Racine or Muncie Half?

I have done both. (Racine 2010, Muncie 2011) I believe you have all the right issues in mind.  

I'm not a camper, so I believe that perhaps would change my view,  and I did enjoy Muncie,  But I would do Racine. 

Muncie volunteers were better, more "into" it. 

Racine  the race site is downtown.   def no camping.     But camp grounds are not crazy far away and plenty of parking on race day.    Muncie campground is right there where you would want it to be.    

Swim:

Muncie that lake.... ugh  70.3 no wet suit.  That was no fun.    

Racine cold water thing is overblown.  you are fine in a wetsuit.  cold for first 100 yards then you won't even think about it.       Swim at Racine is much more enjoyable.

Bike:  

Muncie   I did like that course.  nice roads

Racine course is similar to Muncie.    no worries in my opinion on the "Racine roads are bad"  again way overblown. certainly not what I would think of as a "challenging" bike course.  Really pretty similar in terms of difficulty.  of course there are sections that are not as good as others.

RUN: 

Muncie  yes its a tougher run course.   Some long boring stretches  out and back.    volunteers help to break it up.

Racine: I think more stuff to look at,  run along the lake. through neighborhoods.  thru the town.  TWICE tho. hate that part.  

Both were REALLY HOT and Humid.    REALLY REALLY hot/humid.   did I say REALLY??  yes yes it was.     Oh and I found out I am def sponge worthy.  As I was running with like 18 cold water sponges deposited everywhere I could stuff on the run. 

Let me know if you have any other specific questions.

I am not a heat person ended up in the med tent twice at racine

Yes it was hot at Muncie in 2012 but as long as you plan for it you should be fine.  I wore cool wings and carried a water bottle for the entire run.  Filled it up at aid stations and generously doused my head/neck.  x2 on the sponges and ice as well... ice down the shorts helps a lot.

Whether it's 95 or 100 degrees it pretty much feels the same.... HOT!

I am considering racing Muncie again this year.

I have done Racine twice and never Muncie so nothing to really compare with.  I really like Racine and will do it again this year.  I believe there is a campsite within 15-20 minutes of North Beach (race start) called Cliffside Park.  For family the beach and park will keep kids entertained the whole day while you are racing.

The bike is not a difficult course and what gives it the bad rep are the bumps in portions of the road - but honestly they were much worse the first year when I wasn't expecting it, the next year I hardly noticed it.  Coming from Texas the heat shouldn't bother you that much but the last two years have been brutal - hopefully this year will be back to normal temps!

Added bonus - the last few years Craig Alexander has raced Racine - not sure if he will be there again next year but kinda cool to race with one of greatest Ironman World Champions.  The M35-39 swim wave is always last so I have been able to watch him come out of water and T1 before I race.

Good luck deciding!

The last three years Racine has been RIDICUOUSLY hot on the run. Freak occurence I believe but nonetheless....so bad.

The bike route is fine EXCEPT....for the first 5 and last 5 miles (same road out and back). The bumps in the road are horrible. Oh yea...they have a water aid station at mile 15. NOONE needs water at mile 15 as EVERYONE has a bottle of water on their bikes at this point.  BUT on the return route thats like mile 40...there is no water. they should flip that aid station for when you need it and make it mile 40 and not have it at mile 15.y

The swim...cold but great cause after 100 meters out you are in clear water straight for one mile.  If you only breath on your right side...never have to worry about water in your mouth

I have raced Muncie several times and love the race.  I actually liked the race better when it was independent (prior to WTC buying it and it becoming a half M-dot).  It is still a good race and a nice after party. 

Flat and fast course.  The weather can be a challenge.  I have raced it during rain, hail, and strong wind.  I have also raced it when it has been very, very hot and humid.  Some years wetsuit legal and some years non-wetsuit. 

Be ready for anything!  :-)

I posted earlier RE: Racine vs. Muncie      I also raced the Steelhead 69.1 in 2011    can't tell you about the swim. The sea was very very angry that day, and thus swim was cancelled.      The bike ended up being a time trial start where every few seconds another rider could start.   It was miserably cold at first.    But its a fast bike course.   I really liked the course  but it was slick from drizzle so had to take it easy a bit on first half.  

Run?   Ok this is not a fun run course.   Running the whirlpool run trails on on even terrain  one monster hll and along some unscenic highway like run shoulder  not so great.    So Steelhead not a great experience for me.   Oh and unless you get a hotel booked very early  you cannot stay anywhere near Benton harbor.   We ended up over 30 miles away in South Bend IN.  

So Racine #1, Muncie #2,  Steelhead a distant 3rd.   for me.

I did Racine last year and LOVED it. It was my first half so I have nothing to compare it to.

The swim was amazing, wetsuit kept my warm and the water was beautiful. At one point the gentile waves where rocking my body and I totally forgot that I was suppose to be racing and just relaxed for a few moments. Totally worth the extra time on the swim.

The bike was great also. My only complaint would be the almost constant ba-bumps in the road. By time end of the course my arms, shoulder and (ahem) other parts where sore as all get. But the volunteers at the aid stations where fantasic as where the crowds.

The run was amazing too. Sadly I had to walk almost all of it due to a hip/pelvic/knee issue acting up. Almost the entire course was lined with people. Several of them where standing out with garden hoses offering a wet down with cold water which felt wonderful.

Over all I had a great time even with the old injury slowing me down. I would highly recomend it at least once in a person's tri career.