I did this race last year, and I'm signed up again for this year! I thought it was a blast! It was a pretty small field last year
(I think only around 80 racers?
). The race organizers seemed to have everything worked out okay, or at least, I didn't notice any hiccups.
Run sections are trails and dirt roads. Based on your 2010 race list, it looks like you are a runner, so you should not have any problems with the running. I was probably at 'not quite ready to do a 1/2 marathon' run fitness level, and I found it do-able. Breaking the 13 miles into shorter segments definitely made it a bit easier.
There are only two biking segments - the roads were in pretty good shape, and nice for riding. Not too hilly.
The swim segments were your basic point-to-point across a lake. The second swim was a bit weedy, but that just added to the adventure feel of the race, I thought! I found I had to minimize kicking in order to keep my legs from cramping by the last swim, but it was no big deal. As a decent swimmer and a not-so-good runner, it was nice to be able to pass people on the swims!
(Of course, they all passed me again after we got out of the water.
)
Logistics: I carried my running shoes in one of those drawstring backpack bags
(sorry, I'm sure there is a name for them, but they give them out at races a lot, so maybe you know what I'm talking about?
) on the bike. While swimming, I carried one shoe in the back of each shorts leg.
(I did not try to keep them dry.
) I wore socks, and I didn't have any problems with blisters, thankfully! I also had a second pair of running shoes. After the first leg, I left the first pair of running shoes in T1, and had a second pair already in my bag. So when I got back to that transition, I just left my wet running shoes in the bag and put on the dry shoes that were there in transition waiting for me.
It's definitely a bit more of an adventure than your traditional triathlon, but you're doing Dances With Dirt, so you should have no problem with that! Go for it!