IM First Timer question

the one that fits best with your lifestyle so can train best for it. for example IM New Zealand is a great race but is in March which means lots of long miles on the trainer over the winter to get ready here in Pennsylvania not much fun. My first iron distance will be Chesapeakeman in Sept I have all summer to get ready. Also Cman is the closest iron distance race to my home so me and family don't have to travel much - which is important to me (and my race budget) but depends on you - do you want to go to an exotic locale or stay close to home

Agree with the above.  Think about what time of year is the best for you to log big miles on the bike and run.  Choose an IM that provides you with at least 3-4 months of that time before it.  Then decide if location is important (how much travel, what there might be to do in the area for any 'support' team coming with you, etc.) and whether you want the "show" and larger crowds (on and off the course) of a branded-IM race or if just having support over the distance at a non-branded race will suffice.  That should limit your choices and then you can look into the particulars of course layout, typical weather, etc.

All of that... along with picking a course that you will enjoy racing.

Start reading RR's on here from all the different IM's. Start making a list of what is and is not good for you.

I know a lot of people say Florida... but for me, I didn't want to do it. I hate wind. I hate riding a flat course. I didn't want to go in person the year before to register (hard to get a spot online and since it's at the end of the year, if I didn't get in online I risked missing doing an IM in 2008). I didn't want a race that late in the year. I didn't want it to be cold (it's chilly there in the morning). I didn't want an ocean swim (jelly fish) with a wetsuit (I hate cold water).

So you see, what is good for one, isn't good for another. Just start deciding if you want a branded or non-branded race, read the RR's and make your choice.

Good luck!

And, of course--though it may not be an issue for you, it was for me--there's price.  Not just registration--although there can be a significant difference between an M-Dot and independent race on that score--but also travel and lodging costs.  Some places are not only more expensive to get to, but more expensive to stay at.

There's also Saturday vs. Sunday race date to be considered.  There are M-Dot and non-M-Dot races on both and then the required lead time for check-in on site can also vary.  (I won't be showing up at my non-M-Dot IM in August until midday the day before the Saturday race, for example, whereas for my first M-Dot race next year, I'll be in town for three days before hand.)  Depending on your work situation, that timing might be something to think about in terms of whether this is going to be a long race "weekend" or part of a more lengthy family vacation.

Thanks for getting this thread going - I was planning on writing something similar.  In the meantime I'll just give it a quick *bump* to the top.

Cheers

Yup, like everyone else said there are SO many factors that go into choosing...we can't recommend what's right for you without more information about you!

Biggest factors IMHO:

1. $$$$!  IM can be expensive.  Non-M-dot branded races are going to be cheaper and easier to get into.  If you are dead set on an M-dot race you will often have to go there the year before so you can sign up on site.  So, that's TWO trips.  Or twice the $$$$!  Even the different race locations cost different amounts...it might be cheaper to get a room in AZ than LP.  Need to go to a warm weather training destination for a few weeks because you live in the great white north?  More $$$$!  Figure out how much you are willing to spend on this project.

2. Race like you train and race to your strengths.  Not always possible, but preferred.  As in...if you stink at hills, do you really want to do a hilly IM?  If you live in the mountains can you really stay aero for 6 hours on the bike?  Part of this can be countered by doing a training trip...that's what I did.  I live in the hills but was racing IMAZ so I went to AZ for a few weeks to train on the flats.  But if you do that, see #1...it costs more $$$$$!

Other factors:
Bike transport, self transport, family/support/friend presence, pair it up with a vacation, heck--do you have enough vacation time to make it happen, time of year, etc.  A lot of these are sub-parts to #1 and #2 above.

And you can't just think about the date of the RACE when you are factoring in schedule.

When it comes to schedule, plan on being REALLY busy training from 6 weeks out to 2 weeks out.  Those are really your peak volume weeks.  So, yeah...the race date itself might work for the schedule but your annual weeklong family reunion might be smack dab in the middle of peak training.  Not gonna work so well.

What about what's going on the month AFTER Ironman?  Most novices need a good MONTH to recover from an Ironman.  I had my annual PT test scheduled about a month after IM...POOR POOR timing!  I went in fairly "cold" to the test because I had been recovering from my Ironman for the entire month before!

To specifically answer your original post, no one IM is more conducive to a first time IMer.  You find a ton of first timers at ALL of them.  It might be safe to say that the best first timer one is the one that minimizes the STRESS associated with IM.  However, bottom line...the one that factors in all of the above criteria is the one you want to do.