Pinchot Tri???

I plan on doing this one in Sept.  I live very close to Pinchot so I have gone up to check it out.  The run is on trails.  They are through the wooded areas for the most part so they are interesting.  The trails are a bit narrow in some areas so I assume they will trim them back a bit?  On the west side, there is an uphill climb at one point that looks like it may see some walkers.

As for good or bad?  I would say that they are good in terms of being a nice surface on which to run.

The bike route really only has two main hills.  One is long but the shorter one is much more steep.  Once you climb it, there is a nice stretch to enjoy the ride.  I've cycled it and I can announce, "I'm slow."  LOL

Edited by Pector55 2009-08-03 2:16 PM

If this the one put on by Tri Cat Sports, I completed it last year. You can check out my race report that I posted on it if you look for my races via my BT user name. As you can read there, there is one (what I would call) significant hill after the first mile that you have to tackle 3 times and one significant hill on the run that you have to tackle twice. Other than that, I didn't think the bike/run courses were too bad. The road surface is good and the trail was okay too. Some good downhills to compensate and some nice flat parts on the run too. Now, as far as your sister goes, if she has some easy gears on her bike, she should be okay even with the one I didn't like. I did this in my tri bike which doesn't have a granny gear per se. So it was a challenge for me. And I was going for some time on the run, so that one hill was a bit of a challenge as well. You can see where I placed, so you know I was being competitive. But, beginners looking just to finish can take a bit more time and walking is always allowed on the run portion. Hopefully, the race director took my suggestions I listed to heart as last year's race was the first year for their Oly. While I won't be able to do this one again this year, I will probably be doing the Sprint Tri here on 8/9 hosted by Tri Max Endurance. Good luck and feel free to ask questions via messages.

Hi. I completed the Sprint held at Pinchot this spring and will also be doing the Oly in September.

The run was not bad at all to be honest (and it is my worst event on paper). The trail is wooded, but clearly receives a good bit of normal traffic. The event in the spring was held after several days of rain, so there were some really muddy parts. There is one significant incline that would need to be tackled twice. It really wasn't too bad though, as any jog in central PA will involves hills of this grade and steeper.

The bike has two hills to be tackled as noted by other posts. One fairly gradual towards the middle of the loop and one steep hill right at the start. The gradual hill is not bad at all, no need to be concerned. The steep hill however is challenging, I won't lie. I was only on a hybrid, and was tired from my swim, so my first climb up it was brutal. The second time around, once I was in a proper gear, was tough, but managable. I did not have to walk any of it (nor did I see anyone else walking it). As long as you are in a proper gear to begin it, and know it comes right away you should be okay (ie. don't go crazy out of transition, rather use those first few minutes on the bike to "warm up" for the hill).

Just a warning for you goisles, this year they have a sign that says, "No shirt, no shoes, no service."  ;-)

When you come out of the park entrance, the first hill is downhill, then it gradually goes back up once you hit Rt74.  You head down another hill into Rossville and make a right at a traffic light.  That road called Camping something... Once you cross the bridge over the end of the lake, that's where you hit that steep incline.  Once up over that, it's a nice ride until you go back down to repeat.

I've not competed in this event yet but I've ridden it to see what to expect.

Pector55 (Michael), think you might've missed the right turn at the East Camp Area Road (or East Campground Road from TriCat Sports site) from Alpine (the road you come onto out of the park). THAT'S the steep incline. Trust me, I did it 3 times last year at the event itself. And that nice downhill on Alpine... you bleed all your speed there to make the right turn onto the road with that hill. Pretty much into climbing mode right after the turn. After you make the climb, it does level out so you can catch your breath and then you come out onto 74. That incline after the bridge isn't really that bad and I was able to spin pretty well in my lower chainring on my tribike. But that first hill on the Campground road, I was standing at some point all 3 times. Tri Max Endurance has a map of the same bike route: www.trimaxendurance.com. Check the Pinchot Sprint. The bike is the same, but only 2 laps. The run is different though. Hopefully, doing that this Sunday.

Thanks Dave!  I know what road you are talking about and I didn't use it.  I went all the way out to Rt74 and up that hill.  I'll have to check out the one you are talking about.  No wonder my milage was not adding up correctly when I ran the route.
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/map.asp?routeid=102867

Instead of heading straight up the ridge, I was taking the long way around.  I'm heading out to ride it tonight to get an idea on whether or not I have improved but I guess this will end up being more of a baseline since the route changes. 

Edited by Pector55 2009-08-04 1:43 PM

So who else will be doing this on Sept. 13th? 

Cool!  Look for me.  I'll have a 39 on my calf and I'll be in the back of the pack. 

I will be there, too.

I've never had to walk the hills but I will say that I am slow going up them.  I train on those hills all the time.  I think I have done well to train my legs to be strong but I didn't spend enough time making myself fast yet.  ;-)

I was out & rode the course this morning.  That hill right after the turn onto Campground is a bugger.  I could get up but really slowly on my smallest chain ring (really low gear -- I have a mtn bike).  I would have done all 3 laps but got tired of stopping at a paving site on 177.  So after the 3rd time up Campground I turned around and went all the way back to the end of Alpine and then back to the Conewego area.  It was about 25 miles total instead of the 27.  But it does leave me familiar with the ride.  And the lake still felt warm!

Edited by jfdjrr 2009-09-04 2:54 PM

I saw that they were paving this week.  I'm glad they are though because I had ridden the course and the patching that was there was horrible.  It was teeth jarring and on one run it through my aero bottle into a ditch beside the road.  I plan on riding the course Sat or Sun.

My sister and I will be racing it. Looking forward to my final tri of the season

I'll be there too. I haven't done much training since the Catfish, so I'm not expecting anything special. I'll be back-of-pack wearing BT long shorts.

I'm expecting a 3.5 hour ordeal.  This is my first tri and I just want to get through it without embarrasing myself.  I'll look for you.  I'm guessing I'll be wearing gray and black tri shorts but if I see any BT shorts I'll introduce myself.

After Catfish I set a goal of 3:09, but since my ITB sidelined almost all my training I just looking to finish, period.  If I get a 3:30 I'll be thrilled (40 swim, 1:45 bike on a crappy hybrid, 1:00 run, 5 transitions).

First Oly, here I come

Edited by goisles26 2009-09-11 9:37 AM

3:30 barefoot is still HardCore!  LOL  I realized that you would be easy to find since you don't wear shoes. 

No No No, shoes will be worn. Especially since it is a trail run.

best wishes to you all!  look forward to reading your race reports!

Question: Has anyone received Erin's pre-race email yet? For the Catfish and Pinchot Sprint she alwasy sent out any email with race details and I hven't heard from her at all about the Olympic

I rec'd the email on Thursday.  Or maybe Wednesday.  It has the entry list attached and some other info.  If you need it, I can fwd it to you.