IM Weekend - bag check, arrival Qs
3471
Member
1767 days
RV posted 7 weeks ago.
Friday is fine - though - Thursday is usually a little less hectic checking in - fewer athletes.
The Gatorade bag check - is for the swims on thur, fri ,and sat. They basically watch your stuff while you get in a swim during the times specified.
1288
Member
1557 days
PJT posted 7 weeks ago.
As long as you get there before registration closes, you're fine to arrive on Friday. If you're traveling across a bunch of time zones, an extra day on the front end may help you adjust (although when you're planning to go to bed early anyway, going east to west isn't nearly as tough as the opposite).
So all you need to do Friday is the registration and athlete's dinner/meeting (optional for lots of people, I'd go at least for the first time). Most people will swim 15-20 minutes on Saturday morning. Then it's filling your various gear bags and checking in your bike, T1 and T2 bags.
At Madison at least, you drop off special needs bags on race morning, then do body marking, fill bike tires, and add your bottles to the bike. Don't put anything in the special needs bags that you cannot afford to lose. I think I'm 3 for 6 recovering mine over the years.
2255
Member
701 days
TriSooner posted 7 weeks ago.
IthinkIcan wrote:
How early do you need to be at your IM destination? Is Thurs mandatory or can you just plan to do everything Friday?
Oh Dear God no, not Thursday. Arrive Friday, check in, and bike drop-off on Saturday. They have huge windows of time for you to do this. Really, doing it three times prior (including one where I didn't speak the language and couldn't read the signs), it's still just picking up your race packet and dropping off your bike. The mandatory meeting is anything but mandatory. They don't take attendance, so skip that. ("Don't draft. Wear a helmet. Pay attention to mount/dismnt lines." There, I saved you an hour.)
266
Member
333 days
IthinkIcan posted 7 weeks ago.
Thanks guys! Im curious, can you tell me a bit about how the bike aid stations work? Do I need to carry all my own hydration or take just one or two bottles and and leave a spot empty for what they may hand out? Do you just stop and refill your own bottles?
2255
Member
701 days
TriSooner posted 7 weeks ago.
IthinkIcan wrote:
Do I need to carry all my own hydration or take just one or two bottles and and leave a spot empty for what they may hand out? Do you just stop and refill your own bottles?
Yes, you can take all of your hyrdation, but you don't need too. Start the ride with crappy freeby water bottles and toss them at the aid stations. Some aid stations have fun with the bottle toss, like soccer nets, clown mouths, etc. The point is that it is OK to drop empties in these feed zones. Anywhere else on the course and it could be a penalty (and is uncool, too.) They'll 'hand up' new bottles of Gatorade about every 10 miles (how to safely navigate and communicate in said aid stations is a different point all together). They'll also 'hand up' some food, but most people take their own food, start to finish on the bike.
2255
Member
701 days
TriSooner posted 7 weeks ago.
Let me simplify it for you:
Friday, November 20, 2009
8:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Gatorade Bag Check Tempe Beach Park
8:00 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Race Day Café Tempe Beach Park
8:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. Massage Room Tempe Mission Palms Hotel
9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Ironman Merchandise Store Tempe Beach Park
9:00 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Ford Ironman Arizona Expo Tempe Beach Park
10:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Athlete Check-In Tempe Beach Park (1)
Show up at the Expo and say, "Hi, I'm IthinkIcan. Here's my license/passport." They'll hand you bags with bags inside of them, and several race numbers. Walk through the Expo quickly, don't lollygag and stand on your feet all day. Go back to your hotel, re-assemble your bike, and try to make sense of the T1, T2, and 'special needs' bags (which are not required!). Get a good dinner and a good night's sleep because the next time you may not get much sleep.
11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Press Conference TV Tent in Tempe Beach Park
5:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Welcome Dinner Tempe Arts Park
7:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m. Mandatory Athlete Meeting Tempe Arts Park
Saturday, November 21, 2009
6:00 a.m. 6:30 a.m. Ford Ironman Arizona Adult 5k Run Registration Tempe Beach Park
7:00 a.m. 8:00 a.m. Ford Ironman Arizona Adult 5k Run Presented by Chances for Children
7:00 a.m. 7:30 a.m. Ford Ironman Arizona Kids 1 Mile Run Registration Tempe Beach Park
8:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. Ford Ironman Arizona Kids 1 Mile Run, Presented by Chances for Children Tempe Beach Park
8:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Gatorade Bag Check Tempe Beach Park
8:00 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Race Day Café Tempe Beach Park
8:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. Massage Room Tempe Mission Palms Hotel
9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Ironman Merchandise Store Tempe Beach Park
9:00 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Ford Ironman Arizona Expo Tempe Beach Park
9:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. Volunteer Meeting Tempe Arts Park
9:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 2010 Ford Ironman Arizona On-Site Registration for 2009 Athletes Only
10:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Mandatory Bike & Gear Bag Check-in Transition Area in Tempe Beach Park
Drop off your bike and your transition bags (since this seems to be your first, the plethora of transition bags will amaze and astound you). You won't need food on your bike yet, and don't mess with tire pressure yet.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
5:00 a.m. 6:30 a.m. Transition Zone; Bodymarking Tempe Beach Park
"Transition Zone" means this is where body marking is and you can get in to put food, cold fluids on your bike. Don't bring a pump, someone will have one. And don't bring your squids, they only allow competitors into transition.
5:00 a.m. 9:00 p.m. Race Day Café Tempe Beach Park
6:50 a.m. Pro-Start Tempe Town Lake
7:00 a.m. Age Group Start Tempe Town Lake
Don't miss this. I've heard the mass swim start is cool.
7:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Ironman Merchandise Store Tempe Beach Park
6:00 p.m. Bike & Gear Check-out Begins Tempe Beach Park (4)
This tip (if you didn't already know it) is worth putting up with my snarky comments: Look through your packet really closely. There should be a bike claim ticket. It allows the holder of The Golden Ticket to get IthinkIcan's bike out of transition. Give that ticket to your Sherpa. S/he can get your bike while you are out on the run. This doesn't seem like much, but when you finish you don't want to go wait in line to get your bike. You'll already have tons of filthy bags to carry.
12:00 a.m. Race Officially Ends
Don't miss this either. I hear they call your name or something.
266
Member
333 days
IthinkIcan posted 7 weeks ago.
Sooner, that's exactly what I was looking for, snarky comments and all!
709
Member
523 days
jonovision_man posted 7 weeks ago.
TriSooner wrote:
6:00 p.m. Bike & Gear Check-out Begins Tempe Beach Park (4)
This tip (if you didn't already know it) is worth putting up with my snarky comments: Look through your packet really closely. There should be a bike claim ticket. It allows the holder of The Golden Ticket to get IthinkIcan's bike out of transition. Give that ticket to your Sherpa. S/he can get your bike while you are out on the run. This doesn't seem like much, but when you finish you don't want to go wait in line to get your bike. You'll already have tons of filthy bags to carry.
Big +1... and if you happen to use TriBikeTransport, your "Sherpa" can also check your bike in there, so you don't even have to look at your baby until you get home a week later. She won't miss you after what you just put her through!!!
jono
2255
Member
701 days
266
Member
333 days
IthinkIcan posted 7 weeks ago.
You guys have a range of cost for tribiketransport? I didn't notice them online. My other concern was the pickup schedule left me without the bike for about two weeks. Even w/ a taper, that seems uncomfortably long to be out of the saddle.
2255
Member
701 days
TriSooner posted 7 weeks ago.
Round trip, $250.
http://www.tribiketransport.com/reservations.html
The long lead time is a high hurdle for many of us. Another opiton is to drive (self explanatory). You could fly with it. To paraphrase the following disucssions (who am I, Reader's Digest?) :
1) buy/rent/borrow a hard-sided bike box; 2) pay ~$100 each way for over-sized baggage charge; 3) rent a car big enough for it or get a cab mini van; 4) re-assemlbe/dis-assemble in your hotel, all you need is a pedal wrench and mini-tool.
http://www.trifuel.com/forum/13766/airlines-and-bike-boxes
http://www.trifuel.com/forum/18526/bike-transport
http://www.trifuel.com/forum/19217/bike-shipping
http://www.trifuel.com/forum/16291/bike-travel-case-recommendations
http://www.trifuel.com/forum/11911/bike-shipping-question
http://www.trifuel.com/people/.../the-fourth-leg-of-the-triathlon-bike-t...
http://www.trifuel.com/.../so-i-need-to-ship-my-bike-for-a-race-where-do...
1704
Member
549 days
jtrimom posted 7 weeks ago.
Don't take this wrong Sooner, I always enjoy your comments (they are chock full of information and entertainment), but are you having a slow day at work ;)
Taper Naked
709
Member
523 days
jonovision_man posted 7 weeks ago.
IthinkIcan wrote:
You guys have a range of cost for tribiketransport? I didn't notice them online. My other concern was the pickup schedule left me without the bike for about two weeks. Even w/ a taper, that seems uncomfortably long to be out of the saddle.
It depends on the city, for IMC mine was the Saturday a week before the race. Got in my last ride in the morning, dropped it off in the afternoon, worked out great.
jono
How early do you need to be at your IM destination? Is Thurs mandatory or can you just plan to do everything Friday?
Im looking here, http://ironmanarizona.com/schedule.php but can't make much sense of a few things. Like, what is the Gatorade Bag Check?
IMO, It looks like I need to travel and get there for the Friday 10-4 check in. Really, I just need to know if it makes my life easier traveling on thurs or fri, I guess. Feedback on the rest is very helpful though. I can't seem to find a link or thread about the process of the weekend as a whole.