HITS - Fort Collins

brrrr.... should be wetsuit legal then, crazy since it's July.

I'm sad to think the race set up isn't great. It will be my husbands first tri

Doh, I just paid full price last week 8(. 

I did the HITS half at Napa.  They had the bike and run markings down fine for that race.  Water was fine for the bike and run.  My only complaints were that there was not a portapottie on the bike course for the half and only 1 for the full (at mile 56).  So I hit the potty in transition before the bike (I drink some water swimming) and then in t2 before the run and was fine.  There were 2 portapoties on the run at mile 3 and 6.5 of a out and back for the HIM and x2 for the full.  After the race the food was minimal. 

From the look of it you have a 14 mile hill that goes from 5000 to 7000 feet about 3-5 miles after you start the bike, so ya hilly bike, not sure about the run.

I will be there, shared suffering 8). 

Have they changed the route for the half/full recently?  I could have swore they had the maps up earlier but now the HITS website says

"Finalized swim, bike and run maps for HITS Triathlon Series - Fort Collins, CO will be available soon. Please e-mail [email protected] with any questions"

Okay, Here's what Mark sent me:

Hi Ted...Yes, we're working with the county on some adjustments; hang in there...HITS is coming! Updates soon; train well.

I'm late to this thread, and this is a silly question, but I can't find the answer anywhere? What the heck does HITS stand for and what is the deal with these races? Is there an aquabike division?

HITS..stands for Horses In The Sun.  Isn't it obvious.  But seriously that is what it stands for.  The organizers did horse shows before they decided that running a triathlon series would take the same skills and expertise.  There is no aquabike.  I did the olympic distance in Sterling.  I did not care for it for a number of reasons..but I will give them the benefit of the doubt since they only had 30 days to find a place to do the race when it had to be moved form Fort Collins due to the fires. 

Two things I did not like.  Heed as the drink on course..disgusting.  the crappy medal for finishing..I did the olympic so was not expecting much..if I would have done the half or full distance I would have wanted something more memorable.  The course had some issues also..but again probably did a decent job concerning the time constraints.

I am considering the race for 2013.  Can anyone give me any feedback from the race this year?  Should I consider the race?

Thanks!

I think it is hard to give you any feedback based upon the the issues with moving the race from fort collins to Sterling at the last minute.  What distance are you looking at doing? I did the Olympic and was fairly happy.  It is definitely no frills.  They do not get very many volunteers.  The olympic bike course did not have a water stop which some people complained about.  It was very hot and it would have been nice.  They made the comment that for 24 miles you should be able to carry everything yourself on the bike..that may be true but paying that much for an olympic should you have to carry everything?  I'm a back of the pack kind of guy and was just trying to get a race in before my half.  It served its purpose.

I can't talk about the half or full..but I have done a half ironman and half Rev 3 race and the atmosphere was awesome and fun. Did not get that vibe with HITS. 

I did the half on Sunday, and while I would agree that it was hot, I found there to be plenty of volunteers (in fact, the RD said they had better volunteer turnout than at any of their other venues) and support on the bike and run courses.   HITS is great if you are new to triathlon, looking for a low key event, and/ or if you want a less expensive option for training.  You can check out my full race report here:

http://trited.blogspot.com/