I've raced a lot. But Lake Placid is especially special, because it was my husbands first Ironman in 2025. And let me say this: if you only plan on doing one Ironman, make it this one.
Logistics
Like every Ironman, accommodation can be limited and expensive. What makes Lake Placid extra tough, is the roads needed to access further-away accommodation are almost always closed. So...be prepared for an extra early morning, and to be stuck once the car is parked. We were lucky and have a family home near the start line, but heard lots of stories from fellow competitors. Book absurdly early or start calling in favours with anyone you know within a 45-minute drive. The town itself is completely worth the trip regardless of the race. Between Mirror Lake, the Adirondacks and all the Olympic history, you're going to have a great time. We loved it so much, we ended up coming back again for the Christmas holidays.
The Swim
Mirror Lake is one of the best swim venues on the entire Ironman circuit. It's rare to find such clear, cool and calm lake. Athletes do two loops of 1.2 miles each in a clockwise direction, with a short beach run between loops across the timing mat.
And if you're a horrible sighter...there's a rope to follow underwater, so you don't really have to sight.
For spectators, the swim is very easy to watch. The best views of the swim are from the hill above Mirror Lake beach, or from the small park further down Main Street that sits along the swim course. Get there early because as you might expect, it fills up fast.
The Bike
I don't think people do a great job of preparing folks for the Lake Placid bike course. So let me help...
The hills are no joke. The key to a successful day at Ironman Lake Placid is a disciplined, strategic and paced approach.
The bike is two loops of approximately 90 kilometres each, taking athletes out of town through the Adirondack countryside and back. The climbs are long, sustained, and they compound across the second loop. Jack is a strong climber and the hills still took more out of him than expected. The hills and grade were big, and the climbs were long. Athletes who come from flat training environments (looking at all my Okanagan athletes who just ride the rail trail 👀) you'll need specific hill training in the build. This is not a course you wing on the bike.
The good news? The road surfaces though still not perfect, have massively improved. And in pure Lake Placid fashion, even the furthest towns from transition were setup to cheer on athletes. It's a full community affair.
The pro race in 2025 was one for the books. Matthew Marquardt set a new course best of 7:50:08, while Solveig Løvseth smashed the women's course record by over 16 minutes, becoming the first woman to go sub-9 hours at Lake Placid with a time of 8:43:29. Little did we know she'd win Kona later in the year!
The Run
The run course loops through downtown Lake Placid twice. I was able to watch Jack multiple times (another reason I love this course!) But just like the bike...you'll know if you skipped your hill training. The end of Sentinel Rd is tough, so practice training under fatigue to increase your hill endurance.
Your spectator guide:
- Sentinel (watch them going up the hill, before they turn onto Wilmington)
- Main Street (watch them come back from Wimington and head to the Mirror Lake Rd)
- Main Street again before they begin to head back out!
The run finishes in the Olympic Oval (if you watched the 1980 Miracle on Ice happen...you'll know!) I've been to a lot of races, but the Lake Placid energy is something else. From the athlete village to the views of the course all the way down to the spectator experience, it is executed to perfection.
Top Tips
- Book accommodation early
- Incorporate a lot of hill training (LAKE PLACID TRAINING PLAN)
- Make a trip out of it
