Beach2Battleship Iron Distance Triathlon : Official Thread (Page 27)

I'm not sure I would do this race again, for two reasons: 1) the weather is very unpredictable, with a good chance of either the swim or bike being freezing, and 2) I really did not like the run course. For me, there were just too many trip hazards and ouchy feet places: metal grating on the draw bridge, cobblestones and brick road surfaces downtown, two at-grade railroad crossings, curb crossing and broken surfaces on path park. If you're fast and can finish before daylight, this might not be an issue. But it was rough going in the dark--it's not as well lit as described--and if you finish doing the "shuffle" it is a challenge to keep from tripping.

The run finish was absolutely absurd and somewhat surreal--weaving over gravel surfaces and through tent and other finish areas. At the point where you most expect cheering and lots of spectators, there is NONE because spectators can't get to this part of the finish. There is not a finish chute; it's a finish maze.

It used to be a straight shot down the road and then a single left. Not sure why they changed it.

Having said all of that, if the weather and tides fall in place, and you can finish before dark, this could be the course to set a PR.

Other than for about two hours on the bike (miles 25-65) I had a fun day doing this race. I made the mistake of assuming I'd be fine without any 'extra' gear on the bike, neglecting my gloves and arm warmers in T1. My T1 transition was fast, but I paid for it by nearly pulling out in the middle of the bike because I was so cold and shivering. I was unable to take nutrition on the fly, and stopped a couple of times to get some shot blocks.

Once it warmed up it was a much better day. The tail wind was great during the last part of the bike.

I struggled through the run, finishing about ten minutes slower than what I wanted on that part of the race. The wind on those bridges was pretty tough.

Overall, though I was happy in my first IM to be under 10:00.

No.  Both the half and the full sold out in August this year.  I'd sign up sooner rather than later but you have some time.

I stayed at the Hilton both this year for and last year when I did the half.  This is super convenient due to the shuttle to T1 and from the finish.  Blockade Runner on Wrightsville Beach is another option and I think that they will shuttle you to T1 but I'm not sure how you'd get back from the finish (there is no parking at the Battleship).

The water was 69 degrees on Saturday.  I wore a sleeveless wetsuit and was comfortable.  In fact, I did a short practice swim (800m or so) on Friday without a wetsuit on.  Next year the event is one week later so it could be a few degrees cooler. 

Sorry, I can't answer this one.  I'll be interested to hear what others have to say.

I talked to one girl on the bike who did IM louisville and she thought B2B was much better supported.

Special Thanks to Colin for giving me great advice on here, though under trained I finished exactly where I hoped I would and enjoyed the race( minus first half of the bike) greatly.

Congrats to all, inc Colin for big PR & AG win! 

Great to meet lots of fellow BTer's.  THANKS for all the tips, advice, and encouragement.

All the top finishers I spoke to (inc OA winner who sat at my table for awards cruise) thought that bike course was tough.  Strong headwind (15-25mph w gusts 30+) for 70+mi, and only ~20-25mi of mainly tailwind.  Wind direction shifted a bit later in the day so less help coming home. And low 50's temp with light rain made for a raw morning.

I finished (13:14) despite many mistakes typical of IM newbs, inc slow transitions.  Could/should have been much better time except for getting deep R calf bruise ~2mi into the swim.  Not typical tri swim contact but hard punch (possibly kick) that came out of nowhere & literally locked my muscle up.  Wasn't "getting into it" with anyone at all.  Hate to think it was someone's intentional blow, but it happened somehow.  Didn't hurt my bike, but essentially destroyed my run.  At 108mi into the bike had bad flat that cost me 16min to fix (Garmin time).  Road hazard cut >1cm through tread, casing, & sidewall.  Had to fashion boot out of layers of duct tape (std Park tire boot would not work), reinflated with my last CO2, & hoped for the best. Had visions of 4mi hike-a-bike, but rode in VERY carefully & made it to bike finish.  Any hope that the calf would loosen up with some easy run:walk was dashed.  It hurt WAY more to walk, so I tried to jog slow as best I could & walk the aid stations.

Now 2 days out & I feel surprisingly decent overall- except that calf is still sore & discolored.  But I am (finally) an IM

It was awesome meeting you on the celebration cruise!  Yes, the bike did have it's weather challenges.  When I heard a forecaster describe the day as raw, I turned to my husband and said, that's code for "wear the vest!"

I'm sorry to hear about the bruise and the flat.  You really rocked it, overcoming those challenges and still finishing in 13 and change!

The whole experience seems very unreal to me still.  I guess it'll take some time to sink in.  Until then, I think that I'll steer clear of steps

Great race Colin not to far off the lead, well done

Congrats to all you finishers out there. It was a challenging ride for the last 18 weeks preparing for the unknown. On friday I was extremely nervous about the mass start swim, but on race morning the Set up guys with music pumping and words of encouragement helped me get in the zone. I wasnt expecting the cold, rainy, windy conditions for the 1st half of the bike but other than a little speed loss, the only reason it hurt me is because I had to stop and pee about 5 times! I wouldnt call the run course flat by any means but it was a great run, the volunteers throughout the course were outstanding. I missed my "A" goal time by 2;23 but Im very happy to be branded with the 140.6 accomplishment, brought her home with an 11:02:22!

Congrats on making it to SN without throwing in the towel.  I feel your pain!  In the future, I will be erring on the "too warm" side.  :-)

I thought the lighting on the run was OK except for the big bridge nearest the finish.  That was very difficult to see on because of the oncoming headlights.  I really think that's my only complaint -- beside whoever was in charge of the weather this year. 

I liked the new run course better than the one last year. 

What was different with the run course?  Looking at the B2B site it looks identical to the 2009 course or was something changed last minute?

I did the half last year and this year. Last year was colder but sun was out and wind was not a factor. I liked the way they changed the bike course slightly. Even though the maps did not show it. They also changed the run course to come off bridges and run in front of convention center. That was MUCH better than that steep one block hill a few streets further down. I did not understand why we had to run on path near 6-8 mile mark. I did not see any cars while I was on the path. Path was congested when passing or getting passed and others coming at you. Not really wide enough to be three abreast.

I will take no current and no wind any day over what we had Saturday. The 6 minute faster swim was more than lost on bike ride.

Congrats to everyone who finished.  borsenik9, it looks like I came in pretty shortly after you.  I finished in 11:17:40.  This was my first ironman distance race, so I was pleased with my results.  Like everyone else said, the first part of the bike was miserable.  I decided to leave my gloves in T1, and once my hands started getting wet from the mist/rain, I was wishing I hadn't.  I stopped at the first rest stop to pee, and I had somehow gotten a knot in the drawstring of my tri shorts.  My fingers were so frozen, it was impossible to get out the knot.  Based on my Garmin, I ended up losing 8 minutes because of that stop.   Once the rain stopped, and everything dried up, the rest of the race was perfect though.

The only other frustrating thing, was I lost my timing chip during the run.  My right foot scraped against my ankle a couple times at the beginning of the run, and I looked down and noticed that the velcro strap was mostly hanging loose.  I bent down and stuck it back together, but didn't notice that the chip was gone.  When I got to the turnaround point, and the mat didn't beep, I ran across it a couple times, and when it still didn't beep, the volunteers said they'd radio in my number and time.  It dawned on me a little later that the chip was probably gone, and I bent down to check and sure enough it was gone.  I kept an eye out for it when I passed the stretch of road where I had fixed the strap, but never saw it.  I'm hoping someone found it and turned it in for me, so I don't have to pay to replace it.  It was frustrating at the end of the race, because instead of being able to savor the moment of finishing, I was too busy trying to make sure they recorded my number manually.  I probably didn't have to worry about it, because there was a woman there, who was manually entering in the numbers, but I was worried after all that work, that I wouldn't get credit for finishing.

Many reports of being cold racing into 50F, misty to drizzling rain, with 5 to 15 mph headwind.

Is getting cold while racing detrimental to performance?  Certainly worrying about being cold can distract one mentally.  And we can all agree if the conditions are extreme enough one may collapse.  But if you are simply "uncomfortably cold", or perhaps "almost hypothermia", does it slow one down physiologically?  

Assume we're talking about muscles and cardio system which got a good "warm up" on the swim, but are now getting uncomfortably cold on the bike, will this reduce muscle output?

I think your body burns more calories when trying to stay warm, My bike was a good 30 minutes slower then I thought it would be, though 10 minutes of that was trying to add a pair of socks with numb hands at bike special needs.

We got on Front right off the bridge instead of whatever we did last year that involved the hill on Red Cross Road.

I learned a lesson...it is easier to take off and throw away than put something on that you dont have.  I left my wind jacket in T1 and froze the entire ride.  I did have arm warmers and gloves on so I felt fortunate compared to those I saw in just tri tops. 

Overall I loved the day and think B2B is a great race.  Congratulations to all.

Duplicate

Hypothermia was no issue for me on bike, but bothersome right after the swim.  Felt fine during swim (except for the calf whack ).  Exiting the water I started feeling cold despite leaving the wetsuit on (to the waist) & walking the hot shower tent.  My T1 was a slow shiverfest that took me way too long to get changed.  But I felt comfy during the ride with headband, LS base layer, SS jersey, bike shorts, & neoprene gloves (which are great for cold rains BTW). 

I should have used full wetsuit &/or neoprene cap for swim-maybe with booties for the rough pavement run to T1.