2015 Race Calendars - What are you guys doing this year?
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I have a really big 6 month gap in there so I probably will throw a sprint or two over the summer. Or maybe not. I'm looking forward to a big block of time to focus on training without a race interrupting my schedule. I really want to crush TriRock
2015 Races
01/25 - Miami Marathon (4:17:24 PR)
02/22 - Gasparilla Distance Classic Half Marathon (1:57:07 PR)
04/11 - Charlotte RaceFest Half Marathon (1:59:30)
04/26 - St. Anthony's Triathlon (3:30:29 *yeah this was a bad race...)
05/09 - Miles for Moffitt 8k
05/17 - Ironman Chattanooga 70.3
11/08 - TriRock Clearwater Olympic
11/15 - Rocketman Triathlon 70.3
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Oh, last year for Rocketman! We went down 2 years ago (inaugural race), I was 7 months pg, so obviously didn't race, but it's a flat and fast course. I'd have liked to do it, but signed up for B2B and the schedule didn't work out.
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I've never done it (and I'm huge space geek) so I jumped on it this year. I was signed up for Challenge Florida and am probably the only person happy it got rescheduled
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So awesome seeing everybody's schedule. Now I don't feel like the only race addict on earth! Here's what my season looks like at the moment:
On the Schedule or Completed
03/29 - Historic McKinney - Sprint Tri
04/26 - IM 70.3 Galveston (Working on the race report)
05/16 - Cooper Fitness - Sprint Tri
06/07 - PlayTri Festival - ITU Tri
06/28 - McKinney Salty Dog - Sprint Tri
07/12 - The Mayor's Triathlon - Sptint Tri
07/18 - Cooper Fitness - Sprint Tri
07/26 - Toll Tag Triathlon - Sprint Tri
08/02 - Rockwall Kiwanis - Sprint Tri
08/23 - Take on the Heat - Sprint Tri
09/06 - Old College Tri - Sprint Tri
09/13 - Red River Rampage - Oly Tri
09/27 - PlayTri Stonebridge Ranch - ITU Tri
10/04 - Polar Club Cryosauna Tri - Sprint Tri
10/18 - U.S. Open Triathlon - Sprint or Oly (Haven't decided on my distance choice yet)
11/08 - Best of the Best Tri - Sprint Tri (If I qualify for this one and decide not to do Austin 70.3)
12/13 - Dallas Marathon 26.2 (Will be my first full marathon)
Contemplating
10/18 - 11/30 : Will likely throw in a half marathon somewhere between these dates.
11/08 - IM 70.3 Austin : This race is not far from home and I'm really itching to do another IM event.
As you can see, my focus this year is on Sprint Tris. This is in conjunction with my training focus this year, which is to work on speed. Next year will likely switch to a long course focus and fewer races, but this year....LOAD 'EM UP!!
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I see a number of you doing the "Challenge" family of races. They don't have any down here near where I am at, but I am interested in hearing more about them as potential destination races. If you have been in one of these races, was it a good experience? How does it compare to IM branded races?0
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I see a number of you doing the "Challenge" family of races. They don't have any down here near where I am at, but I am interested in hearing more about them as potential destination races. If you have been in one of these races, was it a good experience? How does it compare to IM branded races?
I have a Challenge race on my list. I haven't done one but a group from my tri club did one last year and I've heard nothing but praise (several have done IM brand races as well). I've never really heard anything negative and I've searched around.
Glevinso and I had this discussion on another thread, I'm sure he'll chime in.0 -
I may be a bit biased (My wife is a member of the Challenge Age Group Team), but I have been a fan of the former Rev3, now Challenge series for a while. Their events are very well run, they have excellent courses, great swag, and most importantly they are NOT as uptight as Ironman. For example, if you wish to have your kids run across the finish line with you, they ask only that you don't get in anybody's way. Otherwise have at it. At Ironman, doing something like that would earn you an immediate disqualification.
At Ironman races you feel much more like a cog in a machine. From the moment you arrive at the race site you are funneled here, ferried there, this happens, that happens... you race... then you finish, etc. Like you are just being processed through. Very impersonal. At Challenge races the vibe is much more relaxed and everyone is clearly there to have fun first and foremost.
Not to make that sound like a ding against Ironman - I have done a few M-dot branded races including Ironman Lake Tahoe, and enjoyed my experience doing them. However I chose to race all Challenge races this year and no IM just because I liked their experience better.0 -
I may be a bit biased (My wife is a member of the Challenge Age Group Team), but I have been a fan of the former Rev3, now Challenge series for a while. Their events are very well run, they have excellent courses, great swag, and most importantly they are NOT as uptight as Ironman. For example, if you wish to have your kids run across the finish line with you, they ask only that you don't get in anybody's way. Otherwise have at it. At Ironman, doing something like that would earn you an immediate disqualification.
At Ironman races you feel much more like a cog in a machine. From the moment you arrive at the race site you are funneled here, ferried there, this happens, that happens... you race... then you finish, etc. Like you are just being processed through. Very impersonal. At Challenge races the vibe is much more relaxed and everyone is clearly there to have fun first and foremost.
Not to make that sound like a ding against Ironman - I have done a few M-dot branded races including Ironman Lake Tahoe, and enjoyed my experience doing them. However I chose to race all Challenge races this year and no IM just because I liked their experience better.
pretty much what i've heard. i'll let you kno though, as i'm doing my first challenge race in a few weeks.0 -
I'll be interested to see the implications of Challenge eliminating pro purses has on their future. Hope they continue to grow and this is a minor set back.0
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I think that was a major mistake. A better course of action would have been to reduce the purses at the smaller races to 5000. They are still seen as a sortof "minor league" so why not embrace it? Offer a smaller purse and attract the B and C level pros. Knoxville still has the full 20k purse, and has a few A-listers coming (Alyssa Godesky, Cam Dye) as well as a bunch of B and C-level pros. It should be a great race to watch, and I am looking forward to racing along side the pros as well this weekend.
I know that one thing they tried to do is turn all their races into a big event with the 20k purses. Turns those races into automatic pro-qualifiers for the top 3 amateurs. Makes for an exciting amateur race with a deep field. Trouble is there was little in the way of pro commitment. It cuts both ways I guess, so I can't blame one side or the other.
In any case, I was disappointed that they didn't take the middle ground and offer a bunch of $5000 purses at the smaller races so that they can get the best of both worlds. Let the WTC have all the bigger pro names for now, and give the new pros something to work towards.
Edit to add: Also they could generate a pretty good buzz around their smaller purses by offering some kind of "series points" for the wins they get. Then aggregate those points towards a championship race (perhaps next year's Knoxville). Make it exciting. Give them a reason to want to race Challenge.0 -
For those of you doing Challenge Knoxville this weekend, I'm meeting for dinner with a group of racers and spouses (7 of us so far) at 6:15 Sat. at Blue Coast Grill. Send me a message off group if you're interested in joining us.0
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6/7 Crescent Moon Olympic
7/19 Ironman Racine 70.3
8/22 Toughman Utah 70.3
10/11 Ironman Louisville 140.6 (1st full)
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tri4life854 wrote: »For those of you doing Challenge Knoxville this weekend, I'm meeting for dinner with a group of racers and spouses (7 of us so far) at 6:15 Sat. at Blue Coast Grill. Send me a message off group if you're interested in joining us.
I have an inspiration dinner with my LLS team, otherwise I would be up for it. We actually ate there last night...good place.
Good luck tomorrow.0 -
Thanks for the well wishes. How'd your race go? This was my first Challenge race - very well organized and one of the nicest transition set-ups I've seen. The ground racks are nice - I've only seen these once before in another small event. Volunteer and police support was excellent. On the other hand, having multiple race distances going on simultaneously - differing speeds, courses, etc. makes the race confusing and potentially dangerous. Also, I found myself doing the last 20 miles of the bike and last 5 miles of the run more or less by myself. I've done other small long-course races that felt much less lonely due to more out-and-backs in the route. Maybe people cleared out earlier because of the rain, but the after race "party" seemed rather lackluster too. In short, just because it's a Challenge race wouldn't make it a potential destination race for me.
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Finished in 2:50:27. Goal was 2:54:00. I got hit about mile 9 with the torrential downpour that lasted about 10 minutes. Dropped my chain twice. First time on the first big hill, second time on the returning big hill.
I thought the event was well organized. I definitely didn't experience a "lonely" feeling. Of course, I did the Oly distance.0 -
DNF. Crashed 18 miles into the Half bike course. Bloody mess on my left elbow and a massive contusion on my left hip. Bummer because I had a PR swim going at 34 minutes, and was on a 21mph pace for the first 18 miles of the bike course. Then hit the deck on a slippery off-camber left turn.
I finished the bike course slowly, then made an attempt at running but 200 yards into the run course I knew I was not able to really run this and went back into transition, turned in my chip.
Sucks - I was on pace aiming for a sub-5-hour half. Oh well.0 -
DNF. Crashed 18 miles into the Half bike course. Bloody mess on my left elbow and a massive contusion on my left hip. Bummer because I had a PR swim going at 34 minutes, and was on a 21mph pace for the first 18 miles of the bike course. Then hit the deck on a slippery off-camber left turn.
I finished the bike course slowly, then made an attempt at running but 200 yards into the run course I knew I was not able to really run this and went back into transition, turned in my chip.
Sucks - I was on pace aiming for a sub-5-hour half. Oh well.
So sorry to hear that report! So far, I have been lucky and have never crashed, not even in training. Can't imagine the disappointment after so much prep. Hope the injuries are only superficial. You'll be back after it soon I'm sure!
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Thanks everyone for the input on the Challenge races. I'll have to keep them in mind as I look to set my 2016 schedule. 2015 is all short course from here on out. It is looking like Ironman 140.6 Cozumel is going to be on the 2016 schedule. Might be my first full, unless I get crazy and schedule something else before then. 0
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DNF. Crashed 18 miles into the Half bike course. Bloody mess on my left elbow and a massive contusion on my left hip. Bummer because I had a PR swim going at 34 minutes, and was on a 21mph pace for the first 18 miles of the bike course. Then hit the deck on a slippery off-camber left turn.
I finished the bike course slowly, then made an attempt at running but 200 yards into the run course I knew I was not able to really run this and went back into transition, turned in my chip.
Sucks - I was on pace aiming for a sub-5-hour half. Oh well.
Sorry to hear. It was slippery out there with all of the rain. I think there were around 16 crashes reported...one girl ended up going over the railing on the last big descent and had to be taken to the hospital. Hope you bounce back quickly.0 -
Thanks everyone for the input on the Challenge races. I'll have to keep them in mind as I look to set my 2016 schedule. 2015 is all short course from here on out. It is looking like Ironman 140.6 Cozumel is going to be on the 2016 schedule. Might be my first full, unless I get crazy and schedule something else before then.
glad to know i'm not the only one already planning 2016. i told my wife i'd be interested in doing the south beach oly triathlon in April. didn't really need to twist her arm too much to go visit florida lol.0 -
DNF. Crashed 18 miles into the Half bike course. Bloody mess on my left elbow and a massive contusion on my left hip. Bummer because I had a PR swim going at 34 minutes, and was on a 21mph pace for the first 18 miles of the bike course. Then hit the deck on a slippery off-camber left turn.
I finished the bike course slowly, then made an attempt at running but 200 yards into the run course I knew I was not able to really run this and went back into transition, turned in my chip.
Sucks - I was on pace aiming for a sub-5-hour half. Oh well.
So sorry to hear that report! So far, I have been lucky and have never crashed, not even in training. Can't imagine the disappointment after so much prep. Hope the injuries are only superficial. You'll be back after it soon I'm sure!
Thanks. I am actually not too disappointed really since this wasn't an A-race for me. This really was just a preparation race for my full coming up in 6 weeks. I'll heal up quickly from this. Taking one more day off training and then it's back to it tomorrow with an easy bike ride.0 -
DNF. Crashed 18 miles into the Half bike course. Bloody mess on my left elbow and a massive contusion on my left hip. Bummer because I had a PR swim going at 34 minutes, and was on a 21mph pace for the first 18 miles of the bike course. Then hit the deck on a slippery off-camber left turn.
I finished the bike course slowly, then made an attempt at running but 200 yards into the run course I knew I was not able to really run this and went back into transition, turned in my chip.
Sucks - I was on pace aiming for a sub-5-hour half. Oh well.
Sorry to hear. It was slippery out there with all of the rain. I think there were around 16 crashes reported...one girl ended up going over the railing on the last big descent and had to be taken to the hospital. Hope you bounce back quickly.
Report was that she lacerated her liver (!) somehow and was taken to the hospital. She is reportedly doing OK.0 -
Even if it wasn't an A race, that's still a big bag of suck. Glad to hear you're OK. Assuming the bike is OK, too, if you're getting ready to go back out? I know that sounds like a smart-*kitten* question, but it's a concern. Carry on, man.Thanks. I am actually not too disappointed really since this wasn't an A-race for me. This really was just a preparation race for my full coming up in 6 weeks. I'll heal up quickly from this. Taking one more day off training and then it's back to it tomorrow with an easy bike ride.
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Bike is actually perfectly fine. I fell under the bike (I will heal, carbon fiber doesn't!). Regardless I can't ride that bike until my elbow heals up (my injury is right where I rest on the elbow pads). I'll head out on my road bike for the next few days until the holes in my arm go away.0
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So sorry to hear. How are you feeling 2 days out? My swim was typical with the goal of having the energy for a strong bike and run. I crashed coming out of transition 2 years ago - big divot in my left elbow that took weeks to heal and bruises/scrapes on the left side of everything except fortunately my head. I viewed it as a wake-up call that cycling accidents really can kill you. This ride was cautiously slow. My run was awesome until I started to turn around just after the 6 mi rest stop. A volunteer pointed out the real turn was just up the road and the error (as well as too few 10-12 mi training runs) made me lose my mojo. Overall, slightly over 7 hrs. Given my training and the weather, I'm content but not thrilled with my performance. One more thought on cycling injuries - Spenco AquaHeal bandages are awesome for injuries on joints - wounds don't get crusty and re-open. Suture strips are also helpful on anything that looks like it might need stitches. I bought both from Amazon, but REI sells them too. Drugstores sell big waterproof bandage covers to slap over the Aquaheal so you can swim. Be well.DNF. Crashed 18 miles into the Half bike course.
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I am feeling OK today. I am moving pretty well, the swelling from the bruise on my left hip is coming down nicely - it just looks ugly. Only seem to have two actual wounds on my elbow that are getting to the point where I might be able to leave them open to the air (they are starting to itch/sting). The worst of it really is how sore all my various stabilizer muscles are. I learned to take hard falls during 20+ years practicing martial arts, so I fell instinctively and thus only had two points of contact with the ground, neither in bad places. But in doing so I bet I adrenaline-dumped quite a bit of power into all those little muscles that now are reminding me they exist.
Warning - Bloody elbow picture:
I was really moving well too - holding 220 watts up to the point of the crash, good for 20.4mph. Was looking at a 2:45 or better bike split (after a 34 minute swim). Only leaving me to pull off a 1:35 run which I *know* I could have done to come in under 5 hours.0 -
St. Anthony's Oly is also a great spring destination race.glad to know i'm not the only one already planning 2016. i told my wife i'd be interested in doing the south beach oly triathlon in April. didn't really need to twist her arm too much to go visit florida lol.
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Capt_Apollo wrote: »glad to know i'm not the only one already planning 2016. i told my wife i'd be interested in doing the south beach oly triathlon in April. didn't really need to twist her arm too much to go visit florida lol.
Same strategy here. Much easier to sell all the training hours to the girlfriend and family if it is wrapped around, "Hey, I'm taking you all to Cozumel!"
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I negotiate with my husband - he gets to shlep a 50 pound pack up a mountain and sleep in a tent if I get to go to Florida for the weekend :-)0
