Bike Cut Off Times

Thank you Kathy for posting that.  I got a similar comment that was uninformed about the point and I don't think BT's appreciate these kinds of statements.  We are a supportive community that cares about helping everyone to the finish line.  Don't rain on people's parades!

I won't try and comment for BigPimp, but I do agree with people should be careful about signing up and training for an Ironman if they are worried about the cutoffs.  I see people who figure that if everything goes their way they can finish in 16:30.  Well, we all know it rarely goes well on your first Ironman.  Before I get attacked, I'm not saying people shouldn't try.  I'm all for reaching for the stars.  I just can't imagine investing so much time and money to have some one grab my number and tell me to go home if everything doesn't go right.

IMFL is late in the year on the Western edge of the Eastern time zone.  The cutoff is 5:15 PM because it'll be dark very soon after that.  Most races have a 5:30 PM cutoff for the bike, but check the specific race to be sure.  For most athletes, the cutoff is not an issue.  A 2:00 swim and a 7:30 bike split still give you about 0:45 for transition and contingencies. 

As for some of the other posts.  Maybe a different choice of words helps.  I would recommend caution for anyone who signs up for the race expecting to come in "barely under the wire" for one or more of the cutoffs.  If perfect execution is required to come out of the water at 2:15 or roll into transition at 10:10/10:20 or limp across the finish line at 16:50, then yea, you probably SHOULD wait to sign up.  The person taking your timing chip because you're past the cutoff don't care if you're male or female, old or young, spent an extra 30 minutes throwing up in the porta-john, etc.  I know, because I was that person at Steelhead 2 weeks ago and had to take 6 chips.  Most were OK, some weren't.  One guy missed by about 15 minutes which was almost exactly the amount of time it took him to change a flat tire.  Didn't matter, their race was done. 

There is a huge emotional cost to training for and competing in an Ironman race.  Nobody wants their race day to end short of the finish line after spending a year focused on one race.  Go read a few of the Ironman race-reports from people who didn't finish.  Some of those people went back and completed the race a year or two later.  A couple of them DNF'd after previously completing an Ironman (no such thing as a guaranteed finish).