IM Lake Placid Course Breakdown, Part I, Swim and T1

Ironman Lake Placid has become a fan favorite race not only for Northeasterners, but also on an international level. The scenic area and fun small town make it a great venue that draws triathletes from everywhere. Talk to anyone who has raced the course and they will describe it with respect if not a bit of fear and timidness. It is certainly a challenging course, however, I feel most embellish the difficulty of this course. The hills on the bike are nothing significant, they just never let up. Most ride the course wrong which makes for a difficult run. I raced there in 2000, and then I’ve been there every year since, with the exception of last year, to spectate the race. I would say it’s safe to say that only 10 to 15% of the athletes competing are actually running the run. The other 85 to 90% are doing some form of a survival shuffle/walk/jog. I thought I’d break down the course and describe what I feel is the best strategy to race there. Here’s part 1, The Swim and T1.

The Swim
Mirror lake is one of the best places to do an open water swim with the exception of race day! The smooth water and cable line 6 feet under water that you use to navigate make this a pleasurable swimming experience, again, except on race day. It’s a narrow lake and with 2000+ competitors all starting at the same time and fighting for a position close to the cable, it can become very aggressive. I’m a decent swimmer and I’m also big compared to most triathletes so I usually have no issues with a bit of contact during a race swim. When I raced in LP, I lined up in the front line right on the cable, or inside. The swim is a large rectangle that is done counterclockwise twice. From the time the gun fired signaling the start of the race until midway through the second loop, I got the shit kicked out of me. It just felt too crowded, as though there wasn’t enough space for everyone, yet the truth is, there wasn’t enough space for everyone right over the cable. The best strategy for the swim for 90% of the triathletes out there is to start wide (if you are a good swimmer, start further up, and obviously further back if your swimming is just ok. If your swimming is lame, start way back. But regardless, line up wide right) to the right and swim straight out, not cutting in towards the buoys until at least ½ way out to the turnaround buoys. I’d even wait until you are 2/3rds of the way out. Be patient and swim parallel to the buoys about 30 feet wide right. Don’t worry, 90% of the athletes racing there won’t be reading this, and even if they were, most would get nervous feeling they are giving up time by not swimming the straightest line and would put themselves in closer to the left. If you are wide right and it gets too physical, you can always pop out to the right even more and get out of it.

T1
Exiting the swim, you have a long run to T1. Every year there are a few maniacs sprinting through this ½ mile run. I feel you should definitely run it, but keep it controlled. You want to stay relaxed and you definitely don’t want to accumulate lactic acid in the legs from sprinting this section. Stay relaxed and think about how you will proceed with T1 upon entering the changing tent. Work out a system ahead of time so that you can move through the transition methodically and relaxed. I have many athletes that have taken more than 5 minutes in T1. To me, there is no way to justify this. If T1 takes you 8 minutes, 4 minutes longer than it should, that’s a lot of extra work on the course to make up for those 4 lost minutes. Remember, the clock doesn’t stop in the transitions. Keep moving and have a plan.