Grand Columbian Half Iron, or Plutonium Man Half Iron?

I have done both of them.  The GC was my first half iron distance, the Plutonium was the second.  One year apart.  I liked them both.   TriFreaks has taken over operations for GC this year, and I was talking to the owner of it and he sounds like his goal is to make it a really great race this year.  It is pretty, and very hilly on the bike.  They have since changed the run course, but when I did it, it was a 2 loop, pretty hilly run, which was mentally really tough.  The Plutonium course still had hills on the bike and a couple of gradual hills on the run, but all of it was in loops, no out and backs really except a couple of jogs on the bike course, and that made the day really fun.  The swim on PM was awesome, downriver (not much current) in the Columbia River, and  it didn't require much sighting/navigation, which I loved.

Here are my two race reports--read them if you want my perspective on each one: 

GRAND COLUMBIAN

PLUTONIUM MAN


Feel free to ask  more questions!  Good luck!

Grand Columbian is a great race and venue but the bike course is really tough. Here are two other options in September. I'm considering the Stumptown race which is in the Portland area because it sounds like a very pretty course and is supposed to be very flat. I would love to PR an HIM and the timing would be about right. I'll still have to do the Olympic at GC though because the first hill there kicked my butt last year and I want payback.


http://www.racecenter.com/stumptown/

http://racecenter.com/blackdiamond/

Whats the typical participant turnout for both PM and GC? How would you compare the volunteer support between the two? 

GC has been around for a lot longer, so there are a lot more participants.  It was the first year of PM in 2010, so I would expect to see more participants there this year as word gets around that it is a great course.  Both were well-supported and had tons of water stations etc....in fact, both stand out as two of the best-supported races that I have done.  The volunteers were amazing on both.  I know that doesn't make it an easy decision!  I am leaning toward PM again, IF I do a HIM this year, just because the bike course is not quite as grueling and it is easier to travel to tri cities and there's free lodging (I am cheap!).  However, I wouldn't say no to doing GC again in the future either.

That first hill is a killer!  We drove the course the night before the race, and it gave me nightmares (in the ten minutes I actually slept the night before, ha!).  It felt great to be done with the hill, though!  It hits right at the beginning of the bike course and is about 3 miles long.  I don't know the grade, but it's steep.  There are banked turns!  Here's a picture of me, the morning after, on that hill with a banked turn behind me.

Thats a great picture. From up there the water looks so far away. You really feel like you just climbed a mountain.

I havent done either but have heard alot of good things about GC but all bad about the other. But GC is not an easy one