The last I heard, 1,508 Texans are signed up for Ironman Texas with over 100 from The Woodlands! As predicted, the race sold out in a matter of weeks.

There has been much speculation about the course. Here is what I have gathered from various discussions with people who are in the know.

The swim will be in Lake Woodlands starting at Northshore Park and ending at Town Green Park. The point to point swim will take athletes down the west side of the lake and then back up the easy side before entering the Waterway.

There will be a short, fairly steep uphill run leading from the swim exit to the transition in Town Green Park (located between the library and the Cynthia Woods Pavilion). The transition is close to the center of The Woodlands shopping and dining area so plenty to do for friends and family.

The bike route will head west out of The Woodlands via Lake Woodlands or Woodlands Parkway (both are 4 to 6 lane roads with shoulders) before heading north on FM2978. FM 2978 is a 4 lanes road with wide shoulders until crossing FM1488 where is becomes a lightly traveled 2 lane road with a smaller (3 feet) shoulder. The road turns into Fish Creek Thoroughfare. Riders will turn left and head west on FM2854, a moderately busy two lane road, before crossing a major 4 lane road (SH105) and continuing around the north side of the town of Montgomery (the loop is called Lone Star Parkway) before turning right right and heading north on FM149. At this point, cyclists will encounter a steady diet of rolling hills until reaching Bethel Rd/FM1791 where they turn right and then left onto Tailaferro. Tailaferro turns into County Road 209. Riders will turn right onto Bays Chapel and head north for a few miles before making a u-turn and coming back down south to FM149 and then continuing the ride to Richards on FM149. All roads up to this point are in excellent condition and local cyclists use them on a regular basis (with the exception of Tailaferro and Bays Chapel). FM149 is also shaded for most of it's length as it goes through the Sam Houston National Forest. Bethel Road, Tailaferro, CO Road 209 and Bays Chapel are also shaded.

Upon reaching the small hamlet of Richards, riders will turn south on FM1486, another lightly traveled rolling road with a tar and chip surface. The route will cross SH105 again at Dobbin and then turn south on Jackson Road a few miles south of SH105. After several miles, Jackson Road merges with FM149 which riders stay on until they hit FM1488. From here, the route will most likely turn left onto FM1488 and then make a quick right onto Spur 149 Road. Less than a mile later, a left hand turn will take riders onto Dobbin Hufsmith Road (locally called the "Dog Loop" by cyclists and triathletes for reasons that no longer apply). This is a narrow road with no shoulders but in good condition and is fairly lightly traveled. Dobbin Hufsmith intersects at FM2978 where riders will turn left and head back up to Woodlands Parkway where they will enter The Woodlands and head for T2.

The run will consist of 3 loops taking in a good portion of the Waterway and looping around Lake Woodlands. The run will traverse both sides of the Waterway and afford spectators ample locations for catching the action. Personally, I would book an outside table along the Waterway at the Goose's Acre where you can get great food and plenty of drink. The run will proceed counterclockwise around Lake Woodlands via Grogans Mill, Lake Woodlands Dr., E. Panther Creek and Woodlands Parkway before entering the upscale neighborhood of East Shore for a lakeside tour of it's large houses and townhomes. The back onto the Waterway for an out and back before heading around the lake again. The run course will be very flat and shaded in many areas. It will be on wide pathways and some roads.

The finish is slated to be in Market Street, The Woodlands premier shopping, dining and entertainment venue. For those lucky enough to book a room at the swank Avia Hotel, you will be literally steps away from the finish line. Market Street is also directly across the street from the transition area.

This is a spectator friendly course. The swim start will be visible from Northshore Park and the Lake Woodlands bridge. Mobile spectators can quickly bike to the south side of the lake to see the turn before heading over to the Waterway where the last 800 to 1200m will be in a canal that has sidewalks on either side. Spectators that want to get out to the bike course can but there will be limited parking and viewing areas. The run course will be great for viewing as stated. Great spots all along the Waterway and it's a short walk over to East Shore if you want to get away from the crowds.

I will get some pictures of the course and start posting them on this site.

For out of towners, please feel free to contact me and I would be glad to answer any questions you may have about the course or local area. Our weekend rides and runs take in most of the Ironman course.

Buck reports, "I was very happy with race result overall. I stuck with the pacing and nutrition plan on the bike and it paid off on the run... I was happy to get out of that water. Took at glance at the watch as was pleasantly surprised at the time - 1:10:49."

"I had a plan on the bike to watch my HR. The pace felt fairly comfortable and had to forget about all the people that were passing me on the bike - humbling. There was a two loop very, scenic bike course with great spectator and volunteer support. The first 30 K of the loop were really fast. The next 40 K or so had some good hills with two very significant climbs. The first one was short, but required low/low and was a challenge to stay seated for it. The second climb seemed really long 10-15 minutes in the lowest gear I had with some standing just to keep the pedals moving. Wasn't that bad on the first loop, but a killer on the second loop. The last 20K of the bike was pretty much downhill and fast. I finished the first loop around 2:45. Halfway through the second loop, a big T-storm let lose which made the climbs a little more challenging and really slowed things down on the fast downhill section. Felt good throughout the bike and kept up with the hydration/nutrition plan pretty well. Ended up with an average HR for the bike very close to the target."

"I felt awesome starting the run. Had to rein things in a bit after running a 7:15/mile first mile. Settled in around 7:40 or so and felt strong for the first 6-8 miles, but it was getting hot and much of the course had zero shade. Managed to keep running (albeit slowly at times) with the exception of the aid stations. Second half was much slower than the first half. I think the first half was in 1:41 (7:41/mi) which would make the second half around 1:55 (8:46/mi). Even though the pace slowed, I continued to pace people throughout. Only recall one or two amateurs passing me on the run. Around mile 24 or so, I had just enough to keep running all the way to the end. Felt great passing through the chute and crossing the line. Overall - 10:34:31 Surpassed my goal time for the race and things went well for the most part... I was happy with the entire day!"

Sean Craig represented Finish Strong well at Ironman Australia held in March. Sean was thrilled to reach his goal! Sean kept a nice comfortable pace from start to finish in the swim. His swim was so wonderful that he almost felt like he was holding back. When he transitioned from the swim, he was disappointed to find that someone stole his towel and powerbar out of his bike bag. But he got over that and headed off on the bike. Sean found the bike more difficult than he expected. Starting off with six miles of hills, he flatted at mile five. He kept going and was really feeling the effects of increased wind and hills at the turn around point. But he got through it and went on to the run. He felt pretty good on the run, but did have some cramping at times.

Sean told me, "The key to finishing the race was the hydration and nutrition plan that you created, without it there was no way I would be able to deal with the heat and the full day's worth of activity." Sean went on to pass many people on the run, including a 15 x Ironman. Congrats, Sean!!

Four Finish Strong coached athletes completed the Ford Ironman Florida race on Saturday, November 7.

Mike Bard blew away his goal of 14:30 and finished in under 12 hours at 11:56:09. Mike swam the 2.4 miles in 1:04:25, biked 112 miles in 5:28, and finished the final marathon in 5:08:05.

Todd Gibson shaved almost an hour and a half off his last Ironman and finished Ironman Florida in 12:06:24. Todd posted a 1:08:32 swim, a 5:45:11 bike, and a 5:00:33 marathon.

Michael Lechtenberg crossed the finish line in 13:20:01. He had a strong swim at 1:06:22, biked an average of 16.9mph for a time of 6:37:35 and completed the grueling 26.2 miles in 5:19:38.

Casey Clark overcame sea sickness when faced with 5 to 6' swells and finished the tumultuous 2.4 mile swim in 1:19:40. He managed to cover 112 miles on his bike in 5:58:44. Casey refused to give up and finished the final marathon in 6:31:05.

Several Finish Strong Athletes completed in Ironman, AZ in 2008. Both, Marcos Omelanczuk and Tommy Sustala each had great races in Arizona.  The fall edition of this race provided cooler temperatures and minimal winds in comparison with the April race.  Good call by the RD's to change the date.

Marcos completed IMAZ in 11:15:26.  Marcos had a good swim and strong bike (5:25).  Tommy used a very fast swim (56:16) and solid bike and run splits to finish his first Ironman in 11:22:05.  Both athletes were very disciplined following their training schedules and it paid off!