Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon - Olympic Race : Official Thread (Page 2)

mrbbrad - 2009-06-26 9:34 AM I drove by there last night on my way home and they were setting things up. I got very excited

JohnnyKay - 2009-06-26 10:42 AM

As long as you're not feeling "mediocre". 

BTW, can't recall if I ever asked, which 'burbs are you in?

GP160 - 2009-06-28 4:04 PM

when will they post results?

GP160 - 2009-06-28 9:09 PM
One thing that pissed me off big time were the Pro's (or people on fancy tri bikes that thought they were pro's) whizzing past me without saying 'on your left!'
Now I am not fast but maintained almost an 18 pace the whole time.  When I passed anyone I notified them that I was on the left.  Why is it that these guys with disc wheels come whizzing past and say nothing??  Are they too cool to notify me they are passing?  OR, Am I supposed to hear them coming first and move my pitful self out of the way? 

TheNoid - 2009-06-28 5:17 PM Did the Oly today and it was a great race.  Catching a bus to the swim start was a pain but other than that it was well run.   The current in the river was moving pretty good and the swim is downstream so that was a nice little push and made for some fast swim times.  T1 went pretty well for me.  My rack was near a bank of porta pottys so the smell was not too great but it made it easy to find my spot.  I racked at the end so it made the travel a little further but it was worth it for the room and not having to fight others to get in and out. 

The bike was a bit hillier than I expected but there were plenty of downhills to make it pretty fast.  The uphills are a bit of a challenge for me due to asthma but once I make it over I can move pretty good.  On the flats and downs I was probably averaging around 24MPH but the hills killed me and were more like 10 - 14MPH so my bike time came out at 20.05MPH.  I was pretty happy with it, not my fastest but respectable. 

There was a nasty crash on the downhill on Black Street, does anyone know if the guy is alright or what exactly happened?  When I came by he was laying near a concrete column with a bunch of medics around him and it looked pretty bad.  I really hope he is OK.  From the color of his uniform he might have been with Team in Training.

The bike dismount was a bit rough and they needed to have at least one more volunteer to help with it.  Or at least someone who would stop talking and tell people to slow down.  There were numerous close calls and I did see a couple people fall over and others ride right past the dismount line.  My T2 was terrible as I did my dismount with my shoes still locked on the bike and when I got to the rack I was missing a shoe so I had to spend about 2 minutes or so retracing my path to find it.

The run course was flat and fast, not for me but for the fast people     My run was mediocre and nowhere near my PR but that happens.  It was pretty hot by the time I got to the run and I really gave my all on the bike as I know the run is not my best sport.  I figured if I gained 10 minutes by biking harder and it cost me 5 or 6 minutes on the run it was still a positive.

I would recommend doing Philly at least once but the cost is higher than a lot of other local tris so I don't know I would do it again just for that reason.  I can do 2 smaller races for the price of philly. 

Hope everyone else enjoyed their race!!

BTW, My wife did the sprint, my 12 year old and 9 year old did the DU's and my 4 year old did the fun run so it was a whole family affair   

GP160 - 2009-06-29 8:51 AM

Well that is something I didn't think about.... The fast guys and gals on the left side of the road are tearing it up and betting on the fact that those of us in the middle are looking out for them and know common road rules.  The folks in the middle of the road are looking out for the novices on the far right who have no clue what is going on.  I feel the need to tell them I am passing even if they are not blocking.  I have had so many people during races turn right into me without so much as a warning.  These Philly races are usually a first time tri for many people.  While I think its great more people are coming into triathlon, I have to be very careful on the bike course to avoid other peoples novice mistakes. 
Thanks for the different perspective. 

JohnnyKay - 2009-06-29 9:17 AM


  I do assume that if someone is following a line and doesn't have anyone to pass that they will stay to the right.  I ride that way after I pass and expect others to do the same.  And when I come back out left for a pass, I try to glance and ensure nobody is attempting to pass me on the left at the time.  I know not all novices will do this, but it really is their obligation to understand the rules of the road before they race.

md2400block - 2009-06-29 4:29 PM I was really excited when I signed up for this race over 9 months ago.  I trained extremely hard throughout the year as I tried to do this race last year but couldn't because it filled up and I didn't sign up quick enough.  While I was training I suffered a sports hernia and had surgery in late May.  Due to my injury I wasn't able to participate in Saturday's 2009 running.  LARS BECK is the race organizer and I asked him since I already paid the $150.00 fee to participate but by doctors orders I wasn't able to do the Tri and asked LARS if he could simply use my fee for next years race and he wouldn't help me out at all.  I was extremely disappointed as this is a race I was looking to do for over a year and had no control over getting injured.  I wasn't asking LARS for the money back but simply to use it as payment for next years race and I was met with an attitude and a "it's not my problem" response.  BEWARE WHEN DEALING WITH LARS BECK! 

md2400block - 2009-06-29 4:29 PM I was really excited when I signed up for this race over 9 months ago.  I trained extremely hard throughout the year as I tried to do this race last year but couldn't because it filled up and I didn't sign up quick enough.  While I was training I suffered a sports hernia and had surgery in late May.  Due to my injury I wasn't able to participate in Saturday's 2009 running.  LARS BECK is the race organizer and I asked him since I already paid the $150.00 fee to participate but by doctors orders I wasn't able to do the Tri and asked LARS if he could simply use my fee for next years race and he wouldn't help me out at all.  I was extremely disappointed as this is a race I was looking to do for over a year and had no control over getting injured.  I wasn't asking LARS for the money back but simply to use it as payment for next years race and I was met with an attitude and a "it's not my problem" response.  BEWARE WHEN DEALING WITH LARS BECK!