Have you done the Lake Dunmore VT (Oly) or Eastman Splash, Mash Dash (Sprint)?

Not doing either of those, but I'm guessing if you are close to Grantham, you are relatively close to me! I'm in the Upper Valley, north of Hanover. I'd be all for getting together to train (even if just training for the post-race beer tent... ). Shoot me a PM if interested.

I have raced Eastman a couple of times and always enjoyed it. I haven't done it the last two years just because of Lake Placid IM, but I am sure it is still well run.

Swim - Nice and clear and the course is easy to sight.

Bike - Its an out and back. A fast curvey descent that leads to a gradual climb. You hit the turn around and then back down the hill you just climbed. (This part of the road is pretty rough with pot holes and tar patches) The last mile or so is a pretty steep grade back to transition.


Run - Best part of the race. Its a trail/packed dirt road that is really nice. If I remeber correctly, it isn't a fast 5K.

Overall the race has a nice small group feel, but still attacts some fast athletes. Great race for all abilities.

Hope this helps!

Edited by pauljra 2010-02-16 8:39 AM

i am doing eastman as my 1st tri this year. i cant comment on the swim or bike, but have been told of a steep hill on the run where many have fallen. take it easy going down it!

Howdy Marsha,

My girlfriend and I did the Eastman last year and it was a great race and a beautiful venue.  We are doing it again as our first tri of the season this year. 

The swim is a triangle...start on the right, out around the buoy and back to the left.  Transition is directly out of the water...like 50-60 feet.  Get there early to get a good transition spot!  First come first serve here.


The bike has a bit of a tricky descent within the first mile.  You go up a short hill out of transition and then drop out of the park on a winding road that isn't real safe over 30 mph.  Just keep to your brakes and you'll be absolutely fine.  You have to drive up this road to get to the venue, so you'll see it anyway.  And then after you get to the main road, it's pretty much a straight gradual hill to the turn-around.

The run is like everyone said, a trail run.  It winds up and down through the woods right along the east side of the lake.  The trail is rock and there is a steep hill that I pretty much walked down because there are lose rocks and dirt.  You get to run over a short section of sandy beach, back on the trail and then over a small section of road, less than a mile long to the turn-around.

The venue is right on the lake and it's got a great barbeque and massage after the race.  If this is your first tri, I would DEFINITELY recommend it.  There are about five of us doing this race for the second or third time.  If you want a virtual training partner, I could hook you up with my girlfriend.  She's on here as well.  Although she's not exactly new to tris, she would probably love to help.

JG

Hi Marsha,

I'm jgerbode's gf and have done Eastman and am thinking about Lake Dunmore.  I really liked Eastment. It's a great place for a newbie- very "user-friendly" if you will.  I found the hills to be tough since I didn't train on a lot for the bike, but that can be easily fixed in this year's cycle. 

As for Lake Dunmore, it looks like a fantastic race as it's a state qualifier for New England.  I assume it must be a pretty good course if that's the case.  I'm in a mentor group right now, but would love to have all the motivation I could get from another buddy. Let me know and we can figure something out!

Talk to you soon!
Kate

WOW! Thanks everyone for all the replies! I appreciate all the insight and comments.

Yes, Eastman will be my first tri and...I have NO biking experience to date (other than spinning class) so - YIKES on the tricky descent. I don't live too far from there so maybe I need to try to figure out just where the course is so I can check it out and even train on the bike portion some?? I was a swimmer in college so pleny of swimming under my belt just not much open water swimming. The running should be fine as I have done both road and trail races before

Kate - I won't be a lot of help to you in terms of help in the true sense of the word being I've never done this before but I'm a great listener and an even better motivator/cheerleader! I am doing Eastman with a co-worker so I do have a live training partner but I think it would be great to keep in touch with you for some mental training when I start to freak out that I'm not ready - LOL!

You'll do great Marsha.  Stay calm and remember to enjoy the experience - you only get to do your first tri once!

I'm doing the Eastman as well, see you all there.  At least one (maybe two) of my sons is doing the kids version, so that will be a highlight for me.

The one and only triathlon I've done so far was the Vermont Sun Sprint on Lake Dunmore last year.  It was great!  The event was well organized, the course was clear and easy to follow, and the overall atmosphere was very supportive for beginner racers.  I can't really comment on your course since I'm not sure where the Olympic Distance will go, but the lake is great for swimming and the overall location is beautiful.  Additionally there isn't too much traffic on the roads in that area.  Good luck!

Just found out I might be doing Eastman - it'd be great to meet up with whomever's gonna be there!

Woo!  Awesome!  Good to hear there's more people into this race.  It's a good one.  We'll be there....try to get there early to get a good transition spot.  If you see a little blonde and a tall goofy guy in their twenties, that's us.

So, question on gear for those who have done this race...do I need a wetsuit for the swim...how cold is it in that water that time of the year? I got an e-mail that they are repaving part of the bike route - sounds good based on what some of you posted about the rough terrain!

They say the average temp is around 70.  There were a couple people out there without wetsuits....with that said, I DEFINITELY was glad I had mine on!  Yeah...apparently they are scheduled to repave the route, which would be great...it's a bit rough, but you know how that goes....there's a good chance it may not happen too if I had to guess.

Hmmm...I need to decide what to do about the wetsuit or not I guess - sounds like I could go either way.
The e-mail I got said thay had gotten confirmation from the city/town that the re-paving would be done before the race

I have done Eastman the last 4 years.  I did it w/out a wet suit twice and was so miserable the 2nd time, I got the wetsuit.  The water temp. is not bad, but it sure is cold waiting around to get in.  I would definitely recommend it. 

I was on the waiting list and found out this week I got in.  I am looking to get up there sometime on 6/5 or 6/6 to check out the ride an run courses. 

You got into which one???  eastman or dunmore?

Eastman.

Awesome.  Real fun race.  We'll see you there! 

Marsha,

If you aren't looking to buy right now, see if you can rent one for the day.  Often shops will allow you to rent and sometimes put the amount of your rental to a future purchase.  On the Eastman website they have a link where you can rent from Xterra, but you might also look into your local tri shop.

Look forward to meeting you in a couple of weeks!

Thanks for the rental info -I've checked it out and will be renting one

So, how do I find all my new BT friends while I'm there?

This is what I will look like.







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Xterra transition.jpg (68KB - 16 downloads)

Hey guys! If you want to find us this weekend, Jonathan and I will both be sporting Vento Triathlon Club kits.  He's very tall and I'm a short blonde.  We'll be on the lookout.

If we don't see you, have a great race!!!!

I'll be the short chick (5'3") in a black and orange 2 piece tri-suit - looking nervous...LOL! I'll look for you guys and gals!

Hey Eastman racers...I went out to Eastman after work tonight and swam a bit and then did the bike route. I swam with no wetsuit and it was a bit chilly but not so bad (the air was about 62 degrees so it was chilly in general!)- I adapted quickly and it was not really a problem. I also biked the route and the nice new paved road is SOOOO smooth! Just thought I'd share!