Tri Tyler Half : Official Thread

water 75 now

thanks for update. pls send update Thursday if you would. How many 'real' climbs are there on the bike?

I am doing the Oly. I would also like to know about the reality of the hills because the website makes it sound serious, lol. I'll pack my wetsuit just in case, but don't expect to need it.

Its is tough to say, I ride on hilly courses every day. I have a loop I do twice that has about 3k climb over the 56 miles so this course is like what I train on every week. There are 2 hills of note water tower hill and the other has been called a lot of things thrill hill, hell hill, the beast take you pick. It is about a 3/4-mile hill that you can't see the top of because of a turn so you think your there just to turn and see you’re not even close. But it is a small climb just to get to it so it's a tough section. Then its smooth sailing into Bullard (long slow down hill smooth road). Then comes water tower hill it is a big decent and then climb, it didn't seem as bad to me I stood up and powered over it trying to keep the momentum from the downhill. Both are to be respected but if you put both of them on a flat course you would not worry too much. It’s when you add them with the rest of the field that makes it a tough bike course.

The bike is not the only thing to worry with here; the run course has some real nasty stuff on it too. Its mostly in the shade witch will help but you better save some for the run!

As for the Olympic
I have never road the Olympic course but it does include water tower hill.
The run is on the same course as the half so be ready for some hills. I can't really recall where 3.2 miles would be so not sure if you get into the big hills. If memory serves the bigger hills start at about 3 miles so the Olympic may not be as bad. But there are not any flat spots to speak of on the run except the start and finish (about 1/4-1/2 mile).

Looks like the rain we had cooled the lake a little 72 today at 12:30pm 5/21/13
So definitely thro the suit in. Still a few days left and the water temp can climb fast sometimes

O I decided to do the half.

When I signed up, I wasn't sure if I would want to do another HIM a month after my first at NOLA. Now I wish I was doing the half, but since I have a local Olympic next Sat it's probably best to reign in my enthusiasm for a better result next weekend.

Thanks for the description of the course. I live in the hills, too, so it doesn't cause much concern. I was just wondering what to expect after reading some comments. I always wonder what conditions those people are used to for comparison. Hills are a matter of perspective. People an hour away come here to ride the hills and think they are so hard. But I did an oly in Chattanooga last year that kicked my butt. So from my perspective... THOSE were hills, lol.

Has anyone received an announcement/update email? I haven't received any communication other than my race confirmation months ago when I registered. I'm leaving in the morning. Wondering if there have been any updates?

The water is 76 as of Thursday.
Good luck to all