Set Up Events Series

The inside out series is the more presigious one (i.e. they have a bigger budget and some newer/nicer equipment).  They are both run managed similarly though.

I pick and choose what fits my schedule, not what series it is (although all but one of mine has been in the ISOS series and one for the Trysports series).  I could care less about my series points total as I ain't getting any awards.  It just happens that I like the venues in the Inside Out series and they usually fit my schedule and locale. 

I have a similar situation ... this year was my first year of racing too.  My approach was to try and race about every 6 weeks, regardless of the event organizer.  It was more of a which organizer had a race that fit into my timing slot, and more accessible from a drive standpoint.   So I raced events with both Trysport and FSS series organizers.  I think the FSS series was a bit more grass roots, but I really loved the biking leg of their events.  As to one organizer being more chic' or sophisticated than the other ... swimming is swimming - biking is biking and running is well ... painful

I think Setup was always a little light on events around Raleigh, so FS filled that void. I tend to do a lot of FS because of where I live. FS and Trysports Series tend to have smaller events, IOSTS tend to be bigger. They are all well run.

Even though I have no shot at winning I would consider adding a race if it qualified me for the series. I figure my schedule based on date, price, reputation, and distance. Then if I notice I'm heavy in one series I might look around for a good option to round out that series, but its not worth forcing it for me.