Post by jimdehner on Jul 25, 2012 8:41:54 GMT -5
Great location - Tough day -
Race conditions at the start were perfect - Mirror Lake lived up to its namesake and was dead flat - water temps were 74 degrees so it was a wet suit legal race - I think they said there were 2500 age group starters so when the cannon went off it was chaotic - I just stayed to the outside and back and only had to navigate around people - along the buoy line must have been like an MMA bout - I completed the swim about 5 minutes slower than I really wanted
The bike course at LP is like a rectangle with a 6 mile out and back spur attached to one of the sides - The first, third and forth sides have major climbing sections - in between is a major downhill (Like 9 miles where the brave will hit 50+ MPH - old guys like me not so much). The first climbing section is 7 miles with a steep start followed by a false flat section and rollers - the wind was in our face -the second climbing section is 3-5 miles but really tough - it starts with a short but steep section that turns into a constant upward sloping climb (once again the wind was in our face), the last climbing section is the 10 miles between Wilmington and Lake Placid - At the start you don't think you are climbing much - then you hit a tough section along the river that is long, steep and includes a couple of switchbacks- it cuts across the base of White Face Mountain (the Olympic skiing site) and the wind is always stronger and in your face there - the section ends with what are know as the cherries and the bears - the cherries are an easy upward slopping roller followed by a more steeply slopping switchback climb - together they lead into mama bear, baby bear and papa bear - mama bear by itself is an moderate climb and it leads into a very easy baby bear that can be treated like a roller - but then there is papa bear which is a steep climb similar to some the aggressive hills coming out of the valley - that's an out of the saddle effort that really takes it out of the legs - once again the whole section was into the wind - I know it makes no sense but the mountains there create strange patters - Its a 2 loop course so when you get back to Lake Placid you get to do it again -
On the first loop the skies were partly cloudy and the forecast was for rain so I was glad to start the second loop on dry pavement - at least I was glad for a while - the wind picked up and blew the clouds away and the temps sky rocketed to 90 making the second loop on the bike and the run brutal - I got through the bike about 30 min off my plan - went into the T2 changing tent to get into my running gear and it was about that time I started feeling the effects of dehydration (I had stuck to my nutrition/hydration program but the higher temps and wind had dried me out) -
Until the sun went down the run was more a jog/walk effort and hammer all the fluids you could at each aide station - after dark the ambient temp was still high but at least the sun was down -
I made it to the finish about 40 minutes before the midnight cut off - I was pleased - it was not the race I planned but it was the race I ran
Many did not finish - there were ambulances and carts bringing in athlete all night - they told me at the med tent that 1000+ athletes had been treated for dehydration
Now - I would recommend Lake Placid to anyone considering doing and IM - I have done 2 there and would go back without hesitation -
Race conditions at the start were perfect - Mirror Lake lived up to its namesake and was dead flat - water temps were 74 degrees so it was a wet suit legal race - I think they said there were 2500 age group starters so when the cannon went off it was chaotic - I just stayed to the outside and back and only had to navigate around people - along the buoy line must have been like an MMA bout - I completed the swim about 5 minutes slower than I really wanted
The bike course at LP is like a rectangle with a 6 mile out and back spur attached to one of the sides - The first, third and forth sides have major climbing sections - in between is a major downhill (Like 9 miles where the brave will hit 50+ MPH - old guys like me not so much). The first climbing section is 7 miles with a steep start followed by a false flat section and rollers - the wind was in our face -the second climbing section is 3-5 miles but really tough - it starts with a short but steep section that turns into a constant upward sloping climb (once again the wind was in our face), the last climbing section is the 10 miles between Wilmington and Lake Placid - At the start you don't think you are climbing much - then you hit a tough section along the river that is long, steep and includes a couple of switchbacks- it cuts across the base of White Face Mountain (the Olympic skiing site) and the wind is always stronger and in your face there - the section ends with what are know as the cherries and the bears - the cherries are an easy upward slopping roller followed by a more steeply slopping switchback climb - together they lead into mama bear, baby bear and papa bear - mama bear by itself is an moderate climb and it leads into a very easy baby bear that can be treated like a roller - but then there is papa bear which is a steep climb similar to some the aggressive hills coming out of the valley - that's an out of the saddle effort that really takes it out of the legs - once again the whole section was into the wind - I know it makes no sense but the mountains there create strange patters - Its a 2 loop course so when you get back to Lake Placid you get to do it again -
On the first loop the skies were partly cloudy and the forecast was for rain so I was glad to start the second loop on dry pavement - at least I was glad for a while - the wind picked up and blew the clouds away and the temps sky rocketed to 90 making the second loop on the bike and the run brutal - I got through the bike about 30 min off my plan - went into the T2 changing tent to get into my running gear and it was about that time I started feeling the effects of dehydration (I had stuck to my nutrition/hydration program but the higher temps and wind had dried me out) -
Until the sun went down the run was more a jog/walk effort and hammer all the fluids you could at each aide station - after dark the ambient temp was still high but at least the sun was down -
I made it to the finish about 40 minutes before the midnight cut off - I was pleased - it was not the race I planned but it was the race I ran
Many did not finish - there were ambulances and carts bringing in athlete all night - they told me at the med tent that 1000+ athletes had been treated for dehydration
Now - I would recommend Lake Placid to anyone considering doing and IM - I have done 2 there and would go back without hesitation -
