What has been your favorite triathlon in NC?

Wilmington YMCA is definitely my favorite. It's a long day and a lot effort to get down there and set up, but its the only swim I love.

I'm also a big fan of Gary Kirby, even more with the bike racks added this year. I like the 4 lap course because my family can actually watch.

White Lake Half.  Love the swim, love the bike course and I even like the new run course.

Bandit's is close, close second. Good swim, awesome bike and a kick run.  And like keyone, I like that it's a small race.  (And maybe to keep it that way I should point out that lake is full of water moccasins, the bike course is covered in chicken poop from all the Tyson's chicken farms, the run course is hazardous due to the high winds and likelihood of plummeting to your death off the dam.  Also, it rains every time.  So you probably shouldn't ever do this race.  Move along.  Nothing to see here.)

as far as a fun vibe, Wilmington YMCA in September.  Always fun, never know what you'll see on the course (clowns, professional wrestlers)

I haven't done White Lake with the new run course, so I won't comment on that one.

Pinehurst is a great course.  And I have had a good race and a bad race there.

B2B 1/2 was great.

Lake Kristi outside of Greenville, NC is a fun small sprint.  ski lake swim, run is mostly on the grass.  small, local race, but you get to know everyone.

As for Bandits, it was a fun race, even though it was raining the year I did it.  Swim is great, bike is challenging. (and yes there was a snake, but it was a rattlesnake in the curled up in striking position in the middle of the road on the bike course, not in the lake) .  The run up and down the and back of the dam is the hardest (even harder than the big hill at Duke 1/2)

Now Duke 1/2 holds a place in my heart/soul because I'm going to break 6 hours overall and 2 hours on the run on that course before I die.  That was my first 1/2 ever several years ago and I almost quit on the run (you can see my race report on it).  I barely broke 7 hours that year.  The next year I took some off.  The following year I got oh so close to 6, but walked the big hill.  This year. ... we'll see.  But that is why I do this particular race.  To beat the race course ( and hopefully some other racers too)

Quite frankly, I haven't had a bad time racing any race (don't ask me that during the run at White Lake 1/2 though, you might get a different answer )