Ironman Louisville Central 2008
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kylie posted 19 weeks ago.
It's rolly and warm ;) Be prepared not to wear a wetsuit and for a fun start if they are keeping the time trial.
Oh, and be prepared to have no idea where you are in your AG if it is the time trial start. At awards we were amazed at the number of top positions separated by seconds last year -- and most of the people didn't see each other at all on the course! It really makes you race your own race.
One great thing about the bike course was the long stretch of a slight down hill at the end of the ride: perfect for getting your legs ready to run.
Although they are adjusting the bike and run this year (construction on the bike course and a football game on the run course). And I guess maybe the swim -- I have no idea if they are continuing the time trial start and they'd have to in order to use the same swim course. Last I heard the courses had been pulled from the website since they were under review. In that sense of having no idea what to expect it will probably feel a bit like it did last year ;)
Kylie Donia's Miles of Life --- Powered by MarkyV
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jsk85 posted 19 weeks ago.
Didn't do it, but am originally from the area. Swam shortened course, but in same area of the river a couple years back and the only side-effects were glowing in the dark (unfortunately went away after a week or so) and an additional arm (had to be surgically removed after I realized it didn't improve my swim time). But in all seriousness...I was worried about the water being toxic, but there's really no issue there...anyways I seriously doubt RDs would be throwing lots of people with money to hire lawyers and sue into a dangerous situation from that standpoint.
I'm also a little pissed about the decision to hold the UK-UL football game on the same day. I'm a huge college football and UK fan, but also feel like Louisville made a huge step in obtaining an IM event and should make it the ONLY focus when it's in town. And with KY being a state with no pro teams, the city will be very focused on the game, not giving IM as much respect as is deserved. Oh well, I'm sure the majority of the fans who will be tailgating filling their oversized guts with cheap beer that day wouldn't have been at the course to begin with.
Either way, I have no other info on the race itself, planning on it being my 1st IM in 2010 tho..GL to participants this yr
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TriSooner posted 19 weeks ago.
jsk85 wrote:
Wow, didn't know that. And yes, that really sucks. I hope you don't have to race AND contend with race-day traffic. At least when I did IM Wisconsin the Badger game was the day before.
And with KY being a state with no pro teams, the city will be very focused on the game, not giving IM as much respect as is deserved. Oh well, I'm sure the majority of the fans who will be tailgating filling their oversized guts with cheap beer that day wouldn't have been at the course to begin with.
And BTW . . . The 2008 Ironman KY and Ironman Wisc are only a week a part. Does anyone know if the 2009 events will be back-to-back like this also? I'd love to do both within a week.
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JohnieTri posted 19 weeks ago.
Just like Kylie said- Rollers and Hot on the bike. Got up aroung 40mph on a couple of the downhills-4-6 mph on a few of the uphills. Flat run- like it matters at that point. The swim was changed last year to a TT start b/c of the rain and flooding in the weeks leading up to the race. Originally, it was to be a 1.2 mile swim against a "slight" current, and a 1.2 mile swim with the "slight current." Great race and great support in my opinion.
-Johnie
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gauntlet posted 19 weeks ago.
Great info guys. Looks as if the veterns are doing their job.
Nice job with the extra limb JSK, way to run with the toxic water thing.
Hope others check in and we can keep this thread going....unfortunatly posting is not my thing as you might have noticed.
I plan on doing a few scouting rides late June and late july. Any other IMKYers are welcome to join. I'll keep you posted.
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Nobody posted 18 weeks ago.
My .02:
Don't worry too much about the water--it smelled a little bit like motor oil, but wasn't bad. There were heavy rains and I worried about sewage, but there wasn't any foul stuff floating in the water--it actually smelled a little like diesel, which prob. killed any germs. The water was incredibly warm (think tropical), so plan for a non-wetsuit swim.
T1 was about a 1/2 mile walk from the main hotel and the swim start was a good 1+ miles beyond that. Don't do what I did--make sure you hit your stopwatch at the start 'cause the course clocks won't reflect your time at all and you'll go mad trying to calculate your finish time / min per mile at mile 20 when you're sick and dehydrated. ;)
The bike was rolling--and there were some big hills, but you're pretty much coming down a big hill before the next, so you can carry momentum. I thought the weather was almost perfect--but being KY it could be super hot and humid, too.
The run was grueling...but that's because of my nutrition, not the course. Flat run, decent fans, lots of police and plenty of aid stations.
Greatness is only achieved by those who perpetually raise the expectations of themselves to the point where it ruins their life.
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flaniganrj posted 18 weeks ago.
I cant wait......87 days and counting. Its gettin hot here in Virginia so at least I will be ready for the heat hopefully.
OK...I've done the searches and can't find the everthing IMKY thread. You know the one. "hey just sighned up for Louisville." "Ya , me too". "Did you hear about the toxic water?". "I'll see ya there". That thread.
It's where we all check in to see what's new. See where everyone is at in training. Where I get to feel that my training is insufficient because you just logged a 19 hour training week.
I'ts where the veterns of the race chime in and say that it's hilly and hot. Prepare to not wear a wetsuite.
I'ts the thread you check every other day before you sign off to see who may be doing a group ride that weekend on the course. Check the latest tips and rumors (IE toxic water)
So...clue me in
I'll see ya there