Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman 70.3

I did this one this year.  It is a challenging course.  The swim is nice, the bike has some challenging hills and slow descents due to curving roads, and the run is a tough with some challenging hills.  You can bet on some pretty strong wind, and most of the time, some pretty strong heat.  So, if you are looking for a tough course, this one will answer the mail.  The volunteers were really great as well.

However, if you enjoy more of an "event" type atmosphere where spectators are on the route and there is a good post-race...this is NOT the race for you.  It is not a spectator friendly course at all, and the post-race was something like bagels and watermelon and maybe a massage tent.  There really wasn't even an area for athletes to just "hand around" afterwards as space was limited. They had a "post race dinner" for the awards ceremony that was, IMO, overpriced BBQ.  The athlete gets it as part of their race fee, but any other guests had to buy a ticket, and the food quantity and quality wasn't worth the money paid for it.  This race IS a Kona qualifier as a 1/2 and a Clearwater qualifier, so rest assured that the field is going to be pretty thick with athletes looking to win those slots.  Not a bad thing at all, just know that motivates a lot people to get out to W. Texas to race a triathlon.

I may or may not do this race again...personally, I enjoy the ones that have spectators out and about and have a little more at the end.  Again, the course will challenge you, and that would be what might bring me back...but at similiar costs to other HIMs, I'd rather stretch the money and enjoy the "event" atmosphere too...that's part of the fun for me.

Check out some of the race reports here about it and you'll get more takes from various people and views.

Eh, it's always good to solicit new opinions. But I did want to show you where the race reports were.

I've done BSLT twice (2006 & 2007) and I'll be there next year.

For me, the course trumps the extras you get at races with bigger expos and post-race festivities. I train for the race so that goes a long way toward it being worth the trip. (And with a dozen BTers around, it's fun anyway.) The bike course is challenging, but personally I think the toughest part of the race is the run. I've suffered on the run in ways I can't describe, but I still love it and I'll go back as many years as I can.

The expo has a great mechanic on hand (he's also the head USAT ref), and there are plenty of booths set up with gear and nutrition to spend your cash on. There's a good massage guy as well. The post race dinner is very good, and between dinner and the awards there are plenty of pros hanging around at the bar (pro triathlete, not... you know... hookers) if you have a favorite athlete you'd like to meet.

Saturday morning there's plenty of time to go have a short workout and then drive the bike and run course so you can see what the hills have for you. The first time I saw the bike course I felt like I'd bitten off way more than I could chew, but it's not as bad as it looks so long as the winds are calm and it's not raining. Good luck. Hope to see you there.