As we close in on the 2017 Ironman Santa Rosa I wanted to take some time to help clarify a variety of logistic questions and pass on some intimate course knowledge that we possess from spending thousand of miles riding and running in Sonoma County and evaluating athlete performances in the same venue. I would like to stay away from specific pacing strategies at this point as it is very individual athlete-centric and too late to make changes that involve specific training. Pre Race Logistics:
* Race Briefing: Pick an athlete briefing that fits in your schedule. Hang out in the grass of Courthouse Square, enjoy a beverage, pay special attention to any big or small course changes. Specific questions can be asked post briefing.
* If you have not seen the bike course do yourself a favor and drive it. The first half is very dynamic and the second half includes some technical turns and pieces that are worth reviewing. Ideally do this in separate time slots. Drive the first 60+ on the way back from an open water swim or dropping your bike. Drive "The Loop" when you have a 30min block of time.
* If you decide to have TBT deliver your bike to T1, take the time to go over your bikes mechanical functions race morning.
T1 Exit ... notice where the mount line is and gear appropriately for the small uphill leaving T1.
SWIM: Lake Sonoma - Projected water temp = 70 degree's +/- a couple degrees
- The Swim ... is a 2 loop affair, buoys on your right with a quick exit and U-turn after Lap 1
- The Sun ... if we have marine layer the sun of course will be a non factor. On a clear morning. Sunrise won't be until 6:15 on race day so it will not be a factor until lap 2 AND in that case it might only be a factor or the first (very short) leg of the swim that heads in West / Northwest direction.
- Rolling Start ... with the rolling start it is ideal to seed yourself in the time slot you expect to swim. This ensures a safer and faster swim for everyone. Regardless of where you start you have 2hr20min to complete the swim without be a DNF.
-Swim Exit to T1 Entrance ... this is almost 1/4mi and mostly uphill. Ironman is planning to carpet / pad the entire run up to the entrance to T1
T1: After grabbing your gear bag it will be the ATHLETES RESPONSIBILITY to un-bag and bag all your race gear. Volunteers will not be allowed to help in that process. Therefore after removing your bike gear from the bag, you want to place your wetsuit / goggles / cap in the gear bag and take it with you as you exit the change tent and deposit the bag in the designated area for transport back to T2 .
BIKE COURSE: This course is essentially 2 completely different 56 mile segments. The first 56 miles includes almost all of the elevation gain, therefore your final 56 miles is essentially flat. You'll notice that when previewing it. The course is a mix of very good to small sections of very poor pavement. The large majority (90% is very good to average surface). The following is the course broken down into key segments:
- T1 to CLOVERDALE ... this segment has a mix of everything ... the "climb" on Dutcher Creek is not much of a climb BUT does turn up for about 600 meters near the 6 mile mark. After the fast descent it is gentle and undulating to Cloverdale
- ASTI RD + THE OUT & BACK + HWY 128 to JIMTOWN to LYTON SPRINGS Rd ... Asti Rd to the out and back is a large mix of varied terrain with very short climbs and rollers until you reach the out and back on Zanzi & Chianti Rd. From Zanzi to Jimtown across to Lyton Springs Rd is a false flat down (to Alexnader Valley Rd) and tends to be a very fast section of the course. The travere across valley to Kyton Springs other than a small bridge continues to be quite quick riding.The pavement in this entire section is quite variable. Great, Good, average, chip, and some intermittent rough segments early on Asti and across the 128 corridor,
- LYTON SPRINGS to the Top the of FINAL HILL on LAGUNA ... this segment is a VERY dynamic mix of flats, rollers, small climbs and demands for very smart execution, patience, trust, bike handling skills and pacing. In my mind Westside Rd is the signature 10 miles of this course. (Great pavement, beautiful scenery, and a nice test of cycling skills and fitness). You will find overall good pavement in this section with the exception of a small part of Wohler Rd and the middle mile of Mark West Station Rd.
- WILLOWSIDE RD ... quite simple it is a mile of bad pavement. HEADS UP, be patient, check your bottles.
- "THE LOOP" ... you'll essentially enter the loop at the intersection of Hall Rd and Irwin. For the most part this entire section is flat minus some gentle false flats, a roller on Petaluma Hill Rd and an overpass in Rohnert Park. The key areas in this section are the technical turns in downtown Santa Rosa & Rohnert Park plus the very poor pavement on Labath Rd. and Todd Rd. To repeat ... this section of riding is very different than the first half of the bike course.
WIND: On a typical summer day here in Sonoma County winds are calm to VERY light early in the day up until mid - late morning. Prevailing winds tends to be out of the South / Southwest and for most athletes it will not come into play at
a significant level until "The Loop".
In our opinion at Train To Endure; the first 56 miles of the bike course, and how you execute it, will be a major component to determining how you perform on race day.
T2: Same as T1 relative to un-bagging and bagging your gear, it is THE ATHLETES RESPONSIBILITY.
RUN COURSE: This is a predominantly flat, 3 loop course, with the following features:
- A gentle down grade for the majority of the outbound section on the trail
- 4 miles per loop will be on dirt or crushed gravel
- Small, sharp ups and downs near access points to the trail that will actually be good for giving certain muscular patterns a break. At higher speeds these areas tend to scrub run speed BUT for the paces that almost all athletes will be running, it will not have a negative impact.
- Plenty of aid ... it has been stated you'll have 30 opportunities to access aid stations
- In the late afternoon expect it to cool down rapidly if we are in a "normal" summer weather pattern
We believe that using run pace for this course is a poor pacing strategy. Because of the gentle grades we feel like perceived exertion / heart rate / general progressive intensity are better barometers for guiding your run on race day.
Have a great race, pace intelligently, and use all the tools available to you on the day!
DL
