Longhorn Ironman 70.3: ARENA FINISH!!!! (Page 16)

oops, signed in under wrong name...read below.

i am baffled by by the negative comments on this thread. i did not find the double transition areas stressful or complicated by any stretch. directions were clear weeks prior to coming into this event. if people read emails that were sent out, then it shouldn't have been an issue. as far as packing up a gear bag in T1 and making for slower transition times...WE ALL had to do the same thing. it's not like anyone had a clear advantage there over another. we all had to ride on those same "horrible" roads that some of you will NEVER come back to ride on ever again. this race was well thought out, well planned, well organized, well staffed at aid stations...and hell, the race director posts and reads in here and asks for suggestions and gives us ideas and asks our opinions...where are you going to get that anywhere else?!?!?!

keith...keep up the good work. you are outstanding at what you do and it absolutely shows that you have the athletes best interest in mind. even when describing the plan behind the swim waves, you had the athletes in mind. great job. you're right...you can't please everybody, sadly...but i'm pretty sure you've pleased the majority. way to go...keep it up and thank you!!

i am baffled by by the negative comments on this thread. i did not find the double transition areas stressful or complicated by any stretch. directions were clear weeks prior to coming into this event. if people read emails that were sent out, then it shouldn't have been an issue. as far as packing up a gear bag in T1 and making for slower transition times...WE ALL had to do the same thing. it's not like anyone had a clear advantage there over another. we all had to ride on those same "horrible" roads that some of you will NEVER come back to ride on ever again. this race was well thought out, well planned, well organized, well staffed at aid stations...and hell, the race director posts and reads in here and asks for suggestions and gives us ideas and asks our opinions...where are you going to get that anywhere else?!?!?!

i am baffled by by the negative comments on this thread. i did not find the double transition areas stressful or complicated by any stretch. directions were clear weeks prior to coming into this event. if people read emails that were sent out, then it shouldn't have been an issue. as far as packing up a gear bag in T1 and making for slower transition times...WE ALL had to do the same thing. it's not like anyone had a clear advantage there over another. we all had to ride on those same "horrible" roads that some of you will NEVER come back to ride on ever again. this race was well thought out, well planned, well organized, well staffed at aid stations...and hell, the race director posts and reads in here and asks for suggestions and gives us ideas and asks our opinions...where are you going to get that anywhere else?!?!?!

keith...keep up the good work. you are outstanding at what you do and it absolutely shows that you have the athletes best interest in mind. even when describing the plan behind the swim waves, you had the athletes in mind. great job. you're right...you can't please everybody, sadly...but i'm pretty sure you've pleased the majority. way to go...keep it up and thank you!!

jazz82482 - 2009-10-29 10:25 AM

jah2212 - 2009-10-28 10:54 PM

i am baffled by by the negative comments on this thread. i did not find the double transition areas stressful or complicated by any stretch. directions were clear weeks prior to coming into this event. if people read emails that were sent out, then it shouldn't have been an issue. as far as packing up a gear bag in T1 and making for slower transition times...WE ALL had to do the same thing. it's not like anyone had a clear advantage there over another. we all had to ride on those same "horrible" roads that some of you will NEVER come back to ride on ever again. this race was well thought out, well planned, well organized, well staffed at aid stations...and hell, the race director posts and reads in here and asks for suggestions and gives us ideas and asks our opinions...where are you going to get that anywhere else?!?!?!

keith...keep up the good work. you are outstanding at what you do and it absolutely shows that you have the athletes best interest in mind. even when describing the plan behind the swim waves, you had the athletes in mind. great job. you're right...you can't please everybody, sadly...but i'm pretty sure you've pleased the majority. way to go...keep it up and thank you!!

I am extremely happy that we have had personal contact with the race director- that means a lot to me! I have no negative comments about the race itself, or the RD, or the volunteers, or the police, or to the other racers, or to the 2 transition areas, or the amazing aid stations, or the weather, or the water, or the expo..... just to mother nature and the Texas DOT I'm not trying to p$ss anyone off or anything, but for ME, personally, I just spent a whole lot of money, and a whole lot of time coming down to Texas to race. For ME, personally, I will not choose to drive my car 20+ hours each way, spend $250 on a race entry, plus all the gas, lodging and food $, to ride on those particular roads again, for ME, personally, in my opinion, with my hard earned money and MY time. I am extremely glad I raced in Austin, and had a wonderful time at a top notch event. No part of me regrets racing and participating in the event, and I had WONDERFUL TIME. I told both my fiance who also raced and my mom who came with us, that the event had the same exciting vibe and thorough planning as Clearwater- (which also, BTW, has 100% clean transitions- both T1 and T2 you have to repack everything in the same bags we had to use here- including your helmet, making everyone's transitions times 3+ minutes). Everyone was extremely excited and friendly at the event, and it went off without a hitch. The roads are uncontrollable, for sure, and like I have stated many times, the race organizers did everything possible to mark the roads and make sure we could see all of those holes-- and they even got the road crews to fix a lot, which was quite impressive! I just can not justify spending the amount of $$ that I just did, again- for ME personally- knowing what the ride will be like. I also can only recommend the race to friends after telling them that the roads are bad, because they ARE, just like if you did a really hard race, and someone asked you about it because they were thinking of doing it, you would say, "that was a really tough race!." If you're from Texas, or OK, or Arkansas, or anywhere else with those type of roads, and you ride that all the time, then you would just say- so what? No big deal- glad to hear everything else about the race is perfect! I've done Half Ironmans all over the country, and have a lot of wonderful experiences, including racing at this one- but if someone asks my opinion, the first thing that I have to warn them about, is that the roads in Texas are pretty bad compared to anywhere else I've raced, but everything else was awesome (And that Texas isn't flat!). You all that live there are probably very used to it- just like I've gotten used to riding in the rain, riding in 30 degree weather, and avoiding potholes the size of my head- we just don't have chipseal here. It's all relative. But it's still a fact of the race- it's my opinion and my experience, and I'm allowed to write that I thought the roads sucked (even if we all rode the same race!), just like you are allowed to write that you thought everything was perfect, and that it was the most perfect race ever.

I would like to see were anyone said you were not allowed to voice your opinion. I would also like to see were anyone said that it was the most perfect race ever. Based on your comments, in this thread and in your race report, I think you should change your handle to DramaQueen82482. Just like Crash Davis can not stand it when someone sings the wrong lyrics,  I can not stand it when someone exaggerates and distorts the facts.

jazz82482 - 2009-10-29 10:25 AM

jah2212 - 2009-10-28 10:54 PM

i am baffled by by the negative comments on this thread. i did not find the double transition areas stressful or complicated by any stretch. directions were clear weeks prior to coming into this event. if people read emails that were sent out, then it shouldn't have been an issue. as far as packing up a gear bag in T1 and making for slower transition times...WE ALL had to do the same thing. it's not like anyone had a clear advantage there over another. we all had to ride on those same "horrible" roads that some of you will NEVER come back to ride on ever again. this race was well thought out, well planned, well organized, well staffed at aid stations...and hell, the race director posts and reads in here and asks for suggestions and gives us ideas and asks our opinions...where are you going to get that anywhere else?!?!?!

keith...keep up the good work. you are outstanding at what you do and it absolutely shows that you have the athletes best interest in mind. even when describing the plan behind the swim waves, you had the athletes in mind. great job. you're right...you can't please everybody, sadly...but i'm pretty sure you've pleased the majority. way to go...keep it up and thank you!!

I am extremely happy that we have had personal contact with the race director- that means a lot to me! I have no negative comments about the race itself, or the RD, or the volunteers, or the police, or to the other racers, or to the 2 transition areas, or the amazing aid stations, or the weather, or the water, or the expo..... just to mother nature and the Texas DOT I'm not trying to p$ss anyone off or anything, but for ME, personally, I just spent a whole lot of money, and a whole lot of time coming down to Texas to race. For ME, personally, I will not choose to drive my car 20+ hours each way, spend $250 on a race entry, plus all the gas, lodging and food $, to ride on those particular roads again, for ME, personally, in my opinion, with my hard earned money and MY time. I am extremely glad I raced in Austin, and had a wonderful time at a top notch event. No part of me regrets racing and participating in the event, and I had WONDERFUL TIME. I told both my fiance who also raced and my mom who came with us, that the event had the same exciting vibe and thorough planning as Clearwater- (which also, BTW, has 100% clean transitions- both T1 and T2 you have to repack everything in the same bags we had to use here- including your helmet, making everyone's transitions times 3+ minutes). Everyone was extremely excited and friendly at the event, and it went off without a hitch. The roads are uncontrollable, for sure, and like I have stated many times, the race organizers did everything possible to mark the roads and make sure we could see all of those holes-- and they even got the road crews to fix a lot, which was quite impressive! I just can not justify spending the amount of $$ that I just did, again- for ME personally- knowing what the ride will be like. I also can only recommend the race to friends after telling them that the roads are bad, because they ARE, just like if you did a really hard race, and someone asked you about it because they were thinking of doing it, you would say, "that was a really tough race!." If you're from Texas, or OK, or Arkansas, or anywhere else with those type of roads, and you ride that all the time, then you would just say- so what? No big deal- glad to hear everything else about the race is perfect! I've done Half Ironmans all over the country, and have a lot of wonderful experiences, including racing at this one- but if someone asks my opinion, the first thing that I have to warn them about, is that the roads in Texas are pretty bad compared to anywhere else I've raced, but everything else was awesome (And that Texas isn't flat!). You all that live there are probably very used to it- just like I've gotten used to riding in the rain, riding in 30 degree weather, and avoiding potholes the size of my head- we just don't have chipseal here. It's all relative. But it's still a fact of the race- it's my opinion and my experience, and I'm allowed to write that I thought the roads sucked (even if we all rode the same race!), just like you are allowed to write that you thought everything was perfect, and that it was the most perfect race ever.

I would like to see were anyone said you were not allowed to voice your opinion. I would also like to see were anyone said that it was the most perfect race ever. Based on your comments, in this thread and in your race report, I think you should change your handle to DramaQueen82482. Just like Crash Davis can not stand it when someone sings the wrong lyrics,  I can not stand it when someone exaggerates and distorts the facts.

Based on your comments, in this thread and in your race report, I think you should change your handle to DramaQueen82482. Just like Crash Davis can not stand it when someone sings the wrong lyrics,  I can not stand it when someone exaggerates and distorts the facts.