FTP Targets by Segment
Final return is RPE-based. Keep it controlled and ride into T2 feeling like you have something left.
QT2 Systems · Race Intelligence
Ironman
Lake Placid
2026 Athlete Playbook · Your Race Execution Guide
July 19, 2026
2.4miSwim
112miBike
26.2miRun
6,900ftBike Gain
You've put in the work. The early mornings, the long rides through whatever weather showed up, the runs that felt terrible and the ones that clicked. Lake Placid is close now.
The athletes who have the best days at IMLP aren't necessarily the ones who trained hardest. They're the ones who race the course they're on, not the course they wish they were on. Lake Placid will test your patience twice on the bike and twice on the run. It rewards the athletes who earn those second loops.
Our coaches have raced and coached at Lake Placid a combined 40+ years. This playbook pulls the best of it into one race-week resource with the calculators and checklists you'll actually use.
01Course Intelligence
Know the Course, Really Know It
Lake Placid is a bucket-list race in one of the most beautiful places in the Northeast. It's also a demanding course with nearly 7,000 feet of bike climbing and very specific characteristics that will work for you or against you depending on how well you understand them before you arrive.
The Swim - Mirror Lake
Two loops. Follow the cable.
Two loops in calm, narrow Mirror Lake, wetsuit legal the vast majority of years. The defining feature is the underwater cable running the full length of both sides. It's a navigation gift: follow it without lifting your head.
At the end of loop one you round a dock and briefly exit for a short beach run. Don't sprint it. Stay in control, keep your heart rate where you want it, and re-enter cleanly. T1 is at the Olympic Oval, about half a mile away.
Mirror Lake - swim start
"The swim is the gift. Take it without wasting it. Arrive at T1 with your heart rate and your head in the right place."
The Bike - 112 mi - ~6,900 ft
This is where the race is decided.
Two loops. The single most important concept of the day: loop one sets up loop two. Athletes who go too hard in the first 56 miles pay for it visibly in the back half. Tap any segment below to study it.
Loop one is a deposit.
If the first loop feels almost too controlled, you're probably doing it right. The course gives the bill to impatient athletes late.
Three Bears are not the finish line.
The crowds are electric, but they can pull you above target. Enjoy the energy without changing the plan.
02Pacing Systems
Make the Smart Choice Obvious
Use the calculators as guardrails. They will not race for you, but they will keep your race brain from turning a good day into an expensive guess.
Marathon Reality Check
Goal pace
Loop one
Loop two
03Race-Week Logistics
Control the Controllables
Your race week job is to remove decisions. Charge it, pack it, label it, rehearse it, and keep the morning simple.
Make Race Morning Boring
Start Calm
0 of 11 items complete.
04Fuel Prep
Start With a Full Tank
The goal is not to feel stuffed at the start. The goal is to arrive topped off, settled, and ready to keep taking in fuel once the day begins.
Friday
Two Days Out
Normal diet through the day, then shift at dinner. Large, carb-focused meal: pasta, rice, bread. Target 90-150 g carb, about 20 g protein, low fat and fiber.
Saturday
The Day Before
The anchor meal is breakfast, not dinner. Eat a large, carb-heavy breakfast no later than 9am, then taper all day with bagels, pretzels, fig newtons, bananas, and sports drink.
Race morning
3-4 Hours Before Your Wave
QT2 standard: applesauce, banana, a scoop of whey, and a sports drink. A plain white bagel with jam can work too. Take a gel 15-20 minutes before the swim start.
Hydration Conditions
Baseline
No change
Bike Fuel Requirement
05On-Course Fuel
Know What Each Product Does
Do not ask one product to do every job. Separate hydration, sodium, carbohydrate, and cooling so your plan stays clean under pressure.
Hydration
PH 1000
Precision Fuel & Hydration. About 1,000 mg sodium per liter. Electrolytes and fluid replacement.
Zero carbohydrate. Not a fuel source.
Carbohydrate
Maurten
Gel 100 / Gel 160. Carbohydrate in known doses, with caffeinated options available.
Minimal sodium. Not a hydration source.
Cooling + hydration
Water
Use for heat management, supplementing hydration, and cooling over the head, neck, and jersey.
No sodium. No carbs. Do not chase volume with plain water.
Aid-station rule
Stay deliberate
Every aid station has a job. Know before you arrive whether you are drinking, cooling, fueling, or simply staying calm.
Random intake is not a plan.
06Mental Execution
Plan for the Quiet Miles
Lake Placid gives you noise, beauty, and long stretches where you have to choose your response. Rehearse those choices before the day asks for them.
Goals
Three goals
An A goal you've told no one. A B goal you'll say out loud. A C goal that is simply finishing strong and proud. Adjust on conditions, not anxiety.
Process
Process before outcome
Through the bike your only job is execution: effort control, fueling on schedule, and not reacting to other athletes.
Run course
River Road will test you
The quiet out-and-back is where athletes mentally drift. Have a mantra, a cue word, and a point of focus rehearsed before race day.
Crowd
The crowd is a tool
Mirror Lake Drive is loud and high-energy. Use it, let it carry you, but do not let it change your effort target too early.
Webinar 01
2025 IMLP Course Preview & Race Tips
Coach Jennie Hansen, 6x IMLP finisher and 2013 Female Champion, walks every section of the course.
Watch webinar
Webinar 02
2022 IMLP Course Overview
Coach Tim Snow covers execution strategy and course intelligence for the full day.
Watch webinar