A few of my friends did this race last week and had a great time.  I just signed up for 2014 and it will be my 1st IM. Looking forward to the journey and challenge

congrats on beginning the journey to your first IM. MT is awesome and is the perfect setting. if you're staying in the village, you'll have a blast! everything is right there within walking distance and there is plenty of fun things to do for you and anyone going with you. the race itself is great as well and the "trail" section of the run was a pleasant surprize. the swim this year was cool (66*) with air temp in the 50's, but it was sunny and it warmed up nicely by the time i was on bike. i am not doing MT next year as i have time to kill in lake placid so i signed up for there. and now after my performance in MT, i also have even more time to kill there. it's a work in progress.

anyways, i hope your training goes well, the weather is perfect and you have a fantastic experience.

It was a very well run race.  Great venue for the family, but a little pricy for food and hotel.  The town is centered around the race for the entire week, so the locals actually wan you there.

We arrived in Mont Tremblant Friday afternoon(athlete check-in by 4pm) and stayed at the Tour de voyageur.  It was a 1 bedroom suite with a balcony overlooking the finish line.  This was perfect for my my wife with 3 little kids(age 7, 5, and 4).  The venue had bouncers, rock climbing wall, luge, and a gondola ride to the top of the mountain.  Great scenery! Wife was impressed and would love to go back.  It did rain Friday and Saturday, so outdoor activity was limited.  The kids made Ironman signs

Swim: 01:37:31

Sunday was the day of the race and I woke up at 4am to get in my breakfast.  Walked to transition to inflate my tires at 5am, then walked to the swim start with the family.  Swim was in waves and I was in the 3rd wave. There were a lot of athletes to get through.  I had to hop the fence to get to my group.  I always have trouble getting into a rhythm at the start of the swim.  Didn't really feel comfortable till at the turn buoy.  Main goal was to conserve energy.  i ended up getting a right calf cramp about 2/3 thru the swim.  I had to hold onto the kayak for a few minutes, so I could stretch.  Was able to cruise the rest of the way.  The run into T1 was about 400m and I got to see my family wave to me.

Bike: 07:54:39

I came out of the swim pretty fresh, but when I first got on the bike I started to cramp in my quads and arms.  Took a salt pill and a lot of water and the cramps went away.  I continued with the salt every 30 min with a lot of water.  Had to pee(clear) about 4x, which was good indication of hydration.   I overbiked the 1st lap, keeping my power at around 190-200 watts and averaging 20 mph.  By the 2nd lap I was cooked.  I averaged 16 mph and 150-160 watts.  At mile 100 both my quads locked up on a 15% grade hill.  Just my luck it started to rain.  Rain stopped after about 5 minutes. I had to rest for about 10 minutes.  My execution on the bike SHOULD have been better: lesson learned.  The fans were great.  They were on highway 117 and all throughout the town. About 6500ft elevation with some short steep sections.

Run: 06:37:18

I was happy to be off the bike and knew that my cramped quads would not allow me to run well.   I did a run/walk and did the 1st 13 mile loop in around 3hrs.  Saw my family near the finish line, but I still had 1 more loop to go.  2nd loop turned into a walk/run.  I knew if I could avg a 4mph pace I could finish before midnight.  It got cold when the sun set, but the chicken soup, coke, and red bull kept me going.  I did get a little bloated, probably due to the coke bubbles. I ran the last 0.5 mile into the finishing chute, luckily it was downhill.  The energy from the fans was great.  Didn't feel my legs hurting until after I crossed the finish line.  Hilly run course at the beginning and end of each loop. Flat in the middle.

Finish: 16:30:10

It was truly an experience of mind over body.  I did what it took to overcome the cramps and hit the finish line.  Not every race goes as planned, but I made the most of it.  Having the family there cheering me on really kept me motivated.  It has been a humbling experience in becoming an IRONMAN.

Wow, congratulations! YOU ARE AN IRONMAN! Great report.