Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Brett M.
San Francisco, CA

  (11-16-2009)

"This is a great race so if you can qualify I recommend going. Unfortunately there was a tropical storm that blew through the week before that caused some problems with the swim, but instead of cancelling it, them moved the swim to a protected marina. The IRONMAN team was on the ball and saved the day.

The 70.3 Championship gets a bit of a bad rap for the drafting that happens on the bike, and while it is near impossible to avoid it at times, the bike course is too tight to stay legal the entire time. I got hit with a drafting penalty, and with the amount of people that also did, the penalty tent was a near party, so don't feel bad for getting a little rest before the run. The bike course is fast and flat so be ready for the PR of a lifetime. It goes all over the place and over some scenic bridges too.

The run portion is two laps through some great neighborhoods and over the main bridge going into Clearwater Beach. The crowd at the lap turnaround point and speard accross the course helped a ton to push all the runners along and the finish is lined with people for the last mile and is amazing!

A great day besides the penalty and an incredible event.

Cool schwag included free sunglasses too!"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Aaron Z.
Grand Haven, MI

  (09-24-2009)

"This was a cool experience because it is the World Championships. I especially liked the swim because the waves were relatively small for such a big race. The bike course has a lot of drafting unfortunately. The run has a surprising hill that you have to go over twice which makes for 4 good climbs. Overall a good experience and a beautiful area."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2008