Ironman Coeur d'Alene (2010) Race Report

I can’t speak highly enough about Ironman Coeur d’Alene – the race, the city, and competing in the Northwest/Idaho panhandle in June. The 2010 edition was my second time to compete at CdA and my fourth Ironman overall. It’s not what I would call a PR course (even though I did PR there this year). If you want to blast through an Ironman, go to Florida or Frankfurt, both of which are fast and flat. CdA is a tough bike course, but the weather is usually very accommodating (typically the start is in the 50s, with highs in the 70s), and the run is very manageable.

SWIM - I was somewhat concerned about 50*-something degree water. There were plenty of people wearing squid lids and neoprene booties. Not a single person did not have a wetsuit, and 99% of them were wearing fulls. IMHO, the squid lids and booties were overkill, but if you don’t want to be cold, that’s fine. Race in what you’re comfortable, but upper-50 degree water isn’t bad at all. What is bad is 2,500+ starting the damn swim from the shore (see below). Really, Ironman needs to cap these events at about 2,000 starters tops.

• Lesson learned: My plan was to hold 2:00 per 100m pace, do each 1900m lap in :38 and get out of the water in 1:16. I’ve gone 1:12 in that exact swim in 2006, so I know it was possible. Well, as Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth.” Or in my case, I hit the water and for the entire first 500 meters, I couldn’t get in more than four or five consecutive strokes without being stood up. I’m not talking about swimming by and brushing someone. I mean a solid blob of neoprene and boney elbows. It’s wall of people just inching along in a very awkward crawl. Everyone was nice, no one got pissy about being bunched up, but when I got to the first buoy that I guestimated was 200m out – and it took me 6:00 minutes to get there – I realized my pace and plan was shot. I said, “Meh. I’ve got a long day ahead of me.” So I took a 90degree turn away from line of buoys and went as far outside as I could get (see below). I threw my time plan out the window and enjoyed the swim, reminding myself that it was the only time of the day I would be cool. Then on each turn back to shore I swam on the inside of the buoys which is highly recommended (and legal). Time: 1:29, slowest IM swim yet, but at that pace, also the easiest. I got out feeling like I’d done nothing at all. The alternative was to literally fight through and around hundreds of people, thus exerting way too much energy.

BIKE - It’s a tough bike course. More than 6,000’ climbing, all bunched together around miles 20-40, then 80-100. So what happens if you tear a$$ for the first 20 miles? *WHAM*! You run into several small-chainring, long, extended seated climbs. My first hour I covered 20miles, then quickly rediscovered my mortality and spent the rest of the day fighting to hold a 17ish average. My speed got down to 4mph on some climbs. I just wasn’t going to hammer Lap 1. Fortunately mile 100 back into town is flat.

The other challenge is in all the dang technical turns (note all the little blue circles in the image below). You may think that with that many climbs you can pick up some speed on the downhill. Not really. There were so many right-angle turns at the bottom of the hills and U-turns (six, to be exact), that you spent a disappointing amount of time bleeding-off speed downhill, or coming to the end of a really nice flat stretch to only hit a U-turn timing mat. As such, a road bike - light on the climbs, easier to handle in the drops - may be a good choice. Overall it’s a great bike course: challenging enough to reward strong climbers, with enough variety to not get boring. It could easily become punishing if you get all sassy with the first loop. The vistas around Hayden Lake are awesome and the road surface is about 95% crack-free. Really smooth riding surface. Time: 6:33, 17.1mph average. I was hoping for low-6hrs, but I’ll take 6 ½ .

• Lesson learned: Take the first lap easy (which I did). Eat until you can’t stand to eat any more. Get the right gearing combination – 12x27, maybe a compact crank, maybe even a triple if you’re worried about the cumulative ascent. Also, know how to handle your bike on technical descents. If you insist on riding in your aero bars on all downhills, you may Sonny Bono yourself on a tree. I saw the aftermath of a crash or two, and saw many inside-pedal-down on the U-turns. Triathletes, even at this level, still need to learn how to ride a bike.

RUN - Compared to the over-crowded swim and hard (for me) bike, the run is easy. Mostly flat, out-and-back along the lake, so you get to see everyone who hasn’t already finished. Only one climb (done twice) and most MOPers walk it anyways. If you don’t hammer the bike you can have a good run. Run: 5:15. Goal was sub-5, which I haven’t done yet, but 5:15 was still a PR and I’ll take it. 6,000' climbing took alot out of the first 13.1. The second 13.1 I felt a lot better.

Total finish time: 13:34, a PR by :12 minutes
Overall I was really pleased with all elements of the race: pacing, nutrition, weather, transitions, aid stations, finish area. I wouldn’t change anything, unless maybe a spot to Kona, but I’m several hours off, and I’m cool with that. My 13:34 put me MOP overall as I suspected (45th percentile OA, 39th percentile in AG). I realize that being a MOPer Ironman finisher is like being the 501st richest person in the world and thus, being left off the Forbes list ain’t really a big deal. I'm actually looking forward to Florida in November 2010. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about doing another IM four+ months after CdA.

COST - Ah, the sordid topic of coin. I include this remuneration only as an indication of the direct costs associated with competing in an Ironman, which is an element mostly neglected in race reports. Costs vary widely depending on level of accommodations, mode of travel, how many people in your crew, where you eat, etc. Mind you that my travels were budget-oriented (5am flights, economy hotels, no rental car) and it still cost upward of $2,000.

• Entry fee: $588
• Flight: $385 (DFW to Spokane, round trip)
• Bike shipping: $400. I got screwed on this one. $200 each way on Delta. Yes, it cost more to get my bike up there than it cost to get me up there. My 17.5lb bike + 20lb box weighed less than the 50lb checked bag limit, but cost eight times as much to check. So, no more flying with bikes. It’s obvious the airline industry does not want bike on their planes. That’s good news for FedEx/UPS/DHS and bike transport outfitters.
• Shuttle from Spokane airport to CdA (round trip): $100
• Hotel: $300 (four nights)
• Wheel rental: $170 from http://www.racedaywheels.com/. So, for a 6hr race, it comes out to $30 and hour, or about $1 per mile.
• Race pics: $100

Read more...