IRONMAN Lake PlacidVerified
IRONMAN Lake Placid: 179 km bike leg, 1914 m of climbing. Elevation profile, what the terrain asks of you, the weather this race day usually brings, and how to pace this course.
Course intel
The two-lap classic: out of town and down the long descent into Keene (a high-speed technical section), a breather on the flat river valley road, then the long climb back to Lake Placid, finishing with three climbs in a row. Committing on the descents and pacing the climbs are the two lessons this course teaches.
Source: Compiled from the official route and public race information · every course rechecked before launch
The terrain on this course
- Flat (±1.2%) makes up 43%
- Main climb 58.1–60.5 km: 103 m of gain (avg 4.3%)
- Main climb 93.8–96.3 km: 97 m of gain (avg 4.0%)
- Main climb 147.5–149.9 km: 103 m of gain (avg 4.3%)
Speed score
There is a climb longer than 2 km out there: go in at an intensity you can hold to the top, and only add past halfway if you feel good. Riders who go hard from the bottom mostly bleed speed in the back half.
Historical race-day weather (around 07-20): 19.9°C · Wind 3.3 m/s
0 to 100, and the higher it is the easier it is to post a good time. Points come off for terrain, for corners, and for the heat and wind this race has actually had over the last five years at the same time of year. Full explanation in the article “How the course score works”.