Which Ironman location would you do first?

I would do the only one I could afford, the closest, and the one I can register for online.

IMCDA for me.

Factors to conside when choosing an IM venue:

1.  fresh water vs salt water

2.  mass start vs TT start

3.  time of year - hot weather vs cool

4.  hilly course vs flat course

5.  location - driving distance or plane ride

6.  location - mini vacation for family?

7.  overall difficulty/DNF rate

8.  crowd support

I'm sure there are other considerations.  Somethings are more important to some poeple and not so much to others.   1 and 5 were my only real considerations.

it totally depends on what you want out of the race.  Things to think about are weather, family, budget, travel, course profiles (ocean, lake, or river swim... flat or hilly, etc), the ability for you to train in the months leading up to the race (very few people from New England do early season IM races), adjacent vacation options, etc.

My personal criteria included:

- probable weather conditions (I'm heat intolerant)

- driveable from home (so I can bring a ton of crap)

- harder course for a draft-free bike

- beautiful area

- mid-to-late season race so I can train in mideast spring/summer.

Kona, because it's Kona. I'd buy my way in.

Cost no object or not, I think I'd lean towards staying close to home for the convenience. I'm looking to maybe limp along and finish a half this season, so I'm looking at Kansas 70.3 which is like an hour from hear or so.  (And for the record I'd do just fine on the swim and not blow up on the bike, but I don't run much yet...)

I am looking seriously at the Cedar Point Rev3 too.  I've wanted to go to CP for years so that would be a good destination race for me and an easier sell for family. (Possibly even for extended family to meet up too.)

My criteria, like others, was:

- Driveable (I drove 12 hours each way) to avoid unpredictable airline delays and cost of shipping bike
- Late enough in season so I could do the bulk of training in the summer
- High recommendations from trusted friends

I did IM Wisconsin for my first.

Add to the list of criteria:

wetsuit vs non-wetsuit swim.

I'm doing Louisville as my first.  I could get in online, it is within driving distance, I think the weather/time of year is going to be to my advantage, and I think the bike will also play to my advantage.

I guess we'll know by the end of August!!

I truly hate waiting in lines. Cedar Point is the one place on earth I will do so and enjoy it. The number 5-6 best roller coasters there are head and shoulders above the best in most other parks.

I was there in college but saw anything besides the topless beaches.

If I do another IM, it will be IM Austria. 

My first will be B2B in Wilmignton, NC...Why?

Location (2.5 hrs from home), course (flat) and weather (cool to cold) + training lines up things pretty nicely for a great day of racing!

My prefered race would be Regensburg, Germany can't beat the people, the country side, the food and especially the beer! Crossing my fingers to do this one in 2014 a wallet decision for sure.

I disagree entirely with those who say close to home is crucial for deciding on an Ironman race.  Think about all the time and money that goes into preparing for the race.  IMO you should make your first Ironman as extravagant as possible. 

If money was no problem I would race Lanzarote because of its beauty and difficulty.

Since money is an issue, I chose St. George since its about as drastic a change from central Florida as I could imagine and apparently one of the most challenging courses on offer.  Go big or go home right?  Plus it'll never sell out so I could register online.

My choice would be IM New Zealand.

I love it there.

Unfortunately there's some of us that dont have the luxury of making Ironman as extravagant as possible.  For me it wasnt go big or go home, it was do it as cheap as possible or you have to go home because you cant afford it.

Because you finished it, or because of the HAWT Canadian women??

there are so many factors to consider.  When I chose my first 140.6, I chose a local non-IM-branded race.  It was less expensive, both for the race and for the travel/lodging (i.e. could drive, fewer days of lodging required).  Since it was local, I could also train directly on the course.

For my second IM, I did Lanzarote.  One of my sisters lives there and so we made a big family reunion and vacation out of it.  I definitely felt a lot of pressure to deliver a finish on that day and was a bit scared, both because all of my family was there and because the course is a difficult one.

There is certainly something to be said for destination races though since it also is typically part of a vacation.  My last IM was in New Zealand, which was a great venue, but it did rain the whole day so I felt bad for my wife who selflessly supported me.  If you do travel for a race, a lot of your time, is going to be heavily determined by the race schedule (e.g. registration, check-in, transitions setup, course preview, last few workouts, what type of meals).  If you have family, then they have to be on board with all of that too.

In any case, good luck and let us know what you decide and why.