New IM Woodlands (Page 14)

Scared to death and beyond excited! So glad to hear that Keith is the race director, especially after racing IM Lonestar 70.3 this year. I'm sure that means there will be lots of those glorious ice sponges available for the run! Can't believe this is really happening! Excuse me while I go breathe into my paper bag.

Ugh - now I'm totally eating my words!! I told people I didn't think it was you because you have said in the past your wife would divorce you if you considered doing a full! :-)

Oh well - they are not bad words to have to eat. I'm REALLY excited you are the RD!!

Mass start, right?!?!?

So the exit at Town Green Park wasn't a typo?  The course goes through the water taxi channel?  Now that will be different!

oh.em.gee.

that is all...

Haha, first thing that I thought when I read that he was it...hope your wife keeps you KEJ I'm sure that's already determined.  Will be a few years before I can give this one a shot, but looking forward to reading the bazillion race reports it looks like BT will generate!

TJ, since you know more than us...what do you know about the proposed bike course? Growing up in Houston and working in the Woodlands for a short time I am familiar with the area but curious which way they are going to go with it. Probably be semi-flat with rollers? Consensus?

Havent decided yet to enter or volunteer for 2011, but I do want to say ....THANK YOU!!!!! to everyone who worked to get this done! you deserve alot of kudos today!! LOL

I am sure this will be a spectacular event and I will not miss being a part of the first race (racing, volunteering, or cheering on all the other BT'ers out there)

So Keith, has Claire started divorce proceedings already or is she still consulting a lawyer?

Seriously, congrats. Your amazing dedication and hard work is why you've reached this point. Nice job. Couldn't ask for a better RD to be putting this sucker on. We certainly don't have to have any concerns about the quality and attention to detail. For everyone else, I think it's safe to say that there will be more than 3 aid stations on the bike (or at least you'll have access to them more than 3 times).

Hmm...should I be buttering Carey up so she'll take up the horns and pitchfork for this?

Hotel reservations made - now just need to sign up tomorrow, wonder how quick this will sell out....

Also wondering if Kieth can back up the 70.3 by say 2 weeks.  8 weeks between events would be the perfect tune-up... 

You better do it. 

Awesome!!! That is great news

Where did you decide on for reservations? I tried making some online and couldn't that far in advance.

X2 -- $159/night 

I booked The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention center for Fri & Sat nights - last week online (no problems).  I was told that this was going to be the host hotel. 

KEJ (or TJ) can you confirm this? 

I think that one is already full. I had booked last week sometime and added another room last night. Around mid-day today I went in and it was full - CRAZY!

The other Residence Inn is not far away at all, and there is a Hilton Garden Inn right there as well. I think the Marriott Waterway has quite a few rooms, so it may stay open for a little bit.

ok  let me see if I understand it..

we can't even register for the race and yet the hotels are filling up, with one being mostly booked up???

Wow.. I wasn't planning to be at my computer @ noon tomorrow thinking it would be open at the least a day, most likely a couple of days    Now I'm starting to wonder.   I guess I'll be getting ready at noon tomorrow

That is impressive. I'll be staying at my parents and will be ready tomorrow at noon. I can't wait!

first off, yes Waterway Marriott is the host. That was one reason for the delays. They were booked up for other events for some of the other dates proposed. It will be a perfect host. You can walk down to transition if you want, and there's a chance the run course may go right next to it, which makes it perfect for family and friends. As an added bonus the pool is on the 3rd floor (4th?). So family can potentially hang out at the pool, pop their head over the site and see the race going on.

The Course...They are still crossing their 't's on this. I doubt Keith will say anything as he is good at being tight lipped. I, on the other hand, am a blabber mouth on this topic, so I'll tell you what I know.

2 options are being being thrown around from what I hear.
#1. Shoot down Woodlands parkway out the back of the woods. turn left on 2978 and then right on hardin store rd. This gets you to 249 and a couple options. I was told they were looking at Waller County, and that means pretty much due west. If that's the case then the turn could be the Hempstead area. If they use a bunch of backroads we ride on and not 1488 then it could be a closer turn.

#2 Out the woods to 242, lft 1488 and right on 2978. This takes you north to 2854 then 105. Turning rt on 149 will take you through the national forest just west of lake conroe and pretty much the Ironstar bike route. Great ride with some good rollers. On to richards and maybe anderson, then home. What I can't get my head around on this option is crossing 1488 and 105. These are pretty busy roads and clogging traffic could be a rough day for the cops. These guys know their stuff though so maybe they pull an IM Arizona and block a couple lanes on the same side of the road to keep crossing to a minimum. Or they deal with 1488 and take some back roads further north to cross 105 (karen switch, tri lakes, etc.) where the traffic is much lighter.

Add to this the political process. The roads in the woodlands are split between 2 county commissioners, and one might be easier to work with lets just say. That could play a role as well.

Run: He said 2 to 3 loop run utilizing town center/market street area. If you run up and back on the waterway and then around the lake, it's roughly 8+ miles. If they can't get approval for the waterway (politics) then through market street area would work too.  I'm not sure what a 2 loop would look like. I would guess out and back on woodlands parkway or lake woodlands. I think 3 loops would be more fun personally.

Swim: like I said earier, I hear 2 loops were being thrown around with a finish up the waterway. 1 or 2 loops, having the last half mile up the waterway will be super cool.

Just a quick question from a BT newbie....

The way things are working out, it looks like volunteering the 1st yr and racing the 2nd year would be MUCH better for me.  It would allow me to work on some race goals I had already set my mind/training on for 2011..AND be better prepared for a full IM in 2012.

1. Does volunteering GUARANTEE a race entry for the next yr?  Some of you have mentioned it, but just want to confirm.
2. This is a 5 yr contract between WTC and the Woodlands...should I be worried about the race not happening in 2012?  My fear is that I'll miss THE one chance to race in my backyard.  I know there are no guarantees, but what are your thoughts?

Ok, that was 2 questions, not one.  Sorry.  Thx in advance.

 

Thanks once again, TJ.  Are we still looking at a single loop bike?

Edited by OldAg92 2010-06-24 3:13 PM