Black Bear 1/2 IM

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I've done the course many, many times although I've never raced Black Bear since, strangely, I always seem to be too busy on that particular day to actually race. I, changed out my cassette on my road bike for that course. The down hills are a blast...I hit 50.4 on one (and quite frankly, it scared the out of me).

Run is on hard dirt access roads. There's a good amount of shade and plenty of scenery.

I think the swim is one of the nicest you'll find in the north east...but I might be bias.

There's a Hampton Inn and a Country Suites right off of the turnpike exit which are about 3 miles from the race. A little farther away are Split Rock Resort and a lot of the other Pocono hotels. The exit before is Allentown which has a ton of hotels because Dorney Park is right there.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the input and advice. The park and lake are beautiful. I agree that 50.4 would definitely give me some pucker factor, especially in the aero bars. I guess the plus side is that it would smooth out the average after some of those long 7-10 mph uphills. I plan on bringing my bike along on my next trip up there. How big did you go on the rear cassette?

I did a 12/25.

I think the real key is to ride the course a couple times. The first time I did it I slithered off the bike and kissed the ground like someone who had just survived a harrowing airplane experience (ok...not really...but in my mind I did it). The second time was much better...and so on.

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I plan on doing it. But purely as training for Lake Placid. I've heard the hills are um...well...tough.

I know CGI will put on a great event.

Did it last year, without training nearly enough.

The swim is nice, but can get choppy if windy. Long run all uphill from water to transition area.

Bike is hilly, if you do not plan, as I didn’t, it will kick you’re A--. A friend of mine did a full in Arizona the yr before and he said this was harder.

Run was really nice, shady and relatively easy. 

Great event, well run, I live 1 hr away so drove up the day of.

I am doing the Black Bear Sprint. This will be my first Tri. My wife and I are staying in a B&B in Jim Thorpe. Most places are booked from what we heard but Split Rock has a lot to do for the kids and is about 30 mins or so from the race site.

I will be there for the sprint...I hear the hills are brutal!

I'm doing the 1/2 Dist. I'm a Pa boy just in Michigan for a couple years. It will be my first Tri ever. I picked it cause its close to family so they can cheer me on. I need to ride the course a few times to get used to the hills.\Corey

Did a spin on the sprint course last week; definitely hillier than my typical ride. I wouldn't go in unprepared, and a couple hills had me wishing for a rear cog better than the 23 teeth I had on. The jury is still out on whether I'm racing there or not, becuase of work commitments limiting my T.I.T.S. and swimming, but the course is beautiful and has its fun, butt-puckering downhills too.

Anyone have any suggestions for prepping for these type of hills? (How traffic filled is the actual course on the weekend?)

How do these compare to those out by Nockamixon (i.e., 311, etc.?)

I can ride hills near Valley Forge, but I want to do something comparable.

Also, any suggestions for coping with descents? I tend to want to/actually do hold my brakes and know I totally need to get over this.

I did Black Bear last year. Very nice race. Hilly, yes, but managable. If possible, I would suggest getting up to ride the course once or twice. There are a few tricky turns, and some place where it will be helpful to know ahead of time what kind of gearing you want to use during the race itself. It's worth the trip to go up and ride it so you have an idea what to expect race day. It's a 2-loop course, so you can always just ride one loop to get an idea of how the course is layed out if time is a consideration.

I see CGI sent out email that there'll be a preview ride this weekend. I can't make it. ANyone interested in another weekend to ride the course ?

BTW, anyone have a bike profile map?

e-mail me and I can send a powerpoint version.

I didn't get an e-mail form CGI. I am registered, well at least i thought i was.

It might be a completely different email list. I've received emails before I even signed up. Probably from previous years...

RIght, Larry? (Btw, sent you my email addy in a PM)

thats good to hear about the e-mails. As far as a course looksie, I attemted to get there around easterbut the weather sucked. So the next time i'll be close will be the weekend before the race; and i plan on checking it out then. 

I'm planning on riding the course - either this Sunday (3/3) or next (3/10). Any takers?

Ummm.... You mean 5-3 or 5-10 right?   I'm not around those days but let me know how it goes.

What's the best time of day to ride the course? early am? Anyone local/familiar know when traffic starts picking up? I drove the course around 1 pm on a Saturday and it seemed pretty busy.....whether rightly or not...I feel a little uneasy about those hills with cars whipping around them.

Funny thing. I did the Jerseyman last week and that was adverstised as a "flat" course. Everyone will tell you that it is anything but. What is interesting is that the bike times for that course are overall SLOWER than for Black Bear. 

Anyone else have any comparisons?