BOLTON 
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Best bleedin’ Ironman in t’World!
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@awildt in reply, Not really for me to say either way whether women should or shouldn’t have longer cut offs, but they are ~10% slower in general across all running distances. No female under 11hr at IMUK. Extend that to 17hrs and that’s around 18:30. If IM want to expand the number of women it seems that might be a starting point in a country with two tough courses to get under 17?
It’s as big as ever in Aus, but they’re/we’re 10-20 years behind in nearly everything, but I worry about the state of LC tri. There’s not a single iron-distance race that isn’t branded, and only 2x decent sized 70.3s that aren’t branded, the rest are really small local ones and generally not many.
It Ironman went bust it would create a huge hole, compared to UK where I feel other events could step up
I’m done with IM. Looking forward to getting back and racing non-branded events.
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I think Busso has taken a big hit in numbers hasn’t it?
Here’s an alternative to that:
Reduce the cut-off for Men.
Change the course.
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Perhaps, and that was bad wording from me, given I have no idea how big it was before 2019.
What I mean is Ironman in Aus 2023 is still bigger than UK in 2019, and I don’t see imminent reductions from within my tri club like I’ve heard on here
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I’m only aware because I was reading something about the IM demise on ST and an Aussie there (I think it was Amnesia) was talking talking about the decline in numbers of a race. I think it was Busso but not 100%.
There were some great races back in the day. The TripleM race at Akuna Bay was proper hard. There was a race called '226 where the RD ran off off with all the money (we don’t mention that one 
)
In general though, Aussies are very ‘big brand’ minded when it comes to racing, which is at odds with the ‘battler culture’. There used to be a branded HIM in your neck of the woods.
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Bolton doesn’t really appeal as a venue TBH. The toughness of the course is a bit scary but the terrain is pretty much the same as riding in the dales, which is my preferred place to ride and the only flat runs around here are by canals. It’s the town itself, I was there years ago for work and didn’t like it. UK roads are so poor you know there wil lbe sections of the ride that are grim. I know there are bits of the Outlaw course that are poor but I like Nottingham. No logic to it though 
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I’m doing my bit to help and I’ve signed up to do it (as I’m visiting my brother in Perth, so thought why not if I’m going all that way) 
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Might see you there, I’m 50:50, depending how training goes.
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Tenby Rocks! But for most, Bolton is a heck of lot chuffin easier to get to. 6hr drive vs 2hr for me.
And Bolton doesn’t have the variable of a choppy rough sea sw1m, and That current against you to the first buoy, which only seems to manifest itself as any problem on Lap2.
I know one pal who is never going back to do Tenby, because she had a very expensive 1/2IM sw1m last time, couldn’t make it to the buoy at the start of lap 2.
so there’s all sorts of pro’s and cons. Both Are Good! but seems like it’ll be Tenby or nowt, if the Bolton 70.3 Rumour Mill turns out to be true 
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too likely to p1ss it down. and a long way to go. and the locals are hairy, and wield clubs. but I’d be up for it!
Wasn’t there an Edinburgh? (or somewhere in jockStrapLand?) 70.3 for a year or two not so long back 
, why did that fall by the wayside?
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like most, when Bolton was announced as the (panic) successor venue to Sherborne in 2009, I thought, yuk, wot a dump. But I’ve grown to love it, as the locals are so nice. So actually, Bolton is a great venue, when you get your head round it.
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Too much chance of a shortened or cancelled swim, or maybe that is an attraction for some?
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Last edition was 2019, even without Covid it was getting cancelled.
I think numbers were too small, last year had something like 800 and the swim was cold. Bike was another tough one, probably as much climbing as Wimbleball
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I’m Welsh but live near Bolton.
No choice for me.
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first time they had it swim was rough & cold ,so guessing all the lightweights found it tough and never returned following year ,so if we working on 800 too low a number we know whats coming ???
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I think that was starters, Bolton had more of them and I guess some will have paid and not got that far.
But they’ll be looking at numbers for sure.
If it gets numbers up at Tenby and that race is approved for a few years I think?
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Really I mean as a destination race for foreigners; they love it!
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I agree with most of the comments, IMJ going bananas and lots cut
Most “ I wasn’t good enough” I’ll come back next year, if there is a next year. ?!
Some moaning … and on other sites you don’t scrape in the bike then “ run a 3:30 marathon”
Well not in my experience anyway.
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