The Latest @ Coeur
Taking the stress our of sports travel
First, the good news. The polar vortex is starting to release its icy grip on the U.S. and spring/aka..the endurance sports season is upon us. Runners, Cyclists, and Triathletes everywhere have started to put away their balaclavas and their gloves as they plan their races, rides and runs for the spring.
Now, the yin to the yang. The down to the up. There’s a good chance that you might have to travel to get to one of your events. Not just drive across town. We’re talking (in the immortal words of Eric "Otter" Stratton & John "Bluto" Blutarsky) Road Trip! Or airplane trip as the case may be. Now, in one sense, travel can be awesome. New cities = new experiences, new memories and fun. In another sense, it can be…how shall we say it? A bit of a drag.
Coeur's (not so) Secret Tips for Ironman Arizona
Swim Tip: It’s pretty well known that the lake curves a bit. Some competitors like to start on the left and follow the buoys and many/most others like to stay to the right to try and cut off some of the course. One suggestion is to (sshh…don’t tell) stay in the middle. You might get some surprisingly clear water. No promises though.
Swim Tip: The swim exit is usually up a set of stairs. It always seems like it is one stair short. Plus, the water can be a bit murky, so the stairs can be somewhat hard to see. Maybe this isn't really a tip. More of a warning. Just be careful getting out. There...now it's a tip.
IMAZ Coeur-se review
Course Review – Ironman Arizona
Ironman Arizona (“IMAZ”) has a unique place on the Ironman Circuit. It was originally an early season race that was held in April. Despite the flat’ish terrain, it was an absolute terror. Temperatures frequently soared into the high 90’s, winds howled and sand storms of haboob caliber were known to rise up on the Beeline highway.
Mercifully, the organizers moved the date to November and now it is a race of a different flavor. Rather than a sand encrusted death march, it now viewed as a great venue for your first assault on the distance or an opportunity to set a new PR.
But don’t for a minute think it is easy. It is still an Ironman and 140.6 miles is a long ways even in a car!
So with that as a backdrop, let us give you our thoughts on the course. By the way, we have a few semi-secret tips that we can share. Shoot us a note at [email protected] and put IMAZ tips in the title. We’ll be glad to send them your way.
The Swim