Ironman Texas is on!
After weeks of a furious hunt for a proper bike course to replace that used for previous editions of the race, Ironman has just announced that the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN North American Championship Texas, in The Woodlands, Texas will be contested on May 14 upcoming. It will be contested as originally intended, with a 1-lap bike course with which Ironman officials are happy.
The original course was nixed by a commissioner of the county north of The Woodlands through which most of the bike ride took place. A conclave of those tasked with the production of the race convened well more than a month ago and various options were placed into consideration. It was touch and go, with 3-lap and even 5-lap options thrown on the table (though it is questionable whether Ironman would have agreed to a 5-lap course).
Complicating the process in the last few days were torrential rains and flooding that striking the Houston area. But in the end all counties inside of which the bike course will be contested signed off on the new route.
The first reports on the Slowtwitch Reader Forum that Ironman had an issue with the course surfaced on the 10th of March. Ironman was criticized for a lack of communication on the course problems by its customers. “I am coming all the way from Malta and have already paid all the flights,” wrote one contestant. Still, Ironman had very little of consequence it could say to its customers until today. In all, more than 600 comments on the Ironman Texas course were posted on a Reader Forum discussion thread on the topic of the bike course.
The new course is 112 miles long and that is all Ironman will say. Our sources tell us it is 1 lap, that it is a clockwise loop, and is mostly west of The Woodlands. Ironman would not confirm these details with us, not even whether it is a 1-loop course. But it told Slowtwitch it will publish a map of the bike course on Monday.
In consideration of the effort and hospitality extended by new bike course's hosts, Ironman wrote today, "We would like to thank the county officials and local stakeholders from Harris County." This does comport with the report of a course that travels west from The Woodlands.
