NOLA HIM? Galveston??

I didn't hear anything bad about the New Orleans 70.3. What reviews did you read that were bad?

I read a bunch of these and they all seemed to like the race. I heard that most of the bike course was totally closed to traffic, and that the finish line was a great time.

Not registered yet but I've got NOLA HIM on my schedule.  I also read about some disorganization at the event.  I've also read about the plans to make sure it doesn't happen again next year.  2009 was the first year for this race and I'm trusting that they have all the kinks worked out for next year.

depending on your location you might consider Austin.  it is an ironman branded 70.3.

Branded IM means nothing really, other than the shirt and/or hat and/or medal have the m dot logo on them.

Keith Jordan puts on Lonestar in Galveston, as well as Timberman, Mooseman and BlackFly in the North East.  Mooseman was awesome this year and I have heard similar comments from those that did his other events as well.

Edit: I believe he also does the M dot branded one in Austin as well.



Edited by dalessit 2009-07-22 3:37 PM

70.3 is 70.3

There are some great races that aren't Ironman branded.  AFAIK, The Lone Star in Galveston is one of those.

That being said, I did the New Orleans 70.3 this past year and had no problems.  I thought it was a great event.  It does cost about $70 more than the one in Galveston, and New Orleans isn't exactly the most economical city to stay in.  So keep that in mind if cost is playing any part in your decision.

Edited by sesh 2009-07-22 3:43 PM

I agree with the earlier posts.  I would base your decision on the timing of your training and your own personal logistics to the two sites.  I WOULD NOT let the branding affect your decision.  Keith Jordon who puts on the Galveston event does a great job in all of his events and it has the feel of a professionally-run event. He's very responsive to questions and is a frequent contributor to this site as well as many others.  I don't know much about the NO event, but I am considering that one as well in 2010 for my own race agenda assuming I can get the training in during the winter. 

<<edit>> for some reason I thought the NO race was later than it actually is.  I will be doing Galveston since its in my backyard and I can back off to the Olympic if I can't enough training during the winter.

Edited by jtbaldwin 2009-07-22 3:55 PM

New Orleans was a great race, the finish at Jackson Square along with the support from the city was something else.

They only ran out of water at the end of the bike course and only for the later waves. I was in one of those waves and while it was not good it was not the end of the world either. They had lots on the run, and with all of the flack that they have gotten it would be very surprising should they run again next year.

I thought about trying Galveston for next year, but decided to go back to NO for the course, the experience, and the city.



 

Haha I love it ... an ``official one'' ... no offense JM.

We were just talking about this the other day, about what an amazing marketing job M-Dot has done to make people say things like `Oh it's not an Ironman race? Then it doesn't count.' and `Oh it's not Ironman so it's not a real triathlon.' and other things we'd heard.

Anyway back on-topic, I had an absolute blast at IMNO before and after the race. The only thing I would recommend is renting a car. I'm from Chicago where I'm used to being able to go everywhere by train. No trains down there so plan accordingly. I'm likely going to sign up again as I had a ton of fun! I would highly recommend IMNO. And yes, it is an M-Dot race so it's ``official.''

Check the Iron Distance forums for past threads on both these events, as well as the many race reports.

I officiated IMNO70.3, it did have some problems but nothing the race director hasn't acknowledged and vowed to correct. Overall, I felt it was very well done for an inaugural event with 3,000 registrants, great course and venue. Not many races can get an interstate highway to shut down for use as a bike course.

I've also raced Lonestar, and found it to be a very well-run race as well. In Keith Jordan (Galveston) and Bill Burke (NO) you've got two of the most experienced nad responsive RDs in the business.

So flip a coin. If the brand means that much to you (and it does to a lot of folks, which is how they got 3,000 to register), go with NO. If not, you'll save $50 by registering for Lonestar instead.

Lonestar HIM in Galveston is a great race. While it's not 70.3 and I pray that it never gets a 70.3 brand, it's tip-top in every aspect. There is no difference between a 70.3 race and another HIM.

The race director of Lonestar also puts on Longhorn, which is a 70.3 branded race. Same race quality.

Edited by smilford 2009-07-22 4:04 PM

It can be. I rarely pay more than $60 for a hotel room, and stay there as many as 5-6 times a year. The Italian place where the BT group ate was very reasonable.

Edited by the bear 2009-07-22 4:08 PM

Nothing says you have to stay downtown. Metairie and the Westbank are cheaper and IMHO more convenient to the start/transition. And parking is free in the 'burbs.

I agree 100%.  I did the HIM in Austin and the Quarter in Galveston and both were top notch!

I can't speak to the race in NOLA, but I've done the Lonestar Sprint twice and an IM-branded 70.3 in Rhode Island a couple of weeks ago and Lonestar had a better expo, better post-race food and entertainment, better swag, and a better t-shirt. Not to mention the pre-race events (seminars with pros, pasta dinners at the local waterpark, etc.)

Sure, you don't get the M-dot on your shirt and hat and stuff, but Keith runs a first-class race in every way.

pretty much the same as every one has said but i need to pad the post count

Everyone I spoke with that did New Orleans thought it was very well run,  I don't know that RD but I've heard many great things about him,

I"ve done Lonestar every year,,, it's a tradition for me to sign up for the HIM, not train over the winter, panic, Call keith and switch to the sprint and quarter..  This year I vow to .... most likely do the exact same thing,,

I enjoy Galvaston it's  closer to me, and I hate to admit I've never been to new orleans,,, so maybe I should get some culture and go next year.

Both races are great so it will be the other things for you,, drive time, hotel, which weekend is best, there seems to be some decent children stuff to do at Moody Gardens in Galvaston, but you would have to check into... really you can't go wrong with either

WOW!  THANKS for all the information. Yes, I don't know exactly where I found negative reviews and I know there are always two sides...always a complainer in the most perfect circumstances but I just wanted to know...

Humm, well I live in Beaumont and after all this information I am left thinking I want to do Galveston because it is closer to me and my daughters can tag along and enjoy Schlitterbahn! 

I am new to this and did not really know if there was a big difference in the events.  It seems both are great at this point!  I chose these two because I know I will be ready in April and the locations are good for me.

I will do the Austin one for sure next year but wanted to do one sooner-yet not quite ready this year I do not think.  I LOVE AUSTIN!  I am doing the MS150 in October already-two big events close together-comes into play with three young kids!

So, I think it will be Galveston for me the first time...THANKS!  I feel better about signing up now! 

Glad to hear you're gonna join us at Lone Star!
Lots o' new stuff cookin' for this year, too. We'll be able to do the 1 loop bike course now, since the road over San Luis Pass has been fixed after the hurricane.

Because the race is April 23-25, Palm Beach WILL BE OPEN for families and athletes. The lagoons will be full, so kiddos and family can spend the day at the waterpark, which is ALSO part of the run course. We set up the beach chairs right on the run, so you can hang out and watch your athlete race.

Free admission for all athletes and families! We're also looking at fireworks from Palm Beach on Saturday evening.

Of course, Schlitterbahn will be offering their discounted tix too, and Moody Gardens will be doing their $19 day passes to their attractions.

Galveston and Moody Gardens are in great shape now. This is an extremely family-friendly event! That's extremely important to us.

I've been listening to the debate on the Ironman 70.3 vs non-Ironman 70.3 Half Irons....Judge the race on the race itself. I produce 4 Half Irons....2 that are part of the Ironman 70.3 series (Timberman Ironman 70.3 and Longhorn Ironman 70.3) and two that aren't: Mooseman Half Iron and Lone Star Half Iron.


I'd venture to say ALL of our races are the same in terms of quality. We certainly don't invest more of ourselves in the Ironman-affiliated events. EACH race has it's own flavor, due to the venue, area, etc. They're all great, IMO, but very different. I love them all....

The RD is Bill Burke, the same RD that runs the Nautica NYC Tri. He runs a really great race, I've done both. There is a mandatory athlete briefing, but for the first timers it's great and for the rest of us it's 15 minutes we can relax. I agree about the car rental in NO, I likely won't do any travel races without a car.

I just want to add that I thought NO was incredibly reasonable cost wise. They negotiated great rates at official hotels, my flight was less than $200 and I found there were a lot of lower cost restaurants. Plus there was so much to see and do and it made staying the day after worth it. I just did Rhode Island 70.3 and spent the same if not more even though I drove and didn't have to ship my bike.

NO was a great race, I signed up the day after for 2010 and look forward to it kicking off my season. It sounds like both are top notch and you can't go wrong.

I'll throw my 2 cents in for Lonestar. AWESOME race, AWESOME RD, and just tons of fun.  I would like to NOLA one day too, but I'm definitely a fan Lonestar.  There was some talk of being able to do the Sprint and the Oly one after the other and then the HIM the next day. I might possibly be crazy enough to give it a shot depending upon a few other factors!

Having done both Lonestar and Longhorn, one that is 70.3 branded and one that is not (but both with the same RD), I think the only big noticeable difference were the a.) Clearwater slots b.) # of big pros (cause of the 70.3 pursue, etc.) otherwise, Keith and his crew throw themselves into each race as if it is the only one they do that year!