Deer Creek Triathlon - Olympic : Official Thread

Sorry, gonna start out the season with a sprint-I will be there though!

I will be there doing the olympic distance. It will be hard to pick me out of the black neoprene and spandex crowd though since I will be wearing a sparkly pink speedo.

I'll be there too, wearing a similar uniform. Just don't get Tom and I mixed up.

I give you guys a lot of credit for raising funds for a good cause, but that thing sounds like it's gonna be brutal on the bike.

I am part superman - I have a taint of steel ( I hope - for such a small suit it has a bad placement of seams)

I have yet to run more than 5.5 miles since November. I know I'll finish, I'm not worried about that, I just don't think I'll have a steller performance. I'm thinking in the 2:45-2:55 range depending on weather. Last year it was very hot.

I'm in! I'm really gunning for a sub-2:10 finish this year. The only problem I found last year is that they extended the bike portion almost a full mile from 2008. I'm hoping they change it back this year.

Yep. That's it. Completely unnecessary I think. We used to fly right by the park for the second loop to maintain speed and it kept the ride at around 24.8 miles.

Anyone know what time the actual race(s) start? I looked on the HFP Website but all it says is that Packet Pick-Up starts at 6:00 am that morning, anyone have any idea what time they start sending waves out and any idea about the general order? I'm racing the sprint and just trying to figure out what time I want to get there and how much time will be needed for transition set-up, warm-up etc. Thanks.

The scheduled start times for HFP races is normally 8:00. Sprint waves first (elites,M0-30,M30-40,M40+,then repreat with the ladies) then Olympic. I would recommend getting there 1.5 hour early, especially for this race since not many people are nearby enough to stop by get packet pick up the day before. This makes the lines for pick up and marking extra long. The lines at Miami are a piece of cake compared to this event in my experience.

Good luck everyone! I'll be there cheering on you and my Pink Shimmer-clad husband!

I'm in for the Oly. This will be my first time doing this race. I've done Toyota, but not this one. Is the bike and run course the same as Toyota?

Yep. Just the same.

Change of schedule for me. Im in for the oly event. Looks like great weather in a couple days. Be careful training, it will be hot. Watch your hydration and nutrition.

Quick update on the bike route (rode it last night). Around 3.5 miles into the bike route there has been some road work done on Dick road. It is a trench clear across the road and filled in w/ compacted gravel. Just use caution. Also at the bottom of the first "hill" they have expanded the gravel quarry and there has been a lot of heavy equipment traffic, therefore there is some big dirt clumps in the road again use caution before heading up the first "hill". Good luck to all. I will be there doing the sprint.

Chad

Is Deer Creek a pretty begginer friendly course?  I was planning to do Antrim for my first event but that's out now and I see there is another event at Deer Creek later in the year.

I wrote up this summary of the bike course last year and posted it a few times. They may be changing the route given the road construction talked about earlier, but I have no info on that. Here it is again.


I rode this bike course yesterday. I noticed a few things.
-It's really windy there. The last time I rode the course (Toyota Tri, last year) and yesterday the wind was pretty bad along Egypt Pike Rd, the first road you turn on out of the park. Be perpared to get in aero right away and keep the HR high for the first few miles.
-Dick Rd is chip-and-seal, narrow and fast. I had a crosswind. I also joined the yellow socks brigade on Dick Rd. (go figure)
-Locust Grove is the best spot on the course to make up some time. It's mostly flat and provided me a tail wind. I decided to really push it and see how fast I could go. I hit 30mph. There is one spot along Locust Grove that goes up and crosses another road. Be careful here if you're riding at top speed.
-The first major hill of the course is on Crownover. You go down a really nice downhill first. Then, just about the time all the free speed you've gotten is gone, you hit the uphill. If you were able to make up the hills at Miami then this one should not be a problem.  It is just as steep but not as long.
-The second hill of note is on Egypt Pike. First you go down a long, twisty downhill on Crownover, then you have to slow down and make a left turn onto Egypt Pike and start climbing. I think this is probably the most dangerous turn of the course. In years past they have had police there. Pay attention and be careful. Once you get to the top of this hill the wind hits you in the face again. The nice thing is that if you're doing the sprint you have about a mile of the bike course left. If you're doing the oly you have another lap.




As far as the run goes, coming out of transition is up hill, it's not very steep but it is sustained. Once you get to the top of the dam it's flat. You will have to run in grass for a bit, sometimes it's not mowed so be prepared.


Last year Brue posted some good info on the swim, check out this thread to see it. It's on page one.

Thanks for the info David.  And the link for the swim info was phenomenal.  Good to have that info at hand before my first tri.

predictions for race time?
I bet I set a personal record for speedo clad racing at the olympic distance ( i would also like to beat my previous best at the course )

Prediction? Guesstimating 1:40:00 for the sprint distance.

All of a sudden I feel like I'm cramming for an exam because last week my training was all goofed up because of work travel and family obligations - so here's hoping that one week won't have completely depleted my fitness level.

Diamond you'll do just fine. Anyone going down on sat for packet pickup?Oh man I'm so excited for this season opener!

I'm returning to the face the demonds of my very first tri.  Hope to smash last years time.  I will be doing the sprint but hope to see all down there, should be a beautiful day.