Augusta HIM - Tips

Swim all the way until your fingers touch the bottom at the boat ramp when you exit the river.  The is deeper than it looks.

I would say have a plan ahead of time.  For halves and full irons, I find it helpful to write down a plan/ goals ahead of time.  These don't necessarily have to be time goals, but they could be.  For your first, it should probably be just to finish and enjoy the day.  I always include nutrition, pacing, logistics, etc. in my plans.  For me it forces me to go through each segment of the race ahead of time. 

I have raced Augusta each year since it began.  It is a great race, and the course is more than fair.  The swim is straight forward, wetsuit legal, and can be very fast depending on the current.  But don't go out too hard with the hammer heads on the bike for the first 15-20 miles!  The first part of the bike course is flat and fast, but be careful depending on your bike fitness.  There are some rollers in the middle with a few steep climbs, but the last 10 miles are pretty fast too.  You goal should not be to see how fast you can do the bike, but how fast you can do the bike while setting yourself up for a solid half marathon.  The run course is super flat and through downtown Augusta.  Great crowds to cheer you on. 

Did Augusta 2 years ago and it was an awesome time.  The only thing I would suggest other than the above is to make sure your goggles defogged. I wore the googles I trained in and could not get them defogged for the life of me. I think a fresh pair would have been a better plan for me, but between the water temp and body temp the darn things would not clear up. 

Also, if you cannot preride the course you can watch it on youtube.  I found it very helpful come race day.

One thing I would have changed about my race from last year, was to bring a bottle with me for the run. The sun came out last year on my second lap and the humidity went through the roof. 

The aid stations last year were NOT every mile as advertised. Bringing my own bottle would have helped. 

x2 on pacing yourself on the bike.

Augusta is going to be my second HIM (did Columbus, Ga in April *great*).

I did not pace on the ride at Columbus and a 7 minute savings on the bike by riding faster resulted in a extra 23 minutes on the half marathon because I was dead and had to walk quite a bit.

Good race for your first! 

I had a blast doing this race! It was my first (inaugural year) and it was a very positive experience. the ppl were mostly helpful, the course is not that hard, and the atmosphere is pretty good.

Have a great time, pre ride the course if possible, and check out the run course. Flat as a pancake, but gets hot.

Luke, I don't think you need a fuel belt on the run.  Unless this is how you trained, and you use some special gel that they will not have on the course, I say just live off of the course.  They will have plenty of water, gels, sports, drink, etc. out on the course.  You won't be without I am certain.  The fuel belt would end up being a hassle for you and just end up weighing you down in the end. 

Have a great race!

Swimming in the river cuts about 30 seconds per 100 yards off my swim times.  The main channel is about 25 - 30 yards from the bank.  The flow has been a little slower than normal due to the drought but it is still a very fast swim.  The current plus wetsuit makes for a very fast and comfortable swim.  You should have no worries.  Worse case is float on your back for a bit to recover and then get back at it.  It's also a straight point to point swim so you don't have to worry about navigating bouys.

I PR-ed but only because it was my first HIM does that count? 5:53 total time with a flat right soon as i got on the bike, i had to run quarter mile back to transition to swap a tire out.... killed about 15 minutes of my time. Then overcooked the bike to make up for it and that killed my run lol talk about a domino effect.

Big props to Phat for getting me there though couldn't have done it without his coaching. Goal was under 6 hours and I got that even with a flat. Next year will be better