Ironman Lake Placid 2010 Photos

Here's how we saw the race. Samples below; set of more than 200 photos at Ironman Lake Placid 2010 by Raymond Britt.









Ironman Races in 2010 and Kona Slots Per Race

[Also see Ironman Races 2011-2012 and Kona Slots per Race]

Each year, more than 50,000 triathletes compete in races all over the world hoping to earn one of roughly 1800 golden opportunities of a lifetime: the right to race with the best in the world in Kona.



The allocation of those 1800 slots is roughly as follows:
  • 1500 slots earned at qualifying races (see estimates below)
  • 200 awarded in an official Ironman lottery held each Spring; thousands apply; see www.ironman.com for details and registration
  • The rest go to previous Kona winners, last year’s Kona age group winners, NBC broadcast subjects, sponsor and manufacturer representatives.
Other than trying your luck – against very long odds --at the lottery, if you want to go to Kona, you need to qualify. An overview of the qualifying slot distribution process:

  • The 1500 slots are allocated among 25 Ironman qualifying races and Ironman 70.3 California
  • The slots each race gets (e.g., Wisconsin = 72 slots) are allocated among age-group divisions and pros (e.g., M45-49 age group gets 6 slots)
  • The slots in each race’s age-group division are reserved for the top finishers (e.g., the top 6 finishers in M45-49 are entitled to take a slot)
  • It may happen that some athletes will choose to not accept a slot they earned for some reason; any slots not accepted ‘roll down’ to the next finisher(s) who also have the option to accept or pass on the slot.
  • The ‘Roll Down’ process continues until all slots are taken
  • Note: see official race rules for details and timing

Ironman Lake Placid: Finishers and DNFs by Race Division

Only 5% of the field did not finish the 2010 Ironman Lake Placid. Women in most age groups were more likely to drop out. Still, the number of DNFs is relatively low, compared with most Ironman races. Very favorable conditions certainly encouraged triathletes to push on to the finish. For more analysis, return to our exclusive Ironman Lake Placid coverage.



Ironman Lake Placid: Advice and Racing Tips

Excerpt from Ironman Lake Placid: Racing Tips and Strategies

By Raymond Britt

Ironman Lake Placid is one of the most beautiful as well as one of the most challenging Ironman races in the world. For triathletes and supporters, the Ironman experience in Lake Placid is always exceptional.

Located in Upstate New York, Lake Placid is a picturesque town that has hosted the 1936 and 1980 Winter Olympic games and serves as a primary Winter Olympic training site.

Lake Placid is a terrific place to sight-see in the couple of days prior to your race. The town is small enough to be engulfed by triathlon fever. Enjoy it while you're there, but there are plenty of ways to escape it on driving tours.

Make a point of driving -- not riding -- the bike course. Along the way, you'll see signs for Olympic ski jump and Bobsled training locations. Do yourself a favor and stop by both locations. Get some friends to join you in an actual dry-land bobsled run. It'll rattle you silly, but it's worth doing once.

Gear Bags and Bike Check-In

When packing for your trip, bring more rather than less.

In my experience, temperatures in the area have varied widely on race day, from a frosty 40 degrees at dawn, to high 80s by early afternoon. Better to have extra clothing choices in your transition bags, just in case the weather is different from what you expected.

Rain and strong winds can arrive on race day, consider that when making your wheel choice. Dealing with strong gusts on steep downhills with slick pavement are more than terrifying on this course.

When checking your bike in on Saturday, cover your handlebars and seat with plastic bags. Even if it doesn't rain overnight, the morning dew will otherwise dampen them. Do not place or tape your nutrition on your bike overnight; wait until morning.

Then take it easy for the rest of the day. You have a big race tomorrow.

Race Morning: Before the Start

The transition area will be bustling with activity before dawn. Try to time your arrival so you can get through the body-marking line and to your bike by about 6:00am. That allows you plenty of time to pump your tires (it's easy to borrow a pump if you don't have one), fill your water bottles and load your nutrition.

Then go check your transition bags to be sure you didn't forget any essentials. Go over your checklist: at a minimum you need a race number, helmet, cycling shoes and running shoes. Missing anything beyond that; too late to worry about it.

Start moving toward the water at 6:30. Enter soon after. The tight entryway gets far too congested with hundreds of racers waiting to the last minute. Go early and find a shallow spot to stand; you won't be treading water endlessly.

Swim

The swim takes place in the calm but tiny Mirror Lake. It's a two lap course, outlined by buoys connected by a white rope that's tantalizingly visible just below the surface. Sighting is easy; you can see land nearby on either side to help orient you. You'll swim nearly to the far end of the lake, so there's no doubt about spotting the turnaround point.

In my opinion, the expansion of the race to more than 2000 participants has overcrowded this swim venue like no other Ironman race. Too little space; too many swimmers. Add to that the popular idea to swim along the little white line for the shortest distance, and you get a nearly unmatched water clobbering scenario. My advice: swim wide, relax, let others fight for position.

Lap one will remain congested no matter where you swim. By the time you start lap two, though, things seem to shake out a bit. More space, less contact, better swimming. Have fun.

Swim to Bike Transition

Once out of the water, you'll have to go a couple hundred yards to the Olympic Oval transition area. While it seems a long distance, it'll help clear your head a little. When you get your transition bag and enter the transition tent, all seats may be occupied. No problem; just find yourself a spot on grass and change anyway. No real reason to rush, either; you'll have a long day ahead. Just keep moving.

Volunteers will try to help get your bike as you near your rack, and soon enough you'll be exiting the transition area. Be sure to wait until you pass the Special Line before mounting your bike, or you may get a penalty.

Bike

The two-lap bike course is alternatively beautiful, tough, fast, and sometimes all of the above.

After a fast descent outside of the transition area (be careful there), and a speedy, adrenaline-fueled two miles to get out of town the work begins. Your first long climb will commence near the Olympic Ski Jumps, ascending for the next five miles past North Elba. The climb is forgiving, with several short downhills for relief, but overall you are climbing.

At the end of your climb you'll encounter a couple of flat miles past a beautiful stream. Appreciate the view, while preparing for fun. Next up: a screaming 10k downhill to the village of Keene. In good weather, go ahead, hammer a little. You can see speeds of 45mph or more. Just stay to the right; there will always be hot rodders passing you at over 50mph. I'd rather be safe and concede a few seconds.

If the weather is wet and/or windy, be careful, stay under control. Accidents on this stretch could be very nasty, what with all the downward momentum.

Sometimes riders experience a shaking of the front wheel, at high speed, and it's hard to control. To avoid this, try to keep your bike stable by hugging the frame with your knees on the way down.

[Once you reach Keene, the next eight or so peaceful miles are relatively flat, heading to the town of Jay. Build up some speed here, but don't go crazy. The left turn in Jay will re-introduce you to hills, and you want to withhold some strength.] This section is unavailable in 2010; see Bike Course Changes for detour details.

Your next notable destination is the 14-mile out-and-back on Haselton Road. It's mostly shaded and rolling, sometimes with steep downhills. So steep, that each time I'm coasting down them, I'm also slightly dreading climbing them on the way back. The good news: they aren't as hard to climb as you will think.

After Haselton Road, just a few relatively flat miles on Route 86, then a left turn toward Whiteface Mountain. As 86 approaches the mountain, you'll begin wondering where the terrifying climb you've seen on the course map begins.

Yes, it is there, beginning at about mile 44. But you will be surprised. It doesn't smack you, instead it sneaks up on you, with what ultimately are continuing gentle increases in elevation that are less taxing than you feared. The thing is: they don't provide much relief.

The real climbs occur within miles of the end of lap one. The hills are named, and labeled, Baby Bear. Mama Bear, and Papa Bear. None are too difficult. Get past them, and soon you'll be in town to start again on lap two.

Bike to Run Transition

This one's simple and relatively fast, even if you don't feel like moving too swiftly. Hand your bike to a volunteer, collect your transition bag and find a spot to change into your running shoes. Before you know it, you're off to run a marathon.

Run

The two-lap 26.2 marathon course has it all. Long straightaways, steep painful declines and inclines, and routing though tree-lined forest roads.

You'll get a boost from the crowd as you head out of town in the first mile, and then for the next two miles, you're running steady, out of town. By the ski jumps, you'll encounter a quarter-mile swift downhill that your legs may not entirely want to go fast on. Do what you can, then turn left toward the Riverside Road turnaround, about 2.5 miles away.

The farther you get on Riverside Road, the less you'll be able to see the course ahead. The turns are constant, so allow yourself to stop worrying where the turnaround point is. Just find that running zone, and enjoy it.

At the turnaround point, you will retrace your steps back to where you started -- including a steep climb at about the 8-mile point that seems unforgiving. When you reach the transition area, you will take a sharp right turn on Lake Placid Club Drive, proceeding to pass the west side of Mirror Lake until you reach the second turnaround about a mile later. Pass it, and return to town to complete your first 13.1 mile lap.

All you have to do next is repeat the loop and you're an Ironman. OK, so it isn't as easy as all that. Just keep moving one step at a time. You will get there.

And you will deserve to be proud. You will be an Ironman.

For more, return to RunTri.com's Ironman Lake Placid coverage.

Ironman Lake Placid: Kona Qualifying Times - Women

Kona Qualifying Times by Age Group -- Men -- at Ironman Lake Placid 2004 and 2009: Qualifying times have only changed sharply for women 40-44 and 50-54. Remarkably, qualifying seems to have gotten easier for women under 30 and over 55, at least in 2009.  Also see qualifying times by all age groups from 2004 to 2009.

Ironman Lake Placid: Kona Qualifying Times - Men

Kona Qualifying Times by Age Group -- Men -- at Ironman Lake Placid 2004 and 2009: Shrinking qualifying times are most notable between ages 30 and 59. Qualifying seems to have gotten easier for men 60+, at least in 2009.  Also see qualifying times by all age groups from 2004 to 2009.

Ironman Lake Placid: Swim, Bike, Run and Finish Times 2004 vs 2009

Is it possible that Ironman Lake Placid is getting harder? The course hasn't changed much between 2004 and 2009, but the average finish times by age group certainly have. Notably, the average overall finish time has slipped from 12:46 to 13:08. Some of that difference may be explained by the roughly 20% increase in number of starters. Any way you look at it, IMLP is one tough course.

Ironman Lake Placid 2010 Bike Course Changes

RunTri believes the course detour -- details below -- will lead to faster bike splits at this year's Ironman Lake Placid. I'd expect it will reduce pro bike splits by 10 minutes. Reason: Route 9N is the flattest and most consistently fast section of the bike course. How fast? Ironman Arizona and Ironman Florida fast.

"Ford Ironman Lake Placid will be required to make alterations to the bike course for this year's race due to road contruction. Changes to bike course of Ford Ironman Lake Placid triathlon scheduled for Sunday, July 25 will impact residents of Jay and Ausable Forks. Due to the bridge project over the Ausable River on Haselton Road in Wilmington, Route 9N from Jay to Ausable Forks will now comprise a 10.2 mile portion of the 56 mile bike circuit that racers will travel twice. Both lanes of Route 9N will be closed to non-essential vehicle traffic on race day between 8 am and 4:30 pm." -- from www.ironmanusa.com July 18, 2010

Ironman Florida: Average Swim, Bike, Run and Finish Times by Age Group

Ironman St. George: Average Swim, Bike, Run and Finish Times by Age Group

Ironman Lake Placid Race Week Schedule

A list of key activities and locations for Ironman Lake Placid. For latest updates, visit ironmanlakeplacid.com. For more, see our complete Ironman Lake Placid Coverage.


Thursday, July 22, 2010
Start End Event Location
9:00 AM 4:30 PM Ironman Store Olympic Oval
9:00 AM 5:00 PM Ironman Village Olympic Oval
10:00 AM 4:00 PM Athlete Check-In LP High School
Friday, July 23, 2010
Start End Event Location
9:00 AM 4:30 PM Ironman Store Olympic Oval
9:00 AM 5:00 PM Ironman Village Olympic Oval
10:00 AM 4:00 PM Athlete Check-In LP High School
2:00 PM Ironman Kids Fun Run Mirror Lake beach
5:30 PM 7:30 PM Ironman Welcome Dinner LP Show Grounds
7:30 PM 8:30 PM Mandatory Race Briefing LP Show Grounds
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Start End Event Location
9:00 AM 11:00 AM IMLP 2011 entry: 2010 athletes LP High School
9:00 AM 4:30 PM Ironman Store Olympic Oval
9:00 AM 5:00 PM Ironman Village Olympic Oval
10:00 AM 3:00 PM Bike & Gear Bag Check-In Transition Area
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Start End Event Location
5:00 AM Transition area Opens Olympic Oval
6:30 AM Transition area closes
6:50 AM Pro Race starts Mirror Lake
7:00 AM Age-Group Race starts.
9:20 AM Swim course closes
1:30 PM 1st lap of bike course
5:30 PM 2nd lap of bike course closes.
5:30 PM Bike Course Closes
6:00 PM 12:00 AM Bike & Gear Check-Out Transition Area
10:00 PM 12:00 PM Ford Ironman Finisher party. Finish Line
12:00 AM Race ends
Monday, July 26, 2010
Start End Event Location
7:00 AM 3:00 PM Finishers merchandise Olympic Oval
9:00 AM 11:00 AM Kona registration. LP High School
9:00 AM 11:00 AM IMLP 2011 Registration. LP High School
11:05 AM 2010 Kona Slot rolldown. LP High School
12:30 PM 2:30 PM Awards Banquet. LP Show Grounds

Ironman Lake Placid Run Course Map

Ironman Lake Placid Run Course, plotted on Google Maps. Mile markers are approximate. Two laps = 26.2 miles. For more, see our complete Ironman Lake Placid Coverage.

Ironman Lake Placid Bike Course Map

Ironman Lake Placid Bike Course, plotted on Google Maps. Mile markers are approximate. Two laps = 112 miles. For more, see Ironman Lake Placid Bike Course: What to Expect and our complete Ironman Lake Placid Coverage.

Ironman Course Comparisons: Swim, Bike, Run, Finish Times by Division -- Women

A comprehensive comparison of average swim, bike, run and finish times for all women's divisions in 14 of the best Ironman events: Arizona, Australia Port-Macquarie, Austria, Canada, Coeur d'Alene, Florida, France, Lake Placid, Louisville, St. George, South Africa, UK and Wisconsin.

For more, visit the RunTri Ironman Finish and Kona Qualifying Times Index to access our complete library of analytic reports.

Ironman Course Comparisons: Swim, Bike, Run, Finish Times by Division -- Men

A comprehensive comparison of average swim, bike, run and finish times for all men's divisions in 14 of the best Ironman events: Arizona, Australia Port-Macquarie, Austria, Canada, Coeur d'Alene, Florida, France, Lake Placid, Louisville, St. George, South Africa, UK and Wisconsin.

For more, visit the RunTri Ironman Finish and Kona Qualifying Times Index to access our complete library of analytic reports.

Ironman Comparisons: Run Times on 14 Global Courses, by Division

A comprehensive comparison of average run times for all divisions in 14 of the best Ironman events: Arizona, Australia Port-Macquarie, Austria, Canada, Coeur d'Alene, Florida, France, Lake Placid, Louisville, St. George, South Africa, UK and Wisconsin.

For more, visit the RunTri Ironman Finish and Kona Qualifying Times Index to access our complete library of analytic report

Ironman Comparisons: Bike Times on 14 Global Courses, by Division

A comprehensive comparison of average bike times for all divisions in 14 of the best Ironman events: Arizona, Australia Port-Macquarie, Austria, Canada, Coeur d'Alene, Florida, France, Lake Placid, Louisville, St. George, South Africa, UK and Wisconsin.

For more, visit the RunTri Ironman Finish and Kona Qualifying Times Index to access our complete library of analytic reports.

Ironman Comparisons: Swim Times on 14 Global Courses, by Division

A comprehensive comparison of average times for all divisions in 14 of the best Ironman events: Arizona, Australia Port-Macquarie, Austria, Canada, Coeur d'Alene, Florida, France, Lake Placid, Louisville, St. George, South Africa, UK and Wisconsin.

For more, visit the RunTri Ironman Finish and Kona Qualifying Times Index to access our complete library of analytic reports.

Marathon and Ironman Training Plan: Qualify for Kona Averaging 8.5 Hours per Week

The following is an excerpt from the book Qualifying for Kona: The Road to Ironman Triathlon World Championship, by Raymond Britt:

When you're short on training time but have big racing goals, you've got to make the most of every hour you've got. If you want to qualify for Kona or PR in the marathon, and you've got less than 10 hours per week to train, this article can help provide a framework for your training plan strategy.

This section presents my training map for a high-performance year, which included:
  • Ironman New Zealand 
  • Boston Marathon [Marathon PR 2:54]
  • Qualifying for Kona at Ironman Lake Placid 
  • Qualifying for the following year's Kona at Ironman Wisconsin
  • Chicago Marathon
  • Ironman debut in Kona.


I averaged 8.5 training/racing hours per week on this training plan, with more training time per week in summer months and tapering up in Spring and down in Fall. The chart below shows actual swim, bike and run hours per week.

Absolutely essential to the success of creating and executing this plan are the principles in the following articles:
Day-by-day actual training and racing details are shown below. 

Training Map Day by Day Detail

Ironman Kona Qualifying Times

Kona qualifying times vary by race and by age group. For example, if M35-39 is allocated 9 slots in your race and you finish in the top 9, you're going to Kona. Below are the finish times of athletes who qualified, by race (e.g., IM FL = Ironman Florida) and age division. Scroll down to see all age divisions. For more, see Qualifying for Kona.






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Ironman Lake Placid: Average Swim, Bike, Run and Finish Times by Age Division

For a sense of what you can expect in terms of time on the course, here are the average swim, bike, run splits and finish times by age division at Ironman Lake Placid 2009. For more, see our comprehensive Ironman Lake Placid coverage.

Benchmarks: Easiest and Toughest Ironman Bike Courses by Age Division

The 112-mile bike courses at Ironman Lake Placid, Ironman Wisconsin and Ironman Canada are among the most challenging routes on the Ironman Circuit, as the average bike splits from seven 2009 Ironman races indicate. Having raced on all course, I can confirm these averages are accurate.

What bike split might you expect in your next Ironman? See averages below by race and age division for Ironman 2009 events in Lake Placid, Wisconsin, Canada, New Zealand, Arizona, Florida and Kona.

For more, see Comparison of 15 Ironman Bike Course Average Times.

Toughest/Easiest Ironman Triathlon Bike Courses

By Raymond Britt

Riding 112 miles anywhere, any time, especially after a 2.4 mile swim and before a 26.2 mile marathon, is no small task. In that light, there really is no such thing as an easy Ironman bike course. They’re all hard. For at least 6 hours, on average. Of course, there are notable differences, when you look at the averages. Here’s how bike splits at seven of the more popular Ironman races compare, overall:


[For more detail, see Average Ironman Bike Course Splits by Race and Age Division]

The Ironman Lake Placid Bike course is one of the most beautiful, but also one of the toughest 112-mile Ironman rides you’ll ever experience. Everything you’ve heard about Ironman Wisconsin is true: it’s much harder than you expect. Ironman Canada is also considered to have one of the toughest bike courses in the world.

If you’re looking for a faster bike split, New Zealand, Arizona and Florida are the places to race. But there are some challenges to consider. In New Zealand, your cycling challenges are more likely to be weather related. In Arizona, you’re likely to deal with head winds half the time. And in Florida, you’ll be riding under the blazing sun for most of your 112-mile ride.

Personally, I rate Lake Placid and Wisconsin courses as tied for toughest bike course, having ridden nearly identical bike splits in both races, year-by-year. And of course, the extremely fast Kona average is skewed by an elite field of extremely fast triathletes.

I consider Kona’s degree of difficulty akin to Ironman Wisconsin; both courses are far more challenging than they appear on any elevation chart. In Wisconsin, the never-ending undulation gets the best of many riders; in Kona, it’s the headwinds on the last 30 to 40 miles that can crack the spirit.

As for the 'fast' courses like Ironman Arizona and Ironman Florida, consider this: an Ironman bike split record has never been set on either course.

Finally, there's also the consideration of the individual rider. I've ridden nearly identical bike splits on several courses, regardless of the degree of difficulty,  during what I call my Ironman 'Finisher' and 'Kona Qualifier' phases.

In my first Ironman races, the 'Finisher' phase, I rode roughly 6:15 splits in Canada, Germany, Lake Placid. During the years I qualified for Kona, I was riding 5:25 to 5:35 bike splits on the tough courses like Lake Placid and Wisconsin, but also in Austria, Florida and Arizona.

In my case, 112 miles was 112 miles, hard no matter where they were. My training and strategy put me in a position where I was going to ride a 5:35, no matter the course. The same may be true for you.
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