Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Angela M.
Raeford, NC

  (11-07-2011)

"This was my first Ironman and it went really well. The volunteers were very knowledgeable about their roles and provided answers when asked. The swim was congested for about 2/3 of the race, but I never got hit ir kicked. The tight area allows swim drafting. I enjoyed that because it allowed me to conserve energy for the bike and run.

The bike did not have big hills or bad winds as they warned about. I do not know if that wS just my opinion or not. I regretted not pushing harder on the bike but I am glad to have been wise enough to not kill myself since it was my first bike ride ever over three hours.

The run sucked on the first lap. It was just a tough eight miles or so. It wasn't until mile six that I gotin a running position and felt good. I stopped at all the aid stations and had water. I also chewed gum on the run because it helped me keep a running step with the chewing and kept my mouth moist in the heat. There was a nice breeze on the last lap. The finish was loud and in a congested street.

Overall, I loved it and regretted not going faster. Word of advice is not to allow someone or a few domaines who are struggling on the course to scare you from going harder.
X
Finish was in 12:01:58. I didn't have any real time goals since it was my first. I had just hoped fora god day without a bike wreck or something. "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2011

Brock A.
Houston, TX

  (06-14-2011)

"This was an AMAZING spectator venue. I wanted to do just one ironman race. This was in my backyard so therefore the choice.

IT IS HOT DOWN HERE! I don't think any future years will be better than the 92 degrees we had this year. Cloudy and overcast and I don't see that happening much in the future races."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2011

Thor G.
Houston, TX

  (06-07-2011)

"So! My first IRONMAN! A local race for me since I live in Houston. The enormity of an IRONMAN event can't be compared to by most any other race, at least not on a personal or individual level. Sure, some marathons are huge like New York City, but in terms of the preparation that each athlete has to do before an IRONMAN, this is the biggest race I've ever done.

Before I get into the review, you can read a race report on my Teams blog if you like. It is more personal to how my race went: http://reason2race.org/?p=774

Now let's review the race:
Registration etc:
Like most IRONMAN events, the race filled up real quick. There wasn't much information on the website or much information communicated from the actual race organisers, but there was plenty of information about the course, events race weekend etc. to be found on other blogs or tri club websites etc. The race programme available on the website was good, but I was still a bit confused as to what to do with all the gear, special needs bags, and what it would actually look like at the special needs pickup. Minor things thoughh

Days before the race:
I was a bit annoyed that you had to check in on the Thursday already. Why not be allowed to check in on the Friday? I guess I'm in the minority, but I had only planned on taking one day off of work before the race, the Friday. Probably ended up being for the best though. The banquet was really great on Thursday evening. Entertaining, and with great food. The professionalism of the MC and the videos and all that surrounded the banquet was fantastic. Held in a real nice hotel just near the transition area.
The expo was quite poor though. Considering that most triathletes are real gear junkies, I thought there'd be more, but it was outside in a parking lot and quite disappointing. I thought I'd get to see all the latest gear, but there wasn't much to see, and no special deals or anything.
Bike check-in on the Friday was easy, very straight forward.

Race morning:
Not much to say really, it all went smoothly. It was less crowded than I expected, and instructions were very clear. They closed transition with plenty of time to have everyone walk over to the swim start, and the walk wasn't bad. Plenty of portapotties as well

The Swim:
An IRONMAN start is something else! Lots of people were still on land when the starting shot went off, not wanting to have to tread water. Temperature of the water was in the the between zone, so wetsuits were allowed but not legal for placing. The start was a bit narrow for the amount of swimmers (about 2100 starters I think) but it was far enough to the first turn that the field thinned some. I heard a lot of people complain about the supposedly dirty water, but what the heck, it's clean just a bit murky. Some people just have to complain about something I guess. The end of the swim was really cool as it went from the lake down the canal to the center of the Woodlands. It was quite strange to be in an open water swim, and see spectators on shore, with them literally being able to reach out and touch swimmers as they went by!

Transition 1:
Dang that tent was hot! Lots of body heat, plus a humid steamy morning. Plenty of help to get dried off, get gear and all that. Not the quickest, but certainly one of the easiset transitions I've ever done.

The bike:
The course is beautiful! Absolutely unbelievable really that we were so close to Houston. You could break it up roughly into two quarters and a half. The first quarter was about heading out of town to the north towards Sam Houston National Forest. At one point in that section the police stopped cyclists to let traffic through, so there was quite a bit of traffic, more like a touring ride at that point. The second quarter was in the forest, and stunningly beautiful! It followed a lot of the course for the IronStar triathlon (half IM distance and now known as the Oilman) but for this race it went down a lot of smaller roads through dense forest, really beautiful! I also remembered the course to be hillier, but really it wasn't bad at all. Now, the last half was supposed to be the toughest, with a lot of headwind. We were lucky this day and there wasn't much wind at all. So the last 50-60 miles or so were quite nice, flat to rolling, almost always on the shoulder of a two lane highway. At the end the course was also mostly sloping down hill so it gave for a very quick finish

Transition 2:
It was nice to have someone rack my bike! Very smooth transition, and plenty of help from volunteers to be had

The run:
A 3 loop course, with the first half of each lap being in a residential area, and the 2nd half being along the canal in 'downtown' the Woodlands. A pleasant course, with a reasonable amount of shade, plenty and I mean plenty of crowd support! Especially cool to run along the canal where everyone is camped out on the grass, or running past the pubs that were packed with people. The course was very flat, only rises were to cross some small bridges, but it was hot! I had expected it and felt good the whole way, but many were noticeably suffering. Each aid station had more than enough water and ice and everything else, so that wasn't an issue at all. I really like looped run courses for 1/2 IM and IM so I enjoyed the run. It was great to get plenty of opportunities to see supporters, and the loops allow me to split up the run into smaller portions which make it more manageale and helped me keep a resonable pace.

Overall:
Everything about the actual race was fantastic, the course, the aid stations, the organisation by the transitions, all that was really fantastic. Also, the banquet was superb and the professionalism surrounding the event was impressive. (Note for example the preview show they broadcast on IRONMANlive.com the day before the race)
However, I expected a bit more 'pageantry'. I thought the expo would be bigger, I thought there'd be more glamour I guess. Also, the IRONMAN merchandise shop was just average, they ran out of the race specific tri and bike shirts and most of the other finisher shirts etc were a bit bland.
All those negatives are relatively minor though, and don't warrant removing a star from the 5 star rating. After all, I do these races for the RACE, not for the expo or the silly shirts that they ask you to drop $100+ dollars on

Don't forget to read my race report in the link at the top!"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2011

Brett M.
San Francisco, CA

  (05-25-2011)

"I'll have a personal race report at http://clydesdaletriathlon.blogspot.com/2011/05/ironman-texa s-race-report.html , but for the race venue, here we go:

Lake Woodlands was a great spot for this race. The community seems to be made to house and support a large contingent of triathletes for the week, and the event went off without a hitch. Well maybe one where the cops were stopping cyclists at one point of the ride, but I only heard about that. I didn't get stopped to let traffic through.

The swim in Lake Woodlands was a bit daunting though. The temperature was 79 degrees race morning so wetsuits were legal, but didn't count for awards or Kona spots. Fresh water and warm was not so fun for someone like me who does 90% of my swimming in the SF Bay. Wear a wetsuit and take it easy unless you are going for a spot.

The bike course was incredible. Not very difficult with a little over 2,000 feet of elevation, but constant rollers and turns to keep it interesting and it goes through Sam Houston National Forest which was cool. There was traffic allowed on the course.

The run around the Lake Woodlands community for 3 laps was well supported and had people out cheering everywhere. Aid stations were well stocked and with amazing volunteers. No traffic on course.

Ended up in the Med Tent afterward with cramps and they whisked me away immediately into a air-conditioned space around the shopping center which got me back to normal.

Overall a great experience, especially for a first year race so it should be even better next year."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2011