IM Chattanooga Course and Race First Impressions and Team Feedback
IMChatty Cathys,
With this being a key race for next year, it would be great if you could drop in some quick bullet points on the:
- Swim course and start
- Bike course
- Run course
- Transition
- Logistics of the race
- Quick notes on downtown --> lodging, etc.
Anything would be helpful but please keep it quick and brief. Formal race reports to follow. Thanks!
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Comments
Bike- 1st 5miles and last 5 miles are admin in and out of Chattanooga with rough roads and quite a few turns , after that the roads are in very nice conditions , narrow roads make for crowded conditions at least for the first loop and depending on when you started your swim and how fast you are. The hills are not that bad and the course is fast. They even put carpets over most of the train tracks.
Run- The run is a beast. No getting around it. 1st mile is hard , then you get about 8 relatively flat , followed by 4 hard , 2nd loop skips that first hard mile as you repeat , miles 20-24 hard .... If you get a hot humid day it will destroy everyone.
Transistions- T1 was a bit of a haul up from the river , T1 and T2 seemed to not be laid out completely smooth so hopefully this is something they will improve on but not bad.
Logistics- Airport is very close and convenient for those flying in. Recommend getting hotels as close as possible to Ross's Landin so you can park your car and leave it. Parking is abundant but you have to pay for it everywhere and its just nice not having drive in if you are a mile or more away.
With the exceptions of the rednecks out on the course throwing tacks and oil on the road the locals were awesome. Love Chattanooga. Across the river is Whole Foods, couple Vegan restaurants , etc....
- The swim is really very pleasant. The river moves along nicely and there is plenty of room for all. Many got there really early, but frankly there is no need. If you grabbed the last shuttle, you could have showed up at 7:30 and been in the water at 8:00 AM. I didn't touch anyone until the exit.
- T1 is a really long jog, but because of the rolling start the changing tent has a steady flow through it. It was near empty when I got there and it was a snap to grab a helper and find a seat in a quiet corner.
- The bike is really pretty and rather technical from a shifting perspective. You are are constantly working through the gears as you roll up and down a net gain false flat to the Southern corner and the reverse as you head North to finish the loop. That being said, it's straight forward with no "climbs" longer than a minute or three. It also has some long fast sections.
- The run has a bunch of poorly placed climbs, but if you know what you are getting yourself into and have developed some mental toughness and confidence in running hills in training, its manageable. Plus, a challenging course favors athletes that know how to execute.
Some in tangibles:
- The town of Chattanooga is down right charming. Everything is in walking distance and it has a real small town feel.
- There is ton to do for families. Within walking distance of expo there is an Aquarium, a kids science museum and all sort of other things.
- It's just really cute.
I have a few other races I want to do before I start repeating courses, but otherwise I ould do Chatt again in a heart beat.
Pro Tip - Do NOT join the Ironman Chattanooga 140.6 Facebook page. Those people are either painfully new, crazy or just a-holes.... for the most part.
How was the drafting? Mariah, Scott Davis and I drove the bike course backwards and we saw large packs, but I've learned that things aren't always what they appear to be. That said, I saw Dino pulling a huge train at the Pigeon Toe Grill.
The roads are narrow and winding. I know I'd have a tough time doing the moto official thing out there.
I stayed out in Lookout Valley, about 10-15' away, maybe. Not a huge deal, but all of the parking in Chat is pay to play, so it got a little old hitting up the meter all the time. It would have been nice to walk to places.
@Rich I saw a number of draft packs and a couple of times I shot a snot rocket out only to realize that there were 5-6 dudes sitting on me during a descent and then they would gap me when I shifted going up hill. On lap one when I went by the penalty tent it was empty but on lap two it was over flowing with people so the motos definitely did snag some people.
Just adding to what others said the city is quite nice and makes for an enjoyable event. The only down side for us was that we were tempted to save some cash and drive the 11 hours from NJ with a 10 and a 6 year old. On the way down we split it over two days so it was fine but on the way back I drove straight home starting at 8:15 AM on Tuesday. My daughter got car sick and yakked all over the car 4 times and with all the cleanup stops etc. we got home at 10:45PM. Not a super pleasant day.
I heard from a local volunteer that they would be paving over the railroad sections so hopefully next year racers don't have to deal with them during the admin sections. They did cover them with carpet but it was a bottle cemetery around each crossing making it very dangerous. On lap 2 there was a woman riding in front of me at around mile 115 who didn't judge the double railroad crossing well and crashed super hard on the side of her face and looked like she knocked herself out. A real sad ending to her day.
I confess my perception may be colored by my own not-so-great bike fitness this year and having done WI, which is probably a bit "slow" as a bike course.
The course is like WI, with regards to decision frequency, but the terrain is not as dramatic, ie, hills aren't so big. So there's a lot of opportunity to keep the speed rolling, helping you get over rollers, especially on the Hog Jowl to Chickamauga section.
And lots of drafting.
I wasn't on the 193 / Cove Rd section on the first lap but I imagine the drafting was very bad in here, in the first 30 miles.
Swim Course and Start- Don't rush to be there early. I wore my wetsuit and went near the end of the line. Swim as far right as you feel comfortable until the island, then get in the middle. I think its the shortest line and the current is good in the middle. Staying left along the bouy line will just make the swim longer in my opinion. Looking at the course map, shortest distance from start to the island is to the right. This is an almost no contact swim until the exit. Then its water polo for about 50 yards and on the ladder.
T1 is a bit of a haul, but no big deal. Bike mount line is crazy packed due to the swim.
Bike-I almost certain it will be changed for 2015, but if not, here's my take-aways from 2014. Admin miles out to about 10-12 mile point. Crowded as hell, potholes, rough pavement, poor bike handlers make this a sketchy section. Just ride it safely and use it as a nice easy warm up. Then the false flat section all the way to Hog Jowl-crowded and narrow, makes it very difficult to ride EN style(steady) The uphill part was easy enough, but when you crest, the road is jammed with Ricky Racers who just hammered sitting up 4 wide. Only way to ride EN style is to cross the yellow line. Hog Jowl to Chimichanga-Again, safety dictated a lot of coasting on lap 1. Narrow roads, novice riders, etc made it very hard to execute EN style ride. Could easily have carried speed over the rollers otherwise. Chimichanga to loop 2 start. Things began to open up some, just took the climb easy and continued being on high alert for idiot riders. Loop 2 was pretty much a repeat of loop 1, it just began to thin out some. I was able to pick up the effort and ride more EN style. Admin back to town-just kept it moving along, watching out for road hazards. Looked like a water bottle battleground there with dead bottles all over the roads.
T2-Really uneventful. Standard IM T2
Run- Took the 1st hill easy. On the river walk and Amnicola highway. Flat and where time can be saved. Over the river-Those hills will take a toll if you push them. I walked up all of them. If I were to train specifically for this course, I'd do plenty of long hills, like 1/2-1mile hills. But, I think the place to make time is on the flats as in don't loose time there, you will loose time on the north side of the river. Last mile into the finish is amazing as you can hear the finish line from the bridge.