Inside-Out Sports North Carolina Triathlon Series

Notes on the ones I have done:

Belews - Nice venue and love the time trial swim start.  Not sure how they will do the olympic distance though.

White Lake Half - Flat, windy, hot, yet sells out every year. 

Over the Mountain - My favorite from last year.  Logistically challenging (point to point) but well run.  Tough bike.

Tri Latta - one of the biggest sprints around.  Lots of fast competition.  Run is mostly offroad. 

Stumpy Creek - Water was a gross 88 degrees this year.  Nice bike, hilly two loop run.  Double points event so all the big guns run this race.

Lake Norman - pretty typical sprint.  Nothing exciting and no complaints. 

White Lake International - pancake flat, hot (better than the half though).  Not much wind in the fall. 

None of the events are full yet.  If you are thinking that the Wilmington YMCA race is full, it is not.  It says event closed only because registration has not opened as of this moment.

I love racing in the IOS NCTS races.  Lots of good competition so you better bring your "A" game.

Some of my favorites are the White Lake races because of the venue (I've done all 3 distances there over the past 2 years) and the Pinehurst International race (a pretty tough race because of the hills on the bike and run, but I still love it!).

I don't like Tri Latta and Triangle because of the access issues to the race sites.  Once you get into the gates of the parks they use, you are kind of trapped until they decide to let you leave.

Also, the Belews Lake International race is new this year and becomes the bonus point event, so Stumpy Creek goes back to a normal points race.

Good Luck!

Alan

Latta has beer.

Latta has beer.

 *It's so important, it should be posted twice.

Nice point.  I enjoyed my 2 beers after the race this summer, but I was bummed that they wouldn't give them to me at the same time!

Thanks for the clarification.  I guess I should have looked a little more carefully!  Great feedback - thanks! 

I'd love some more if folks are bored on a Friday... or any other day of the week.

Cool Breeze also attracts a good crowd because I think a lot of people view it as the first event of the year.  Weather has been tough the last couple of years.  Some HTFU required getting out of the warm pool and running outside into 40 degree weather wearing a dripping wet tri suit!

I second the competition comment regarding Stumpy Creek - wow!  Not confidence inspiring when I found myself that far down the age group rankings (your results may differ!).  Nice race though.

I like Pinehurst despite the hills.  Gorgeous scenery, particularly the run around the lake at the end.  Potentially a good way to end your season.

I agree with what the others have said so far.

Triangle is one of my favorite races but is a pain in the rear for spectators with the parking issues.

White Lake is flat and both times I have done it I have baked (90+ high temps with no shade). The lake is nice, the bike route is flat, boring and bumpy and one of the less nice rides I have done, and the run is, uhm, unimaginative. The start point/transition area is really nice though and it has a nice buzz. For me personally, I am done with White Lake- IMO there are much better options around here.

Belews Lake: enjoyed that course/race immensely but, unlike the poster above, don't like the TT start (personal preference). It is a really nice race though- very pretty area and I think the OLY will be nice too.

Pinehurst's nickname is Pinehurts for a reason, but IMO is a must-do if you live in this area- very pretty but challenging (I suppose White Lake is too, just because...). J

ust a note, if you are not locked into doing only the IOS NCTS, you should check out the TRySports series (Buckner Mission Man in Burlington is one of my very favorite races) and FSSERIES - they have a nice selection of races too. I did the Triangle Orthopedic Sprint this year and it is a GREAT race- nice lake, nice ride and pretty run. Fun little race. Then the Washington, NC races that FSSERIES puts on are very nice too- great support and well run events. There is talk that they are moving their HIM to another date so stay tuned for that. Also, another HIM option is Beach to Battleship- awesome location for a race.

x2.  I'm biased, though, as I live less than 5 miles from the race site.

Although, I've never done the race, Bandits Challenge has a reputation as being a difficult race, much like Pinehurst (HILLS!!!!)

Wilmington YMCA is one of my favorite swims, not just because of the current, it's very scenic. I like it and Azalea because I graduated from UNCW and its fun to go back.

My wife likes watching at WL and I find it fun just being there. It was a nice sprint.

I sometimes wonder about sticking with one series, but I'm not fast enough to compete. So I take the flexibilty of being able to pick the best options for me and my schedule. This year I'm hopping to do Kure Beach. To this point I've never done one running out into the surf.