Ironman Melbourne Race Guide Now Available

Ironman Melbourne Course Review – 25th March 2012 – Arif Sidek

: Arif Sidek Racing at Ironman Melbourne

Triathlon Name

Ironman Melbourne (3.8Km swim, 180Km bike, 42.2Km run)

Country

Australia

Triathlon Date

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Who Are you?

I’m a mid to back of the pack triathlete who’s finished six Ironman races and a host of other shorter distance races. Not looking to win age group awards or qualify for Kona, just out there to do the best I can while having fun

Race Category

Male 40-44

Why did I do this race?

After a year off long distance racing, Ironman Melbourne looked like the perfect race to make a comeback. The timing of the race was right and the course looked interesting.

The Swim

The swim was held on a single-loop course in Port Phillip Bay. It was a saltwater swim and water temp was about 18 degrees. It was on a rectangular counterclockwise course marked by yellow buoys at the turns.

The Bike

The bike was a two-lap affair up and down the Eastlink Tollway. It’s on an out and back course with an elevation gain on the out. We go through a tunnel just before the far end turnaround with a steep descent in and a steep climb out. There were four aid stations: 1 at each turnaround and two more along the way. Draft zone was 12meters.

The Run

Run was a point-to-point starting from Frankston and ending at St Kilda. Part of the run course was on the road while the rest was on a concrete bike path. There were some stretches that took us off-road too. Aid stations were every 2km and there were live sites with entertainment every 10km. Spectators were everywhere.

Transition

Transitions were generally quite well organized. The change tent was less than 100 meters from the swim exit. Plenty of volunteers helping you take off your wetsuit but you still had to pack your bags by yourself.

Race Organisation

Race organization was superb. Being a point-to-point race would have been a logistical nightmare but the organizers handled it well. All our bikes and bags were transported from transition in Frankston to the finish at St Kilda in a timely order. Briefing was done via video at the expo so that helped save everyone’s time. The atmosphere was excellent, being an early season race and having world champs in attendance, everyone was excited.

Top Tips

Dress warm and prepare for any eventuality with the weather. Melbourne weather has been known to be fickle so a windbreaker in your transition bags would be a good idea.

Have a proper nutrition and hydration strategy. The cold, dry climate makes it easy to forget that you’re sweating and therefore you may be dehydrating without even knowing it.

Have fun. It’s a great course, especially the run, with lots of volunteers and spectators cheering you on. It’s going to be a long day and the only way to get through it is if you have fun and soak in the atmosphere.

How did you do?

I did great! Not too pleased about the swim and bike but totally nailed the run for a personal best. Swim course was poorly marked which meant I, in all likelihood, swam more than I should have. I struggled on the second lap of the bike, just couldn’t put the power down. Looking at the athlete tracker after, almost everyone was slower on the second loop, so the wind must have picked up or something then. The run was where I got my PB, managing, for the first time in any of my IM races, to run the entire way. So pretty happy with that.

Verdict

Overall definitely a great race and I would definitely want to do it again. A little costly but worth it. The course, the atmosphere the pre-race and post-race dinners and show made this race the best I’ve ever been too. There were a few things that could be improved though: The swim course needs to be better marked. It was hard to see where the turn buoys were and there were no buoys in between, so the buoys were at least 1km apart, making sighting difficult. Also the finisher’s area could be better organized, I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to go, where to get a drink, where to get my stuff, where to get the finisher t-shirt, etc. It doesn’t help that most finishers are in a daze after the race, so better directions would be good.

You can read Arif’s triathlon blog at http://tryathlete1403.blogspot.com

If you have done a triathlon and want to post a triathlon review then send it through. Every review you do for BeyondTransition helps us write better race guides and other triathletes enjoy their races more.

Race Report: Alexander And Steffen Take Ironman Melbourne (triathlete-europe.competitor.com)

Ironman Melbourne Race Guide Now Available

Ironman Melbourne Race Guide

We’ve just released our Ironman Melbourne Race Guide prior to Ironman Melbourne on the 25th of March.

This guide to the brand new Ironman goes through the entire course in detail providing you with a level of knowledge about the course that will only be improved once you’ve done it.

We write our race guides with the aim of helping you get that little bit more performance with no more training or effort. You know the course better – you race better.

It’s our best guide yet with….

Complete course flybys of the swim, bike and run course – so you get a real sense of what it will be like on race day
Detailed annotated course maps with tips and tactics on how best to handle the terrain and the weather
Tips and tricks for the bike and swim legs that help you get the best out of your body
Weather details for the last 5 years (for the whole of race week) including humidity, water temperature, temperatures, wind speed and direction and cloud cover.
And as a special bonus – our unique race planning template and race day checklist.

It’s all pretty cool – have a look and tell us what you think – it’s all fully guaranteed so you can by and see if you like. If you don’t a quick email will get your money back.

To find out more click here

Ironman Melbourne Course Review – 25th March 2012 – Arif Sidek