Ironman Canada



Location
Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
Race website
Website link
Time of year held
July
Approx Athlete Numbers
1700
Does it typically sell out?
No
One word description for the event
Epic; scenic; outstanding; climbing; majestic
Good for first iron distance race?
Only if up for a big challenge

Tips for overseas athletes getting to the venue:
  • Fly in via Vancouver, then rent a car for the drive to Whistler, which is just under 2 hours.
  • There is no need for a car once in Whistler and hotels charge for parking so try to catch a ride if possible.
  • Find accommodation in Whistler village. 
  • Bring your camera, and plenty of oxygen. 
  • Get to BC early, check out Vancouver and the Kitsolano pool.

SWIM

One word description for the swim
Great; crowded; contact; clear; easy; dizzy
Single or multi-lap course?
2 lap
Typically wetsuit-legal?
Yes
Swim course description
Lake, mass start

Swim tips
  • Relax and enjoy yourself!
  • The water is super-clean with minimal chop and the lake is so scenic with its mountain backdrop.
  • Be sure you are comfortable with crowds in open water as the race is usually close to a sell-out and it is a two lap swim.
  • In water start for the faster swimmers along the buoy line. For the slower swimmers consider starting from the shore.
  • Straightforward.
  • Enjoy, as it's flat. 
  • Position yourself well, the closer you get to the bouys the more intense of a swim you will encounter. 
  • If you are swimming wide watch out for those athletes who enter the water late as they will swim in from your right and they don't stop till they hit the inside line.

BIKE


One word description for the bike
Crazy hills; challenging; scenic; murder; picturesque
GPS map link for the bike course
Ride with gps or map my ride
Video link for the bike course
Video link or video link 2
Single or multi-lap course?
Single lap

Bike Course description
  • Starts with ascent, rolling hills, descent, rolling hills, middle of course is 60km flat out and back with headwinds on the back-end, and then 30km net uphill to the finish.
  • Brutal, but beautiful with mountain and lake scenery.
  • 1856m elevation gain according to Garmin.
  • Lots of up and down other than the flat section around Pemberton.
  • The last 30km is all uphill and tough.
  • Exit T1 with short climb, rolling through Whistler, down to first sustained climb. Nice down section with climb back to town. Long down to extended flat out and back. Climb back to Whistler. Nothing too crazy, maybe max 6%. Very scenic.
  • Fast very early, longish climb to Olympic Park, turn around and very rolling with some steeps, then a long 50K flat and hilly and hard to get back to T2
  • Stunning scenery just a shame that your will not be able to see it due to the blood vessels having popped in your eyes. 
  • A chance to see everything around Whistler.

Bike Course tips
  • Pace yourself for that final ride back up to Whistler!
  • Save some energy for the climb back into Whistler from Pemberton.
  • Keep power under control on climbs and up on descents. 
  • Good to ride Callahan climb. 
  • Good pavement throughout.
  • Save a lot for the road back to T2, approx. 25 miles of mostly uphill.
  • Training is a good idea. 
  • Make sure you drive or ride the course (the flats are just flat so no need to ride that) but the climbs and the ride back into Whistler from Pemberton is a must! Knowing what is left makes you pace way better.
  • Check how far away the first major climb (The Callaghan Climb)  is from T1 and then also go see Pemberton to see what hills you have to climb back into Whistler. Bring spare parts for your bike!!!! TT bikes are far and few between in Whistler so they don't stock many parts!

RUN

One word description for the run
Trail; awesome; nice; rolling; bears; mixed
GPS map link for the run course
Map link or map link 2
Video link for the run course
Video link
Single or multi-lap course?
2 laps

Run course description 
  • A scenic trail run along asphalt, pavement, crushed gravel and boardwalk. Route takes you alongside lakes and through the woods. Nice and shady.
  • Black bears have interrupted the run two years in a row now, but only for a few minutes at a time! They tend to meander by and then leave.
  • Mostly on hard packed trail with some pavement. Some climbing but nothing extreme.
  • First 1-2 miles has a bit of climbing. Rest is relatively flat. Course is 2 loops out and back. 
  • Good fan support in Village and various spots.
  • 2 laps around, run alongside a few lakes, very scenic, no big hills but also never really flat.
  • Great crowd. 
  • Loopy and hot (when the weather is nice).

Run course tips
  • Bring a headlamp if you are finishing after dark (approx 9:45 or later). Some parts of the wooded route are very, very dark.
  • Enjoy the views. Course goes through varying different forested areas and neighbourhoods so the scenery is not stagnant.
  • Course is fair. Take it a bit easy on the climb early each lap and then pick it up for the rest of each lap.
  • Even effort rather than even pace.
  • run Forrest run. 
  • Pace yourself well and drink plenty, also take advantage of all the shade that is on the course.
  • Oh and if you hear about a bear on the course make sure you keep a look out. In 2015 I saw 5 bears (2 adults and 3 cubs)

SUPPORTERS

Tips for supporters get the most out of watching the event?
  • Rent bikes to get between cheering locations. Most street are shut down for this event. Whistler Village has plenty of bike shops.
  • You will be able to see athletes on the bike twice if you are on the main highway in Whistler.
  • You will also be able to see athletes twice on the run (two loops) and still be close to town and be able to go for food and drinks.
  • After the swim, you can walk back to the Whistler village to watch the rest of the race.
  • Have to walk the trail to swim start as no way to drive there. Athletes take bus. 
  • Ride comes through Whistler main highway 4x. 
  • Good spots on run course just outside of T2 where you can see athletes many times on the 2 loop.
  • If you are willing to move a few blocks you can see your athlete about 6 times on run course.
  • Figure out how you will get to the swim start as it's a pain and you will either be walking or cycling down. 
  • The bike you can see your athlete as they come back from the climb but that's about it (so go find some good food). 
  • For the run the course loops back to one or two points multiple times and so if you want to see your athlete multiple times you should find one of those spots.

Great places to eat:

Best bike or tri shop in town:
  • There are many. But i was NOT impressed with Dornella's, the official bike mechanics of the race. Find someone else if you have enough time. Very little attention to detail bordering on neglect.
  • Any and all bike shops in Whistler know their shit. They may be full of downhill bikes but don't let that fool you, they're full of hard core roadies. Whistler Village Sports is the one I used.

Best pick for accommodation:
  • Westin Resort and Spa. Great suites with fireplaces, kitchens, huge bathrooms, nice balconies and on-floor laundry. Excellent, friendly and professional staff. Great fitness room and hot tubs/pools/steam rooms. Dog-friendly! Great location right at the bottom of the lifts up Whistler Mountain.
  • Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside
  • Four Seasons
  • Hilton 
  • I rented through AirBnB and I would recommend that for anyone.

Best things for the kids to do:
  • Whistler Mountain Bike Park
  • Hiking trails
  • Bike rentals
  • swimming at Alta Lake.
  • Toddlers have some playgrounds right in Ironman Village which is in the Olympic Plaza in the heart of pedestrian-only Whistler Village.  
  • Destination website – ideas for kids
  • Check out some of the activities at the ski lifts in the village. 
  • Kids can play in the park, walk around all the trails, go cycling in the woods. There is a fairly decent climbing gym too. (sorry not sure what kids do as I've not got any)

Cool things to do after the race:
  • Get a milkshake at Cows Ice Cream.
  • Explore Whistler and Backcomb Mountains via the Peak 2 Peak gondolas.
  • Hit the mountain bike trails.
  • Check out the unique shops in the village and the beautiful surroundings.
  • Great golfing.
  • There is amazing hiking, mountain biking, etc. 
  • Peak to Peak Gondola, any and all of the hikes in the area, bungee jump.
  •  Visit Squamish for the beer tours and Kite surfing too. 
  • There are some decent hot springs, I would recommend the Scandinave Spa Whistler

Any warnings that people should know about before entering:
  • Mountain weather can vary: my race was super-cold but came just a week after a massive heat wave. Also, forest fire smoke from other regions threatened to have the race called, but the rainstorms and wind changes in the days prior to our race saved the day. So this is not a 100% predictable race--weather can be unpredictable.
  • Difficult race, but very scenic. Good if looking for a challenge but nor for a PB.
  • Location is great as you can walk throughout the entire village without driving.
  • Weather can be variable. '15 was cold and wet to start with - myself and others getting quite chilled on the bike. Water is warm. Prior year was hot. 
  • Getting to the race start takes longer than you expect so make sure you get up early, if you don't like hills on the bike you will not enjoy this race, the weather is all over the place (check out the video from 2015)

 

OVERALL

General tips:

Best thing about this race:
  • It's just EPIC! You're racing with some of the world's most renowned mountains and glacial lakes as your playground. It's about as close to an off-road tri as you can get in an Ironman--just gorgeous!
  • The scenery and the village setting.
  • Great location. 
  • Fun village. 
  • Good fan support. 
  • Scenic location.
  • Absolutely stunning venue.
  • Its location. Whistler is a stunning place and full of exciting people.

Anything negative about this race:
  • The unpredictability of the weather, but I suspect this can be the case anywhere, though perhaps to a lesser degree.
  • Swim is very crowded. Had pros swimming over me and was never able to get much free space.
  • Nope. Recommend it. 
  • No Underwear run! I tried to organise one but ended up running around in my boxers on my own!

RACE REPORTS AND OTHER VIDEO LINKS SUPPLIED




Have you done this race?
Help improve this page by completing the form at the IMTalk Podcast site.


Thank you to the following people who contributed content to this page: Yuki Hayashi, Colin Bialkoski, David Doughty; Mark Ryan; Herman the German; Evan Colyer
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)