Ironman Florida 2006- Logistics

Panama City Beach (PCB) airport is about 30 minutes from the The Boardwalk Hotel, the host hotel for the race. If you ever decide to do this race seriously consider staying there, it is fabulous. I stayed next door at Top Of The Gulf, an adequate residence on the ocean shore and a short five minute walk door to door. There are several apartments and hotels within a half mile distance from the host hotel.

PCB is a tourist town and an older one at that. Its no Disney World. The rooms are not Vegas level, but you're not there to gamble, you're there to race.

Everything is so centralized that it feels like an athletes village. While there you could not help but stumble into or walk past someone with shaved legs or a previous ironman race shirt or the much coveted silver triathlete bracelet.

The host hotel is actually two seperate buildings, the resort which must be twenty floors and then the convention center which held the transition area outside and host all the dinners inside. It also had the most convenient breakfast brunch.

The resort hotel held the expo literally outside its front doors. Athletes that stayed there were treated very nicely on race day by the fact that the finish line was thirty feet from the front door.

As in all ironman expo's I have seen, there is the merchandise tent and then the wetsuit, bike and run supply tent which also houses the bike mechanic area.

I must stress this to anyone who goes to an Ironman expo, if you like it and it fits or is the right color...buy it right away. If you wait and come back later it will be sold out. Don't feel like you are jinxing yourself by buying a jersey or logo'd jacket before you finish, you will be disappointed that you didn't get what you wanted because you waited. Besides, the 'Finishers' gear is not that impressive and you can buy most of it online anyway.

Also if your going to buy a cap, buy the visor not the dri-fit style ball cap. You will get a dri-fit ball cap in your finisher bag along with a finisher t-shirt. Save your money for other swag.

By the way, I am a swag whore. I've had smaller two week paychecks than the bill I rang up the first time through the expo tent. But I learned my lesson at the Arizona expo the last two years. Buy before its gone.

There is a Walmart a few miles from the host hotel. I thought it was important to get supply's right away since there would be a lot of people looking for bottled water and peanut butter. Bolder and I went there on Tuesday night and the selves were already looking barren for typical triathlete foods.

Race day travel is a logistical nightmare for your support team if you stay within a half mile of the host hotel. Both sides of the street are barricaded off so if your family and friends have any idea of traveling the bike course to cheer you on, be prepared to move your vehicle a good distance away before race day or there not going anywhere.