Hell has frozen over ... Ironman is coming to Texas.
There has been talk of this happening for years, given the large triathlete base in the state, but until now it was all just talk. So, when 3 to 6 months ago, rumors started to circulate that Ironman was coming to The Woodlands, triathletes got excited yet again, but were not optimistic. That is, until 3 weeks ago, when the governing body in The Woodlands (suburb outside of Houston) posted the agenda of its upcoming meeting and Ironman was on the agenda. Apparently, per statutes the agenda and other information are public records and had to be made available.
You can imagine the local excitement about the race ... Although there was plenty of whining about the date, May 21, 2011 (myself NOT included). You see, Texas in May can get pretty hot and the humidity is back with a vengeance by that time of year. Despite all of the whining, when the official announcement was made, Texas triathletes put on their big girl pants and signed up at Noon on Friday, myself included. $630 friggin dollars. Ironman raised their already high prices!
Everything is bigger in Texas, and I could not resist racing in my backyard. Are there potentially better dates for a Texas IM? Sure, but the date is what it is and I decided there was no sense in complaining about it. In a sense, it would be like whining that my diamond shoes are too tight -- if you have diamond shoes, what the heck are you whining for? Also, Kona is pretty darn hot from what I understand!
I am most excited that I will be able to race in front of a home town crowd, especially my friends and family.
Anyone else out there considering IM Texas?
6 comments:
Dang. So many people to choose from to stay with.... you, Jeff (Dangle the Carrot), Moe (IronMoe)...
(just kidding), Yeh, I guess I need to change the "one a year" to "no more than two a year"
Congrats on signing up for IM Texas!!!
I won't be going you though. I can't imagine this is one that many Midwesterners will be jumping at because it is nearly impossible to train for a hot race before May here. :) It would be quiet the shock to the system to compete in Texas after a cold winter.
It's gonna be great! I'm too excited to sleep!
Congrats on signing up for a race close to you.
Anne - congrats on the registration. I can't imagine doing a 140.6 in Texas in June (ok, I know it'll be May technically, but it's still HOT like June).
I learned today that the area where the race will be held isn't flat. I suspected that Houston was a flat as PCB. Oh well.
Good luck!
I will say this... racing an IM in your hometown is amazing. Nothing like it. You will absolutely love that part.
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