I love the Long Beach Triathlon in Long Beach, CA. The swim is an ocean swim, but flat as a pancake. The only downside is the LONG soft sand run to the transition area. The bike is fairly flat with one hill that you go over four times. It is scenic and goes over a bridge, near the ocean, past the Queen Mary and through downtown Long Beach. The only negative is the slight uphill right out of the transition area. The run is flat and along the marina. The views are of ocean, sailboats, and the Queen Mary. No negatives here!
The last tri I did was awesome! First annual but still a good showing. Very well run and the run was in the woods and it was awesome! all of the transitions were very close together so it made it easy for family and friends to see you. Very family friendly...and Free beer!!
Short swim, even for a sprint, challenging bike with the initial hill and the wind, and a flat - fast run. Cheap race - between door prizes and medal and pre-race dinner, I came away with more than I spent on the entry fees.
The pre-race dinner was done at a resort, food was standard pasta and bread with salad, but the key note speaker and meeting folks at the dinner made the event. The speaker was Frank Farrar and it was great to hear him.
And the folks I sat with had two people doing their first tri and a friend who was a regular. The next morning the two said they wanted me to beat "Ben". Turns out, he comes of the bike a minute behind me on the bike and finishes up 8 seconds behind me - and that with me PR'ing the run. All of it made for great fun.
If you are traveling through on a summer trip it could be a great addition on a journey to the Black Hills.
The Redondo Beach Tri is the sprint of sprint triathlons. It was originally designed so that each of the 3 legs of the race would take about the same amount of time. This concept produced a longish swim of 1/2 mile, compared to the rest of the race, a very short bike leg of 6 miles, and a run course that is about 1/3 short of the typical sprint, at 2 miles. Most of the split times don't come out all that even because most people are particularly strong or particularly weak in one sport. But last year my swim and run times were exactly the same, down to the second. Yes, I need to get faster on the bike.
Winding Trails Summer Series is a low key, low cost, high fun Tuesday night series in CT. $70 for 10 races or $15 per week on a 1/4 mile lake swim, 5 mile mtb and 3 mile trail run were about the best fun I had all summer. Lots of opportunities to practise stuff, make new tri friends and spark up a few friendly weekly rivalries topped off by the season-ending BBQ. This series grew big time this year and start became 2 waves - but still kept low key casual feel. Where else can you register at 5:55 pm and start you race at 6pm?!
Pleasant Prairie is the one for me. Here are a few reasons.
Flat. Flat. Flat. The bike is only very slightly hilly and the run is uber flat. If it weren't for the rain I very likely would have had a PR on the bike.
The swim is in a lake that is mega calm and super fast.
Incredibly well organized. There was all kinds of hell breaking loose in the clouds. Rain. Thunder. Lightening. They waited, and waited and when the chance came, they took it.
Probably some of the best swag ever. This year's cycling jersey was the bomb digity!
Probably some of the best swag ever. This year's cycling jersey was the bomb digity!
If *all* you got was a bike jersey, no matter how "bomb digity," the swag pales in comparison with that of River Cities or even CajunMan. The RC swag has a retail value of over $200.
Probably some of the best swag ever. This year's cycling jersey was the bomb digity!
If *all* you got was a bike jersey, no matter how "bomb digity," the swag pales in comparison with that of River Cities or even CajunMan. The RC swag has a retail value of over $200.
No, that was not *all* we got. Sheesh. They claim to have the best in the Midwest and I don't doubt it, though.
Near the city, but in the woods. The lake was warm, the roads were clean and without many cars, and the run was mainly on trails through the woods, with a few short out-and-back loops, so you could get a good view of those ahead and behind you. The thunder and lightning...that we could have done without.
Near the city, but in the woods. The lake was warm, the roads were clean and without many cars, and the run was mainly on trails through the woods, with a few short out-and-back loops, so you could get a good view of those ahead and behind you. The thunder and lightning...that we could have done without.
Subaru Naperville is a great womens only sprint. Very friendly, beautiful run, and nice bike ride. The swim is in a quarry with a little zig zag (I prefer straight across). For anyone looking for their first tri, this is the one. Now, I participate just to cheer all the first timers.
Petosky Epic Sprint Triathlon, Petosky, MI
Hilly courses are hard to come by in the midwest but petosky (northern tip of the southern penninsula) has plenty. A nice change from corn fields and headwinds. Event was managed very well too. This race is August 17 2008.