General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Vineman and IM first timer Rss Feed  
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2016-05-26 12:41 PM

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Subject: Vineman and IM first timer
Hello! From what I have found, there is not a forum for this year's Vineman full. I'm looking for tips, advice, and to chat with others who are going to be at Vineman. This is also my first full Ironman, so any advice and/or suggestions would be much appreciated. Also, I'm wondering if the days before the race if people get together to swim, go over the race, etc. with each other? O, and any surprises/things you didn't think about or realize going into your first Ironman that you would be willing to share! Thanks so much in advance for the help!


2016-05-26 12:53 PM
in reply to: afin03

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Subject: RE: Vineman and IM first timer

Vineman is a great event.  I've done it twice and I think is a good first time event as the swim venue is as "friendly" as any I've done.  Scenery is beautiful with a nice mix of terrain on the bike.  Run is a little tough.

Best advice I can give is to read the race reports on this site.  There are almost 80 of them.

2016-05-26 2:18 PM
in reply to: popsracer

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Subject: RE: Vineman and IM first timer
Originally posted by popsracer

Vineman is a great event.  I've done it twice and I think is a good first time event as the swim venue is as "friendly" as any I've done.  Scenery is beautiful with a nice mix of terrain on the bike.  Run is a little tough.

Best advice I can give is to read the race reports on this site.  There are almost 80 of them.




This is excellent advice. Just remember that this is the first year Vineman full is branded IM, so the course will likely be more crowded than in previous years. Good luck!
2016-05-26 3:43 PM
in reply to: afin03

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Subject: RE: Vineman and IM first timer

It was a great experience in 2011 when I did it as my second IM.  These are all based on my experience that year and I don't know how much they've changed things in 5 years...

The swim venue isn't close to anything and there isn't a lot "close by" for your sherpa and/or family.  They should bring stuff to be mostly self-sufficient (snacks, entertainment besides watching you obsess prior to the start, etc.)  

The roads are TERRIBLE.  I've half-joked with people doing that race that you should start with your water bottles filled with wine.  The first hour will be rough, but then you'll reach that "happy place" where the wine has kicked in and you don't notice the pavement cracks (I'm pretty sure that's why they don't improve the roads, by the third vineyard, the roads seem pretty smooth...)  

The run was a 3X out-and-back.  They gave me a wristband after the first and second time so I didn't have to remember which "lap" I was on.  That was good.  

There were a few restaurants in Windsor and they seemed capable of handling the race crowd.  I finished, we waited for another BTer to finish, then we all walked to one of the pubs for hamburgers and beer without too much wait (he finished in around 14 hours).  

I was able to meet up with several BTers during the trip.  We had a sushi dinner one evening and banged around the race expo together.  BT shows 5 members doing the race even if there isn't a discussion thread dedicated to this race (yet).  

2016-05-26 4:20 PM
in reply to: McFuzz

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Subject: RE: Vineman and IM first timer

Good comments so far. You can read my race report here but my main piece of advice would be to train for hills on the run. They were exponentially more difficult than I imagined, even after looking at the elevation profile. Give me a PM if you have any other specific questions

2016-05-26 11:02 PM
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Subject: RE: Vineman and IM first timer

Have done the half and full there, and will be racing the full again this year, so see you there!

I second the recommendation to review all of the race reports as I found them full of good info when I was planning on racing Vineman. I’m fortunate that I live about 80 miles from the course so can do my long training rides on the course itself. My input would be:

 Swim – Couldn’t ask for a better swim course. In the reports you’ll see it referred to as having two laps, but this year they are changing it to a single lap up the river and back. You start the swim at Johnson Beach in Guerneville. The river flow in the summer is very low, so they actually put up a temporary dam to create deeper water for recreational purposes. By deep, it is 3-7 feet deep on the course and if you stray from the middle you’ll be grabbing gravel on the pull. On the other hand, if you get tired, you can stand up and walk. As you swim up the river you have towering redwoods on either side and swim under two different bridges.   There is negligible current, so don’t worry about that, and the river is narrow so I’m pretty sure they will be doing a self-paced staggered start, so shouldn’t be too wild.

Bike – I’ve ridden the course a number of times in the past 6 weeks including a 100 mile workout earlier this week. The course will be a love/hate affair. It starts out very innocuous and is full of beautiful scenery, but it is relentless in terms of the rolling hills. As you leave the swim area running your bike out, just after you cross the timing mat you are on a short but steep hill. Do yourself a favor and run the bike up and mount at the top. You’ll find that is what most are doing and some of those that don’t end up laying the bike down as they are trying to clip in. As you start along river road it’ll be flat and fast, tempting you to push it too hard at the beginning. Hold back, because just as you get onto Westside road you’ll get smacked in the face with another steep (but fairly short) hill, then get into the rollers. You’ll read about the rough roads starting with Westside, and for good reason. For those of you who have raced there before, you'll be glad to hear that the better part of Westside road has been repaved! It has gone from butt-busting, bottle launching and tooth filling-jarring to smooth as butta, much like Eastside did for 2014. Also, the new overpass on Airport Blvd over Hwy 101 is wide and smooth now, and that tire trap of a railroad crossing on Airport Blvd has been completely and bike-friendly rebuilt. However, parts of Hwy 128, Chalk Hill Road and Faught road all have areas that are dangerously rough if you are not paying attention – so be careful there. In your training, ride rolling hills. A lot of rolling hills. You’ll be shifting thousands of times during the course of the race. Chalk hill is tough but fair; a real grinder. The downhill after is a blast – fast and long.

Run – It is a new course this year. I’ve ridden it but not run it as the Eastside Road portion has no shoulder and a 45 or 50 mph limit. I think it will be a challenging run course with a significant hill at about the 11.5 and 24.5ish point (Windsor River Road) and a small but steep one near the turnaround. I think it does have more flat sections than the old course, but it will be no gimme. As LisaC957 advised, incorporate hill running into your training or it will bite you on race day for sure. I plan to do my next brick session up there such that my run goes down and back up the Windsor River Road hill to get a better feel for it. I've inserted the elevation profile for a single lap of the two lap run to give you an idea of what to expect.

Let me know if you have any other questions, I’ll be glad to help.



Edited by TTom 2016-05-26 11:04 PM


2016-05-28 9:55 PM
in reply to: McFuzz

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Subject: RE: Vineman and IM first timer
Like the above comments said, the roads are bad. Bumpy, full of cracks, and potholes. Hold onto your butt!

Also, do not go too fast in the first 14 miles. Coming out of Guerneville, there are two downhill slopes with 90 degree turns at the bottom. One athlete flew off the road and slammed into the wood fence.
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