Ironman 70.3 Boise Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

David M.
Weston, FL

  (07-13-2010)

"Have you ever done a triathlon where you start the swim eight hours after you wake? Have you ever gone to Perkins for a gigantic breakfast on race morning? Have you ever stood in a wetsuit in eighty degree sunshine until sweat ran out your suit leg and then swim in water so cold your muscles seized? Have you ever had T1 and T2 situated fifteen miles apart? Have you ever done fifty-six miles on the bike in 30MPH winds? Have you ever seen a bike water station on a forty-five degree uphill grade? Have you ever shared a narrow run course with skateboarders? If you’ve never experienced such things then you probably haven’t participated in the Boise Ironman 70.3 race. Full review at http://www.brokentoenails.com/2010/06/dont-bet-on-boise-703. html ."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Dennis M.
San Francisco, CA

  (08-04-2009)

"Volunteer support was incredible. I've never participated in an event with such great support from the community. At 4:15am the volunteers seemed a lot happier and more energetic than any of the participants. I've been to Idaho before (even lived in Meridian back during Uncle Rico's era ('82)) and know first-hand how friendly Idahoans are. Anyone from out of town who participated in the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Boise now knows, too.

Challenging swim course in icy cold water added a fear factor element to the 1.2 mile swim, which made it seem more hardcore than most 1/2 IM events. Of course, I remember seeing a bunch of people who started in waves 20 min. before me struggling at the half way point--I hope they all made it out of the water. *Edit--100 people were plucked from the water supposedly.

Bike Course--Awesome 56 mile bike route that on paper should be faster than it is. We didn't have too much of an issue with headwinds--and thought the pavement was pothole free, the type of pavement had an incredible amount of rolling resistance. Top speed: The long downhills were a blast--45.9 mph top speed (thanks Giro!). Traffic control was fairly good, even though a PT Cruiser almost took me and another guy out while defying officials. Also, there was a speed bump at the top of the reservoir that caused a water bottle launch party in front of me--the ensuing mess almost sent me over the side of the dam--an accident that would have ended both my race and my life.

Run Course--Tons of aid stations over the 13.1 mile run. Awesome support (one kid even had the perspicacity to realize I was overheating and offered to throw a cup of ice water at me--he seemed to enjoy it almost as much as I did until half of the water ricocheted back on him). Very scenic course with lots of spectator support (and lots of solitude, too).

Post event--great food (the red bean soup with the mashed potatoes was incredible) and the servers were super-crazy friendly and nice. I have NO clue how people can eat cheese after any event, let alone a ~5 hr one, though. Cheese soup? Pizza? I suppose I just don't have an iron stomach.

The cons:
The registration process was unnecessarily long due to a mandatory 'counseling' session, which 1) should have been optional for anyone who has done an event before and/or 2) should have included helpful information for the large number of 1st timers (like, be prepared for a rough swim, stay calm, don't drown; keep your bike on the right side of the road, pass on the left, secure your damn water bottles, etc.). So what should have taken 10-15 min. took 1 hour and 20 minutes. Last I checked the day before an event yer to stay off your feet....which brings me to the next BIG con: T1 (where you rack your bike) could only be reached by hiking up a ~500 foot dirt road while carrying your bike, wet suit, helmet, shoes, etc. Big no no the day before a race.

The 4:15 shuttle got us up to the top on race day 22 min. before T1 opened. It'd make a little more sense to time the arrival of the shuttle with the opening of T1. The second shuttle didn't arrive until 6am--way too late to get all your gear in order/do your morning routine IMHO.

Overall--the event itself gets a 4.5 out of 5 stars. The pre-race nonsense gets a 1.5 out of 5 stars. "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2008

Brett M.
San Francisco, CA

  (06-15-2009)

"Take out the rain and this would have been a perfect day! Well, if you took out the rain, who knows how hot it may have been.

This was an "experiment" year with a 2PM start time. I heard last year that people had to get up at 3am to catch the shuttle buses to the start, so I will not complain about mulling around for the morning waiting.

The swim was good, but people complained about the buoys moving. The wind did pick up while in the water so who knows. The water was nice and calm, but a storm was coming in and kicked up a little chop.

Out of the water and a nice little uphill to transition. The carpeted the boat-ramp, which was nice, and they had wet-suit strippers!

In the swim to bike transition they make you pack your belongings into a bag since this is a point-to-point race. A few seconds delay, and I was out of there on the bike.

With rain beginning, I was only hoping to get down the first hill before the road became a river. Getting up to 40 mph is always fun, but not on race slicks in a down-pour. The bike course is a nearly flat course with gradual grades. Only a few hills that are challenging, but short. 90 percent of the course is aerobar, so train accordingly. The rain was coming down extremely hard, but the roads the course were on handled it well, with really not pooling of water. Everyone was still able to rip along. The best part of the bike was the 5 mile gradual decent back into Boise. Cranking along at 25-30 mph feels great when you know you are almost done.

The run is a scenic 2 loop course along a river. Well supported and marked, there are people cheering everywhere which was awesome considering the rain we were in. The run is flat with the only major elevation changes coming from bridges or tunnels to cross streets.

With or without the rain, this race was great, the start time didn't have any effect on my results. "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Abby F.
Scottsdale, AZ

  (06-15-2009)

"This was a very well put on event, only negatives were the afternoon rain for the entire bike and most of my run and the late 2pm start. No shivering while waiting to get in the water but it was hard to wait around all morning before heading out to the resevoir. There were numerous spectators and lots of volunteers out there depsite the bad weather. The bike course was good, some hills but nothing that steep, the downpour of rain and headwind were the only issues. The run course was great even in the rain, 2 loops on the greenbelt along the river in downtown boise. Finish line downtown was great. Next time I will put dry socks in my run gear bag!"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Scott .
McMinnville, OR

  (06-15-2009)

"Did the inaugural last year and the second this year. Big difference was the start time. 2:00 pm start had its pluses and minuses. It was nice to not get up at an ungodly hour in the morning and go through T1 in the dark. Afternoon start meant a warmer wait prior to the swim. Keep fluids on you, I didn't, and there was no readily available water waiting for the swim start.

Race is exceptionally well organized. I've found the "Ironman" branded races seem to be very well run (and you pay for it). Plenty of course officials, plenty of aid stations, route well-marked and pre-race organization were all great. Shirt, hat, medal were all top-notch.

My biggest problem with the race was the weather. It rained for most of the bike, but my concern was not the rain, but lightning. I "only" saw two lightning strikes in the distance out on the bike course, but it's a wide open and flat course. I don't see how there could be any contingency for a lightning storm moving in with a thousand bikers out on the plains. A late afternoon bike ride in June means this will probably be an ongoing problem.
"

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2009

Steven L.
New York, NY

  (05-27-2009)

"I ran the inaugural Boise 70.3 in 2008. I was a bit concerned as it was the inaugural year and inaugural races can sometimes be choppy, but the race was excellent.

The swim is held at a reserviour 11 miles outside of Boise. The setting is beautiful, with the reservoir surrounded by mountains. The water is cold (~55 degrees) and wet suits are required, but water was calm and there is no other boat traffic on the water while you swim. The reservoir is a state park and T1 is in the parking lot.

The first two miles of the bike course consist of a traverse of the reservoir dam and then on a long (and fast!) downhill. The bike course takes you past the Boise airport and into the high desert. The hardest climb of the course is about midway when you climb to a sanctuary and turn around in the parking lot and descend back down. The road is windy and steep so you need to watch your speed, but the view is incredible. The last 10 miles of the bike slightly downhill as you ride back into Boise. The highlight of the bike course is the descent on Capitol Blvd into Downtown Boise and into T2.

T2 is directly in front of the Idaho State Capitol. The run course is two loops in the greenbelt section of town – a park area with paths along both sides of the Boise River. The run course if completely flat except for a couple of foot bridges you have to cross. The run midpoint and finish are in a commercial district where the majority of the crowd is located. The cheers of the crowd are definitely a good boost for morale at the midpoint and help you to power yourself through the finish. There are pockets of spectators along the run course, but for the most part you are on your own.

Specific positives:
- Well staffed aid stations with volunteers who provided you with whatever you requested – water, coca-cola, Gatorade, gels – and who were very supportive of you.
- Beautiful swim and bike courses
- The Ironman races print your first name in large letters on your race bib so spectators can cheer for you by name. This is a big lift especially in the latter miles of the run.
- Finish area and T2 are in downtown Boise and right next to the official hotel, restaurants, bars, and shopping for you and your family/friends.

Specific negatives:
- Since T1 is separate from T2, you must put all of your swimming gear into a race provided plastic bag prior to leaving on your bike. These bags are then picked up and can be reclaimed at the finish. Any gear not in the bag is thrown out. This is a minor hassle that adds time onto your swim-to-bike transition.
- The only access to T1 and the swim start on race day is from the bottom of the reservior dam, which requires you to walk about 3/4 of a mile uphill from the parking area. This is not a dealbreaker, but budget time for it.
- Lack of porta-potties along the course. I had to wait five minutes in line for one of the four porta-potties along the 56 mile bike course. This was a common complaint amongst racers I talked to and Ironman said they were going to address it this year.
- The run course – I would have had it loop through the green belt once and then had the second loop go somewhere else in the city – this is a personal hang up. Aside from that, the run was excellent and perfect for 70.3 novices as it is so forgiving.

Overall, I thought the race was incredible. It was my first 70.3 length race and I was excited to finish, so I will admit I am biased. However, Boise was one of the two Half IM races I did last season, and was head and shoulders above my second race. It also stands out as the best run I have run in my four seasons as a triathlete. I highly recommend it."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2008