Standard Bank Ironman 2016 (10 April)

[reteid]

choice was made.I am in.sommer entered jailbreake max as well.time to get off my butt.

[RussD1]

Any recommended places for accommodation for IM stay?  Thanks

Try Brighton Lodge. 600m from transition. Excellent accommodation. Just had to give up my booking there, due to changed circumstances.

[IceCreamMan]

Not happy with the cycle route for 2016....happy with run though

 

Cycle route might have less elevation but we will be more exposed..I liked the back section

[Garfield2010]

Not happy with the cycle route for 2016....happy with run though

 

Cycle route might have less elevation but we will be more exposed..I liked the back section

 

No way dude!!!!

 

At least now the wind will help you half of the time.  The old route sucked.  You never got any benefit from the Easterly (which blows 80% of the time).

 

Now at least we will fly out.  It is also a welcome change and a great opportunity for PB's!

[fanievb]

No way dude!!!!

 

At least now the wind will help you half of the time.  The old route sucked.  You never got any benefit from the Easterly (which blows 80% of the time).

 

Now at least we will fly out.  It is also a welcome change and a great opportunity for PB's!

 

also looks like that section over the speadhumps (near lakeview?) are also out.

 

and no more maitlands climb.

 

this course will be Fassssttttt

[ScottCM]

Please forgive the ignorance here but I haven't done the event.

 

Was it the PE or EL course which had a lot of people withdrawing and/or complaining that if the bike leg wasn't changed they would not participate again?

 

If it was PE then surely the organisers are doing what the people have asked for, if it was EL , then as you were.

[gummibear]

Swim

Athletes will swim one 3.8km loop. The water temperature should be between 17 and 24.5 C°, therefore wetsuits should be allowed. If it is below 14 C°, then wetsuits are compulsory. You will be informed on race day if these rules apply. The swim will take athletes from Hobie Beach past Humewood Beach to King's Beach. Athlete's turn around the buoys at King's Beach and return to shore at Hobie Beach. Marker buoys and sighting buoys will be on course. The swim will be a rolling start for 2016. The cut-off for the swim is 2 hours 20 minutes.

    Bike

With its combination of coastal routes and fynbos (South African shrubbery), athletes can expect a relatively fast and flat coastal stretch on this beautiful bike course. The IRONMAN African Champs bike course is arguably the most spectacular on the IRONMAN world circuit. Athletes will complete two 90km loops. On exiting Transition, athletes will turn immediately left as the bike course will head out on Marine Drive towards Schoenmakerskop, Sardinia Bay and Seaview villages – cycling on the extreme left hand side of the road, overtaking to the right. Continue along Marine Drive until Schoenmakerskop where the road makes a right up a steep climb. Here you will find an aid station. Continue for 4kms and then take a left turn onto Sardinia Bay Road. Once through the village of Sardinia Bay, there is a sharp right bend (mind for oncoming returning cyclists) with a short climb up Heron Road. At the next intersection, Seaview Road, turn left and enjoy an undulating and scenic countryside section. On entering Seaview village, there is a sharp left down onto Elizabeth Road. The turnaround point is approximately 4km’s along this road. Do a u-turn and head back, still keeping extreme left, past the aid station set up along here and continue back to Transition along the same route. Penalty Tent 1 and a static Bike Maintenance station are in Seaview Village, on Elizabeth Road. On return, there will be an aid station in Sardinia Bay village with another static Bike Maintenance station alongside. After you u-turn outside Transition to start your second lap, Penalty Tent 2 and another static Bike Maintenance station will be along Marine Drive, near 5th Avenue. Special Needs (accessible only on this second loop) is further along Marine Drive, opposite the 8th Avenue intersection. There is another Aid Station (second lap only as you leave Summerstrand, opposite Admiralty Way.

 

Run

Run records are made to be broken on this very fast, flat run route along the beachfront. Completing the run over four loops of approximately 10.55 kilometers each, athletes can take in the sea breeze and spectator support during the last leg of the race before crossing the finish line. Athletes will run 4 x 10.55 km laps. Once on each lap, at the aid station just prior to the first turn-around point, you will be issued with a loop band to place on your wrist. This will indicate which / how many laps are completed. The run is very fast and fairly flat route. The route will be closed to civilian vehicles. Aid Stations will be available at approximately 2.5 km apart (see the Aid Station page for details). The Special Needs station (accessible only once during the run, heading towards Admiralty Way) is located on Marine Drive in the 8th Avenue area. When exiting Transition, athletes will run around outside the lower perimeter fence of Transition, up next to Blue Water’s Café / KFC and turn right onto Marine Drive in the direction of Humewood suburb : keep to the far right. The turn-around point is just before Perrott Avenue intersection : be sure to collect your loop bands and, at dusk, a glow stick for the dark. Return towards Transition and, at Blue Waters Café, cross from the sea-side to the land side of the road and continue along Marine Drive : be sure to keep extreme right as there will be 2-way cycling and running on this section. Turn right up Admiralty Way to the University Way junction. Here, you will turn-around and continue back on the same route, still keeping to the right hand side of the road.

Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/emea/ironman/south-africa/athletes/course.aspx#ixzz3rqrNWkvH

[gummibear]

[IceCreamMan]

No way dude!!!!

 

At least now the wind will help you half of the time.  The old route sucked.  You never got any benefit from the Easterly (which blows 80% of the time).

 

Now at least we will fly out.  It is also a welcome change and a great opportunity for PB's!

I liked the back section, change of scenery....less exposed to the wind...I do realise probably a lil more difficult though

[IceCreamMan]

Screen Shot 2015-11-18 at 15.02.25.png

 

That total gain number just cannot be right ... just doing a manual calculation exceeds that. But no denying it, its going to be much much easier than 2014/5. All the big hills have been cut out completely. The difficult part of 2014/5 was the first 45 km's while the second 45km was into the wind...with the elevation gone and now scoring time with the wind in your favour (all things being equal) I predict my bike leg to be at least 60-90 minutes quicker.

 

takes a bit of the challenge out ..

[shawnvan]

That total gain number just cannot be right ... just doing a manual calculation exceeds that. But no denying it, its going to be much much easier than 2014/5. All the big hills have been cut out completely. The difficult part of 2014/5 was the first 45 km's while the second 45km was into the wind...with the elevation gone and now scoring time with the wind in your favour (all things being equal) I predict my bike leg to be at least 60-90 minutes quicker.

 

takes a bit of the challenge out ..

 

Hmmm, very much doubt 60+ minutes. 

 

Course description says 678m climbing per lap still.  That's not much less than before (previously around 850m per lap, IIRC).  Also, we now do the rough stretches 4x, more exposed to wind, it will still be tough and slow...

 

I say on ave 15 minutes faster, pretty much what the "old" 3 lap course was.

[shawnvan]

Also, less hills means less downhills, so less coasting!

[davem]

The new course now spends twice as much time, probably close to 60km on the really rough section. That is going to hurt.

 

Total climb per their measurements is about 250m less.

[fabes]

I liked the back section, change of scenery....less exposed to the wind...I do realise probably a lil more difficult though

Haha less exposed to the wind? In Pe you are always exposed to the wind.

[IceCreamMan]

The new course now spends twice as much time, probably close to 60km on the really rough section. That is going to hurt.

 

Total climb per their measurements is about 250m less.

if I look at the profiles posted, it seems a lot more than 250 metres less ... this bike course looks much easier than 2015 just by looking at the profiles

[davem]

My maths:

2015 course: 1608m

2016 course: 678x2=1356m (per IMSA course maps)

Difference: 252m

 

Profile pictures are generally stretched to fill the Y axis and do not use a common scale. Can be very misleading.