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2019 IM; Boulder or Santa Rosa, or...?
I know it's a bit early for 2019 race season planning, but my "A" race for the year is done and we're getting ready for a family vacation so I'm starting the process of socializing the idea of a 2019 IM with my wife.
When I got back into triathlon last year, the 2-year goal was doing another IM in 2019 to celebrate my 50th birthday. This would be my first IM since doing Vineman in 2003. Logistically, a west coast IM would be easier, and I'm looking for something in the early summer so training/racing doesn't compete with family vacation time in mid-late July. To that end, I think I've narrowed it down to Santa Rosa or Boulder, and I'd love to hear input from folks that have done one or both of these events. Here are the pros and cons of each, in my mind:
Santa Rosa:
Pro's:
- Logistically travel is easier, as it's a ~2hr drive for me, so I don't have to fly and deal with shipping a bike and gear.
- Close enough to home that a good number of family and friends would likely come to the race to support me.
- There's a certain poetic beauty to doing my first IM in 15 years, and my "Happy 50th Birthday" IM, at the same place I did my last IM (even though the course bears no resemblance to the old Vineman course).
Con's:
- Mid-May means the kids are still in school, so it would be a quick weekend up-and-back to the race (though I could probably head up before the rest of the family if it made sense)
- Two transitions is a total logistical bummer
- A three-loop run course sounds very spectator-friendly but also perhaps a bit boring? Curious to know what folks thought of this.
- I STILL remember how bad the pavement on the Vineman bike course was, and it sounds like things haven't gotten any better in the ensuing 15 years. Dodging potholes for 112 miles doesn't sound awesome to me.
Boulder:
Pro's:
- Gives me the chance to race in a totally new venue that I've never been to before, in a part of country I've never visited before.
- Mid-June means the kids are out of school, so the travel schedule would be a bit easier to manage.
- Single transition race.
Con's:
- Elevation? How much of an impact has this been for folks that have done this race? Anyone tried the sauna protocol to try to acclimate in advance?
- Travel... would require shipping bike/gear with Tribike Transport. Just did this for CdA and it went very smoothly both ways, so I don't want to make an overly big deal of this but there's always the risk and angst associated with shipping gear to a race and hoping it arrives OK.
- My wife and kids would be there, but probably no additional friends/family.
Any other recommendations for a late-May or early/mid-June IM that I should consider? West coast is a 'nice to have' but anywhere in the US is in consideration.
Thanks!
John
When I got back into triathlon last year, the 2-year goal was doing another IM in 2019 to celebrate my 50th birthday. This would be my first IM since doing Vineman in 2003. Logistically, a west coast IM would be easier, and I'm looking for something in the early summer so training/racing doesn't compete with family vacation time in mid-late July. To that end, I think I've narrowed it down to Santa Rosa or Boulder, and I'd love to hear input from folks that have done one or both of these events. Here are the pros and cons of each, in my mind:
Santa Rosa:
Pro's:
- Logistically travel is easier, as it's a ~2hr drive for me, so I don't have to fly and deal with shipping a bike and gear.
- Close enough to home that a good number of family and friends would likely come to the race to support me.
- There's a certain poetic beauty to doing my first IM in 15 years, and my "Happy 50th Birthday" IM, at the same place I did my last IM (even though the course bears no resemblance to the old Vineman course).
Con's:
- Mid-May means the kids are still in school, so it would be a quick weekend up-and-back to the race (though I could probably head up before the rest of the family if it made sense)
- Two transitions is a total logistical bummer
- A three-loop run course sounds very spectator-friendly but also perhaps a bit boring? Curious to know what folks thought of this.
- I STILL remember how bad the pavement on the Vineman bike course was, and it sounds like things haven't gotten any better in the ensuing 15 years. Dodging potholes for 112 miles doesn't sound awesome to me.
Boulder:
Pro's:
- Gives me the chance to race in a totally new venue that I've never been to before, in a part of country I've never visited before.
- Mid-June means the kids are out of school, so the travel schedule would be a bit easier to manage.
- Single transition race.
Con's:
- Elevation? How much of an impact has this been for folks that have done this race? Anyone tried the sauna protocol to try to acclimate in advance?
- Travel... would require shipping bike/gear with Tribike Transport. Just did this for CdA and it went very smoothly both ways, so I don't want to make an overly big deal of this but there's always the risk and angst associated with shipping gear to a race and hoping it arrives OK.
- My wife and kids would be there, but probably no additional friends/family.
Any other recommendations for a late-May or early/mid-June IM that I should consider? West coast is a 'nice to have' but anywhere in the US is in consideration.
Thanks!
John
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Comments
Living in Northern Cal I get what you are saying about the low admin to do SR. I haven't done the new course yet. Did Vineman Full in 2009 and 2012. I'm doing the 70.3 this month and the potholes I hear are still there.
I'm in favor of family inclusion whenever you can. The stamp it will put in their hearts is immeasurable. I just did IM Boulder. You may have heard the weather turned on race day to extreme hot and windy conditions. It was the hardest IM marathon I've done. I was glad I did as much as I could for altitude training. I did the sauna protocol and stayed in Tahoe and trained for a few days 10 days out. There is no doubt you feel the altitude on the run. Just prepare for it. Training over the winter wasn't bad. I did the OS and then lots of Zwift rides. It's nice to have an early race, recover and then race again.
I liked the venue. One loop swim, beautiful bike with some honest climbs, and a point to point run. Had it not been for the heat index and wind it would have been a more pleasant race. The DNF rate was 18%. Fast forward - the chances of that happening again are slim.
We stayed near the High School and loved being able to walk home after the race. The participant numbers were down, only 1700. The race has renewed the contract for two years. I'm predicting that 2020 will be it for that race.
Flying to Denver and driving to Boulder was easy. I have a Scion bike bag so my bike travels with me.
Just my thoughts.