Ironman Arizona (11/17/2024)

IMAZ race report (Finish time: 12:05:04)

Here we go again. Every time I finish a race, I like to write a race report — partly for myself, and partly for anyone considering doing the race in the future.

First of all, I’m always grateful for my family’s support. During Ironman training, especially in the final weeks before tapering, they barely see me on Saturday mornings because of the long rides and workouts. That’s one reason I don’t love training for full Ironman races — the training takes so much time and energy. Now that my daughter is in middle school, it’s also harder to take family trips around races like we used to. I always feel a little guilty leaving my family at home while I travel alone for races, but for now, it’s the most practical solution.

Travel 🚗

Since the race was on Sunday, I left early Friday morning. The drive was supposed to take about six hours, but because of road closures, it turned into an eight-hour trip. By the time I arrived, I was exhausted. To make things worse, my left calf became really sore during the trip, and I started worrying about whether it would recover in time for race day. I spent the next two days icing and massaging it, and thankfully it felt normal again by race morning.

Hotel 🏨

Hotels within walking distance of the race venue were extremely expensive, and most didn’t allow point redemptions. Instead, I stayed at a Hyatt about five minutes away by car, which worked out well.

The service was excellent, and I was able to get a first-floor room, making it easy to move all my gear in and out. One unexpected highlight was being able to order pizza from the hotel kitchen after the race — exactly what I needed after a long day.

Pre-Race Day Check-In 📋

Athlete check-in was surprisingly smooth with almost no wait time. It actually felt like there were fewer athletes than I expected. Parking was easy too, with a parking structure located right next to the expo.

Swim Practice 🏊‍♂️

There was an official swim practice on Saturday morning, and I’m really glad I did it. It gave me a chance to experience the water temperature before race day. Honestly, the water was freezing. When I first jumped in, I could barely swim for the first few minutes. It took about five minutes before my body finally adjusted to the cold. Race Day 🏊‍♂️🚴‍♂️🏃‍♂️ Race morning water temperature was 60.1°F — the coldest water I’ve ever raced in. Since parking and transition access were so convenient, I left the hotel around 5:10 a.m. without feeling rushed.

Swim — 1:25:09 🏊‍♂️

The swim course was one large loop. Thanks to the walls and bridges along the course, sighting was actually pretty easy. The biggest challenge by far was simply dealing with the cold water.

T1 — 11:33

In T1, athletes had to grab their bike gear bags and head into the changing tent. After changing, all swim gear needed to be packed back into the bike bag and left under the bike rack. The changing tent was crowded, and finding a place to sit was difficult, which slowed things down a bit.

Bike — 5:53:35 🚴‍♂️

The bike course consisted of three loops with rolling terrain throughout. Physically, the course itself wasn’t overly difficult, but the wind completely changed the experience. The headwinds came from every direction, just like everyone says about IMAZ. As the day went on, the winds seemed to get stronger and stronger, making the later laps much more challenging.

T2 — 4:21

After finishing the bike, volunteers immediately took the bikes, so athletes didn’t return to transition racks themselves. From there, it was another gear bag pickup, quick change in the tent, and then straight out onto the run course.

Run — 4:30:28 🏃‍♂️

The run course was also three loops and mostly flat, with only a few gentle inclines. Overall, it was very manageable.

Aid stations were frequent and well stocked, making it easy to stay fueled and hydrated. The volunteers and spectators brought incredible energy throughout the course, and the loop format made it great for family support since they could see athletes multiple times during the race. As the sun went down, the temperature dropped noticeably and the evening became pretty cold.

Post Race 🏁

Overall, I really enjoyed this race. The location, race organization, volunteers, and overall atmosphere were all excellent.

Despite the cold water and challenging winds, I had a great experience at Ironman Arizona, and I’d definitely consider coming back again someday.