I strongly believe that the best IM for a first timer is the one you get most excited about. There is no "easy" course, and it does depend on your strengths and weaknesses as to which course is easier for an individual. So if the swim is your thing, and the IMWI one sounds better, go with that.

I've only done IMKY, and I did love it, but the swim was very different from my other IMs since there was no mass start. This had good and bad. Since everyone started at their own time it was impossible to know where you were in your AG/overall/etc. But there was also no washing machine.

Both courses are different and I don't think one caters to first timers better than the other. My first IM was Brazil, my last IM was Florida. This past weekend I went and did the IMWI bike course for the 1st time, WOW! I'd say Brazil or Florida would be easier than IMWI. I will ignore the 20+ mph winds we had on the second half of the 2nd loop of the bike course. It depends on what you have for training. We don't have rolling hills like that here in MN to train on (this didn't seem to matter too much since I've also done IM Switzerland and that has some big climbs. We had 10 IM newbies from our tri club do this race as well and they all finish even with the challenges faced). Oh yeah and the wacky weather possibilities could be extremely hot, except for last year.

We did one loop of the run course, that was good fine. I don't know much about IMKY but I heard it can be hot. We wanted to do a swim, but couldn't because of the raw sewage that was dumped into the lake.

I'm not sure about IMKY, but IMWI would require a trip there to register a year in advance.

Don't pick a race that's easy, pick a race that excites you and will challenge you. That's what IM racing is about, being challenged and conquering the course no matter what. Yes, convenience helps when it comes to seeing the course and training on the course and registering but still.

best of luck...

And in a similar way that RV talked about IMWI, here is IMKY:

Swim -- the river really wasn't that bad. You just have to be smart about where you swim because of current.

Bike is rolly -- there wasn't much flat but there weren't any big climbs either.

Run is flat.

Also a spectator friendly course with the out and back of the run and multiple bike loops and although not a shuttle MANY people make it out to the area where there is a small town the bike course goes through.

We had the same waiter at a hotel near the finish before and after the race, and he had been watching and spotted us. Nothing like having someone you never met cheering just for you. I really got the feeling that there was local support (especially since the whole thing finished in a covered mall area. And that finish was amazing -- awesome crowd support since they could sit at restaurants along the last 100m with a beer and cheer all day :)

[quote=TriSoonerOne thing that is cool is the camera work: On the run and finish at Moo they pictures so the state capitol is in the background. (The Wisc. state cap building is a replica of the US Cap building. Cool pics.)