Singapore 70.3

Not signed up as I'll be doing IM Melbourne (also serving as the Asia Pacific Championships) in March. HOWEVER ... have a few tips.

The swim course is a real cluster! Get as sharp on your open-water swim skills as you can, including drafting and getting ahead. It's a mess. The venue is open for swimming all the time, though, so try to rustle up some buddies to go practice there. (Right near Big Splash, watch out for the place the sewer spills right out into the water though).

For anything bike or tri related, including advice and just hanging out in the coolest bike shop ever, go to Elite Custom. The owner, David Greenfield, is a good buddy of mine and is one of the most knowledgeable triathlon people in the world. He loves to talk, so it's really worth it to go pick his brain (and pick up anything bike related you need in the store).

Good luck racing against your brother, Andrew!  I enjoyed the race last year.  The swim was tough, but I'd say the current got me more than other competitors.  The run was HOT.  Running at high noon in SG is not my cup of tea.  All in all, a good race.  The bike is flat and fast, but wears you down with no relief from hills.

I wish I was back in SG!

I agree with everyone so far. Swim can be tough if the current gets strong. The flat bike course is very deceptive. One of the pro's told me afterwards that flat doesn't mean easy . . . I was really surprised at how tired my legs were afterwards. Don't go harder than what you have trained . . .

I was able to do a PB in this race last year, and I think the key was hydration. I guzzled down 3 x 500 mL isotonic drink (100 Plus) per 30 km loop during the bike. It is not necessary to take gels during the bike if you are drinking an isotonic drink.  It is not advised to mix gels with isotonic drink at any time during the race - your stomach may protest. Experiment with nutrition before the race.

During the run, I made a drink stop at every hydration station. During the run you will have to decide whether you want to keep on drinking the isotonic drink or switch to gels and water instead. Again, the only way to really know is to experiment during training what works for you.

And try to do a few runs during the heat of the day beforehand . . .

Enjoy the race!

Thanks for the tips, I read the race report from tpnguyen10 from last year and have been mentally schooling myself to not go too fast on the bike. The one advantage that I have is that it is my home ground so I do get to train in the heat. I've also been trying out some gels, drinks on my longer rides and runs so that hopefully that won't limit my performance.

Getting nervous about it in that excited sort of way which is fun because I haven't felt that for a while before a race!

Hey Robbo!

I'm flying in from the United States (Washington DC) for this race. Given that mom and dad moved there, I figured what a better way to race in a place and visit it too!

When are you arriving? I arrive on Monday morning March 12. I'm going to do a 60 mile ride that day the moment I land (regardless of how exhausted I am) because I'm missing two days sitting on my on Singapore Airlines.

A couple questions:

1. Do you want to ride 60 with me in Singapore? I'm going slow because I've been training in winter here in the United States. I need to acclimate to the humidity.

2. I'm going to try three open water swim events while I'm there. I'll try for Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Up for it?

3. After the race, let's grab a drink at the beach! Thoughts?

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! 

I'll be drinking coconuts & cheering from the sidelines at ECP.

@Hotrunner, I know how fast you run and swim and I'm not confident that 40 minutes would be enough

At the moment you are up 2-0 from Bintan last year and the Aquathon this year. At least it gives me a reason to train :D The HIM might be a chance for me because the weight on the bike is stronger than an OD but the mental pressure of knowing you were chasing me on the run would probably cause me to go to pieces. Looking forward to the next time!