My original goals when starting triathlon training in June were to do a half-Ironman in 2013 and a full Ironman in 2014. These were specific enough that I had something to work towards, but vague enough that I could choose at a later date which races I wanted to do. It's now a few months later, and based on my current skill level I believe that doing a full Ironman in 2013 is absolutely feasible, depending on race schedules.
The half-Ironman distance has plenty of races nearby to choose from. There's the Monticello Man triathlon in Charlottesville in May, a new Rev3 triathlon in Williamsburg in June, the Eagleman triathlon in Maryland also in June, and the Patriot Triathlon in Williamsburg in September. All of these are only a few hours away--and the two races in Williamsburg are only 30 minutes away! Plenty of options to choose from.
Doing a full Ironman is a little trickier. The nearest two 140.6 triathlons are in Maryland and North Carolina, but neither of them are official Ironman races (which is what I want for my first one). So out of the 13 official Ironman races in North America, these are the closest:
The half-Ironman distance has plenty of races nearby to choose from. There's the Monticello Man triathlon in Charlottesville in May, a new Rev3 triathlon in Williamsburg in June, the Eagleman triathlon in Maryland also in June, and the Patriot Triathlon in Williamsburg in September. All of these are only a few hours away--and the two races in Williamsburg are only 30 minutes away! Plenty of options to choose from.
Doing a full Ironman is a little trickier. The nearest two 140.6 triathlons are in Maryland and North Carolina, but neither of them are official Ironman races (which is what I want for my first one). So out of the 13 official Ironman races in North America, these are the closest:
- Ironman Louisville (August) - 630 miles (10 hour drive)
- Ironman Lake Placid (July) - 654 miles (12 hour drive)
- Ironman Florida (November) - 882 miles (14.5 hour drive)
- Ironman Wisconsin (September) - 988 miles (17 hour drive)
- Ironman Texas (May) - 1408 miles (2-day drive)
None of the races are ideal. Louisville is the closest, but I don't think I could handle the heat in August. Texas is where my parents live, but a race in May doesn't give me as much time to train, and I would have to ship my gear. Wisconsin and Lake Placid are very popular races, but both are already sold out. There was talk about bringing a new Ironman race to Virginia for 2013, but those talks are on hold and now it wouldn't happen until 2014 at the earliest.
Ironman Florida seems to be my best bet: November weather in Florida should be perfect racing conditions, it gives me the most time to train, and it's just close enough to drive to. The average temperature in Panama City in November is 81 degrees, so we could spend the week after the race relaxing on the beach. This offers more of a vacation than any of the other races would.
Registration for Ironman Florida opens on Nov 4 (and sells out quickly), so I have a few weeks to mull it over.
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