what is the ironman lousivilke bike course like

Full Answer

How long is the Ironman Lake Placid bike course?

The Ironman Lake Placid Bike course is one of the most beautiful, but also one of the toughest 112-mile Ironman rides you’ll ever experience. Everything you’ve heard about Ironman Wisconsin is true: it’s much harder than you expect. Ironman Canada is also considered to have one of the toughest bike courses in the world.

Where to bike split?

If you’re looking for a faster bike split, New Zealand, Arizona and Florida are the places to race. But there are some challenges to consider. In New Zea land, your cycling challenges are more likely to be weather related. In Arizona, you’re likely to deal with head winds half the time. And in Florida, you’ll be riding under the blazing sun for most of your 112-mile ride.

Is 112 miles hard?

In my case, 112 miles was 112 miles, hard no matter where they were. My training and strategy put me in a position where I was going to ride a 5:35, no matter the course. The same may be true for you.

Is there a record for bike splits in Ironman?

As for the 'fast' courses like Ironman Arizona and Ironman Florida, consider this: an Ironman bike split record has never been set on either course.

How long is the Ironman swim?

The swim is 2.4 miles in the Tennessee River and downstream, making it one of the fastest swims on circuit! Plus, there are no turns until the swim exit. For comparison here are my times for all of my Ironman swims: Louisville 2012 (1:23:51), Madison 2013 (1:25:24), Madison 2015 (1:11:06), Chattanooga 2016 (1:02:10), Chattanooga 2017 (53:24).

Where to swim in the Ironman?

Swim: The swim at Chattanooga, hands down, is one of the best swims on the Ironman circuit for two reasons: It is a time trial start downstream (very comparable to Ironman Louisville) – You form a giant line, first come first serve, and jump off a dock 3 to 4 athletes at a time. The swim is 2.4 miles in the Tennessee River and downstream, ...

How to get to the swim start in the park?

Other information of note:The only way to get to the swim start is via bus from transition. Once you complete your final check of your bike and gear bags, you hop on a bus and head to the swim start. There are porta potties at the swim start; however, the lines for them are vey long. I would recommend making your final pit stop before getting on the bus unless you have to go #1. There is an actual park structure with restrooms located at the swim start, so if you are male and need to go #1, the urinal in the men’s restroom is always open. Just politely ask those in line and you should be able to walk right in 10 min before you start and take care of business.

How long is the bridge crossing the river?

Across the river:The bridge crossing the river is basically a long up and over. Once you get across the bridge, the fun begins. This is about a 3.5 mi loop that does nothing but go up and down. Much of your elevation gain/loss will be on this side of the river. Some of these hills near a 7% incline. This section of the course had much more crowd support in addition to the aid stations. Once you cross the pedestrian bridge for the second time, you have about a half mile to run to get to the finish line.

When to pick up packets for the race?

Packet Pick Up: Occurs on the Thursday and Friday before the race. If you are interested in getting race specific merchandise, I would recommend arriving on Thursday. Picking up your packet on Thursday also gives you a day to decompress after traveling. The athlete village was well stocked with any supplies you may have forgotten (pineapple Skratch in my case).

Is Run Hilly a 2 loop course?

Run:Hilly! Outside of trail races, this is one of the hardest run courses I have experienced. Based on my Garmin, I had about 1,100 feet of elevation gain. This is also a 2 loop run course (you get to experience Barton Hill twice!). One feature of this course that I like is that when you start the second loop, you do not see the finish line (unlike Louisville and Wisconsin). The run course can be split up into two sections:

Is there a swim practice on Thursday?

Swim Practice: To my knowledge, there is no official practice swim on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. However, this year athletes were able to access the river and do an unsupported practice swim. Access was obtained through Coolidge Park off of Tremont Street.