The last Ironman Arizona or fondly known as IMAZ. Overall, it was a good race. If I compared it to Ironman California (IMCA), there's no comparison, as IMCA will always be my first one finished and love. Unfortunately, this was the last year of IMAZ, as Tempe is redeveloping and IMAZ did not fit into the redevelopment plans. I truly enjoyed the visit to the Cities of Phoenix and Tempe. There's so much restaurants and things to do, which made this overall experience a good one. As for the race itself, if I didn't do IMCA one month prior, I really think I'd have enjoyed it more. Being fatigued did not play into my favor, which made my experience in this race not so good. Don't get me wrong, it is a good race, but I just didn't feel it, which may have disillusioned me. I do give IMAZ five stars, however. read more

See all

Whether it's the 70.3 or the full Ironman it's always a good time. Unfortunately 2024 was the last 70.3 and 2025 was the last full event. Tempe is growing too much and finding safe, adequate routes was becoming difficult based on news reports. read more

I would give it negative stars if I could. I used to live in Tempe and moved because this event was so dreadful. I couldn't leave my residence due to road closures and the people trash everything. Everything is so poorly planned and just an awful event. read more

I just came home from watching my brother compete in his third Ironman. I have to toot his horn and mention that he finished in 11 hours and 29 minutes, his best time yet. Go Z! Ironman AZ is insane. For those that don't know. The Ironman triathlon consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. Yes - all in one day! It's inspiring to watch these incredible athletes. The city of Tempe and Ford, the main sponsor, do a fantastic job making this a spectator friendly event as well. I'm not sure I'll ever compete in a full Ironman, but perhaps a half. (I've done a Quarter distance before as well as Olympic and Sprint triathlons). But as long as my brother continues to compete in the full distance, I'll be out there cheering for him and being an extremely proud sister. Congrats again to all of you that competed today! read more

Daaamm your event was a total shit show yesterday...I couldn't get to my own place because y'all blocked the entire roads and even the entrance to my apartments and then forced everyone coming from the freeway into Tempe Market place only to end up being forced to drive back around into the freeway...literally all the roads heading to Mesa were sooo backed up worst massive traffic jam ever, you and all of your attendees could all go suck a dick... your mom's a hoe read more

This race is a huge inconvenience to locals and is so poorly handled with regards to traffic. There were multiple accidents and a great deal tension from drivers. Doesn't make any sense to have this race block off all the major roads for miles trying to go north. Please find a better way to inform people about the race day and control traffic better. read more

I had the opportunity this last November 2009 to cheer on my beautiful and fearless friend Jordan on her first Ironman endeavor. I arrived around 6 AM and stayed through her 10 PM completion. The event was very organized, excellent parking, signage, traffic control in general. Certain areas (especially in the morning from the swim to bike transition areas) it was close to impossible to see the competitors. Throughout the day I truly enjoyed hanging out with my friends (we had an RV parked off of Rio Salado Pkwy) while cheering Jordan on. I did feel slightly guilty as she burned over 6,000 calories exercising I was in the sun, enjoying a little In-n-Out burger. Consulting with Jordan after, she agreed that the transition areas were extremely organized, her packet and all corresponding material was simply top-notch and would do the event again in a heartbeat! read more

See all

Loved the swim, bike, & run courses. Volunteers and staff were uniformly excellent. Sorry to say how to collect gear and bike after event (run & bike bags, then bike, then morning gear bag) was a "local rule" that could have been published in the sheet of local rules distributed with packets. But this is a quibble. Thankfully, the weather was great, fans and competitors were great, and getting passed on the bike say 500 times on the way to a 14:12 finish time was no big deal for my fragile ego. My first 140.6 was a character building, hard experience, and impeccably laid out by the race organizers. read more

My husband was happy after completing but after having to stand over 30 minutes in the sun just to pick up his bike and bag he almost fainted. If you are thinking of doing it Arizona has consistently been super hot the past events. Each year it has been terribly organized but today I am really mad about the poor coordination and logistics. Specially at the end. I hope someone puts a stop to this madness which encourages obsessive compulsive exercising while people make profits by psychologically pushing athletes to harm their bodies by partucupating in an event poorly organized and in extremely hot conditions. Strava, Garmin, Ironman should be regulated and held accountable for people that get hurt because of their encouragement and marketing. read more

I've done four Ironman length races (three branded, one "generic") and so far, Ironman Arizona was the BEST. First, in comparison to a non-Ironman full, you get what you paid for here. I did Vineman full, which cost half the price at around $300, cheaper, actually, because I did the "buy two get the third free" with two friends and split the difference. I can truly see where all that money goes: the organization is seamless, the volunteers amazing, and absolutely EVERYTHING is taken care of. No guess work at all, and anything you might need is gonna be there for you-- wetsuit strippers, people applying sunscreen, special needs bags called ahead and handed to you, so on and so forth. (At Vineman, you have to find your own bag and stow your own gear at T1-- not as convenient!) In comparison to the other two Ironman races I did, which were Ironman Los Cabos and Ironman Cozumel, this was the best in terms of support and preparedness. Maybe it's just because the other two were in Mexico, so it was a little harder to get information, but regardless, Arizona's been running for a while now, making it a well-oiled machine. As it's popular and people want to volunteer to be guaranteed an entry slot, there are an abundance of volunteers, making it one of the most well supported races you can do. Ironman village and the expo are awesome, you will find no better course for spectating, as everything revolves around the same transition area. This is extremely important, because getting your family to follow you around is a huge source of stress if the course isn't intuitive. There's plenty of room on the bleachers for watching the finish, which I encourage everyone to do until midnight-- seeing the last people hobble through is unbelievably inspirational. It's a very fast course, with a flat bike leg (windy yes, but it's always something, and headwind one way generally means tailwind the other-- in my experience we didn't have much crosswind) so it's a nice choice for a first Ironman-- it's also still my fastest Ironman time to date. The fact that it sells out in SECONDS every year is proof of this!! The swim is kind of gross and crowded-- it's like water polo in a dirty puddle-- but it's still worth it. Just survive the first mile of getting punched in the head by aggro tri men and you'll be ok. Again, not all brand name Ironman races are created equal-- IMAZ cost the same as the other two I did, and they were far inferior, with worse support and organization. This is definitely the one to do if you're in this part of the country-- but I'd suggest signing up to volunteer and spectate the year before, or most likely it will sell out before you get a chance to pay your giant entry fee, and will be stuck paying twice as much for a foundation slot. read more

Wowee, so I've always thought people that did Ironmans were cookoo for Cocoa Puffs. Well slap my ass and call me Cooky Cocoa..I now can officially say I'm one of those crazies. Hats off to this well organized event. The volunteers were awesome, the people that stayed all day to cheer..THANK YOU. Those that cheered me on and called out my name, not even knowing me..ya'll rock. The swim was a brisk 61 degrees, brrr! but aside from a handful of people swimming on top of me or getting kicked a bit in the face, the swim wasn't too shabby. Thankfully the day was partly cloudy so the sun wasn't in our eyes on the swim out. The bike, whooaa nelly. Arizona can really produce some freakish wind. Can we say 20mph headwind and crosswinds? It rained and hailed on us too some. I held onto my bike for dear life heading back down on the Beeline. I was cursing at Mother Nature on that bike, but what can I say..they never said an Ironman was easy. Definitely a challenging bike course. I've never BEEN so happy to get off my bike and run a marathon! The run was relatively flat. 3 loops. I was taunted by the In N' Out that was located at the end of one of the bridges every. single. loop. No worries I got my fill of Double Double and Animal Fries the very next day. Overall a great race. The volunteers rocked as well as the people cheering. It was definitely an awesome experience for this first timer. My favorite motivation sign of the day "Chuck Norris never did an Ironman". No siree, Chuck Norris never did, did he? That must make me a badass right? Sorry, had to toot my own horn just a little... read more

I can't say enough about how amazing this race experience was. It was my first 140.6, but I have done Ironman brand 70.3 and other 70.3s before and the amount of support and organization pales in comparison. The entire weekend was well run and flowed smoothly. I know everyone complains at the cost of these events, but you can get a lot out of the entire weekend and the sheer number of volunteers and staff at every turn was amazing. The race itself was a blast. I've never felt more support out on a course and every turn had someone cheering for me or ready to help. The aid stations were well organized and while there were a few places on the run that I felt needed more lighting, the roads for the bike course were very well maintained and the transition areas were well-staffed. While the addition of the 2 lap run course instead of 3 laps added a few more rolling hills to the marathon, the bike course was flat and I loved the 3 loop ride since after 1 loop I was still refreshed and after 2 laps I was SO close to being done (easier to swallow than a halfway done point in my opinion....) The swim was in Tempe Town Lake and while I heard no end to the nasty water rumors, I had no issues and honestly it didn't taste bad at all. We did the practice swim and while the water was cold, it was perfect for the distance... by the time you get to halfway point you are plenty warmed up, but not overheating.. by the time you are done, the water feels just fantastic. I was also worried about the stairs you have to climb up on to get out, but just pull up and sit on the lowest step and then using the railings to stand up. While completing the race and hearing Mike Reilly tell me that I am an IRONMAN was obviously the highlight of my year, sticking around to party and dance in the stands waiting for the final finishers to come in at midnight might be my favorite part of the entire experience. The entire culture and community behind IM is incredible and if/when I decide to train for a 2nd race, it will hands down be an IM branded event because they pull out every stop for a flawless, well-oiled race day. For the race we stayed at the Best Western on Scottsdale Drive. This was a great location as it was only about 1 mile walk to the Athlete Village/Starting line. It is also directly across from In N Out burger (a post-race MUST) and a Jersey Mike's subs (night before meal) and Starbucks. The only warning I have is that the Best Western is very close to the run course, so you will have to fight temptation to stop running and go lay in your bed ;) We were concerned because there was an ASU home football game on Saturday night before the race. Thankfully, even though we were facing the stadium and Tempe Town Lake, we heard NONE of it! The hotel is also only like 500 feet from TTL so you can access the trails for a warm up ride or run easily. read more

See all

I'm with Yvonne R. - this was a wonderfully organized event. Most Ironman races are supposed to be, but theory & execution are two very different things. The entire weekend went off pretty flawlessly & I felt welcomed and taken care of no matter where I went. One thing I wasn't crazy about was the athlete dinner on Friday night. The venue was nice to look at, but it was quite chilly outside & we couldn't sit through all of it. The food wasn't so great, but it was still neat to be amongst all the other athetes. Maybe next time we can have some outdoor heaters or something? Just a thought. Before the sun came up on race morning, we were being herded into the 60 degree water & up to the starting line. Thank goodness for wetsuits! After the pros took off, the directors & the Mayor of Tempe gave us some words of encouragement, pumped us up with some music, & fired the cannon. Off we went into a mass of bodies and dark water. I enjoyed the swim, save for the last 300 meters or so when someone decided to unzip my wetsuit. Thanks, dude. At least it was easy to get off once I climbed those stairs out of the lake! Lucky us, the weather decided to be wonky this year, complete with crazy winds & some rain action. Yay for us. The only place this was extremely noticeable was on the bike, which was a 3-loop course meaning we hit headwinds every single time. I swear, the last 8 miles took forever thansk to the 20-30 mph gusts. Ugh! The volunteers were great at handups & never lost their energy while cheering us on. One tiny complaint: please put a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) bathroom at the special needs stop. Definitely a small holdup there due to lack of facilities. I like cycling, but boy was I glad when the volunteers snagged my bike from me! Nor did I miss it much as I headed out for the final leg of the race. The run was also a 3-loop course, but that just meant I was better able to get my bearings. It was fairly flat, though repeating one large hill 3 times got to be a little daunting. All of the aid stations were well stocked & had enthusiastic volunteers. You'd think the whole "You're doing great!" thing would get old, but as the sun goes down & it gets cold, you're thankful for any encouragement you can get. Again agreeing with Yvonne R. - Chuck Norris never did an Ironman! Thank you, hilarious spectators! I don't think I can say enough about the fantastic spectators & volunteers. Since the course was multi-looped, you could always count on someone being nearby to cheer you on. The finish line was full of energy & lit up brightly for the entire city to see &, as soon as you're done, a volunteer is there to take care of you. I also got to shake Chrissie Wellington's hand after I crossed the line. How freakin' cool is that?! Overall, it was an amazing race for my first Ironman & I had a blast. read more

Extremely well run event Friendly and helpful volunteers Swim was cold!!! Bike was harder than expected... Run was reasonably flat read more

Lack of communication from IMAZ race organization is unprofessional and unacceptable. Zero response from multiple time sensitive emails sent to the contact address. Participants are left hanging with thousands of dollars in race related expenses waiting for deferral request responses. read more

http://www.vimeo.com/1188862 video my buddy made... I'd just like to thank all the volunteers who made it happen. Without everyone out their braving the windy conditions, none of could have made it...so much kudo's to you all! And the city of Tempe for hosting such a great event to make so many dreams come true. read more

I'm with you Gabi! Ironman Tempe April 2008 was amazing. It was an absolute treat to watch some 2000 people compete in the ultimate test of physical endurance. The race was well organized with hydration and food stations set up along the course. It was a heart warming and wonderful event to witness! Congrats Zack for a strong finish and best to those who have the fortitude to get out there and compete! Anyone who has the courage to register for this event is a hero in my eyes. read more

Too much traffic detours. Tempe Marketplace is a busy shopping center that gets hobbled by this race every year. Ironman is not the Olympics, why does Tempe bend over backwards for this event? Other triathlons have a much smaller traffic impact. Let's book them instead. Ironman-- read more

As with all Ironman competitions, especially in North America, one of the hardest and trickiest things to do is registering for one. Forking over $500 is the easy part if you can even get a spot. Registration for an Ironman race opens up the day after the race allowing those who stick around first dibs, which is where the majority of the slots are snatched before allowing online registrations. Even then you have many people waiting online ready to pounce and selling out in a matter of hours. Ironman Arizona, being fairly new and as an early season triathlon (April) dissuades people because it requires long cold winter training days stuck indoors while mother nature lets her bowels loose across the country. But no more, treadmill and trainer sessions will give way to sultry summer workouts because race organizers have decided to move it to the end of the season, November. 2008 will see two Ironman Arizona races, the last early season race in April replaced by the November race. Ironman Arizona is well organized, well marked, and very spectator friendly with the bike and run course looping three a piece. The swim takes place in Tempe Town Lake. I've heard horror stories about the water quality but I personally had no problems swimming in it. The early morning sun makes it difficult to see when you first start off the one loop course. The bike course is relatively flat but every other year so far the wind has made it difficult to pace evenly, it's either at your back or in your face on this 3 loop out and back course. The 2007 race had wind gusts reportedly at 30mph. What many people don't realize about a flat course is that it requires constant pedaling, there is no reprieve going down a hill because there are none. The wind can also be a source of trouble on the mostly flat 3 loop run course. With aid stations fully stocked at every mile I found it unnecessary to run with my hydration belt. When you finish make sure to have a clean set of warm clothes to change into so that you can stick around a bit and cheer others on. Completing an Ironman is a race like no other. Even with hundreds of triathletes alongside you on the course suffering just like you, you are on your own to do battle against the 140.6 and are only victorious once you cross the line and hearing your name along with.."you are an Ironman!" read more

I'm giving this race only one star. They didn't have the right sized shirt for me. They handed me a large and I wear a small or extra small. They said they were out. I contacted WCT by phone and email and they wouldn't send me the correct size. When I registered for that race I selected small because that was the smallest size you could get. If you pay all that money and spend all that time training the least they can do is give you the right sized shirt!!! argh!!!! phew! Besides that the conditions were miserable... I did it in April of 2008. They ran out of water on the bike course (which showed how poorly they planned for the bike course). This made it unsafe for the racers. Someone had told me after the race that the temperature was over 100 during the bike portion. I will not be doing this race again. Boycot m dot races!!! The only good thing about the race was the volunteers. They were very nice and extremely helpful! Maybe the race is better now that it is in November. Hopefully they have the t-shirt situation undercontrol! I know many other race participants that got the wrong size t-shirt and were also very upset. It's not the end all be all but it is a big deal when you spend all that time and money training and they can't do something as simple as that correct. read more

It was epic great. I want to thank all the volunteers. I am already signed up again for next year. Of the thousands of details involved, the only "negative" was access to the lake. Please add more gates to get into the lake. There is only a small gate for thousands to get through in only a few minutes. Most people had to clamber over a fence in suits and drop in. When I jumped in I twisted my knee on a shallow boulder and had to deal with that the entire race. read more

this was an amazing experience that takes dedication, committment, passion and love. Lilke a fine cook uses the freshest ingredients in their meal preparation, what you put into it is what you get out. this was the most physically demanding, and mentally challenging event I have ever participated in. In the end, it was all well worth it. In fact I look forward to the next one. The event was well run and extremely organized. The crowd support was amazing and motivational. I look forward to volunteering the future to help the next iron athletes achieve their goals. the day was the hottest day in AZ to date at 95 degrees for the year and had 25 mph winds. This made the finish line even more sweet. of the 2035 or so athletes we saw a 19 percent attrition rate of people who didn't finish. this is one of the worst in Ironman History. This was no doubt due to the extreme weather conditions. In the end of a race like this its not longer about time but rather finishing and pushing through the temorary hardships mentally and physcially. I was so elated to have made it to the finish line I didn't even hear the announcer say my name. However, it didn't matter. Embracing the medal at the line is like embracing your newborn at birth. You hold onto that puppy like your life depends on it and feel so relieved and full of joy that words can't even describe the emotion. I encourage anyone who is thinking about embarking on an ironman journey to make the first step .... SIGN UP TODAY and good luck. Zack read more