Which Race to Do - Part 1 (Logistics)

Note: This is Part 1 in a many, many part series on choosing and training for an Iron distance race in 2015.  The intro, where I explain all of this, is here.

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The first thing we need to do is decide which race to do...

There are 5 contenders for me:

Ironman Wisconsin (IMMoo)
Ironman Louisville (IMLou)
Ironman Chattanooga (IMChoo)
Ironman Lake Placid (IMLP)
and the home race, Rev 3 Cedar Point

Let's kick off by deducting points for the last two since they don't rhyme like the first three.  

The first real question is probably brand (IM vs. Rev3 vs. Challenge), but we'll ignore that for now since it's a way bigger discussion.

Instead, let's talk logistics.  


I'm driving, so first we can compare drive times:

Race	Drive Time
IMMoo	8 hours
IMLou	5½ hours
IMChoo	9 hours
IMLP	9 hours
Cedar Point	1 hour

Let's put some dollars on that.  I have no idea what gas prices will be next year, let's just assume it settles somewhere in the summer gas price range of $3.75/gallon.  

Cedar Point is ~70 miles from my house, my car gets ~35 mpg highway, so Cedar Point costs $7.50 each way in gas. 

Chattanooga is the furthest - almost 600 miles, so that drive costs about $65 each way in gas.  

Lake Placid is closer by a little bit, but there's also more off-highway driving, so let's call them the same.

Madison costs $55, Louisville costs $35 each way. 

Another main consideration is lodging.  For Cedar Point, I'd probably stay at home and just drive up for packet pickup / check-in and then again on race morning.  So, 2 round trips but no hotel rooms.  My lodging cost is the extra drive ($15).

I'm a Hilton guy, so for the rest, all we really need to know is if there's a few Hilton properties in the vicinity.  As long as that's the case (and I book early enough) I should be able to get a room on points (aka free).  

Chattanooga - check.
Madison - check.
Louisville - check.
Lake Placid - there's one Hampton Inn, so technically 'check' but in reality that one's going to be difficult to get a room.

So all we know so far is that logistically, Lake Placid sucks.