IM Tahoe vs IM Coz
Hey everyone,
I registered for and trained for IM Tahoe 2014. Showed up and it was cancelled due to smoke from a forest fire. Now, I'm signed up for Cozumel! Obviously, very different races. I have not been able to spend the time researching the race like I would like, and this will be my first IM. Any pointers, or things that IM newbies, or Cozumel newbies should know? I spent a year training for the 'wrong' race, now I'm playing catch up.
My big questions are course conditions and on-course nutrition. How is the water, road surface, support? And how good are the aid stations?
Thanks!
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I raced Cozumel two years ago. Silly me did not write a race report then, so this is from memory.
Swim: The water is wonderful. It's warm - no wetsuit - and super clear. You can see all sorts of fish and such. There was a very strong current the year I raced and I heard a lot of people had difficulty. That being said, I'm not a strong swimmer and while I was slower, I really enjoyed the swim. This year, I read the start is in waist deep water, and we swim mostly with the current, so I'm really looking forward to it. There's a bit of a run from the swim exit to the tents -- and I think showers along the way to rinse off the salt water. As for the tents, I found the volunteers to not be as helpful as other the only other IM race I've done, AZ. They are really nice and will gladly offer you gatorade, water, etc., but they don't really help you get your head back on straight and get out the door to your bike (which was opposite of the volunteers in Arizona who basically dressed me and pushed me out the door). The bike course is slightly long (I think by a mile).
Bike: The road conditions were fine (at least then). It is super flat ... but be prepared for wind (and possibly rain). By my last lap, I felt like I was riding into a wall on one side of the island. As for on-course nutrition...I used gatorade from the aid stations. I remember it being in gatorade bottles; but I also believe by the late part of the bike portion (I'm a slow cyclist), it was then in water battles. I heard stories from last year that the aid stations ran out of things, but I did not experience that the year I did it. Again the volunteers in transition weren't super helpful for anything other than getting you nutrition (banana, gatorade, water, etc.).
Run: I found the run to be fun. People come out from the hotels and cheer. Also, the aid stations were well-supported for most of the run. Nearing the end, the volunteers (who mostly appear pretty young) started getting distracted and I think a bit bored. It didn't bother me though -- I was still able to get what I needed. I have read that rain is common during the race, although it was dry the year I went.
Maybe those that raced last year can chime in too.
Hope that helps