Subject: RE: Recommended first IMHere's what I know:
Lake Placid is probably the toughest IM course. The bike has more climbing than any other IM race (at least the IM-branded ones ). The run course is also the toughest. On the up side, the course is gorgeous. I grew up going up to that area, so I'm very familiar with the roads. Of course, I chose it for my first IM....
Florida has very flat bike and run courses. The big drawback there is that it can be brutally humid. It can also be pretty windy since it's on the coast. I lived in PCB for a year so I know that area, as well.
Arizona has a 400-ft climb on each of the three laps. The run course is basically flat. The weather should be pretty nice and not very humid at all. Not much scenery to speak of. I lived in Tempe for year, too. ![](https://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/images/emoticons/wink.gif) If I had the choice to make over again, I probably would have done this for my first.
I don't have any personal info on the other courses, but the profiles seem to fall between Placid and Arizona. |