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| - I can't say enough about how amazing this race experience was. It was my first 140.6, but I have done Ironman brand 70.3 and other 70.3s before and the amount of support and organization pales in comparison. The entire weekend was well run and flowed smoothly. I know everyone complains at the cost of these events, but you can get a lot out of the entire weekend and the sheer number of volunteers and staff at every turn was amazing. The race itself was a blast. I've never felt more support out on a course and every turn had someone cheering for me or ready to help. The aid stations were well organized and while there were a few places on the run that I felt needed more lighting, the roads for the bike course were very well maintained and the transition areas were well-staffed. While the addition of the 2 lap run course instead of 3 laps added a few more rolling hills to the marathon, the bike course was flat and I loved the 3 loop ride since after 1 loop I was still refreshed and after 2 laps I was SO close to being done (easier to swallow than a halfway done point in my opinion....) The swim was in Tempe Town Lake and while I heard no end to the nasty water rumors, I had no issues and honestly it didn't taste bad at all. We did the practice swim and while the water was cold, it was perfect for the distance... by the time you get to halfway point you are plenty warmed up, but not overheating.. by the time you are done, the water feels just fantastic. I was also worried about the stairs you have to climb up on to get out, but just pull up and sit on the lowest step and then using the railings to stand up. While completing the race and hearing Mike Reilly tell me that I am an IRONMAN was obviously the highlight of my year, sticking around to party and dance in the stands waiting for the final finishers to come in at midnight might be my favorite part of the entire experience. The entire culture and community behind IM is incredible and if/when I decide to train for a 2nd race, it will hands down be an IM branded event because they pull out every stop for a flawless, well-oiled race day.
For the race we stayed at the Best Western on Scottsdale Drive. This was a great location as it was only about 1 mile walk to the Athlete Village/Starting line. It is also directly across from In N Out burger (a post-race MUST) and a Jersey Mike's subs (night before meal) and Starbucks. The only warning I have is that the Best Western is very close to the run course, so you will have to fight temptation to stop running and go lay in your bed ;) We were concerned because there was an ASU home football game on Saturday night before the race. Thankfully, even though we were facing the stadium and Tempe Town Lake, we heard NONE of it! The hotel is also only like 500 feet from TTL so you can access the trails for a warm up ride or run easily.
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