Lake Placid Ironman is located in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. This historic town is home to the 1932 and 1980 winter Olympics. LP is the longest running US Ironman outside of Kona. This year was the 15th anniversary of the event. If you are looking for a scenic, beautiful, challenging, and fun course Ironman Lake Placid should be high on your list. If you are thinking about racing Lake Placid plan early. This event fills in second and accommodations get snapped up quick.
I was able to register late for this race through Endurance Sport Travel. EST supplied a airport transfer, hotel and slot into IMLP. There services made the event seamless and stress free. Special thanks to Randy for taking such good care of us!!
My family was able to make it to the event and cheer me on. It made the world of difference to see my Mom, Aunt Linda, Lilly and Olga many times during the day. They braved a few showers and cool weather on Sunday to be out there. I can't thank them enough for making the trip and being there for it. I love you all so much!Swim: 1:06:13 - 1:34/100yd
This swim venue is known for having some of the fastest times in the IM circuit. It didn't disappoint me in that aspect. This was my fastest 2.4 mile swim this year. The course has a cable strung along the buoy line making it very easy to swim a straight line. If you are brave enough to batter the beating on the line that is. With the new swim smart initiative we had a very similar race start to IMCDA. However in Lake Placid they sent off the professionals only minutes before the age groupers and slowed the entry of athletes down more. What this meant was way more congestion on the second lap. I had more issues on the second lap than I have in any mass start Ironman I have done. On the final stretch into the finish the group I was swimming around started running up on slower swimmers. This caused a lot of congestion. I decided to swim wide and avoid being kick, punched or swum over. This added a significant amount of time to my second lap. But I did however come out without a bloody noes and less stress.
T1: Be prepared for a long haul to T1. You run from the Mirror Lake to the Oval on carpeted roads. The crowds are fantastic, making it hard to think about the upcoming T1.
Bike: 6:15:37 - 17.9 mph
Data: CLICK HERE
The course in Lake Placid is best suited for smart riders and those who like to climb. It is a two course loop that starts and ends with climbing. The initial climb out of LP is not bad on the first loop but MANY athletes burn themselves within the first few miles. It is so important to follow your race plan, whether that is HR or power on this course. I have always used HR and it served me well in LP. My goal was to sustain a 140 ave HR on the flats to rolling sections and not let my HR go above 160 on the climbs. I followed this to a T on the first loop. Often feeling like I should be going faster and I could not have been happier with that decision. I had energy to increase my effort on the second section of climbing back into town on the second loop because of that. Among all the climbing, descending, and winding roads you are treated to some of the most beautiful views and roads I have been on. Often you have the opportunity to enjoy it because of the slow speeds during the climbs. This is one of my top favorite bike courses. You get treated to the Three Bears that have similar crowds like the Tour de France. Papa Bear, Baby Bear and Momma Bear.......FUN!!!!
T2: Short and sweet.
Run: 4:43:06 - 10:48 min/mile
Data: CLICK HERE
Ruthless - yep that is the best way to describe this run course. Although tough, it was beautiful and you had a solid 4 miles on each lap with large amounts of crowd support. The out and back section on River Rd was the hardest sections for me. This section didn't have any big climbs more of a steady rolling road. However the crowds are slim and the miles dragged by. I found myself having to fight for every ounce of energy during these sections. My thoughts went to my family, team Triattic, and all the other athletes out there that day. I remind myself how fortunate I am to be able to do these Ironman races and kept my feet moving forward. I am proud to say I never walked outside of water stations, even on the final climb into mile 24 - - that one was tough. The final 1.5 miles is AMAZING. You have made your way back up to LP and you have an out and back section on Mirror Lake Road. The crowd was ragging and you could hear the finish line at the Olympic oval. The inspiration and passion is unmatched. I was in tears the final mile, so proud of my accomplishments and filled with emotion of all the support. The finish line in LP in bar none the best finish I have encountered. I have learned so much about the will and fight to keep pushing. My body feels the effects of these multiple Ironmans the most on the run. It is then I learn the most about what I am capable of.
This journey started with a quest to qualify for Kona. Although I have fallen short at each and every one of my races, I have yet to feel disappointed. I am more and more thankful of this opportunity and experience every day that goes by.
I look back on where I started and still find it amazing I am handling this so well. I hope to be an inspiration to those who think they can't do something. All you need is passion and commitment.
Only one more Ironman to go before I finish this quest!!!
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