ironman 70.3 galway

too much trifle

heard rumours a while back of a 1/2 iron coming to galway, any more news,
may be a bit early, but already thinking of next season.

tinydave

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055859040

Im in the same boat as you, thinking of this for the next season as my 1st Half Iroman:)

tunney

tinydave wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055859040

Im in the same boat as you, thinking of this for the next season as my 1st Half Iroman:)

Emmmm its not happening. it was a spoof (well not a spoof but an attempt to scare the competition off)

pgibbo

tunney wrote: »

Emmmm its not happening. it was a spoof (well not a spoof but an attempt to scare the competition off)

Is it going to another destination in Ireland?

tunney

pgibbo wrote: »

Is it going to another destination in Ireland?

That I couldn't tell you.

I can't see the demand for a 70.30 in ireland to be honest.

too much trifle

bugger! i know there has/will been/be a few held here this year any recommendations?

nomadic

too much trifle wrote: »

bugger! i know there has/will been/be a few held here this year any recommendations?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055867927

A few of us on here did this a couple of weeks ago. I definately recommend it. There was 72 solo and 30 relay teams this year but I'd say that'll probably double once the word about this years race gets out.

Otherwise there's the lost sheep in Kenmare and ireman in Down which is the national championships race and there was one up north earlier in the year. Probably more aswell.

Poncherello

Can anyone post a link to confirm that this is not happenning ?

Izoard

Given the hype machine that is WTC, you can be absolutely sure it would be on the radar by now, if it was going to happen:

http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3#axzz0vdnq0QLO

tunney

Izoard wrote: »

Given the hype machine that is WTC, you can be absolutely sure it would be on the radar by now, if it was going to happen:

http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3#axzz0vdnq0QLO

What I was going to say

Its not happening, and I doubt it ever will. The numbers required just aren't there and the infrastructure isn't there to get the numbers in by air. Plus why the hell would anyone want to race a 70.30 on irish roads in irish weather if you live in mainland europe?

potsy11

This was just posted on Irish Triathlon and I got a post up on facebook. The article is not there anymore.!!!


Looks like some work is being done on it but as other posters have said there is nothing on the IM.com website.






#Irish Triathlon

Ironman 70.3 Galway
www.irishtriathlon.comScheduled for Saturday, September 4, 2011, IRONMAN 70.3 Galway will take place in and around the scenic city of Galway, with a spectacular finish in Eyre Square. The inaugural race will mark the first Ironman event in Ireland, allocating 35 qualifying slots for the Foster Grant IRONMAN 70.3 World Ch...

catweazle

Mentioned in my log that my missus met the organisers out celebrating last weekend. Seemingly the final confirmation of approval came through on thursday

tunney

Interesting.

potsy11

New post up saying that the aritcle cannot be published until Wednesday.......Sounds like an announcement is coming.

too much trifle

you can only imagine how the solicitors e.mail read to 'irish triathlon'
the cat is out the bag!

Pixsar

4 stars (good)

I have it form a reliable source that some issues need to ironed out..(excuxe the pun) before pen is put to paper but that most of the work on the Irish side is complete....:D

El Director

3 stars (average)

mmmm.....if it's true then this race has a high probability of being one of my A races next year!

griffin100

Anyone care to hazard a guess at how much entry will cost? I'm thinking €300 plus:D

potsy11

300 is too much.

I reckon 175-225

tunney

potsy11 wrote: »

300 is too much.

I reckon 175-225

Given UK 70.40 is 232 euro (195 pounds) you're definitely looking at closer to 300 once an "irish" surcharge is applied. I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

70.30 Ireland doesn't appeal to me though, assuming a level of organisation similar to 70.30 UK rather than the continental counterparts and I'd prefer to do Kenmare.

kingQuez

Looking at some of the other 70.3s they come in at about 250euro? If your looking at spending that much, and really wanted to do a IM branded 70.3 id save and go to one where there's going to be nice weather at least! (like that shiny new one in mallorca)... otherwise I'd take my 250 euro and do one of the good local non-branded ones in the uk.

catweazle

I was told €170, although I am sceptical about this, they definetly wont undercharge. Coming from the locality it would be hard to pass this one over, a lot of the local clubs will do this and you will know a lot of people in this one from the area so competition factor alone it is a real tempter.

It wont be the easiest of 1/2 Ironman, they have been talking about going out through Oughterard so I can only assume they have the Sheanapheasteen route in mind as the coast road home is very scenic and its 90k bang on from Salthill. Thats a real ball buster of a route going across Costelloe and they would want to improve the road surface while they are it.

Some of those pros will get a big shock at trying to avoid the mountain sheep out that way

SucCes09

I had heard from a mate of a mate that this was happening alright, and living in Galway was only too delighted to hear about it. But why September??? Kenmare already on around that time, and folk looking to build on a few HIM to consider getting a IM in the future are then a bit limited on HIM options, unless they travel...

metal dog

catweazle wrote: »

I
It wont be the easiest of 1/2 Ironman, they have been talking about going out through Oughterard so I can only assume they have the Sheanapheasteen route in mind as the coast road home is very scenic and its 90k bang on from Salthill. Thats a real ball buster of a route going across Costelloe and they would want to improve the road surface while they are it.

Some of those pros will get a big shock at trying to avoid the mountain sheep out that way

yeah the sheep and the crap road surface would not be out of the ironman manual but it could be a good route if they got the roads fixed up. Would they get road closures though ? that road back in to salthill is very busy and not much in the way of a hard shoulder. if this is happening i would def. be tempted.

potsy11

SucCes09 wrote: »

I had heard from a mate of a mate that this was happening alright, and living in Galway was only too delighted to hear about it. But why September??? Kenmare already on around that time, and folk looking to build ona few HIM to consider getting a IM in the future are then a bit limited on HIM options, unless the travel...

I'd say that is the very reason IM won’t allow it for the summer months. The other European countries have theirs on at the same time so you would just end up competing against your own competition for entrants.
This way the Irish 70.3 will attract entrants from mainland europe.

As well as Kenmare your looking at missing the Dublin Marathon.

Hmmmm Marathon for €50 (early bird entry) or Galway 70.3 for €250.....I wonder what my wife would say!

catweazle

I dont know if the recovery from a 1/2 Ironman is that bad Potsy, it took me a long time to get the legs back from Connemara but I was feeling grand by the following weekend after Swinford. The swim and cycle dont give the legs as much of a pounding and 13.1 miles tis but a stroll in the park to the dedicated marathon runner although I do agree training for both would be time consuming

nomadic

Excuse my ignorance but what exactly do you get for the hugely inflated price tag? To do an official "Ironman" supported event. **** that.

dochara

NEWS

Ironman event set to be worth millions to Galway



March 19, 2010 - 8:45am
Gruelling event may draw 6,000 visitors to city
BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM

TWO Galway businessmen have secured the rights to bring the gruelling ‘Ironman’ triathlon competition to Galway next year – which will attract more than 6,000 visitors and provide an estimated boost of around €5m to the local economy.

As well as attracting ‘big spenders’, the event could see up to 100,000 people line Salthill Promenade to watch the tri-athletes taking part.

The Ironman 70.3 Series (so called because it involves a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile cycle and 13.1 mile run) is an exhausting test of endurance that has become the fastest-growing triathlon series in the world, with 31 events internationally, leading to qualification for the World Championship in Florida.

Eoin McCormack and Ronan Gilligan of E&R Events have beaten off strong international competition to be awarded the contract to hold the event in Galway for the next five years.

They expect thousands of people from around Ireland and Europe to flock to Galway for the weekend-long Ironman competition and festival in September 2011. It will attract 2,500 competitors alone. It has been secured with the help of Fáilte Ireland’s Sports Events Development Fund and the Sports Council of Ireland.

Ironman will see competitors swim part of Galway Bay in Salthill, before making their way to collect bikes in Salthill Park and depart on a cycle to Connemara, through Oughterard and back through Newcastle, before a half-marathon in the city.

“We’ve been working on the logistics of this for the last eight or nine months. It will be a huge attraction for Galway. These things sell out fast, and we’d expect around 1,750 people from overseas, and 4,500 others to travel to Galway,” Mr McCormack said.
For more on this story, see Page 5 of the Galway City Tribune.

Source: Galway City Tribune

catweazle

Very little Nomadic besides justifying that you could go for an m-dot tattoo if you are that way inclined, which wouldn't be too impressive to most people anyways unless it was the long one.

They will get a lot of first timers excited about Ironman and the marketing that goes with it and they will plan it as their first but more seasoned triathletes like yourself will be much more wary about their pricing point

I think they will be well pressed to beat something like Swinford, theres a lot to be said for a fantastic event, great scenery well marshaled and a 1/3 of the price + plus it is going back to a club/charity whereas Galway will purely be a for profit race. Galways main advantage is that even if it does poorly as regards entrants it should be still in the 4 figures as regards entrants which is great for competitive juices

I am looking at next season and I am loathe to not give support to Swinford again, and if I do I dont want to do it half assed saving myself for Galway. While it wouldn't be ideal would racing both be out of the question, there is over a month between them (nb: that I am still in training not sitting on a couch all next year)

Izoard

Plenty of "native" options that might have people thinking twice before signing up for this.

Currently Kenmare and Swinford would be higher up my priority list of HIMs to do...

How long before WTC start pushing Ironman Olympic/Sprint?:)

nomadic

catweazle wrote: »

I am looking at next season and I am loathe to not give support to Swinford again, and if I do I dont want to do it half assed saving myself for Galway. While it wouldn't be ideal would racing both be out of the question, there is over a month between them (nb: that I am still in training not sitting on a couch all next year)

I could be totally wrong but I'd say they're well spaced to race both. I was thinking of doing just that next year until I saw the estimated price tag. Tri is seriously expensive as it is, that money is a joke.

potsy11

I was charting to a mate of mine. I believe IM Zurich was 550e this year. I know it's a little off topic but previous poster is right - triathlon is gettin crazy expensive.

toomuchdetail

3 stars (average)

Swinford is going to be my first HIM next year, will still look at this but price will dictate . The only real advantage of this been local is no expence on hotels and flights etc.
Priced a few of these franchised events only recently and I couldn't get over the price and still have difficulty trying to figure out the why.

Izoard

potsy11 wrote: »

I was charting to a mate of mine. I believe IM Zurich was 550e this year. I know it's a little off topic but previous poster is right - triathlon is gettin crazy expensive.

IM Zurich was "only" €420 for 2010 (paying direct), although I've heard a lot of mutterings that they whacked up the price for 2011.

I can rationalize these sorts of prices for the full monty, but for a HIM? Plenty of good local options that could do with the support.

tunney

nomadic wrote: »

I could be totally wrong but I'd say they're well spaced to race both. I was thinking of doing just that next year until I saw the estimated price tag. Tri is seriously expensive as it is, that money is a joke.

Triathlon is not expensive.

You don't need a new blueSeventy Helix wetsuit every year.
You don't need a flash bike with zipps, a disc and a powermeter.
You don't need aero helmets and flash bike shoes.

You don't need to pay for underwater swim analisys.
You don't need to pay for dodgy training camps.

You don't need to do the expensive races on the Irish calendar.
Skip the high price ones (that by and large are terribly run commerical ventures).
You don't need to line the pockets of people whos sole contribution is to separate you from your money.

If you train solidly, either under your own advice or coached, and train consistently you will spank the a$$es off those that have bought all the cr@p and done nothing.

As for race entries - the badly run high priced events can be avoided. The calendar is swimming in races. Vote with your feet. Do a different race. I've done some races in Ireland over the last few years that cost huge amounts and weren't safe and didn't even have goodie bags. Some races are solely for profit and take the attitude of "screw the competitor". But no one has to do them.

Sometimes a high priced race can deliver an experience that justifies the price tag. I do think a good few of the contential IM branded IM distance races do deliver.

You can do triathlon, and well, without it costing the earth.

SucCes09

So what are the HIM options in Ireland?
Swinford (July)
Ireman (half) - (August)
Galway (September)
Kenmare (September)

nomadic

tunney wrote: »

Triathlon is not expensive.

You don't need a new blueSeventy Helix wetsuit every year.
You don't need a flash bike with zipps, a disc and a powermeter.
You don't need aero helmets and flash bike shoes.

You don't need to pay for underwater swim analisys.
You don't need to pay for dodgy training camps.

You don't need to do the expensive races on the Irish calendar.
Skip the high price ones (that by and large are terribly run commerical ventures).
You don't need to line the pockets of people whos sole contribution is to separate you from your money.

If you train solidly, either under your own advice or coached, and train consistently you will spank the a$$es off those that have bought all the cr@p and done nothing.

As for race entries - the badly run high priced events can be avoided. The calendar is swimming in races. Vote with your feet. Do a different race. I've done some races in Ireland over the last few years that cost huge amounts and weren't safe and didn't even have goodie bags. Some races are solely for profit and take the attitude of "screw the competitor". But no one has to do them.

Sometimes a high priced race can deliver an experience that justifies the price tag. I do think a good few of the contential IM branded IM distance races do deliver.

You can do triathlon, and well, without it costing the earth.

Jaysus I need all that! Next year is gonna be expensive.

Races are still expensive compared to say running or bike races. I suppose it costs a lot more to run a triathlon though.

catweazle

I entered too many races this year, not only was it costing me a fortune between entry fees and travel expenses, it was messing up the training schedule. I am going to try and be more disciplined next year........I was off out doing a sprint on the Sunday and taking it easy the day before it with a 1/2 Ironman coming up in a month or two. Going to try and cut down big time on races

Quality not quantity

griffin100

So what are the HIM options in Ireland?
Swinford (July)
Ireman (half) - (August)
Galway (September)
Kenmare (September)

Tri Limits Half Cookstown - 7th May 2011

toomuchdetail

3 stars (average)

tunney wrote: »

Triathlon is not expensive.

You don't need a new blueSeventy Helix wetsuit every year.
You don't need a flash bike with zipps, a disc and a powermeter.
You don't need aero helmets and flash bike shoes.

You don't need to pay for underwater swim analisys.
You don't need to pay for dodgy training camps.

You don't need to do the expensive races on the Irish calendar.
Skip the high price ones (that by and large are terribly run commerical ventures).
You don't need to line the pockets of people whos sole contribution is to separate you from your money.

If you train solidly, either under your own advice or coached, and train consistently you will spank the a$$es off those that have bought all the cr@p and done nothing.

As for race entries - the badly run high priced events can be avoided. The calendar is swimming in races. Vote with your feet. Do a different race. I've done some races in Ireland over the last few years that cost huge amounts and weren't safe and didn't even have goodie bags. Some races are solely for profit and take the attitude of "screw the competitor". But no one has to do them.

Sometimes a high priced race can deliver an experience that justifies the price tag. I do think a good few of the contential IM branded IM distance races do deliver.

You can do triathlon, and well, without it costing the earth.

+1
Could have done with some of this advice when I got into this 2 years ago.

nutzzz123

griffin100 wrote: »

Tri Limits Half Cookstown - 7th May 2011

Has anyone done this race, just wondering what the course is like and how much to enter. No details on their website

catweazle

You would think they would have had the website ready before they make any announcement


Ironman 70.3 Galway

Ironman racing is coming to Galway, see full details below.
“IRONMAN 70.3 Series expands to Ireland
Scheduled for Saturday, September 4, 2011, IRONMAN 70.3 Galway will take place in and around the scenic city of Galway, with a spectacular finish in Eyre Square. The inaugural race will mark the first Ironman event in Ireland, allocating 35 qualifying slots for the Foster Grant IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Florida.

Located on Ireland’s West Coast and within driving distance of Shannon airport, Galway is known as the “Cultural Heart of Ireland”, hosting numerous festivals, celebrations and events.
The start of the race is in the ancient village of Salthill, now a renowned seaside resort. After exiting the clear water of Galway Bay after the 1.9 k swim, the athletes will take on the challenge of the 90 k bike course, leading them through the beautiful countryside of the green island. On the spectator friendly run course (21.1 k) through downtown Galway athletes pass a number of Galway’s iconic landmarks and streets. The finish line party Irish style is the grand finale of the first IRONMAN 70.3 in Ireland.
“I believe that the IRONMAN 70.3 in Galway on the West coast of Ireland, offers IRONMAN athletes a truly unique challenge in a location that is unrivalled anywhere in the world. Galway is famous for its friendly atmosphere and stunningly beautiful landscape, all of which should add up to a thoroughly wonderful experience for competitors from all around the world”, says Eoin McCormack of E & R Events, organizer of the race in Galway.
Kai Walter, Managing Director of IRONMAN European Headquarters, is pleased with the location of the first Irish IRONMAN: “Galway offers ideal conditions for an IRONMAN 70.3 event. The race course is beautiful and has all qualifications of establishing itself as a highlight in the race calendar for triathletes worldwide.”
Registration opens on October 10, 2010″.
For more information about the race, please visit www.ironman-ireland.com (site will go live shortly).

tunney

We had:

"I'm doing the marathon"
"Which one, the one in Dublin in June, you know the womens only one"

now we will have

"I'm doing an Ironman this year, I hope to do it in 8 hours"
"Fast time, which one?"
"Ironman Galway"

TFBubendorfer

tunney wrote: »

Triathlon is not expensive.

You don't need a new blueSeventy Helix wetsuit every year.
You don't need a flash bike with zipps, a disc and a powermeter.
You don't need aero helmets and flash bike shoes.

You don't need to pay for underwater swim analisys.
You don't need to pay for dodgy training camps.

You don't need to do the expensive races on the Irish calendar.

I didn't buy an expensive wet suit.
I didn't buy a flash bike.
I didn't buy an aero helmet and I didn't buy flash bike shoes.
I didn't pay for underwater swim analysis.
I didn't pay for training camps, dodgy or not.
I didn't do any expensive races, just 3 cheap ones.

And yet I still spent way more for 3 triathlons than for years of running. Bike (fairly cheap), wet suit (still felt expensive to me TBH), shoes (cheap), helmet (cheap), pump (cheap), pool fees, ...

It's all relative. No, it does not need to be expensive, but you are going to spend a certain amount, certainly a lot more than for running.

TFBubendorfer

tunney wrote: »

We had:

"I'm doing the marathon"
"Which one, the one in Dublin in June, you know the womens only one"

now we will have

"I'm doing an Ironman this year, I hope to do it in 8 hours"
"Fast time, which one?"
"Ironman Galway"

Yes, that occurred to me, too.

nerraw1111

Terrible news. What with the inevitable marketing and hype, it's bound to attract newbies who won't know the arse from their elbow but doing it for the challenge.

Then they'll their friends that they did an ironman but we know they really didn't. How infuriating.

It's bad enough that wimmin think they did a marathon when all they did was a 10km race.

MrCreosote

Great news! Gonna book in with my tattooist for September next year then- get the ol' M-dot inked on. Somewhere nice and subtle, like my forehead.

In fairness it's good to have the choice. It'll be interesting to see how it affects the numbers for Lost Sheep.

interested

there could be a flip side to this development - that similar races in Ireland may be moved to improve their offerings - whether that be a second light in transition for early morning setup or otherwise - who knows . As per previous comments, it'll be interesting to see what the price of entry will be for this and +1 re: not having a website live to coincide with announcement.

L'Enfer du Nord

Feel I have to do this because I live in Galway, would be terrible to be watching from the side lines, I’m assuming this event is guaranteed closed roads for the cycle.
Galway ‘the cultural heart of Ireland’ Drinking culture and rip-off culture, maybe. ‘ancient village of Salthill’ .They for get to mention the romansque architecture (http://3547.voxcdn.com/photos/8/0/165341_s.jpg)
I’m willing to bet any money that the local media will headline this as being ‘worth millions’ to the local economy. Sorry for the rant but sometimes it seems that nothing in Galway is seen as worthwhile other than in the context of bringing money in.
That’s not to say it won’t be a good venue for this. Most people here are friendly and welcoming.
Other than potentially being overpriced are there any other likely pitfalls for this 70.3 IM event? I too generally try and avoid ‘commercial’ triathlons and stick to club and charity ones.

griffin100

Has anyone done this race, just wondering what the course is like and how much to enter. No details on their website

A few of us did it this year. Small race with a nice atmosphere, thread here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055879374

hammerheadjack

2 stars (poor)

I and many of our club members have been eagerly anticipating this announcement since it was first hinted at. Now that its actually going to happen I'm torn between heading back to groomsport where I know that I'm getting value for money, or paying through the nose for an untested course. The local drivers didn't take too well to the Galway leg of the tri3 series which ended up quite dangerous coming back into town on the bike. Can't see them closing all the roads for this, but thats what will be needed. We're all used to the dangerous road surfaces and drivers with blind spots for cyclists, but our international cousins-in-tri who turn up may be in for a surprise. I'm sure it will be a great event regardless, but what's it going to cost.