My first tri in Galveston cancelled???

You have to register to get on that site.

The race site says its still on though:
http://www.myfirsttri.com/

Not knocking the race director or his company, just passing on what I had seen and asking for any one else's angle to try to verify this story. The following was posted on Houston Racing Triathlon Club's website:

As many of you are aware, for months now I have been asking anyone who is considering signing up for the 'My First' and 'My Next' triathlons (as well as the GulfMan Half-Ironman Gulfman International) to hold off for a bit, as I was in the process of gathering information that I felt would be useful to any of you potential entrants. The information I was gathering dealt with the history of World Endurance Sport - the company behind those races, and it's illustrious leader, Mr. Brent Kamenka. For months I have been piecing together bits of information pulled from internet message boards, statements taken from the governing bodies of our sport both here and in British Columbia, and truly juicy information pulled from several damning documents that arrived on my doorstep, courtesy of an anonymous benefactor. By the time I was done, the information collected spanned eleven pages. I went over the whole mess with Grant Anderson (Club President) on Sunday, and we decided it would be in our best interest to have an attorney review the piece, as neither of us is interested in litigation. It wasn't that we were condemning the man, the company, or the races. Our intent was to provide a vehicle for information that was - for the most part - freely available, and send that vehicle to as many individuals and groups as we could come up with. Our intent was to encourage anyone and everyone to make their own choice regarding participation, but we felt it was our responsibility as a club to ensure that that choice was an informed one. Considering the past practices and reactions concerning this particular company, it seemed like the responsible thing to do. Anyway, twenty minutes after I get off the phone with my lawyer buddy, and about 30 minutes before I planned to post the information, I get a call from Will Rub, informing me that Kevin Landry has posted a message in the forums indicating that the races in question have been cancelled.

Huh?

So - I call the Landry's, and Jana does me the courtesy of making a few phone calls to confirm. Turns out the City of Galveston essentially told WES to take a hike, and to keep hiking until the trail ended, and then to blaze their own trail and to continue hiking until they heard different. Needless to say, I was pretty happy, in that this took care of the whole thingy where we were worried about naive athletes potentially being exposed to unsafe conditions (among MANY other things) in a series of events held by an unscrupulous individual with a history of negative reactionaries and a certain disregard for basic race requirements. Of course I was a little irritated about the whole months of research and data collection thing, but hey - all's well that ends well. And just for kicks (and in the unlikely event that this company resurfaces in some other regional venue) I'll probably post my report anyway. Don't worry - when I do I'll make a big deal out of it, so you won't miss anything. So - that's why the update is a day late, but I think we can all agree that the suspense was worth the wait. And my apologies to Autumn for being cheated out of a day in the spotlight, but for Pete's sake the girl has her own extremely cool website.

That's it for now. Be safe, wear sunscreen (if necessary), and if you're looking for a weekend bike ride or swim , be sure to check the Forums. That's it - have a good week, and live strong. - Trey

(You have to join HRTC to view it)... Being a BOI (Born on the Islander),   I will be sad to see it go if it is cancelled. I think Galveston is a unique venue and could be a great place to host a series of events. If anyone hears anything further on this beyond HRTC please post it.

I've dropped a message to the race director to confirm it, so will revert if I find anything further. 

Thanks for the info, Chris

The sites is still up:

http://www.tritexas.com/

http://www.tritexas.com/gulfman/

http://www.myfirsttri.com/

Ya know, I planned on doing the international as the first race this season. I have been on the fence about it. Guess I need to see what's up.

Whats going to happen to the people that already paid for it?

Bill?

Ugh. I've really wanted to do this race for over a year! Moody Gardens is a great venue, it could easily make its mark as a tri destination. This was my Spring A race

My parents are friends with the City Manager. I'll see what I can find out.

From the website, I called 1-800-343-4466 and talked to Brent. He said that the event has moved, but is not canceled! It will now be held at a better venue, Como Lake in Galveston State Park (about 4 or 5 miles down the road, near the theater). He said it is a better swim, no rocks or oyster beds with transition area in the grass. The whole area will be better, no nieghborhood to go through and it is out of the major traffic area of the island. He is updating the web page now.

He also said anyone can call the same # I did for info or to call the Galveston Triathlon Club 713-824-8718.

Will someone with access to HRTC update their forum with this info.

Yeah, me too. I mean, the stuff csgomez posted from the HRTC website is pretty libelous if unsubstantiated. If I were the RD, I'd have my lawyers in a row.

I agree, I am not rushing to register, or even suggest it at this point, just posting what I was told.

This will be a good thread to watch!

Cool...nothing like a good tri scandal.

I haven't registered, doesn't sound like I will. That sucks. Guess I'll go back to the race calendar and find a good spring race.

Wow - didn't mean to start a firestorm - just trying to keep everyone in the loop.

HRTC usually has pretty good info (Like twin lakes closing - very sad about that... was a damn fine open water swim hole once you got past the visions of dead children in the school bus) and although I've only been with them a short time and never found anyone with an axe to grind. I was surprised at the strong wording on HRTC's website.

Wonder how things will go between the city and the race director - I wish USAT's forum was up, I'd post a question if this race had gotten sanctioning or not. If anyone calls USAT, I'd like to know if this race series is an approved one or not.

WOW Lyn,

That's a good idea. So when ya gunna call?

I have to remember never to pi$$ her off!

Nice pic!