Here is the info a mate who did the race a couple of years ago gave me:
Swim course relatively simple provided you sight on the correct orange can bouys (I didn't). Cycle route is 3laps, each lap approx 12m pancake flat, 6m at 6%, hoofing decent, 10m pancake flat, 1m at 11% (ouch), pancake flat to the start of the next lap. The cycle really caught me by surprise, compared to other IM there is not too much climbing, but you do it all as sustained efforts, apart from two adrenaline generating decents on each lap there is absolutely no recovery time for the legs (training on gently undulating english downs was no help). Run is pancake flat 4 laps, plenty of shade and feed stations - I found myself really looking forward to the occasional underpass just to relieve the monotony of running on the flat all the time. Beware of the marshalling - a bit amateur, I saw 3 different instances of guys get taken out at feed stations by "helpers" stepping in the way of cyclists.
Local hotels good value and plenty of them all within 1 or 2 miles of the venue. Mine actually made available two garages for bike storage / workshop and set up of bikes.
Hope this is of use, although I think the bike course may have changed to 2 longer laps (according to the IMCH website).
Did the race this year.Run is flat and loads of feed stations.Only thing I did not like was the turnarounds there was loads.But it's very shaded which is good news.
Comments
Swim course relatively simple provided you sight on the correct orange can bouys (I didn't). Cycle route is 3laps, each lap approx 12m pancake flat, 6m at 6%, hoofing decent, 10m pancake flat, 1m at 11% (ouch), pancake flat to the start of the next lap. The cycle really caught me by surprise, compared to other IM there is not too much climbing, but you do it all as sustained efforts, apart from two adrenaline generating decents on each lap there is absolutely no recovery time for the legs (training on gently undulating english downs was no help). Run is pancake flat 4 laps, plenty of shade and feed stations - I found myself really looking forward to the occasional underpass just to relieve the monotony of running on the flat all the time. Beware of the marshalling - a bit amateur, I saw 3 different instances of guys get taken out at feed stations by "helpers" stepping in the way of cyclists.
Local hotels good value and plenty of them all within 1 or 2 miles of the venue. Mine actually made available two garages for bike storage / workshop and set up of bikes.
Hope this is of use, although I think the bike course may have changed to 2 longer laps (according to the IMCH website).
FK