Subject: RE: Triathlon One-O-One already in trouble? I'm in Sarasota, next door to Bradenton. Another article in the Sarasota paper this morning: http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/NEWS/704180305/-1/xml Seems to pretty much confirm what was in the first article that ran in the Bradenton paper a couple of days ago. The organizers seem heavy on enthusiasm, but light on details. I've been on the committee for the Sarasota Oly race on Siesta Key for the past two years. The most challenging aspects of putting on our race have always been coordinating all the permits with the county and finding enough volunteers. I haven't seen any local call for volunteers at this point, at least not through the local tri community. Maybe they've got it covered - I hope so. My personal opinion, but I have to wonder with the gulf beaches nearby, why anyone would want to swim in the Manatee river. And the "rider friendly" course described in the first article, including parts of US41 and route 64 in Manatee county just sounds scary to me: not roads that come mind as cycling routes, unless you have a police escort and all traffic is blocked off. Then, again, maybe that's how they're looking at it. But without the course finalized yet it seems unlikely that they've worked out many of the logistics with local law enforcement. I hate to sound too negative, but it just doesn't look like a well-organized effort to me, especially so close to race day. Mark |