1) Logistics and Lodging
2) The Swim
3) The Bike
4) The Run
Logistics and Lodging: Unlike most Ironman events, very few people actually live in Whistler. It's a destination venue and the town is pretty much a 'master planned' community designed to accommodate tourism. They executed perfectly. Maybe too perfectly, because Whistler Village seems to have a cookie cutter feel to it. I don't mean this in a bad sense at all. Just saying that if you really appreciate local character and flavor you really must visit nearby Pemberton. That's all I'll say there.
Most people will end up flying to Vancouver, renting a car, and then driving to Whistler. We left 10 days before the race and spent the first three in Vancouver. I highly recommend doing this if you have the time. Vancouver is an active, vibrant city not to be missed! Rental cars in Canada can be incredibly expensive at >$150/day. I rented my SUV from an off-airport site at $348 for 10 days, taxes and fees all included. Dollar Rent a Car on Marine Drive. $12 taxi from the airport and a free ride back to the airport on return. Easy peasy.
Be warned: Vancouver's not a cheap place to stay, but well worth several days visit. We stayed in the Yorktown neighborhood of Downtown Vancouver. A place called Rosedale at Robson. Highly recommended and by local standards very reasonable at $200/night.
A couple things to do in Vancouver:
Swim in Kit's Pool, Run around Stanley Park along the sea wall (10k), visit Granville Island, visit Capilano Bridge Park and Grouse Grind.
Way too many great eateries in Vancouver but here's a few that we found:
-Japadog! Hot dogs like you've never had, guaranteed!
-Rosie's on Robson (connected to the above mentioned hotel). Try the Butter Chicken Poutines!
-Local Public Eatery on Cornwall Ave. Try the Crispy Pork Belly!
Ok, on to Whistler. You can't get lost. There's only one road from Vancouver: The Sea to Sky Highway. It is a stunningly scenic drive on a new, well maintained road. Don't be in a hurry. Stop often for some beatiful sights. If you simply drive straight to Whistler it's about an hour and 45 minutes.
Don't be fooled by the first big sign that says Whistler Olympic Village. This is where they held the actual winter Olympics. Whistler Village is still several more miles of driving. Note that Whistler Village is divided into upper and lower sections. Both sections are walkable to the other but just inconvenient enough that I was glad to be in Lower Village. Even Lower Village has an upper and lower section. We stayed across the street at Stony Creek Lagoons (managed by Whistler Superior Properties) and were quite happy. $116/night total.
Also a ton of eateries in Whistler. Seems to have a pretty high turnover rate but while we were there we enjoyed Peaked Pies and Splitz Grill.
Before I get onto the actual race stuff I should mention that spending some time at Lost Lake is worth it. In our Swag Bag from the Ironman Athlete Check-In were coupons for Whistler/Blockcomb gondola season passes. Only $49 each and good for Peak to Peak as well as unlimited gondola use. Very worth it! Finally, spend a day in Pemberton. While there, drive past Pemberton along the Ironman Bike course and enjoy the countryside and mountain scenary.
THE SWIM
Alto Lake is clean, clear, and relatively warm. It was 66/67 all week. TIP: Everybody wants to do their practice swim at the Rainbow Park starting point. I did that and it was ok. But I also swam once from Lakeside Park across the lake to Rainbow Park and back. This was only a mile but so much more fun. What more can one say? It's a beautiful place for a swim. BTW, Whistler is only at about 2,200 feet above sea level. I live at sea level in California and didn't notice the altitude at all the whole time I was there.
THE BIKE
After getting out of the water it's about 100 yards to T1 on soft carpet. Get your bike and start riding some easy rolling hills through a neighborhood. Soon you're on the highway headed toward Vancouver. Lane is closed to traffic and all yours. In about a dozen miles you turn right up to the 'real' Whistler Olympic Village where they had ski jumping, etc. This climb is long and not to be underestimated, about 10 miles of up. Next it's back down the hill at blistering speeds (I got up to 50 mph) and through some more rolling hills to Whistler Village and on down to Pemberton. Then total flatness for a lovely 30-35 miles through beautiful, lush countryside. The roads in this section are in so-so condition. The rest of the course roads are in very good condition. BEWARE the last 15 miles back into Whistler is a f'ing HARD climb! It's a relentless, nearly 2,000 feet ordeal. It would be challenging all by itself, but this one is at the end of a century. Have fun with that. My Garmin registered 5,978 feet of overall climbing. For those that care, my split was 6:10 at 18 mph avg.
THE RUN
Let me start by saying I have run Ironman courses in some pretty scenic areas from Coeur d'Alene and St George to Switzerland, but the Whistler course is BY FAR the most beautiful run course. It is two loops of rolling hills along the Village and two different lakes. A mixture of paved path and well kept trail. The course takes too many turns and hills for me to accurately describe but it was very challenging. My Garmin registered 1,309 feet of elevation gain overall. Not much flatness at all, mostly up and down. Pace yourself.
IN CONCLUSION
Would I race here again? Probably, if the circumstances were right. I've done Ironman in four countries and three states. There's a lot of venues out there in the world that I'm still interested in.
Any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Have a fit day, y'all!
