Let's start with a short course ride followed by giving the finishers "official PRs". Serious BS. Next IM allows these times to qualify for Kona championships. Serious BS!!! In multiple years they have allowed drafting. Yes, allowed. No marshals. No acceptance of video on the tollway nor from bike mounted cameras. Seriously, no DQs. Seriously, PRs for short course finish. Seriously, suckers pay to do IM events when they could enter a Full Triathlon (IM distance) that provides proper distance courses, utilizes Marshalls to ensure safety and rules being followed for half the price!. And, then there are those that need the BRAND. And, many will do a half distance, walk a ton just to buy an IM tattoo even though they never went the IM distance! read more

Never in a million years could I have seen myself joining the triathlon world, the community, and making friends with some of the best athletes in the game. My journey of becoming an Ironman started in late of 2014 when I was inspired by a friend who's sister became the champion of an Ironman race in Brazil. I thought it was the coolest thing that someone could do and I wanted to be apart of it. After completing multiple Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons and two Ironman 70.3 races, I made the decision to register for the big daddy, Ironman Texas North American Championship. 140.6 miles of pain, fun, and memories. Ironman is more than just a competition, it's a journey where you test your boundaries and mental state. Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles of bike, and 26.2 marathon run. All three disciplines must be completed in under 17 hours. There are dozens of Ironman races across the globe and it's pretty badass to be able to host the North American Championship in my city every year. Triathletes train all year round for this competition, some even longer to make it to the big 140.6! I loved Ironman Texas! The entire week of Ironman was very well organized and planned. The weather conditions in 2016 were brutal. The swim was great, sunny and water temperature in Lake Woodlands was perfect. Due to weather the bike course was severely castrated and let's just say that it sucked the entire way. 15 miles before entering Transition 2 I was caught in a thunderstorm. The rain was coming down so hard and it even started to hail. All of that together felt like razor blades coming at my face. The rain was falling so hard that you could hardly see the road ahead but I was determined to continue. I did not give up. The stories I have to tell about this race, I could go on for ever. 2016 was nicknamed 'Ironman Apocalypse', and you can google that years race and see the video footage for yourself, it was insane. My favorite part of every triathlon is the run, and it's mostly because that is where I get to see my friends and family the most. All the spectators watching and cheering you on gives you that extra push. The volunteers were amazing as always and they went above and beyond for us after going through that rain. Being drenched and all I was cold, the sun was coming down and temperatures were dropping. The volunteers prepared hot chicken broth and it was exactly what I needed. After finishing this race, like many other competitors, I was relieved to run up and receive my medal. My feet were completely blistered and my shoes went from neon green to completely red and filled with blood. My body was chafing everywhere, that evenings shower sucked!! The medical tent, huge! So many medics from Memorial Herman attending to athletes and taking care of our medical needs. This race was everything I expected and more. If you ever decide to do triathlon, Ironman Texas is an amazing venue to train for. I will definitely be doing this race again. read more

Ironman Texas - Well deserved medal! - Races & Competitions Near Me - The Woodlands, Texas

Since 2011, The Woodlands Texas has played host to an Ironman race consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 miles run. I havent' yet has the fortune to attend any other Ironman races but I can't imagine the crowed beting better than the one here in Texas. After seeing it for two years in a row, I will be taking part in the 2013 race myself. The event is amazing to watch and has huge turnout. This year (2012) was a busy weekend. There were an estimated 6-7000 extra people running around The Woodlands on Ironman weekend. It can be a hassle for locals if they aren't enjoying the competition but for the local businesses and hotels it is a huge help. And honestly, they do such a great job trying to minimise the impact on the community that It really doesn't impose much at all. If you haven't been out to see the Ironman I highly suggest you come check out the 2013 Ironman. There is a full weekend of shopping, eating and of course the race which is pretty inspiring to watch. You'll see professional triathletes, your next door neighbor, people who have traveled half way around the world to compete and you'll see amazing individuals who are competing against all odds to finish this grueling 140.6 mile race in the allotted time. Whether you are into fitness, running marathons or surfing your couch, this is something that only comes along once a year and is worth checking out! read more

This was such an inspiring experience! I caught the first place winner crossing the finish line and boy, it heartfelt. It was a gorgeous day in the woodlands. There were athletes everywhere utilizing all of the woodlands water, natural paths/parks for their swim,bike and run competition. Race lasts all day- with the first place athlete crossing just after 8hrs. The woodlands community sets up with cheer stations, signs, bells, volunteers, bleachers, music everywhere pumping energy and assistance into the atmosphere to keep the athletes going. I was truly inspired. People watching on the waterway at one the the outdoor bars/restaurants is a must to catch all the action. read more

I had the most awesome experience of racing IMTX. It was a very long day, but what really helped me through were the volunteers and supporters. Ironman did a great job of organizing the entire race and thought of everything down to the last detail. The race start was crazy, but I got through it. Aid Stations were stocked and ready for the athletes. Changing tents had volunteers ready to assist you in changing. People were out there slathering sunblock on you. It was a CRAZY AMAZING EXPERIENCE! read more

May 19th 2011, The Woodlands, TX - Prior to this, the closest Ironman races were located in Tempe, AZ or Panama City Beach, FL. An Ironman race for those who aren't in the know is a multisport race consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 miles run done within 17 hours. Of course, there is so much more to Ironman than just race day. The festivities begin on wednesday when he expo and packet pickup begin. You have to pick up your packet at least by thursday or you couldn't race. I went on a thursday and the line was circling around most of the expo. My packet consisted of 5 bags to place my gear during the race, swim cap, bib number and numbers for my bike helmet and bike, timing chip. The attached a blue bracelet around my wrist and you immediately enter the Ironman store. You'll see everyone is grabbing lots of Ironman branded gear at full price. I was hoping to get a cycling jersey or tri jersey in my size but all they had left were XXL sizes much to the dismay of me and several other consumers. I was told by participants of past Ironman events that this is a common occurrence. The other parts of the expo consisted mainly of various vendors of swimming, cycling and running gear necessary to get you through the race. You could even rent bikes and special wheels for your bike along with a bike repair shop. On thursday night there was a mandatory meeting/dinner buffet at the host hotel so everyone would receive a briefing about the race and carb load at the same time. The biggest news out of this was that they were allowing wetsuits with the condition that you wouldn't qualify for a spot for Kona (the Superbowl of Ironman) if you wore one. On friday, they allowed IMTX athletes access to swim in lake woodlands as long as they were wearing their timing chip on their foot along with the blue participants bracelet on their wrist. So many people tried to drive to the lake parking lot which was full so there were many cars parked on the side of the road and were ticketed by police. I just rode my bike over there and locked it near the gear check in for the practice swim which others were doing as well. I forgot what the distance of the swim was but it was something like 800 meters out and back, you couldn't swim the entire 2.4 miles of the swim. All I know is that after swimming there I knew that I wasn't going to see a lot while swimming since the water was cloudy brown. This was also the day to check in your bags for bike transition and supplemental, run transition and supplemental and bike. Saturday was race day. This consisted of waking up really early in the morning to head over to the bike transition area to fill the tires with air, fill bike bottles with water and perform (Ironman brand gatorade) and other last minute bike adjustments. We then walked 1-2 miles to the swim start and checked in our morning clothes. They had two lines for the swim: a line for those with wetsuits and a line for those without. Lots of people were taking their time getting into the water and several were still hanging by the shore making it hard to get it. I was able to get in and relax for a second before the cannon or whatever went off. Now this is a mass start, there are bodies moving everywhere in the water around me. The course of IMTX is that you swim out from lake woodlands and then back heading into the canals. You then proceed to run to the transition 1 to pick up your bike gear bag and change in the dressing area. They had volunteers outside the dressing area applying sunscreen to participants and I told them to slather me good with sunscreen because I didn't want to come out of this thing looking like Texas BBQ. The bike course was one lap and was enjoyable for the most part as it was cloudy throughout the ride. We were being handed bottles of water and perform every 10-20 miles. Half way through the course you could pick up addition gear from your supplemental bag. Going into transition 2 (T2), we handed our bikes to volunteers who would place them in the rack while we ran to pick up our gear for the run portion and change for the final time in the dressing room. While it was good to have finished a 112 mile bike, I started feeling sick when I realized that I still had to run a marathon. The run portion was a 3 loop 8mile course with several aid station with water, perform, cola, potato chips, pretzels, bananas along with chicken broth when it started getting dark. It was cruel to see the finish line 2 times before you could finish. read more