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Texas 70.3 vs New Orleans 70.3
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 2013-07-18 9:12 AM |
 153  |  Subject: Texas 70.3 vs New Orleans 70.3These 2 races are a week apart, so I need to decide which one to sign up for! Would love opinions from those of you who have done either or both races as to which is better. Thanks for any input.  |
| 2013-07-18 9:43 AM in reply to: Tri Fit |
Veteran 179 The Woodlands, Tx | Subject: RE: Texas 70.3 vs New Orleans 70.3 I have done neither but would sure like to know as well. However, I understand that the New Orleans 70.3 has canceled the swim portion on numerous occasions because of water conditions. You might want to consider this. |
| 2013-07-18 4:32 PM in reply to: JAngell |
Member 77 | Subject: RE: Texas 70.3 vs New Orleans 70.3 I've not done Texas, but NOLA is flat, fast, and windy. The swim won't be cancelled again as it's been moved to a protected harbor. The bike's biggest hills were a couple of bridges, and the course runs into the wind for the first half. After the turnaround, the second half of the course is with the wind for the most part. The finish has been moved back to the French Quarter also (at least it was in 2013). Great race - I loved it. |
| 2013-07-18 5:26 PM in reply to: cfib |
New user 17 Amarillo | Subject: RE: Texas 70.3 vs New Orleans 70.3 I've done the Texas 70.3 twice and its a flat race. But windy. You think you are going to have a tail wind at some point but it turns into a head cross. The swim is in a protected bay at Moody Gardens and the run is all within Moody Gardens. It's a great race. |
| 2013-07-18 5:37 PM in reply to: tri in texas |
| 153 | Subject: RE: Texas 70.3 vs New Orleans 70.3 Thanks for the information. Sounds like 2 great races a week apart!!! Aaarrrggghhh!!!!! |
| 2013-07-22 9:45 AM in reply to: Tri Fit |
| 10 | Subject: RE: Texas 70.3 vs New Orleans 70.3 Plan on traveling down from Kansas City for the Texas 70.3, seems to be a relatively easy course with fast times and a good beginner HIM course. Though I'm still months away, any tips on simulating ocean open water swims during the end of this season and offseason? |
| 2013-07-23 8:52 AM in reply to: TriKB54 |
Extreme Veteran 1986  Cypress, TX | Subject: RE: Texas 70.3 vs New Orleans 70.3 Originally posted by TriKB54 Plan on traveling down from Kansas City for the Texas 70.3, seems to be a relatively easy course with fast times and a good beginner HIM course. Though I'm still months away, any tips on simulating ocean open water swims during the end of this season and offseason? The Texas 70.3 has slower average finish times than many races that are far harder than it "on paper" (like Syracuse, Buffalo Springs, Austin, and many others). It's actually in the top 1/3 for slowest finish time. Don't make the mistake thinking it's easy because it's flat and looks easy on paper. I've done it 4x (every year it has been an Ironman branded event) so I know the race really well. 1. It's early season and it tends to be the hottest day of the year up to that point. Nobody is acclimated to running in mid-80's heat in early-April. 2. The bike course is very windy and that causes some chaos on the bike course. It would be a very, very fast and easy bike course if the wind weren't a factor. Galveston is an island and it's windy and there's zero protection from the wind as there's no buildings or walls or trees lining the bike course. Winds usually come from a southerly direction which normally means a cross/headwind going out and a cross/tailwind coming back. This past year saw almost all crosswinds with very little head or tailwind. Riding 56 miles with a 10-20 mph crosswind is generally not a lot of fun. 3. The swim is not that fast. It should be fast given the fact it's in saltwater and wetsuit legal but it's just not. It's just an average speed swim, IMO. There's always a little bit of current that you fight that keeps the swim honest. The current was real choppy in 2010 and swim times reflected that. I'm normally a 32-33 minute HIM swimmer and my swim time in 2010 was like 41 minutes. All that stated, I think my two fastest HIM times were done on the Texas 70.3 course in 2012 and 2013. I attribute that to knowing how to ride the bike course, which is mainly dealing with the wind. People tend to destroy themselves the first half of the bike fighting the headwinds. A power meter is your best friend on this course. It's a very well run and managed course. I will do it again and again. NOLA 70.3 has been a monumental cluster*** since inception. "Hopefully" it has taken a turn for the better with the change to the swim course but it's still organized by the same group (PEM) and they have not made good decisions in the past as it pertains to the race. |
| 2013-07-23 8:55 PM in reply to: GMAN 19030 |
| 10 | Subject: RE: Texas 70.3 vs New Orleans 70.3 Thanks for the info on the Texas 70.3, I'm glad to hear from somebody who has competed in it before. I look forward to doing the race and by no means do I feel it will be "easy" but with family in the area and it being an early season race, it seems too good to pass up this coming year. |
| 2013-07-25 7:32 AM in reply to: Tri Fit |
| 11 | Subject: RE: Texas 70.3 vs New Orleans 70.3 I've done both. Galveston in 2010 and 2011 and NOLA in 2013. I preferred NOLA and would go back. Logistics at NOLA are more complex and you will need a car, however. The NOLA swim in the marina was a little milder than Galveston 2011, but they are fairly comparable now. I think the NOLA bike course is considerably better and has nicer roads. Both are windy, so that's a wash. I really enjoyed the point to point run in NOLA vs the many laps at Galveston. As a bonus, the food in NOLA is fantastic. |
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