Ford Ironman St. George Reviews (2)

If you want/like hills, this is your Ironman. If you want unpredictable weather but guaranteed winds, this is definitely your Ironman!

The Aid stations were INCREDIBLE! The local crowd support was AMAZING! St George knows how to cheer on some athletes! All the roads were closed to traffic. At the finish line you receive your tech shirt, hat, and medal like any other Ironman. If I ever do Ironman again, it will not be this course. I will look for something faster.

I enjoyed this race, and I'd recommend it to people who have already done an Ironman and are looking for a more challenging course.

SWIM - at Sand Hollow Reservoir, which is approximately 20 miles east of St. George. It's a beautiful place to swim, but the weather is notoriously windy during the Spring, which causes the cooler, deeper water to mix with the warm, top layer. Water temperatures can range from 55 degrees to the low 60's. I'd recommend a neoprene cap and booties. This is a one-loop in-water mass start course that does a big rectangle around a rock formation.

BIKE - This is the most challenging Ironman bike course in North America. There are three memorable inclines during the first 22 miles between Sand Hollow and St. George. Then, on each of the two loops made from St. George up to Gunlock and Veyo and back, there are another five memorable climbs followed by a fast downhill section (unless there is a headwind or crosswind, which is likely). There are long sections of chip-seal roads, which will slow you down a bit. Also, the roads, while not necessarily narrow, are not wide enough to completely break free from other cyclists, so people do bunch up a bit on the hills. Watch your effort on the bike course...70% or less of your functional threshold power will save something for the run.

RUN - This is the most challenging Ironman run course in the world, with roughly 3,500 feet of climbing and descending. It starts from the heart of St. George (Main St. and Tabernacle St.) and works its way up Diagonal, Bluff and Red Hills Parkway (with a couple of detours to add mileage). I tried going 90 seconds/mile slower than my regular marathon pace and I still ran out of steam at Mile #17. You might try 2 mins/mile slower than your regular marathon place for the first out-and-back and then a negative split on the second out-and-back if you can.

Overall, expect to be one hour slower than usual on this Ironman course.