Subject: RE: Ironman Louisville in General I raced there, and really enjoyed the city and the race. It was my first IM experience, so perhaps that makes it memorable. I stayed downtown near the finish (refer to my post in your thread about accommodations ), which was cool. I was close to the expo, there were lots of places to eat downtown, and I really got the "vibe" of the race. The swim is a time trial - some folks will complain about it. I actually liked it a lot. The water was essentially wide open. No full contact swimming. The water is murky, though, so don't expect to see much. No wetsuit swim; the water was close to 80 degrees in 2009. Like another poster, I'm a flatlander, and the rolling hills on the bike killed me. In fact, I told someone after the race that whoever described some of the hills as rolling must be from Nepal. That said, it's all a matter of perspective. If you're used to riding on hills, you'll be ok. I wasn't, and it cooked me. The run course is pancake flat and moderately shaded. There are a few sketchy parts of town that the route goes through, but nothing too bad. Support was pretty good, especially near the rest stops. The finish line is AMAZING! I would have loved to run down the chute and finish there. I'd probably consider doing this race again sometime, so I'd recommend that you give it a try. |