"Having failed to secure a spot in the NYC Marathon (the only marathon I've run -- and only once), I looked for a race that would be close to home, and have good crowd support. I read up on Philly, saw that it was fairly flat, and that there was

"Overall - This was my first Ironman and I had an absolutely amazing experirence. The race course is great - particularly if you're a more timid swimmer and can handle hills on the bike. Crowd support and atomosphere are amazing. It's easy to fall in love with Lake Placid (but hard

This is a great race, in just about every regard. If this isn't your PR race then you aren't trying hard. It's up and down for the first few miles and then the rest of the race is downhill. And not like falling-down-the-mountain downhill. It is almost imperceptible, which is the