Hey Matt,
I did Ironstar for the first time last year. It was a very well-run event. The swim is a single loop course and last year the water was one degree above USA Triathlon's wetsuit legal rules for those wishing to place. I wasn't in that category so I wore my sleeveless wetsuit.

The bike route is great, mostly on country roads with scenic views. I had practiced riding the course several times last summer, as I was living in Bryan/College Station then (moved to Dallas in Dec.). The first 30 miles are the hilliest with some decent rollers then it's pretty flat. Note the bike is actually 59 miles not 56.

The run is a double-loop course and was pretty flat. Aid stations were plentiful and good support overall.

I'm doing it again this year as my 'A' race. If you are wanting to stay closer to Dallas, there's a half-IM, PrairieMan, Sept. 11 at Joe Pool Lake in Grand Prairie. I am a little familiar with that area, having done Ironhead Dallas Olympic there last year. I am shooting to to Ironhead Dallas again in July. I also really want to do PrairieMan, as a 'practice' for Ironstar, so have that on my schedule.

You can check out my blog for my race report from Ironstar last year. It was my first half-IM. http://trigirl97.blogspot.com/2004/10/i-did-it.html

Will this be your first go at a half-IM? Which school are you going to? I work at UT Dallas.

Hope this helps.

Same to you, Matt. I think you will find Ironstar totally do-able for your first half-IM. My biggest challenge on the course was fueling. I opted for solid food and an energy drink but we had a blast of hot weather, which didn't bode well for me. This year, I'm looking to a strictly liquid/gel strategy.

Also, Joe Pool Lake is really close to Arlington and it's a good place to practice open-water swimming.

Moving to Dallas from a small city, it's been hard figuring out the lay of the cycling land. There's a bike route I found that leaves from the marina at Joe Pool Lake.

http://www.greaterdallasbicyclists.com/routes/Venus.pdf

Best wishes,
Lara