Ok, there have been grumblings about which race to do next year as a group. So I'm going to throw out 5 options along with a brief synopsis and opinion about each race. Feel free to chime in.

1. IM Canada- the second oldest IM. Historically difficult to get into and used to fill up on-site. The past two years there have been online slots so there is a chance of getting a slot as long as each person was on the computer on time. The course sounds beautiful and the race is in a small town (Penticton) next to Vancouver. SINGLE loop swim, bike and run courses which is unusual and similar to Kona. This year's race is August 29, two weeks before IM Wisconsin. Chance of rain is LOW that time of year. Tri Bike Transport YES. Opinion: This race sounds incredible and is my top candidate. I plan to sign up for this one... and getting a slot online may not be the deciding factor as you could get a slot through the community fund.

2. IM Arizona- Tempe, Az. I've heard great things about this course. Cold-ish swim, long gradual hills on the bike and fast run. One loop swim, three loop bike and run courses. Lots of opportunity for spectators to see athletes without moving around a bunch. Temps are generally mild in the mid-upper 70's at this time of year. Tri Bike Transport YES. Race moved from April to November (21 this year). Opinion: For MI folk, this is difficult to train into November!

3. IM Wisconsin- Again? Why not?! This race has the best crowd support of any race I've been to. Thousands of people cheering on the bike and run courses (and swim too!). Rolling hills on the bike, run through downtown and UW campus. Two loop swim, bike and run courses. This year's race is Sept 12 so right at the end of tri season. Temps can be in the 50's or in the 90's. Tri Bike Transport YES although driving to the race is the best option. Opinion: I'd have no qualms doing this race for the 4th year in a row in 2011.

4. IM Lake Placid- DI did this race in 2009. Other than the 75% med tent rate for DI the race went over well. Two loop swim, bike and run courses. Beautiful scenery! Fast swim. Difficult bike that makes you stay under control. Difficult run that requires you to have something left from the bike. Spectator support is limited almost exclusively to a few miles IN the city of Lake Placid (but there are a lot of people and you see them about 8 times). This year's race was July 25. Temps can range from low 60's to mid 80's. Expect rain. Tri Bike Transport YES. Opinion: this is a great race in a great setting. Takes a while to get there, especially if you don't go through Canada.

5. IM Louisville- Several people did this race last year and I heard mixed reviews. It is usually VERY HOT (90+ temps) with last year (75) being a welcomed anomaly. Swim is time trial start and single loops in the Ohio River so it can be fast. Bike and run are two loop courses. The bike is rolling but sounds fast and scenic. The run is straight out and back twice with no shade and little crowd support. The finish at 4th Street Live sounds pretty awesome. This year's race is August 29 (same as Canada). Tri Bike Transport YES though this race is also drivable. Opinion: The heat and vanilla run course do not have me excited about this particular race.

Ok, there's my 2(+) cents. Hopefully it was somewhat informative. Like I said, fire back and let's see if we can get some sort of idea where we may race next year!!

[JeffR]

I did Canada in 2009. Very tough bike course,which was expected and tough to train for in flat Michigan. Although if you guys did Lake PLacid, this isn't much tougher. The unexpected part for me, was how hilly the run was - check out the website to see if you interpret the course to be hilly!

I am also uninspired to do Louisville. I am actually considering France. Does anyone know anyone who has done this? By biggest concerns are bike transport and how much tougher the bike portion would be vs. Canada.

Jeff

[Damon]

I have only met one guy that did France. He said the bike was really hilly and technical but beautiful. I say go for it if you have the means. Thanks for the update on Canada. I'm looking forward to it. I like a nice steady climb. I thought Lake Placid was great and I'm thinking Canada should be pretty awesome as well. Now I just need to be able to get a registration spot!

Damon