Drive or Fly To An Event? A Quick EN Poll
Hi Folks:
Quick poll here:
At what distance do you stop considering driving to an event and decide to fly and ship your bike? And why?
Thanks.
John
0
Hi Folks:
Quick poll here:
At what distance do you stop considering driving to an event and decide to fly and ship your bike? And why?
Thanks.
John
Comments
Flexible work schedule allows me to "work" while driving, so it doesn't cost me vacation days.
Adding car rental costs while you're at the location, if you have to fly, negates any other benefits. That's the way I see it, any way.
Besides, I love me a road trip! Just me, my ipod, and the open road. I've seen so much of this country by driving! (and there's much more I want to see too!)
Less than 16 hours - Drive....throw everythin you need, want, can think of in your car and relax....
and don't register for anything over 16hours away unless it is a.) World Championship b.) vacation (includes doing a race on vacation in a tropical or european venue)
....of course I just broke my own rule by registering for IMTX....what do they say about rules...
I generally have a rule that I will not drive to any event where the one-way component of the drive will take longer than the event itself.
Approximately applied, it means I won't drive more than an hour for a sprint, 2 hours for an oly, 5 hours for a half, 10 hours for a full.
Aptly, Lake Tahoe is about a 10 hour drive for me, and is about as long as I could picture myself ever driving for a race.
Given the cost of registration, hotel, food etc. flying myself, let alone family, to events is pretty much out, unless its a family vacation too (which only gets limited play at home anyway: "We are NOT making every family vacation an Ironman trip!" ) . We pulled the travel trailer to IMSG (6hrs) and stayed at an RV campground, I'll drive to IMAZ (2hrs) in Nov Next summer we'll drive to IMCDA ( 17-18 hrs) but we're pulling our travel trailer again and making it a 2+ week family road trip / tour de national parks.
Depends on if I'm taking family or not. We drove 10-ish hours to my last race. Would probably cap it at around 12 hours (stops included) for driving. This is purely from a mental sanity with a traveling 3 year old perspective. Most of my flying races turn into mommy-daddy mini-vacations with kids at grand parents. Cost tends to be a neglibile variable in consideration given the total expense of gear/training/participation in the first place.
+1 But my times are a little longer!
As we are doing IMWI IN 2013 here is the tentitive plan. Madison 1500 km away so 15 hrs of driving. There r four of us going. Would like vehicle to not be strapped for transportation. Leave Ottawa ON 0400 arrive Madison WI between 2100-2200 hrs. All can evolve and change in the future.
Okay SO lots of data and variables with explainations, now what and how are you measuring! Are you confused yet or crystal clear!
John,
I'm probably in the 17 hour range tops. This would get me to IMCDA in 14 or so hours, IMMOO and IMC now a challenge race around 17 hours. As for shorter races I'd go probably 6-7 for a 1/2 distance.
There are not many local races for me so I might even go that distance for an OLY but there would have to be some vacation tied in at that point.
Gordon
Thanks folks! Looks like all you grizzled vets are all willing to drive a long way.
+1 on Trevor's comment as well. I have been using that thought process as well for years.
I won't fly to any routine race. Has to be something special. This hobby is already too expensive. I've flown to races exactly twice. Of course this means that I'm limited to racing within driving distance.
I might drive two Garsons for the right half and maybe 1.3-1.5 Garsons for a full...and maybe up to 2 Garsons for a marathon.
If you live in the sticks like I do (only an hour from a good airport, but...) it can take a full Garson to fly to any IM location, especially accounting for the drive to the airport, from airport to hotel, etc. :-)
(My kids are probably older than Joe's, but same number and principle holds...)
I pretty much follow the same rule. I drove to IMFL (about 10.5 hours from Houston) and I would have driven to NOLA 70.3 (about 5.5 hours). Anything further than that and I'm flying. IMAZ is like an 18-19 hour drive. No way I'm doing that.