Duncan's IMNZ Report

were the mandatory weigh in

I never say my weight!

Well done dunc sounds a stoming race.

Sign up, you know you want to. The first person to sign up when entry opens gets their fee refunded!

My photo album: http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/7788798

Mostly NZ shots, some of me pratting around. 

Great Report D74, see you at Bala..

How about Andy posts his report here too... come on Andy

Good effort Duncan, hmm pirate outing No2 2009 on the horizon me thinks.

I'm doing IMNZ 2009 too (I have a score to settle, yet again). A friend of mine here has also decided to do it (possible pirate material too, first IM).

PS If anyone wants any holiday ideas while they're here just shout (and I'm sure Duncan can add his ten cents'  worth).

We used New Zealand In Depth to sort our trip (excluding the flights and the bit in Taupo but he'd have done that to if I hadn't already booked it). You tell him what sort of holiday you want and he sorts it out for you, all custom built for you and reasonable prices as well.

http://www.newzealand-indepth.co.uk/

I couldn't possibly post my report in here, this is Duncan't thread! But I'll post a link.

http://www.mile141.co.uk/triathlon/imnz08.aspx

I used Ally Bally Bee and TRoT (from Tri-talk) to arrange my trip.   Seriously, then we used the top 30 must see list in the Rough Guide, identified the things from that we wanted to see, got a few ideas from the people above and then just winged it as we went.  The campervan meant we had total freedom to go where we wanted, and using the TomTom satnav which has all the campsites in it with their phone numbers and a free 'Jason's campsite guide' then we jsut booked the sites on a lunchtime as we toured around.  Worked really well as we spent a bit more time in some places than we thought we would, and a bit less in others.

Flights get released around April-May I think, and it pays to book early if you can.  Don't believe the April race entry date as that drifted back ages.  100% definately talk to Roger at Gateway Campers as they worked out a lot cheaper than the big names that pop up on a google search, mainly as you don't get stung by all the extras that the other companies add in. 

And Andy, do I still need to play admin on your posts?  Link to Andy's Report 

Depends.  If you already have the one best of the 90s CD and the last James Blunt single then you have their play list, but really it's the totally inapropriate DJs that make it.  Especially Douglas that was in Plateau when we went back on the Monday night.  You can't beat a drunk kiwi version of Chris Moyles staggering around, with 8 thirty year old women doing '11 year old girl in bedroom smash hits' line dancing whilst being hit on by the Taupo Divorced mens society on their monthy outing.  Class night out

Duncan - great work. Glad you had a good time. Hope your feet recover soon. Some lovely pictures too.

FB - you never miss an opportunity to remind us that Florida is the hardest IM It's a sentiment expressed with a frequencey matched only by: "It's mainly muscle..."

Andy S - great photos!

Was Pirates of the Carribean flimed in NZ? 

For anyone who has not seen it yet, my finish video (filmed by the great director Casey King) is on youtube. Type in Ironman New Zealand and Alison Fraser and you will see me.

It feels like a holiday every day here, even if I do have to 'work' 40 hours a week.

I've been lucky enough to visit NZ twice before so while there are lots of places I've not seen yet or would like to go back to, suspect I shall end up splitting this visit between friends in Auckland and Palmerston N plus the potential week in Taupo.

Still not seen anything in all your race reports to bring me to my senses - though some of the bike/run pics look pretty miserable weatherwise.

Is this the funniest finsh line photo you've ever seen?