Vineman Full Ironman : Official Thread

I'm looking at it... 

You are in for Vine?

I'll be in...will be registering by the end of the month. Will be my first iron distance race.

Ill do it,ill be signing up over Christmas!

I'm seriously thinking about it. 30-week training plan starts in a couple of weeks.

Did they pull the 3-for-2 deal? I see it referenced on the Refund page, but it doesn't appear on the main info page or registration form anymore.

Mike

Still appears here: http://www.vineman.com/triathlon/register_race02.htm

I believe I just signed up for the full IM. what was I thinking? How is the course?

the swim is very nice. it's in the russian river. you can actually stand up sometimes along the course and clean your goggles. the bike course is quite hilly. the run course is much flatter, but has also some hills. last year it was surprisingly hot (97F), so i would recommend some training runs in hot weather conditions. 

also, check out the race reports. 

I wouldn't really say that the run course is flatter. The bike course is rolling with one big climb that isn't too long (although you do it twice). The run is rolling in the same way and has one decently steep hill about 3 1/2 miles in (which you go up 3 times).

I did the run after blowing up at the end of the bike so I may have a demented view.

Great race though. I shall be back for redemption on my blow up in the heat last year.

Two things concern me about the race, keeping my feet from blistering and keeping my butt from blistering. How do most people keep thier feet dry,or do they apply bodyglide. Also do most people wear bike shorts, the century I did I used bike shorts and shammy cream and still got sore.

Don't let anyone fool you: The run is not at all "flat." Next summer will be my first attempt at the full, but I did Vineman 70.3 this summer and the run course for the full includes 2/3 of the same hills from the half...only 3X. I wish I had a dollar for everyone (including me) who expressed surprise at how not flat the run course is.

There's a really great photo "tour" of the bike course somewhere in the BT "California" forum from last year...it's in a Vineman 70.3 thread, but the course is the same (just two laps for the full)...worth searching for.

Looking for someone to do 3 for the price of 2 entry. Has anyone else signed up yet?

PMing you...

Still looking for a third.

PMing you

does anyone remember about how fast the current is in the river? I was thinking about that as I was swimming yesterday and have grown a little concerned. this is my first IM and my first tri that takes place in a river. I have always swam in a lake or pool for tris.

Very little current at all...the river is dammed at the start of the course and there's very little flow over the dam that time of year. You'll notice a bit less effort on the downstream return leg, but really I didn't feel at all like I was swimming against a current on the upstream leg. If anything, this is easier than some lake swims, because you do get a bit of assistance in the last half-mile-plus from what current there is.

You may already have heard this, but the river is shallow enough at points to stand, especially at the turnaround. Depending on how much water is in the river, you actually may find yourself touching the bottom with you fingers on a stroke or two.

Edited by tcovert 2009-01-10 12:54 PM

Anyone looking to get in on the buy 2 get 1 free entry? Runningwoof and I need 1 more and would like to get the entry in before the end of the month when the fees go up slightly.

Please PM me for details.