Race Guide: IRONMAN Lake Placid
IRONMAN Lake Placid is one of the most iconic races in North America. Aside from the IRONMAN World Championship it is the longest running IRONMAN.
Nestled in the Adirondacks, Lake Placid is subject to extremely variable weather conditions. You may experience downpours on one side of the course while the other side experiences blue skies with hot and humid conditions. Take the time in T1 and T2 to apply sunscreen - it may not by sunny when you leave, but that can change 5 minutes later and you’re stuck in the sun.
Swim
Mirror Lake hosts one of the fastest swims on the IM circuit! Clear, clean, cool water, the swim is generally wetsuit legal, but with the summers getting hotter, pack your swimskin just in case. (You can the current lake conditions here: Mirror Lake | Ausable River Association).
The course starts on the southern shore of Mirror Lake. It is a two-loop, clockwise, rectangle running north to south so you’ll have minimal sun glare. There is a cable running under water that minimizes need to sight but also causes more congestion. If you’re comfortable with some contact, stay on the line as this is the fastest place to be. If you’re not, swim wide just a bit - you’ll still get a lot of the benefit while not having to deal with the congestion.
The swim is two loops with a self seeded start. Athletes are sent of five at a time every five seconds. Our recommendation is to seed yourself one group ahead of where you think you’ll come out of the water. 1) it’s a fast swim. 2) everyone else tends to seed-up so you’ll likely end up where you should be.
You’re required to exit the water between loops. For the second loop, go right. The second loop tends to be a bit faster than the first for most athletes as a current starts to form from everyone swimming together on the line. Be aware that faster swimmers will tend to catch slower swimmers. After you’re done, head left to transition. Wetsuit strippers available right after exiting water. The run to transition is 1/4 mile.
Bike
Exiting transition by the left side of the high school, you ride a steep descent through a neighborhood. At the bottom of descent, you’ll take a left followed by a quick right before getting onto Rte 73.
The bike course is two loops consists of seven segments: the Rte 73 climb out of town, the descent to Keene, 9N, Jay climb, Haselton (Rte 19) out and back, Rte 86 climb to town, and the loop through town.
Heading out of town on 73, you get a preview of a good chunk of the run course. You will ride past Horse Show grounds, down a short hill over the bridge, and then climb out of town starts. As soon as you get over bridge, drop into your small ring until you hit the short out and back at the bobsleds. It will be early in the race, you’re going to feel amped up and be riding on fresh legs - don’t overdo this climb as it will come back to haunt you later. Taking a right onto Bobsled Hill lane, you’ll hit up an aid station. This aid station occurs early enough in the race that you can consider taking one bottle with you as you leave transition to save on weight and picking up 1-2 more here. The risk is if you don’t get everything you need, it’ll be a while before the next one on Rte 9N.
Leaving the bobsled area, you essentially start the descent to Keene. In reality, it is three descents in one with each being indicated by a downhill trucking sign. On race day traffic coming uphill will be coned off and restricted to a single lane of traffic, giving athletes two lanes to play with. Stay safe and resist passing. Number one priority is crossing the finish line. Be hyper aware of other athletes what they are doing. High chance of someone losing a bottle and it being in the road
The first descent is very doable in aero. It is fast, but it’s a fairly straight shot. At the bottom it’ll flatten out and climb a bit as you pedal past Cascade Lakes.
The second is pretty doable in aero for most athletes with decent bike handling skills. It has gentle curves with a little bit more of a pitch.
The third descent is the one that always sketches me out no matter how many times I ride it. It is the steepest of the three with the morst curves. I’ve always sat up, feathering the brakes, and when I make the final corner for last stretch into Keene, that’s when I tuck back into aero.
Tips for descending: sit up and puff yourself out to generate as much air resistance as you can. Grab top tube with knees to stabilize frame. If you start to speed wobble, slowly lift your butt off the saddle slightly. (Speed wobble is often do to a reinforced harmonic - think of a tuning fork - by lifting up, you break that harmonic and the bike should settle down). Feather the brakes. (Riding the brakes the whole way down can cause the rim to heat up, which can result in popping a tube. Lastly, practice - If you haven’t done this decent before, have someone drop you off race week at the out and back, so you can get a feel for it prior to race day. They can meet you at the at the Cedar Run Bakery and Market. Also, when you’re driving into the race, eye that pavement on the way up to get a sense of the conditions.
Coming off the descent, you take a left onto 9N. This is a flat(ish), fast and fun section of the course. This section may be cool to cold and shaded on your first loop, especially if it is raining.
Once you get into Jay, you will take a left to off 9N to start the Jay climb. Drop into your small ring as soon as you make the turn. It is a nice steady grade. Take the opportunity to sit up and stretch your back before enjoying the descent to Wilmington. This descent is a lot of fun. It’s quick with some gentle curves, but very doable in aero.
Coming into Wilmington, you’ll take a right to do an out-and-back on Hazelton Rd/Rte 19. The section is a lot of fun, gently rolling, with sections of shade.
Taking a right off of Hazelton Rd, you’ll dip across the bridge before taking the left to start the climb back to town. This can be a bit of a slog, especially the second loop where you’ll likely to have a bit of a headwind, so be patient and watch your power numbers. This section is also quite exposed with no shade on a hot day, so make sure you’re drinking. At the top of climb, you’ll do a quick out and back to pick up a few miles. Note that this is in a clockwise direction, so you’ll be riding against traffic. After the out-and-back stretch, you’ll take a left onto Northwood to head into town.
Turning onto Northwood, it’s a nice little descent before you head into town. The loop through town is fast and flat with tons of energy. Just be careful as there’s a number of tight corners and spectators crossing the course. There’s an aid station as you take the turn onto Parkside Dr at the end of the lake. Special needs is located behind the high school just before transition.
Gear
I have seen riders on this course with a road bike. Overall, the grades are relatively gentle, and athletes are better served on a triathlon/TT bike.
Similarly, you don’t tend to get a lot of strong crosswinds on this course, so most athletes will benefit from a more aero wheel set. Larger athletes, I would recommend a disc in the rear with a deep wheel in the front (e.g. Zipp 808). For lighter riders, go with something shallower in the front (e.g. Zipp 404) with a deep wheel in the back. However, if you’re uncomfortable descending, a shallower setup may be for you.
Stronger athletes (FTP of >4 W/kg) should be okay with a standard (53/39) crank. For everyone else, I would recommend a compact (50/34) or mid-compact (52/36) crank. For a cassette, I would recommend a minimum of 11-28T. Larger athletes may want a 32 or 34T cassette.
One of the most versatile pieces of your kit is a pair of summer arm sleeves. These can help keep you warm if the weather tends to be on the cooler side, while if it warms up, you can wet them down, and it’s a great place to tuck ice.
T2
You’ll swing behind the high school, and enter transition where you biked out. Hand off your bike to a volunteer, head into the changing tent, then the run out is the same location as where you ran in from the swim.
Run
The run is a 2-loop out and back. It is a rolling descent to the turn around on River Road, a rolling climb back to where Northwood meets Mirror Lake Drive, then one mile back to split for the second loop.
Exiting T2, it is a slight downhill before you take a right onto 73 where it gets very a steep! Lean forward, get your turnover up, and try to let gravity do the work here. At the bottom of the hill, you have a slight climb then it is relatively flat past the Horse Show grounds. From there, downhill to bridge and swing a left onto River Road.
The River Road stretch tends to be pretty quiet with the only spectators being the residents that live on that road. It’ll be you, your fellow athletes and your thoughts. Stay focused and keep positive, especially the second loop when things tend to get hard. For the front of the pack athletes, on the first loop, elites check out positioning River rd. It’s flatter with a slight net downhill (so you’ll be coming up slightly on the way back until you get to the bridge).
On the way back into town, there are two hills I feel everyone should walk. The first is the hill from the bridge up to Horse Grounds. The second is the hill the one Lisa G’s up to the traffic light. Once you make the corner at the traffic light, depending on your ability as a runner, you may want to start running again, or wait until you hit the corner of Mirror Lake Drive.
Once on Mirror Lake Drive, you’re still going uphill slightly until you hit the turnaround at Northwood. On the way back to transition, you’ll hit up special needs near the south end of the lake. At the end of Mirror Lake drive, take a left to head out for your second loop or right to finish. Heading into the finish, you’ll run around most of the oval to cross this iconic finish line.