Another difference from IM, obvious but not mentioned, you can bury yourself on the swim & bike & it’s not going to have such an impact on your marathon.
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True, but you also feel utterly shit early in the marathon after everything stiffens up overnight but it does pass……
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On a big event mara I’ll let you off. Easy to get swept up with the adrenaline
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Especially after standing around in the pissing rain for a few hours after swimming 3.8km, then having the bike cancelled 
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The LCW sounds quite a bit of fun but £320 (incl. fee) seems a bit steep to me. Looked at accommodation costs for that weekend and they’re really high too.
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It’s in summer holidays (or used to be). I’ve stayed in hotels twice and Kiln Park once (with the family). IIRC back in 2018, Kiln Pk was £850 for the ‘Platinum’ shed for 3 nights. (it was very nice!)
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Erm … I ran the first km with an old clubmate and elite triathlete, think that’s why I got caught up 
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Weren’t we either side of David Bishop starting the run? First time I left T2 with an elite
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Two days of road closures though, so not cheap to put on. I’ve only done it once (2019 I think), and probably enjoyed the whole weeekend more than IMW, as it’s a bit more relaxed but still has great support.
Accomodation is (relatively) expensive at that time of year, as it’s holiday season. That said, we stayed at Bluestone and I don’t recall it being extortionate.
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I know it’s not the event all you cool kids are doing, but just hit the button on Long Course Weekend.
This way I don’t have to spend hours on the TT bike, and can spend the rest of the summer exercising, rather than training.
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In some ways LCW is better than IM. It’s far more chilled and the marathon course is great, especially going through Pembroke.
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Strangely I’m a bit apprehensive about the marathon. Less excuses for a stand alone event but I know it will still be a struggle. And I’m not running anything like I was when I did my last marathon way back in the before times of January 2020.
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It’s a bit weird, in theory you’re fresher than when you start an IM marathon but not as a fresh as a stand alone. LCW can be tricky on the mind with the on/off all weekend and at least in IM you just keep going until the end.
Also the route itself is what would be considered pretty slow. i think it has close to 900 mtrs elevation and is not a course that flows at all. There is a sharp longish hill about 5km in and the lumps carry on from there. I always try to hit Pembroke in about 2.10 and IME, you need more energy on the way back, especially through the Manorbier section.
I’ve gone 5.15 and 4.20 there, so massive delta in how you feel. Locals are great when it’s hot, they put the sprinklers out. The atmosphere coming back into town is amazing and ‘honour walk’ to get your 4th medal makes it very special. (bit of hanging around though).
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Love the event. I’ve done 4.
Swim is definitely more frenetic at the start, much more like the old mass start swims than the Uber regulated IM starts. Usually plenty of jellies too, if you bash one they’re hard like a car tyre not squidgy.
I also love the marathon course, it’s a cracker, scenic and hard. If you are reasonably nippy you’ll pass both the Half marathon start in Pembroke and 10k in Manorbier and they give you a great cheer.
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