Regarding, IMFL, I'm going to chime in since I lived within a couple hours of there for a few years. Although the times are notoriously fast among those who are "fast" to begin with, I wouldn't exactly call it a cakewalk of a course for MOP or BOPers. Look at
youtube videos of the swim from previous years, and some years you're dealing with ocean waves that you wouldn't find in any lake swim. For a slow swimmer like me that can be costly. For example at IMWI I swam 1:54, and in Lake Erie (might as well be an ocean) I swam 2:15 due to waves/current. That put me dangerously close to the cutoff.
Although the bike is flat, that means using the exact same muscles for almost the entire 112, maintaining the same back/neck position, etc. I prefer it getting broken up. Wind is always a strong possibility, so make sure your training includes it when possible, including headwinds for the last portions instead of the first. The run is pancake, of course.
Don't want to sound like a negative nancy, but added costs of traveling to FL where there's no major airport and the jacked up prices of lodging there just to do an "easy" course might not be worth it, especially if having to travel twice in order to volunteer the year before and secure a slot.
Although it will sound like they hired me to advertise, I'll just post the Facebook link of the Rev3 race I did this past weekend:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/REVOLUTION3-Triathlon-REV3TRI/339986125091?v=wall&ref=ts
Just look at all the comments, including tons of first timers. There's something to be said about doing an M-Dot race as your first (and obviously I shelled out the cash to do that) but being able to sign up all the way up to a couple weeks before knowing you trained properly and are uninjured is certainly convenient versus a year out...
Edit: One more thing, weather. I completely believe the difference between my 16:47 and my 14:42 in the span of one year was weather. I wilt in the heat, and the high in WI was 85 that day with nary a cloud, whereas the high in Sandusky was no higher than 75 with mostly cloudy skies all day. That was the difference between cramping/seizing on the bike, and being able to run 80% of the marathon. Obviously FL in November generally isn't "hot" and is sometimes downright cold, but it's certainly more of a wild card.