2012 Concord Y Tri - Clough State Park

I'm in!

First time doing this event...swim seemed long...water was good though...bike was challenging...run had one extra hill I wasn't expecting, but the last downhill saved me. Attendance seemed low and seemed to be lower than last year...was there some other event going on? Why the low attendance?

I think Pumpkinman is a big reason in the decline. That is a very large race. Also, the Concord Y Tri is a fairly tough race, especially for first timers. The 1/2 mile swim alone is intimidating to newbies as is the 900' elevation gain in the first 3.5 miles of the bike. This was my tenth Tri but this race kicked my butt. Imagine how a newbie feels. If WTC can get Elacoya State Park in August, I'm wondering if the Y could move their Clough Tri date so they're not competing with Pumpkinman. in 2010, the Concord Y Tri was my first ever Tri and they had 300+ entrants so there is interest in this race. I *really* hope this is not their last race. It supports great programs and scholarships and I prefer to support smaller, local races rather than the large corporate races. I admit I've wanted to run Pumpkinman but I chose the Y race for the third time so as to support the Y.