Subject: RE: Brierman Triathlon Greenbrier State Park is just down the road from my home, so I am pretty familiar with it. The venue is fantastic.... tons of parking, showers, tables, etc. Super easy to get to. I ran Baltimore last year, which is the day after this race, so I did not do Brierman, but will race Brierman this year... probably the sprint. I did a mountain bike race here earlier this year and had a blast. The lake is great. It's clear and fresh. No worries on the swim. It will be one of your best lake swims ever. I have done the whole 9 mile run a couple of times... it is brutal. Actually, brutal is a generous word for the climb back up Mt Lena road. I think it's actually too much hills for a triathlon, but that's just an opinion. The run on the Sprint is a little more user-friendly... that is to say it's a lot like Columbia Tri, but hey, this is the Appalachians. I haven't done the actual bike course, but if this extended business trip ever ends I'll get out there and get a report up. My regular roadie is thru these hills around Braddock Heights, Gambrill Park and Myersville, and down to Greenbrier Park and back so I can tell you that there is a lot of granny gear climbing. I would not be surprised if the elite bikers hit 42 MPH on this ride. I'll also check with the rangers and see if they could let us get some OWSing in before the actual race. THe lake is open for swimming all summer long, but the swim area is probably only 300 or so yards long, and it would be nice to be able to swim a longer course than is usually roped off for swimming. |