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Race Details Ratings 19 Reports 21

Race Reports for Ironman 70.3 Pocono Mountains

[1]
Reported by:
Race rating (4)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: I read that the race is not IM sanctioned for next year and that's a shame. It was well-organized and I would have done it again.
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[2]
Reported by:
Race rating (4)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: Never having done a point to point race before I really can't complain - people complained about the expo (I volunteered there) but other than being small there was nothing to complain about - I try to come to a race prepared so an expo is more about getting my packet than anything else. The bike support crew was AWESOME at this race Mtn Valley Bicycles are just incredible. I had a great time - and someday I would like to come back and destroy this course.
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[3]
Reported by:
Race rating (4)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?No

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities?
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: Start a bit late, but by my wave was on time. Port-a-potty: need to have more and be out of transistion. I don't know how they expected to close transition with 100+ people on port-a-potty lines. I really did like the venue, bike course was really nice, especially with the changing foliage, was a bit distracting actually. Was my second race in the poconos, and I would definetly do more.
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[4]
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Race rating (2)
User photo
  • Organised?No
  • Events on time?No

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?No

  • Post race activities? Average
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: I'll really have to think about it again. Great race, once you're racing. Way too much shuttling around and disorganization between transition areas for me. Family and spectators seeing the swim is almost impossible unless they go at 5am too. Very bad with lack of signs and we felt like we were searching for places all the time.
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[5]
Reported by:
Race rating (4)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: The logistics of having T1 and T2 in two entirely different spots is a nuisance, but the beauty of the Poconos mountains, the AWESOME VOLUNTEERS, made this event a huge success. I was very happy this race was moved to pristine Tamiment Lake. The beginning of the bike course is fast and smooth, the rest is very manageable rollers with some rough country roads - but with some decent cycling skills they are manageable. The run course is pleasant but has some semi-challenging climbs but is a lot of downhill on the way back. Overall this is a well-run race and I hope it sticks around for many years to come.
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[6]
Reported by:
Race rating (4)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?No

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: This was a really good race. The area was beautiful and the post race festivities were fantastic. It was a challenging course, but very fun too. Logistically it is a hard race though. The race started late because the shuttles bringing athletes in were running behind and the last one didn't get there until 6:50am. I felt bad for those people who had to rush around to get their stuff set up. Also, there is really limited parking for spectators at the swim start and since it's a point to point bike, you may not see your family/friends until T2. There were a few people out on the bike course, but not a ton. However, the finish in Stroudsburg was great. There were tons of fans and people out cheering us on. The bike course was probably the most fun course I've ever ridden. Very technical and pretty fast. I would recommend this race if you want beautiful scenery and a fun, challenging course.
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[7]
Reported by:
Race rating (4)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: The 2 transition areas and all the bags and shuttles was not fun, but having a 4 mile descent that you don't have to go up was nice. Swim start was a little delayed due to shuttle buses being late, and there weren't enough restrooms. As I said before, sections of the bike were a little scary with blind curves. The hills on the run were a little more than I would have liked, but reasonable. Any shortcomings were made up for with great fan support and an awesome finish.
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[8]
Reported by:
Race rating (3)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Bad
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: After party really was lame.. They relied too heavily on the Stroundsburg Octoberfest for the post race events.
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[9]
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Race rating (2)
User photo
  • Organised?
  • Events on time?

  • Lots of volunteers to help?
  • Plenty of drink stations?

  • Post race activities?
  • Overall course based on my ability:

  • Comments: I understand this was the first year for this race, but I probably won't do it again. The bike course was awful, unsafe and not the correct mileage. The run course was misrepresnted as how it was described (way hiller than it said) and it measured long. Once you finished, your clothes were a 1/2 mile back at the HS. I had higher expectations for a WTC event.
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[10]
Reported by:
Race rating (3)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?No

  • Lots of volunteers to help?No
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: will not repeat his race. i know a lot has to do with the weather. i dont blame the RD or the race, but a lot of kind of blah on this race. the high school looked like beirut, the weather screwed us up....i sound negative. try the race with an open mind, but i will choose another. good luck!
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[11]
Reported by:
Race rating (3)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Average
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: DQ'd for not reporting to penalty tent???
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[12]
Reported by:
Race rating (2)
User photo
  • Organised?No
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Average
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: I would not do this race again until they made some changes. - Swim needs to be accounted for (not really their fault though) - Late in the year makes weather dicey - Packet pickup, t1, t2, and finish all at different locations is a nightmare - Tight bike course, with sections of bad roads, riding on the opposite side, etc. - Dry clothes need to be at finish so you can stay and enjoy the awesome festival going on - Spectators not allowed to get to start unless they take a mandatory $8 shuttle - Short bike course Good things: - Great finish/festival if you were able to enjoy it - Well run aid stations - Good expo/swag - Well run awards ceremony
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[13]
Reported by:
Race rating (3)
User photo
  • Organised?
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: Really mixed feelings on this. Obviously an inaugural event of this scope is going to have some issues. Race was definitely challenging - really felt beat up after initial finisher's euphoria wore off. Really think road condition needs to be better. Yes, I train on roads of this condition, and I ride with small groups on roads like this, but I don't think its wise to put 2000 people racing on roads like this. I think the road surface itself and the constant vibration, adjustment, hitting holes contributed to physical exhaustion as much or more than the climbing. Also, doing the race in this location at this time of year probably wasn't overly smart. Race directors obviously can't control the weather, but there are definitely odds of getting certain types of weather at certain times of year, and I knew when I signed up this was going to be a crapshoot - it just happened to have turned out almost as bad as possible (barring mega weather disaster). I enjoyed the challenge, I have a
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[14]
Reported by:
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities?
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: Great race even with loss of swim. Only at one section during bike was I a little confused as to where to go but that had more to do with flagger chatting up some girl than anything.
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[15]
Reported by:
Race rating (4)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: This race seems to have gotten a ton of bad press on BT and slow twitch. Boo Hoo, it's gonna be cold. Waaahhhh, there's no swim. If you don't like the cold, don't race in October in the Poconos. Go somewhere else and shut up. And seriously, no way there could have been a swim. I love racing in cooler temps. I'll take 50 degrees any day of the week. I've said it a few times already, but this really is a nice bike course. But they need to make some adjustments. There are many miles of this bike couse where bikers are going in both directions on the same road. I'm sorry, but this isn't going to work and has to be changed. Just imagine if you lived on this road and were told you couldn't leave your house during the race. The roads are way too narrow for bikers in both directions and cars. There were several times that I was stuck behind a car that wandered onto the course. You could tell they were angry. Bikes in both directions and no place for them to go. You need to leave a lane
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[16]
Reported by:
Race rating (3)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?No

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Below average
  • Overall course based on my ability: Too hard

  • Comments: It was the first race for Pocono. It will be better next year. They couldn't control the swim or the flooding, so I understand these things. Race morning they changed the start time from 7 AM to 7:25 AM. It was continuous change from the moment we got there on Friday till the race went off. Not that it wasn't executed well, but it's hard to deal with continuous change when you just want to count on SOMETHING during a race this long. Hard to mentally prepare in any way. Beautiful area though, really tough race, but a ton of fun. Would I do it again? Probably not, but that's not because of the race leadership, but rather that I have retired from hilly races. At least for a while... As for the post-race activity? Only one comment; there was no free beer at the Oktoberfest celebration. To that I say, what the hell?
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[17]
Reported by:
Race rating (3)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?No

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: the volunteers and people at the ride into T2 and finish were awesome. Logistics were tough. Needed to better prepare for traffic in the morning at the high school. Not having the gear bags at the finish was terrible.
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[18]
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User photo
  • Organised?
  • Events on time?

  • Lots of volunteers to help?
  • Plenty of drink stations?

  • Post race activities?
  • Overall course based on my ability:

  • Comments: Race course has a lot of potential to make a name for itself as a demanding course. Race officials had to deal with a ton of crap dumped on them. Road work was severely behind. The hurricane dumped so much water into the area, and following rains did not help. The earthquake was almost forgotten. Not to mention the most whining from entrants in the history of an event. A lot of people in other places just did not pay attention and directed their energy to the wrong places. I want to see this venue continue and some day go back to do the entire course in decent weather. It really fits my style.
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[19]
Reported by:
Race rating (5)
User photo
  • Organised?Yes
  • Events on time?Yes

  • Lots of volunteers to help?Yes
  • Plenty of drink stations?Yes

  • Post race activities? Good
  • Overall course based on my ability: Just right

  • Comments: A great race. Despite having to cancel the swim, and deal with roads that were all but destroyed by recent storms, they did an incredible job. I'm very impressed with all the support teams they had working every corner and all the volunteers and everything. Probably why it cost so much to race!
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