Since you can STILL register for THIS year's IM @ St. Geroge, and WTC LOVES those sell-outs a year in advance, they are probably hedging their bets. If St. George develops a reputation for being too hard, cold, windy, whatever, and doesn't get the crowd wild to sign up by the 1000's the day after the race, then they'll need a western US race to plug back into that slot. Full circle, back to 2000/2001 with a SoCal IM back again.
I find the interesting thing is the proposed swim from Avila Beach [aka - shark attack death 2-3 years ago by a Great White] to Pismo Beach. I'm quite familar with the area and that stretch of coastline past Avila Beach is rocky cliffs and rock formations portruding from the water [visualize kind of similar to coastine along Big Sur area]. In addition, the potential Fall event timing with the water exit at Pismo Beach has a high probability of large crashing waves while attemping to exit onto Pismo Beach. Pismo Beach stays shallow for quite sometime and the wave zone is several hundred feet from the shore with white wash rolling in from that distance to shore.
I would think the swim course would need to be out pretty far from shore in order to miss a lot of the rock formations, the water is generally low 60's that time of year, lots of seaweed in the area, and a history of sharks due to large seal population in area. Should be interesting, if it become reality.
@ David - I would rather deal with the conditions at St George than shark alley! Down this way everyone is hoping they will bring IM to Columbia, SC to give another option besides IMFL.
Scuttlebut in a thread on ST is that there's a lake near SLO that would make a better swim venue. Ain't no way WTC is gonna put 3500 swimmers (yes, I think the fields will only get bigger) into a mass start in the ocean with big breaks.
Would be great to have a race out here though and fall timing is great. Cali Half is too early for me -- rain, training in the dark, and I've frozen my ass of enough at that race that I stopped doing it in '06.
I think ideal west coast races would be to swap St. George and Texas, and SLO in the fall. Another month in St. George would allow the water to heat up, a little earlier in Texas would keep the heat & humidity in check and we need a fall IM, very early September. I like the lake idea for SLO.
Would be great to have a race out here though and fall timing is great. Cali Half is too early for me -- rain, training in the dark, and I've frozen my ass of enough at that race that I stopped doing it in '06.
Too early for you? Try training for an April 2nd race in the midwest or northeast.
You guys from SoCal are wimps ... that said after an awesome week down there, I want to move and become a wimp that laughs at everyone else on trainers in the winter
Would be great to have a race out here though and fall timing is great. Cali Half is too early for me -- rain, training in the dark, and I've frozen my ass of enough at that race that I stopped doing it in '06.
Too early for you? Try training for an April 2nd race in the midwest or northeast.
You guys from SoCal are wimps ... that said after an awesome week down there, I want to move and become a wimp that laughs at everyone else on trainers in the winter
Comments
Since you can STILL register for THIS year's IM @ St. Geroge, and WTC LOVES those sell-outs a year in advance, they are probably hedging their bets. If St. George develops a reputation for being too hard, cold, windy, whatever, and doesn't get the crowd wild to sign up by the 1000's the day after the race, then they'll need a western US race to plug back into that slot. Full circle, back to 2000/2001 with a SoCal IM back again.
I would think the swim course would need to be out pretty far from shore in order to miss a lot of the rock formations, the water is generally low 60's that time of year, lots of seaweed in the area, and a history of sharks due to large seal population in area. Should be interesting, if it become reality.
Scuttlebut in a thread on ST is that there's a lake near SLO that would make a better swim venue. Ain't no way WTC is gonna put 3500 swimmers (yes, I think the fields will only get bigger) into a mass start in the ocean with big breaks.
Would be great to have a race out here though and fall timing is great. Cali Half is too early for me -- rain, training in the dark, and I've frozen my ass of enough at that race that I stopped doing it in '06.
Tom, I like that proposal! Pass that on to WTC!
Too early for you? Try training for an April 2nd race in the midwest or northeast.
You guys from SoCal are wimps ... that said after an awesome week down there, I want to move and become a wimp that laughs at everyone else on trainers in the winter
Yes...we are