Miami Man or Ironman 70.3

I am going to do Ironman 70.3 Heard good things about both but swimming in the bay and biking/running downtown seems more appealing. May try Miami Man the following year or do the Int. distance this year.

I've done MiamiMan both distances. It was voted "Best Tri" in Florida and is really well put on. The only thing is that it is a 2 loop race for the swim and run for the HIM distance, but the run is neat because it goes through the zoo so it doesn't get boring. The swim is in a clear lake and my preference is for a lake swim, but that is just my opinion.

IM 70.3 had some problems the first year but I think they got it straightened out last year and seems to be a pretty good race. I have not done that race.
I think either one would be a good bet for a fun race.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp...

I would say the Miami Man is about as good of a race as you will find.


The lake swim is great - I typically prefer ocean swims due to visibility - but the lake for Miami Man has good visibility and is nice and cool - wetsuit legal. Yes it is two loops but not and issue you come out of the water for 5 seconds and you are then back in and swimming again.

The bike is flat through farm land area- good traffic control - can be a bit windy but no bridges or hills at all.

The run is totally flat two loops through the zoo . Only issue is there is some area when you run in and out of the zoo that is hard packed with some large rocks - so watch you footing in these areas. Other wise all paved. I have done both the international and the half.

Miami 70.3 is fine - but the swim in Biscayne is nothing special, the bike is basically straight out and back. The run has a rather the large bridge that gets repeated a few times. They have changed the course a little each year so not sure how many times you will have to face the bridge this year?

Thanks for all the advice so far.

I'm still undecided. The MiamiMan course doesn't seem too exciting to me (lake swim and parking lot run), however, I'm reading the support and setup is much better than the Ironman.

EDIT: also, I prefer to swim in my wetsuit, and it looks like typically the ironman race is not wetsuit legal where the MiamiMan typically is.

Edited by FloridaGreg 2013-06-07 10:14 AM

Miami Man was my first international distance triathlon last year. It was a well-run and fun race, I enjoyed it, but I wasn't really impressed with the venue, I was expecting more because of all the marketing hype around the race. The run was a bit disappointing, it was a hot day, through the empty zoo and parking lots, it was far from the "running in the zoo" experience I was expecting.

I'll be doing Ironman 70.3 Miami - already signed up - as my first HIM this year, and will be able to compare both races better then.

I did Miami Man last year as my first 70.3 (see report here). I liked it and it was a very well run race as most Multirace races are but even more as this is their top race of the year.
The swim is awesome; it's a spring fed lake with crystal clear water and it's wetsuit legal - what more can you ask for?
The bike is FLAT but there are strong winds and it's like that every year from what I could gather reading other reports.
The run was okay, some portions through the zoo, some on an unpaved road and most of the rest through the parking lot. There are plenty of aid stations though, they are very well stocked with everything you need and the volunteers are amazing.

I signed up for Ironman Miami 70.3 in 2013 just for a change of scenery but otherwise I'll definitely come back to this race and I might even sign up again for the Intl distance this year.

Edited by sp1ke 2013-06-10 3:26 PM

Thanks everyone.

I signed up for the Ironman Miami 70.3. I like the look of the course more, and the location. Also, I like that it's an Ironman race, which probably doesn't mean a whole lot to most but it's my first HIM so I figure I should start with the big name.

Did the Olympic at Miami Man in 2010 though it is shorter than an actual Olympic. Signed up for the half iron and Miami Man this year just because I couldn't make it up to North Carolina for the Beach 2 Battleship and didn't want to wait all the way to January to do another half iron. Personally when it comes to racing in Florida the miserable heat and humidity is always the limiting factor so I'd always lean towards a race a few weeks later into fall where it has a chance to be a little bit cooler. Still will be hot but I find November weather to be much more tolerable than October. Since its a lake swim current and waves aren't likely going to be much of an issue at Miami Man regardless of time of year. If you get a crazy windy day in the intracoastal for Miami 70.3 you could be in for a hell of a choppy swim fighting a swift current for part of it.

The bike on Miami Man was pretty windy and hoping its not like that again this year but the way the course twists and turns if there is a wind hopefully I'll have it at my back as much as in my face. The run is kinda boring in parts but hell during the race I don't really care about looking at monkeys and elephants. I am looking straight ahead wanting to go.

Another plus for Miami Man is hotels out near the zoo are way way way cheaper than downtown Miami, like hundred dollars a night cheaper.

Wish Setup Events would do more races down here. They seem to be less expensive than Multirace and really have their game down when it comes to planning out a race.

I did IM Miami fisrt year and yes, it sucked as far as support and organization. I have done Miami Man half iron distance the last two years and they rock. This year I am doing IM Florida in Panama City Beach so no halfs, but I would do miami man any day of the year.