Ironman CDA as a first IM?

Cold Water

& From what I have read, the bike course is pretty freaking hilly

I just did IMCDA 2 weeks ago as my first IM.  It was incredibly awesome and I would choose it again in a heartbeat.

I'm not sure how the swim compares to other IMs, but it is pretty crazy.  The start is very crowded and once you get in, there is lots of contact, much more than I've ever experienced in any other race, and since it is a 2 loop swim the crowd really doesn't ever thin out if you are anywhere near MOP.  I would definitely recommend as many open water mass start experiences as possible before doing this one, but as long as you don't have a tendency to panic in such situations, you should be fine.

Also, yes, the water is likely to be in the 50s, but again, you just have to prepare for it and know how your body reacts.  Some people wear neoprene hoods and/or booties, but I was ok with just an extra swim cap, even though my swim took an hour and a half.

The bike is hilly, but not ridiculously so.  Advertised climbing is about 4600 ft for the whole 112, but I've read that it is probably about 1k higher than that.

The run is mostly flat, with a few minor hills.  The hardest part for me was the fact that it was 2 loops, it was tough to look one street over and see the finish chute knowing I had 13.1 to go!

Long story short, it was an amazing experience.  The town is great, the area is beautiful, and the race atmosphere is just really exciting.

CdA was my first IM as well, and I would echo the sentiments above - cold, choppy water and hills on the bike.  

I don't think the bike course is "hard" per say - it just depends on your strengths.  I personally melt in the heat, so I would rather have hills but cool temps.  I knew that I did not do enough hill training, so I just took the bike super easy and didn't push it.  It paid off in that I had a strong (for me) run.

I'm definitely going back to CdA someday - targeting 2015 - and I think it is a great place for a first IM.

I did CdA as my first in 2007, and enjoyed the experience so much that, when I crossed the finish line, I would have gone immediately to register for the following year if not for some plans for family.  Yes, the water is cold and was very choppy in 2007 (they almost pulled the AGers after the first lap of the swim that year), and there is a lot of contact during the swim.  If you approach it with the right mind-set, it can be a lot of fun.  As others have said, one's perception of the hilliness of the bike course is very subjective.  Being from Colorado, I didn't think the hills were overly challenging.  Of course, the route has changed since then, so I would defer to those who did it this year to speak to that.

What I loved about this race was the beautiful setting and, possibly even moreso, the AMAZING community support throughout the week and particularly on race day.  The energy in that town was incredible.

Just did CDA as my first IM and second time going the distance, I would say it's 90 minutes harder then B2B, and between 30 and 60 minutes harder then most other IM, that is based unscientifically on comparing the same placement in age groups.

The cold water might have expended more energy but I feel most IM swims are somewhat chaotic looking and feeling, just be calm and do your best to stay calm during the swim...The Kicker is the new bike course much more longer sustained climbs, People tell you hill training but I would advise mountain climbing ...Those aren't really hills.

The run might be faster though tough..... but a crowd like no other will help push you home....It was one of the hardest days in my life it was also one of the best.

That's what I said to my husband in T2 - "Those weren't hills, those were mountains!" - which he promptly posted to Facebook and everyone keeps asking me about!

HA HA HA

I just did CDA it was my 5th IM and first of three this year.  IMO it would not be a bad first IM.

The swim - normal chaos, cool water but not horrible, felt pretty good to me on race day but before the race I got in the lake twice each day I was there.

The Bike - long hills not steep just long uphills, nice roads to ride on. 

The Run - had some hills

Good course overall

Nicole 

I just IMCDA as my first.  The swim was crazy...

...CRAZY AWESOME!  I had a great swim.

It was a great day, everything I dreamed it would be.  Crowd support was awesome and the course wasn't easy, but it wasn't a killer either.  You'll cater your training to the course.  The new bike has some long grinding hills, but nothing that you can't take your time and spin up.  A couple hills on the run.  Cold swim, but I'm used to swimming OWS in 50-60 degrees, so it didn't bug me.  Do it!

I did IM CDA in 2012 as my 3rd IM.  And compared to the IM FL and IM Cozumel swims, CDA was the toughest IM swim I've ever done.  Way more body contact than my other 2 IM swims and the chop in the lake can be a little nasty.

But...I LOVED the venue and the old bike course was tough, but absolutely beautiful.  If you make CDA your first IM, just make sure to train on hills, hills and more hills.  And make sure you are very comfortable in the water so that you don't panic with the amount of contact.  Definitely do some longer swims in cold water to get used to that feeling so you're ready on race day!

Not to discourage you, but one IM offical told me with the cold water , Coeur D Alene Had one of the highest DNF rates among IM and he expected that number to go up with the new tougher bike course when he looked at the numbers.

If you are going to do it, may I suggest you do it right, hire a coach. My times were close to a push compared to B2B where I trained myself and CDA where I had a coach. The difference was I was in better shape and she had a plan that helped me get though CDA which was much harder for me. I think if I wasn't trained correctly I might have had a different outcome and best case scenario one of the last hour finishers feeling miserable, instead of one of the highlights of my life.

CdA 2011 was my first (and probably last) IM.

I hate the heat.  CdA was perfect for my first.

I agree with the other posts. CDA is a great race. I have done it 2 times now and love it even more. I will be back for a third. The swim is a swim. I learned my first year. I was like being at wal-mart on Black Friday. I took that lesson this year and waited a minute to let the mass go, and then i started my swim. A lot less stressful and had a bit of water to swim in. The bike was nice this year. Not as technical on the hills. As was mentioned, slow up, fast down. The run as always was a blast. Drag thats its 2 loops but also a little of what makes it fun. You can see the party houses go form not so drunk to very drunk as your run goes on, then finish on Sherman is awesome. As a first IM i would say go for it. Have fun and enjoy the ride.

As to how fast it sells out. i have watched it close the last couple years. To me it seems like people wait to see if they can get into Ironman Canada. If they can not get in they seem to migrate over to CDA so it fills up around September or mid August.

I did CdA in 2011 for my first IM.  What a wonderful experience!  Not much else to add that others haven't said, but I do have a video that my bf took of the swim start:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZODXvyo6_Xc