HITS vs. Ironman

I did the HITS Napa Half. It was well organized but I think there were only like 100 people doing the full IM distance. There weren't a ton of spectators and not a ton of volunteers but they had everything covered and organized. I'm doing the CDA IM as my first IM but it is so expensive that I won't be doing another WTC event for another couple of years and will do the HITS series instead. The full distance is half of what WTC charges but you get a lot more event at a WTC race. If you want to get the distance bragging rights and save some money then do a HITS. If you want to experience an "event" and don't struggle for money then do a WTC.

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As said above, at the HITS Napa, there was a very small field in the full IM division. The other distances were well attended, especially the half IM distance, but the IM distance was really sparse. You'd definitely feel lonely out there on the 2nd bike loop.

HITS also had minimal schwag, but I had no problems with the racing, which is all I really care about. If you want more of a spectacle, IM will def provide much more of that.

You also will probably find the HITS courses a lot less crowded (for now - may get really popular in the near future) so less issues with on-course traffic.

The HITS event at Napa was really low-key, but still professionally run. (GREAT transition areas, as HITS is know for.) Felt a lot more like a relaxed weekend short distance event than a big production.

The Half had around 300 and I must absolutely 2nd how great the transition area was. The boxes instead of the racks were awesome and there was so much room for all your stuff. I hope that more people start to support HITS so they can cater to the lower income crowd of triathlon. They really want to make sure you have a good experience, so much so that the Race Director gave out his personal cell phone number to 400 people.

why not Rev3 or Challenge Penticton?

If you have enough base Challenge Penticton is still open Aug 25 2013...

pros : not sold out, still pretty big, awesome city, orginal Ironman Canada venue and course, oldest Iron distance race in North America.
cons: if you have a recent dui or other criminal record we wont let you over the border

Edited by simpsonbo 2013-06-04 7:16 PM

I have looked at REV3, as I originally grew up in Ohio, and Cedar Point is the best place on earth. But my main problem is the money of getting to a race so far away. I was looking at HITS Lake Havasu this November or waiting for IMAZ next year. I really need it to be some place I can drive to, I am not sure the cost of shipping my bike (any thoughts on that?) but that may be the prohibiting factor. My real problem is that I have caught the tri bug, and it is an expensive addiction!

What is the race in MD?

I had the same question myself 6 months ago. I REALLY wanted to sign up IM Coeur D'alene because the course looks so nice. I waited and waited and the slots filled up except for the charity $1,250 slots and I said screw that. I search around for other races and was super bummed. I found some smaller and way cheaper ones but I do want to see some people out there. I want racers to motivate me and I want to motivate them (i.e see them). I signed up for the full Vineman, which has about 1,000 slots. That seems like a happy medium for me. I would like to do a "real" IM later but the non-IM races I heard are more newbie friendly, and that sat better with me.

Also, if by some odd chance you're in your peak sessions now, you could sign up for Vineman (think some slots are still open). It's ~8 weeks away though. Sucks that the money I saved going non-IM was sort of nil after booking my CA hotel. Even a Motel 6 around there is $130/night.

Edited by Blastman 2013-06-04 9:13 PM

My wife did her first 1/2IM at HITS Naples (January this year) and we've done quite a few races between the two of us. This was by a wide margin the best organized races. The transition area was as close to perfect as I've ever seen with plenty of space, everything clearly marked, you even had designated space store your stuff in an attached box, plus a stool to sit on if you wanted to.

If you really want the Ironman experience (and you're only planning to do one), then you may want to do one of the official Ironman's. If you want to race that distance, and you want a race that functions really well (and I'm not saying that the Ironman wouldn't, certain it would), and you want to save significant amount of money, then HITS is a great alternative.

http://rev3tri.com/events/

Click on the event map...

I recently took my bike to LA and it was an extra $50 each way, Find out which airlines have low bike fees and factor that in your budget. It doesn't take a master mechanic to disassemble/reassemble a bike for travel.