New IM Woodlands (Page 5)

ha.  thanks!  i hear she just rocked hawaii.  have a great race tomorrow.

Awesome info, thanks for posting! I heard last night from a pretty reliable source that there was an official announcement - I came home later and of course the first thing I did was check this thread to find nothing. Checked woodlandsonline and nada. Went to IM website and again nothing. This must have been what they were talking about.

I'll host if you bring the beer

For those who don't feel like clicking through...

SUBJECT MATTER:

Receive and consider a major event coming to The Woodlands

BUDGET IMPACT:

World Triathlon Corporation is seeking an advertising sponsorship from

The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau as well as in kind trade commitment from The

Woodlands Township.

FACTS:

Memorial Hermann – The Woodlands approached The Woodlands Township and The

Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau about establishing a major triathlon competition

known as “Ironman®,”produced by World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), with the event to take

place in and around The Woodlands.

WTC has been working diligently to secure all the necessary approvals to produce its newest

domestic Ironman event in and around The Woodlands with various entities including local law

enforcement, county commissioners, railroad authorities, local hotels and businesses, and The

Woodlands Township and Convention & Visitors Bureau.

WTC points out the following information:

•

Opportunity for residents of The Woodlands to see some of the greatest endurance

athletes in the world;

•

The Woodlands is attractive to WTC as the venue for this premier event as The

Woodlands is known as a world class community – home to hundreds if not thousands

of world class athlete that would welcome the opportunity to host and participate in

such a renowned event as Ironman;

•

There will be hundreds of volunteer opportunities for residents of The Woodlands to

participate in the event and Ironman will commit to providing $100,000 annually to local

charities;

•

The Ironman Triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile run

completed in succession within a 17-hour timeframe.

•

The event would serve as one of 23 global qualifying races for the Ford Ironman World

Championship that takes place each October in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

107

•

Throughout its 32-year history, Ironman has transformed from an event into a lifestyle

and sports brand that continues to inspire millions each year to take on new personal

challenges and demonstrate the mantra, “Anything Is Possible

?”;

•

Attract 2,500 participants from nearly all 50 states and 25+ countries;

•

Nationally and internationally televised, creating 1.5 million in advertising impressions

for The Woodlands on a global scale; and

•

Create an economic impact of $15.9 million through the sale of thousands of hotel room

nights, retail shopping, food and beverage dinners and sales.

Venues for an Ironman event in The Woodlands would include Northshore Park, Lake

Woodlands, The Woodlands Waterway, Town Green Park, Waterway Square, The Woodlands

Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center and numerous restaurants and retail shops.

A full report will be presented to The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau on Wednesday,

June 23, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. and for The Woodlands Townships Board of Directors at 6 p.m. on

Wednesday, June 23, 2010.

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Okay lets say the Woodlands Ironman is Memorial weekend. Lone Star is in April which will be perfect for the race. I wonder what type of an impact a May Ironman will have on the other local shorter triathlons. From what I've read WTC doesn't really care about local races. It will change my spring race season.

I  feel obligated to sign up for the Ironman in the Woodlands because it is so close. It would be the only time my entire extended family could come to a full Ironman event. If it is Memorial weekend it will probably be the last Ironman they ever attend because of the heat! LOL.

When do you think they will make an announcement of the date? Do we know that it is 2011 for sure?

 

 

Edited by Catwoman 2010-06-13 10:54 AM

Just thinking a little bit on my run this morning...Maybe I'll volunteer the first year to see how things go and then sign up the day after if I like what I see.

I don't want to pretend as if I have the hotline to WTC, but I do know that if it turns out Memorial weekend, this wasn't the first pick due to scheduling conflicts in the woods. I would bet that that date would creep backwards in the following years back to where they originally wanted it.

Memorial Day doesn't sound appealing to me because of the heat (and I live here). I can't imagine anyone north of 1-20 even considering it.

Can you say wind season!!!

From the homepage of the conroe courier today: http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/06/15/conroe_courier/sports/...

Ironman triathlon returns to The Woodlands

Updated: 06.15.10
Area triathletes have been playing the guessing game for more than the the last two months, “Will there be an Ironman next year in The Woodlands or not and if so, when?”

The waiting game, though, may soon be over.

According to an agenda and working documents posted online Friday for Thursday’s Board of Director’s Workshop for The Woodlands Township, it appears very likely that the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in conjunction with the World Triathlon Corporation, the owner of the Ironman brand, is set to bring the challenging 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile competition to The Woodlands.

“I think bringing an Ironman to The Woodlands would be huge,” said USA Triathlon-certified coach and former pro triathlete Kim Hager of The Woodlands. “Every major city has a marathon, but there are only a handful of states that have an Ironman. It would truly be an honor to be selected to host an Ironman.”

The impacts, she said, are immense to the local triathlete.

“The opportunity to train on the course is an obvious benefit, but more than that an Ironman is a journey,” added the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials marathon participant. “It will bring athletes together, friends will be made and it will also be an opportunity for those who maybe could not afford to travel to an Ironman to participate in one.”

Last year’s Ironman Florida finisher Greg Gibbons of The Woodlands couldn’t agree more, but he – and other area Ironman competitors — hopes an announcement will come soon.

“Ironman training programs require four to six months of preparation and because you sign-up a year in advance, your race schedule must be well designed,” said Gibbons. “Most athletes are already thinking about next year’s races, prior to the completion of this year’s competitions.

“The speculation surrounding an Ironman race here in The Woodlands adds complexity to anyone’s race plan. I would love to do an event here but I will be closed out of other summer races (Coeur d’Alene, Lake Placid) waiting for them to announce it.”

Ironman races usually sell out a year in advance within a day or two of the current year’s event, making the ruckus over the proposed lottery for this year’s Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Half Marathon look like child’s play.

Therefore, the timing is especially critical for those, like Gibbons, who are eyeing Ironman Coeur d’Alene for 2011 as it will be contested just four days after next week’s Board of Directors Meeting.

For area athletes, like Gibbons and others, who are competing this fall in Kona, Cozumel, Florida and Arizona, moving their Ironman race calendars up a month has an element of risk.

“Having a spring or summer race in Texas would necessitate an abbreviated rest period,” he said. “Sometimes a month of preparation or recovery can make a big difference. To race again in May after a November race would prove difficult and increase potential for injuries.”

Then there’s the Texas heat.

While triathlon-focused websites such as slowtwitch.com have had triathletes desiring a late April or early November Ironman in The Woodlands, much of the conjecture seems to be pointing to the Memorial Day weekend.

If so, the conditions for an Ironman, could be some of the most difficult of any of the current 23 Ironmans worldwide, including Kona and China.

However, the last five Sundays prior to Memorial Day, according to weatherunderground.com, have averaged a high of 86 degrees and a low of 72 degrees. This year and two years ago, though, temperatures have soared into the low-nineties.

“Most experienced triathletes, particularly those who train in this region, are not naive to these conditions,” he said. “Having a well-orchestrated nutrition and hydration plan is the key to staying out of trouble regardless of your finishing time.”

Something Gibbons can uniquely speak to as a local emergency medicine physician.

“With the potential for high temperatures and humidity, the medical staff will have their hands full regarding dehydration, heat- and electrolyte-related illnesses,” he added. “The majority of the field will be starting the marathon portion of the race during the hottest part of the day. These conditions can be brutal even for the smartest, well-prepared athletes.”

does anyone know when this will be jk

Wonder what the water temp is in Lake Woodlands around Memorial Day?

water temp was 79 degrees on May 18th. I have email proof. But that was lake dallas

From everything I've seen and heard, it looks like the swim would start at Northshore Park in Lake Woodlands, head south and do a loop of some sort, and then finish up the waterway to the transition in Town Green Park.  So I'm assuming they would shuttle us about a mile to the start. There shouldn't be any real chop. Odds are it will be smooth as glass. Muddy, but smooth. I would also bet that it will not be wetsuit legal. There's a sprint race at the begining of May and it barely qualifies for wetsuits. The only way I see wetsuits allowed is a big week of rain.

I'm taking a pass for 2011....I'll let all of you test it out and maybe do it sometime in the future. When they were talking April it was feasible, but Memorial day will have it two weeks before the end of my first year of grad school which probably equals finals...which probably means bad idea!  I'll see what they do in the future! If it is Memorial Day, it's a good thing that Memorial Hermann is the sponsor--hopefully they'll have lots of medical on site!

conroe courier article


Ok so here is a good article to think about and things are looking good. But the time of year may be very hot.

ok so talking to a buddy last night. he said that is gator town. yikes.