Beach to Battleship HIM : Official Thread (Page 8)

I am staying at the Hilton Riverside downtown. Anyone else staying there? Maybe some of us could drive to WB together Friday morning. Anyone interested in a small carpool instead of driving separately?

You are awesome!  Thank you so much!  We will plan on being in the parking lot there 6:30AM as well.  I think we'll be able to find the location... if we get scrambled, I'll give you a buzz.  We will look for your VW.  We have a maroon Honda Element with a bike rack on the roof.  We are staying at the Hilton Riverside and unfortunately we can't even leave SW Florida until about 9:30AM on Wednesday morning... which should put us in Wilmington around 10PM (if we are lucky).  I told my husband to make sure his Thursday morning bag is ready to roll before we even leave the house.  Totally looking forward to the swim!

Stupid question.  We are checking in our bikes on Friday.  We'll be able to get to them on Saturday morning before heading to swim start, right?  I mean, to add water bottles, items in bento box, uncover them they were covered, etc.

Correct. You check them in Friday so they can do a check out of brakes, bar end caps and other safety items.

Sat morning, pump up the tires and put your bottles on.

Will there be mechanics with tire pumps at the start on race morning?  Should I plan to bring my pump on the bus with me?

Odds are there'll be someone there with a pump. If you run into me, just ask, I'll be more than happy to let you use it. So will everyone I've ever heard in a transition area.

Remember, everything but your bike must be inside your changing bag when you leave the transition area so I wouldn't bring a pump and then wonder what to do with it.

Yeah, I'm not 100% happy that DH has decided to come to T1 later, thus leaving me with the bus.  I don't mind taking the bus so much as figuring out what to do with things like the bike pump.  My initial plan was to hand it to him. 

Two Wheeler Dealer had a tent set up in T1 on race morning. they will help out with mechanicals etc. Last year I went to pump up my rear wheel and the valve cotre blew out into my disc cover. Two Wheeler changed my tube in a flash. They also had about 5 pumps with them for people to use.
Last year I went into T1 dropped bottles checked tires and then I went back to my hotel. No point standing around for 2hrs in the cold.

Thanks!  I figured that it would probably be OK but I'm to the "worry about every little thing" point in the process. 

Same here! First big race, worried about every detail from clothing to technical and organizational.

Anyone having any ideas as to what to do after getting the bike ready on race morning and getting picked up by the shuttle to the swim start?

I'll still have to wait for my better half to finish the full after the race, does anyone know if we can pick up our morning clothes bag from T1 and leave the bike there for later? I really don't want to stand there around waiting with my bike, but I also don't want to put it on the car that early and for that long without being able to keep an eye on it...

Really looking forward to the morning swim and the dinner with you guys and ladies!!
 

<waves hand> I do!  Stand around.  Seriously.  I plan to wear some sweats on the bus put them into my changing bag when I put on my wetsuit close to the start time.  I'm in the 8:50 wave so there will be plenty of time!  It sounds like a really really long time but I did the Disney half marathon last January and it was a similar wait (in the sleet) and it went relatively quickly.



That I am not clear on because it says something about maybe the bag won't be there when we finish?  I will PM my mobile # to you.  My husband will be at at the end and we can talk him into having something for you to change into if you like.

NOTE: If you are in the Half your Pre-Swim Gear Bag may not make it back to the Battleship Transition until after you have finished your event (<-- not sure what they mean by this exactly?  It might not be there when you finish???)

Hello everyone! Looks like I'm a little late to the party, but had a question about the practice swims.  We have a group of three doing the race, but we won't get to Wilmington until Thurs afternoon. 

If we go to the Blockade Runner, can we get in the water there and swim along the shore and back without crossing the channel into boat traffic?  Do you know if there are other groups doing swims later in the day?

I'm thinking that even if we aren't able to swim much, just getting in the water will help me mentally.  This will be my first Half Ironman, and the swim is my biggest worry.

Thanks for your help!

Tony

(modified to add my name)


Edited by thpennington 2010-11-09 1:51 PM

Hubby and I have no sherpa with us, so we need to take the Hilton bus over to T1 in the AM as well.  We plan on doing the same thing that you are doing after we 'unload' from the T1 --> Swim Start bus.  Wait.  Hopefully we BTers can find each other.  Good conversation is bound to help move the morning along.

Bib numbers-  I was thinking that maybe we 'halfers' and 'relayers' could post our bib numbers like the full folks are doing.  It might help us to find each other at T1 and/or Swim Start.

I'm #778 (Sherry) and my husband is #777 (Scott- aka- Matthew on the roster).  In regards to those bib numbers, is anyone aware of how the numbers were assigned?  I was surprised to see that my husband and I have consecutive numbers, even though it doesn't appear that they were assigned alphabetically.  I wonder if they were assigned in such a way so that those who are sharing a rack wouldn't end up in T1 at the same time?  So different genders, different swim waves... sharing one rack.  Room to spread our wings a bit, perhaps?  Anyway, it's interesting and I like it!  At least when I get to T1 I'll know for certain whether or not my husband survived the swim-- he goes off with swim wave #1! 

Janyne, I PMd you back! Waiting together sounds like a great idea! I think I actually might make a BT sign out of cardboard that I can hold up  

Hi Tony,

we will have a group swim with BT people on Friday morning 7.15am in front of the blockade runner - so you and your friends could always join in.

And don't worry you are not the only first-timer, it seems like there are quite a few of us!
and I would share your worry about the swim - if I wouldn't have read statements about race officials saying that you could possibly make the cutoff by just floating on the about 1 knot strong current without swimming yourself  Now the only thing I am worried about is the water temperature and getting uncomfortable in my wetsuit! brrrrrrrrrr  

mona

Your bags have to travel from T1 to the finish. All of mine got there by the time I finished the HIM last year, but there is a chance that you might have to wait for it. If it is there you can go in and out of T2 get stuff, take stuff back as long as you have your wristband on (you will get the wristband at packet pick up)

As for your bike. You can leave your bike in T2 until Sunday morning and then drive your car to get it. On race day you can not get a car to the finish, so you will have to take your bike on a water taxi or put it on a transport truck and catch a bus to downtown. You can also ride it from T2 to downtown (I assume you plan on parking your car downtown somewhere) and then catch a water taxi back to the finish.


Oh yeah my Name is Daryn and I am #1212

Half iron bib numbers

775 - Janyne
777 - Scott
778 - Sherry
1212 - Daryn
1513 - Mona

Edited by jmkizer 2010-11-09 4:42 PM

Thanks Daryn! I really wasn't sure either as to whether the stuff would be back in time! Sounds like some great organization they are having!

Getting hyped up!

Oh and also if anyone has to wait for a full finisher (like me) - let me know if you want to hang out together at the finish line and brag and wine about the ups and downs of the race This is - if I manage to finish and they don't have to scrape me off the road

Having issues with the quotes today - sorry oh and nice link for nervous packers http://triathlon.racechecklist.com/

Edited by monaskleinewelt 2010-11-09 5:03 PM

I'm 1512 and my name Tom. 

I wish I could make the swims but I won't make it to town until Friday afternoon.

Thanks Mona - I heard the same thing about the swim... sometimes nervousness just ignores logic LOL!.

We may try to make it Fri morning - not sure about the wetsuit drying by Sat morning though, so we may go out on Thurs.

My bib number is 1287.

And thanks for the checklist - I'll definitely use that for packing tonight!

Tony 

Looking forward to meeting some BTers this weekend.  I'll be there Friday morning - I still need the practice!  I'm bib #1354.

l was thinking about swimming Friday morning from the Half start. l am not sure l want to swim from Blackade runner to finish. How far is it from start to Blockade runner? l assume that since someone said it is about 1500 from Blockade runner to finish, that means it is 500 from start? ls the start open to swim from? That seems the best way to feel the full current. l assume it will push us hard from start to Blockade runner and then slowly once we start crossing the channel.
l am good swimmer, but have had panic issues. How far out in channel is the strongest current? Can we swim close to the docks that appear in the photos?
Thanks.

Edited by bubbahhi 2010-11-10 9:21 AM

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