I'm there for the half. The GF (who hails from that area) will be doing the Oly. I'm curious how it compares to St. George, which I did last year.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

chances for me are near zero. It'll be the first I've missed since '07 (I think).

memorial for mom in Monterey the day before. And, the season breaker... Bulging disk at C7 pinching nerves; left arm functionally - useless. Calling the surgeon in a few minutes :-(

For everyone, this is a tough but fun course. I'll miss it. My best time is > 15 minutes slower than WF (and WF ain't exactly a fast course either!).

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

Hoping to talk the wife into letting me sign up this week.

Cool. I didn't know about it. I will put it on my list for next year. Doing Chattanooga 70.3 in may this year.

Super, local, low key race. Just hope we can get enough folks to race, or it might be gone next year like Wildflower is gone.
If we lose our local races, we have no one to blame but ourselves. This is why I am doing even though I will be doing
IMSR 70.3 the week before.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I did that race many years ago. Pitched a tent about 10 feet from my transition rack IIRC and stayed there the night before the race. It was awesome!
Great race, tough course, beautiful area.
Sad to hear the race numbers are down?
Slap an M-dot logo and the lemmings would be there in droves I bet.

PM Sent with a couple of questions about the race.....thanks for bringing it up!

Actually, their numbers are up from last year. Lots of local support since it is such a great race!!! I have been doing for over a decade, and I have lots of family and friends who help at the race.

So, who knows what next year brings. I just would hate to have folks say things I saw on the Wildflower thread like I should have support so it did not go away.

Another reason I love the race is it tends to be a very highly ranked USAT event. :)

And since it has great hills, sure do not have to worry about drafting.

And you can pick the distance you love.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

One year I'll skip the Davis Double and give Auburn a shot. Looks like a lot of fun.

Ill be there! Looking forward to it! Wildflower was my favorite race and im hoping Auburn will be there forever (as i am moving to folsom in the next couple weeks)! Lets drive the numbers and the support for a tough, local race with good people and an awesome early season tough 70.3!

This race is significantly tougher, slower, and more rugged than St George in most ways possible. 2 years ago I've done both (they're a couple of weeks apart), but had a mechanical at StG after which I ended up not having a saddle at the top of the first climb. To give you an idea of that bike course, my bike time at StG without a saddle for ~52 miles was 10mins faster than that at Auburn with the bike intact. Although I did ride a road bike for Auburn, and would do so again if I were to do it. Bring your climbing face on and don't forget to bomb the downhills.

I like Auburn run better, and it's a bit more tough, but it's way short (I had 12.3 on 920xt) and there's some shade on the trails, so slightly faster time than StG on the run.

Idk about World's Toughest, but it's definitely a tough race.

Like any race with hills, one key point is to make sure one has the correct bike gears for hills!!

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Auburn looks like an awesome race and ine I want to try. Its on the plan for 2018.

This year I'm doing Donner half (for the first time) instead. I seem to recall that you said that was a good one too?

Other than that I'm looking at June lake tri, whichbis another amazing local low key race with awesome setting, food, vibe.

I do Auburn and Donner each year.

I love the Donner race, even though coming down the hill scares the hell out of me. The Donner half bike is brutal. And then 2 runs around the lake at altitude,
that is a stud race. I just do the Olympic distance there.

Yes, we still have a few local owned great races, as you stated. BUT, if folks do not sign up for them, well, they will be, IMO, no more in the future.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Sorry for the derail, but how do you feel the bike at June compares to Donner? I loved June, but it was a butt kicker.

If I only had more time, I'd probably do all 3, but driving over a 1000 miles and doing a half on a single weekend gets to me.

I have not done June. Have done IMLT.

Hard is hard, which is why I have a 50/34 11/32 setup on all my bikes. I know I can climb the donner hill sitting down, while so many are standing up while I pass them.
Starts with the smartest gearing.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I'm in! Doing St George 2 weeks before, but want to support cool local races so will recover fast from StG and give this one all I can. Thanks again h2ofun for bringing this one up.

Thanks for racing. Find me and lets say hi. Be careful, I might bite. :) . I will be the old tall skinny guy with a white running hat with the tail on it and in my TeamUSA uniform.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Bump. Yes, #4 for me. Caught a really nasty bug after Oceanside so hoping I can get it together. Love that course and Colleen and Joe are terrific.

Great, hope to see you there

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Auburn is the Southwest Regional CHampionship for Olympic Distance. Been a little misunderstandings, but all cleared up now.
Can I do IMSR 70.3 a week before and survive Auburn on week later, we shall see.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

You can do it! I'm running a half marathon, then St George 70.3 the next weekend, then Auburn half 2 weeks later.......and I'm fat and slow!

Great, we can suffer together. Have great races

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

With more than 6,000 ft of climbing, is this a road bike course or still a tri bike?

I have raced all the distances there on a Tri bike, with disc wheels. I did not have a road bike until yesterday when I modified a tri
bike to be DL now with road shifters. Personally, I have never heard a good reason to use a road bike in any race I have ever done or heard about,
that is a Tri or Du race.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I've done Alcatraz with road bike and with tri bike. Road was faster. Not a lot of flats. With the 28 on the Felt it's not the climber my road bike is, or I'm not the same climber in that bike.

All my bikes have 50/34 11/32 200mm cranks so I never have to worry about which bike to use with gearing.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I've never had a 32. Well, my MTB and Slate have a 32 and then some. I'll throw a 32 on the Felt and see what that's like.

My 34/32 saved my, and my others butt on a course like IMLT with Martis and Brockway. Saves me at Donner. I have yet to talk to a person who races events with big hills that has ever said they wasted their money on having the gearing.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I'm just going to say it. That was a hard f'in race. Altitude. Heat. Climbing. I don't know what it was but I couldn't get anything going. I though of quitting. Every mile. I stopped a few times and just contemplated quitting especially after being lead off the bike course twice by volunteers. Switching to the 11-32 saved me on the climbs, but I hated the gearing for everything else and wish I had brought my road bike, which is a hell of a lot lighter than my tri bike and would have been much faster overall even with the 12-26 on there. Mostly though, it was just a long hard slog and I had nothing to give because it beat me down mile after mile. Please let Wildflower return so I don't have to do this sufferfest again.

Agreed, that was a very hard half! I felt like I was doing a full toward the end of the run. I've never been so happy to cross a finish line!

Did anyone say whether or not the swim course was long? I had a great swim, but still came out of the water about 10 minutes slower than normal. I also noticed that the top guys swam in the mid 30's and the fastest swim of the day was still over 31 minutes.

The guy that got second place had to have cheated on the bike. He had a time of 2:02......I don't think Froome could have done that time on that course.

I'd say a 2:02 is impossible. Maybe he turned right and did the Olympic.

I swam 1.4 miles on the garmin. Don't know if it was long, or because I couldn't see any buoys with the damn sun in my eyes (sun is yellow, buoy is yellow, who thought of this?). Water was pretty nice though, not cold at all.

On the run, when I came off the trail at the river and looked at all that pavement going up up up I thought, you've got to be kidding. The run along the singletrack and the canal was pretty nice. I even thought about walking in the canal and cooling off but wasn't sure if that was legit or even clean.

Yep, this is why I love this race. And some think Wildflower is hard. Let them try Auburn!!

And when the heat was added in yesterday. A guy right behind my on the Olympic who was like 100 yards from the finish at about 10 am went down
with heat stroke and taken away in am ambulance.

From what many folks have said, the swim might have been a little long, but it was the same for everyone. :) I was really impressed with how they marked
the swim course with 3 different colors of turn buoys.

This is the second race in 2 weeks I have done where athletes went off course. When I hit the Lake Arthur turn, when I saw the guy sending folks straight I started asking myself did they change the bike route. I have done the race so many times I got lazy and did not check the maps before the race. I asked the guy which way for the international and luckily he said go right which is the correct way. I looked over and saw folks on the half out and back and kept yelling you are going the wrong way.
Bottom line, we as athletes are responsible to know the course!!! Volunteers make mistakes, etc.

They announced they were not giving out awards yesterday, and have yet to post results. They knew some in the half cut the bike course short. They know some in the international went across the finish line which triggered a time when they were just finishing the first lap.

I feel so bad for Joe and Colleen. The amount of work they put into this race to make it happen is over the top, and I am not sure they even make any money.

The timing folks really seemed to be on top of some of the bike and run time issues so I assume they will get it figured out.

I sure hope they are able to put the race on again next year. I just love events that kick my butt!!!! Donner is the other one they kills folks.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Just talked to another person about the race and the swim. We did have a decent amount of current that we had to swim back up into which would impact swim times
being longer, rather than the course maybe being too long. We say that in the morning with the start buoy being dragged from its correct spot.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I thought the organization was great. I was expecting a cool grass-roots tri and that's exactly what I got. I saw international distance riders go straight when the volunteers were telling them to turn right, so they shouldn't be mad if they ignored the correct directions.

The only issue I had was on the first climb, the bike emporium van tried to pass a car and almost ran us cyclists over. I yelled out "bike support isn't supposed to run over the cyclists!" In a short fit of rage. I think that was just the driver of the van being an idiot.

Interesting. I know the half folks were told the wrong way, but if International ignored the turn right comment I got, well, ....

The guy driving that van is the owner of the bike store. Bad move on his part.

Since they did not do awards, still waiting for results to be put up. Some folks in the half just cut the course.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

The front end of the field in the 1/2 went off course too, probably the top 10-15, except the top guy who obviously knew the course and is somewhat local.

For the 1/2 the problem was at one of the spots that passes over 80, the race sign was incorrect...it was a straight arrow instead of a right turn...and there were no road markings or volunteers at that intersection. I suspect that the race was at the intersection sooner than they expected as ~30 mins later a volunteer was there or something else may have happened. Either way it is too bad for the future of the race as I am sure they could have done without these mix ups on the 1/2 and Oly, with such a great location and a fair course. The volunteers were great and dotted along the course, especially in town and from the swim to T1, they just missing in a couple of critical spots (it happens). Without timing mats on the course (run or bike afaik), they will have no idea who did what.

That guy who won the race is a beast! Is he a retired pro?

Dave he wasn't taken away in an ambulance. We got him cooled off and he went home with his wife fully recovered.

former pro cyclist. He turned pro triathlete this year I believe.

Thanks for that. I did not see him leave and was told he was taken off in the ambulance. Glad he is okay since I passed him on the run and did not
notice issues. But the second guy who passed him told me he did notice issues with him. So close to the finish and third place.

Glad he is okay

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Yep, the bike course, and run course are so hard, it takes a beast to win it. I remember watching Steve Larson eat the course up

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Sorry you had to miss the race.

http://www.bigskyendurancesports.com/...NTRI_INTNTL_OALL.htm

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

This race was a mess.

I'm a huge off brand, grass roots guy but the lack of directional support on the bike course of the half was offensive.

No mile markers, bad directions from volunteers, no clear signs, spray painted turns on the road guiding athletes in the wrong direction.

I was in the top 8 at mile 20 and I know for a fact that the majority of the guys in the top 15 got lost.

This has nothing to do with a racer knowing the course. This has everything to do with the race directors anticipating how to keep people safe and on course. This is the only way to produce a competitive safe environment to race in.

If there is a huge direction course change it must be marked by cones, sticker arrows and volunteers. This is race directing 101. At spots where there are "Y's" or forks in the road there needs to be an arrow and cones pointing athletes in the right direction.

I was so lost, and frustrated by mile 35 I could only imagine what a first timer was going through.
Not to mention the Olympic folks on the half ironman bike course!

I hope Coleen and the group figures it out and offers athletes refunds and an opportunity to race next year. This race has all the potential of an awesome race, but needs some serious support.

If cleaned up I'll give it a go next year, but the bike course needs a major management overall.

Like you, I was near the front of the race when this happened. What should have been a right turn, the course marker / sign indicated straight ahead...and there was no volunteer there until later and no other markings on the road - other places seemed better marked with red arrows, but I didn't see any at this critical junction.

Many of those that went off course, made their way back to transition and called it quits, frustrated.

Based on the numbers - ~200-300 across all events, the organizers (who seemed very passionate) needed to pull off an event without any major issues. With Wildflower returning and based on these course issues, it will unfortunately struggle.

Totally agree. The sad thing is that they seem to not be taking any of the criticism or blame.

Is it a race if everyone does a different course? Check out the Strava for the day, many different permutations of the bike course.

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Member - Teamfirefighter.com

I was one of the top finishers in the half (I think 3rd or 4th) and was rightly disqualified for being misdirected on the bike. I came out of the water in third, passed by one guy in the last few 100 yards with the lead guy maybe 200 yards ahead. My GPS said 1.49 miles in 32 minutes which included the run to T1. I had both the bike and run routes programmed into my watch, but with out and backs and multiple turns at the same intersection, it's too hard to clearly read which way to go. There was a big intersection that had the Oly's going right, but I and the others around me went straight on what I think is the out-and-back 2 miler. We should have turned right with the Oly's but it wasn't marked that way. At that turnaround, which was marked "International Turnaround", we continued straight and went down this awesome windy road to a T intersection with no markings. So I just turned around, climbed out of there and got back on track at the turnaround, while looking to see bike on the other side of the freeway that I never did. I knew my race was toast (DQ) at that point, but I went on to do the run, I guess to get my money's worth out of the race.

So, I was the first onto the run course and crossed paths with the leader about a mile after the first run turnaround and told him he was the leader, not me. He didn't catch me until that long straight asphalt turnaround where I told him I screwed up on the bike course. He had a huge lead as the next two that passed me was along the canal, the second time along there. I showed 12.4 miles for the run which took me a blazing 2:21 to complete. Considering the climbing on that, I'm pretty happy and had I properly did the bike, I would have won my age group (60-64) by a long shot.

So, I know the USAT rule about responsibility to know the course. And there's that rule to follow race official instructions which raises a problem when they conflict, as they did this time. I place that directly on race management for not assuring corner workers knew exactly how to direct the racers. It's not a quadrathlon - Swim/bike/run/orienteering! If racers are to absolutely know the course, why put out any directions, cones, & people directing us at all?

In spite of all that, I loved the difficulty of the bike and run. I used a tri-bike with a 52-36 & 12-27 gearing & a disc (one of maybe three out there) and never felt that wasn't enough.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Don't fret Steve, this f?/k up is 100% on the race director. There is absolutely no excuse for this, a major screw up in the worst way. NO athlete was responsible for going off course this day. If it were my race, I would most definitely offer some kind of offer to the racers.

Bummer

I signed up for this race after a great experience at the half two years ago.I picked this race to use as an option to get in for nationals, as the race clearly promotes its regionals status for Olympic distance.

I over rode the bike turnaround by 5 miles. I specifically asked the nice couple at the turn around which way and she said straight, when I saw the turn around arrow in the road I should have known, but the sign next to the lady also said straight. Not to mention no one was going the other direction yet so I kept going. Then on the run course after you came off the canal section I thought you went back down the hill not up to the finish line (there was just a bunch of sings and no volunteer), so I ended up shorting the run course 1 mi. Bummed as if I add up my times and trajectory for the run I would have won my AG and notched my spot for nationals but clearly I was lost and rightfully DQ'd.

Triathlon at events like these are getting smaller as the sport shrinks and I dont want my money back as I want to keep these guys going but my on-course experience was a bummer, I appreciate the volunteers out there and thanks to them for donating their time but wish for all of us it turned out better.

I have done and family has helped at this race for over a decade. I train on the bike on the course. It really is not that hard of a bike course to understand.
I have done plenty of races where course markings have been messed up on race morning by homeless folks, horse folks, etc. It has happened at the Auburn race
more than once. It happened at the folsom race 2 weeks ago. So easy for folks to point the fingers at volunteers. How many folks have helped at races? Not many!!

Now with that said. Yep, that right turn just about got me since I saw the volunteer telling folks to go straight. But he only did this for the half folks. He told the international folks which I was one to turn right. I yelled at him that everyone should turn right. Anyone who had pre ridden the course would have easily know which way to go and would know that out and back was only for the back end of the half.

I have done enough racing in 20 years that I have seen tons of mis markings, mis directions, etc. This is why the rules clearly state we own knowing the course.

I do feel real bad for Joe and Colleen. Folks have NO idea how much work that put in to do this race, and how much money they have lost!!

I have seen wildflower mess up race results so no race is perfect.

Since I am close to this race, am hoping we get a meeting with Joe and Colleen to see how things can be improved for next year. The swim direction needs to be changed so we do not swim into the sun. Lake Authur intersection needs some real strong helpers to try and get racers to go the right way. I talked to a guy Sunday who was second the year before, but he was going so fast coming back, he missed the volunteers telling him to turn right for the out and back that he got DQed for cutting the course. Since I help at races all the time, trust me, trying to give directions to Type A top talent is NO FUN!!!!! Many are super rude!!!

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

The volunteer told me to turn right at that turn, which clearly is that way on the course map.

I thought the arrows for the run were very straight forward. I had no trouble following them. And there were not folks there telling me which way to go, I just followed
the signs correctly. Again, the course maps clearly show you go back to the finish line to start the second lap for the run.

You can have my spot for nationals. :)

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Wow, you clearly have no idea about the rules!!! We as athletes are responsible to know the course, period.

I have done races where folks in the morning moved markers after they were checked by the race management. I guess you would blame this in the RD?

So many in our world just love to not take responsibility for their mistakes. Luckily all the folks I talked to after the race all were saying it was their mistake that they
messed up racing the course. I hope folks learn they need to take the time to really understand what the race course is since things can happen that are 100% out of control from the RD.

Now, with that being said, that intersection is a major one, and needs to have better volunteers there. Maybe folks that are paid. But still, anyone doing the race and had pre ridden, driven, or read the directions would have know you turned right. No excuses.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I agree. I wanted to love this race for all the reasons stated. But it wasn't cheap and it was poorly run.

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Member - Teamfirefighter.com

Take emotion out of it and be objective. The race organizers clearly screwed up and didn't run a solid event. Maybe a big reason why people don't do the small events, they are really just partially supported training days.

I wasn't in a position to pre-drive or ride the course. Again, I'll state that there are two conflicting rules - Know the course and follow race personnel directions. When they conflict, you panic, you are moving and need to decide spur of the moment what to do. I went with what I was told and also saw those ahead of me going that way. And, I looked at my route on the watch, but the resolution isn't enough to clearly see the right turn or go straight (plus I really need my glasses to see my watch clearly)

It's seems easy to fix. After the mini is done, most of the outgoing course is the same for half and Int. therefore, there should be no differentiation until they split. Director should have aerial photos of critical turns marked up with exactly how arrows should be drawn and have proper signage packaged to send out with the corner crews that morning. Those guys should have known EVERYONE turns right!

I thanked everyone along the way. The aid stations were awesome! Except for the one guy who said just over that hill and it's a huge downhill - that was that long ass winding asphalt climb - the bastard!

By the way, I talked to the top finisher afterwards and he told me the moto didn't even know the course. He had to yell at the moto telling him to turn right!

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Did you attend the pre race meeting? They talked about the course.

I had the same panic when I was coming up to the turn and saw folks going straight. I asked did they change the course since I did not look at the maps. Luckily when I asked the guy he said international turn right, or I might have gone straight.

There was one volunteer there, an older guy. Yep, he blew it, but we all know volunteers can make mistakes so we had better know which way to go and not just follow others. They will get better folks at that intersection in the future. The race has been put on for over a decade and this has never happened before. I was blown away at how many volunteers they had in order to put on this race. Too bad one mistakes takes away for some the size of the effort to put on this great race.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Yes, I was there. I had studied the map, too. Verbalization, for me, does not lead to good visualization. Pre-driving would have been great, but would have cost me another day and the associated expenses. Best I could do under the circumstances.

I'm not jumping for USAT points or anything, I just like the challenges. So, I'm not really fighting angry. Results are up and I'm not in them. I wish they put the DQs in there with the times, though. It feels like I wasn't even there.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

I was a volunteer at the Gold & Belmont intersection on the bike course. You may remember me saying something along the lines of "towards the top of this hill, you're going to take a right turn onto the bike path just before the white mailbox (or just after the black car, depending on what time you were passing through)".

Clearly, the race directors weren’t able to gather as many volunteers as usual this year. I had no intentions of being at the race until 7pm night before when I overheard that my old triathlon club (who helps out at the race every year) was in dire need of more volunteers. So I texted one of the club members and told them I could help out as long as they told me where to go and when to be there. The next morning, I drove straight to T2, was handed a vest and flag, and was told to go to the Gold & Belmont intersection. One of the volunteers said that I was lucky to get that spot since it was towards the beginning of the bike course and I would be able to leave early. I said, “isn’t it an out-and-back though?” to which this BIKE-COURSE volunteer replied, “Oh, I don’t know.”
So then I drove to Gold & Belmont intersection, ran about 600m in both directions to get familiar with the course at that particular spot, and spent the next several hours making sure everyone safely navigated through the blind turn. It definitely would’ve been helpful to have at least one other person near that spot to ensure that cyclists knew where to go and to prevent cars from speeding through the intersection.

Around 10:00am, another volunteer drove by and let me know that it would “probably be okay for me to leave and head back home sometime within the next hour”. Fortunately, I knew better and realized that racers would still be passing through until about 1pm.

Anyway, the point is that the event was under-staffed and several of the volunteers were evidently not provided adequate instructions. However, this was the third year that I’ve volunteered at this race and it was the most disorganized I’ve ever seen it. Hopefully, the race directors just had an off year and can learn from this moving forward.

Also, thanks to everyone who has been so understanding of the volunteers! I’m sorry that so many of you got led off-course. If the race is still around next year, I’ll make sure to rope along many more volunteers with me so that we can help all of the racers enjoy a safer and fairer race.

Fair comments. The number of volunteers needed for this course is huge. I heard they were short. And if folks do not show up what to do. I brought a bunch of family and friends to help at t1. We got there at 4:45 to make sure things were setup before athletes showed up. Thanks for helping

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I agree the dq should be in the results.

This is a key race for me chasing usat ranking points so it will be interesting to see what happens

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

That is awesome and thanks so much!! I do make sure I say thank you to everyone out there and I even joke with them - aid station workers, "What do you want/need?" Me, "Bourbon!"

there was a dad there with his kid, maybe three years old with a spray bottle. I stopped to let him spray me and gave him a little high-five. I hope it made his day as much as it made mine (a lot!)

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

This is even more messed up than I thought at first. After getting lost when I retraced the route back there was a volunteer at Crother Road directing people to cross over 80 at that point.

Based on that it appears people went at least 3 different routes on the Bike for the Half

1. Straight through the intersection at Placer Hills and onwards past Crother Road ... this is where the majority of the top 15 went. Based on the signs at this intersection and the volunteers/police.
2. Straight through the intersection at Placer Hills and right turn at Crother Road - this was later in the race. This 'cut' the course ... when I retraced my steps from #1 a volunteer was directing the entire race to take this right turn on Crother Road.
3. Turn right at Placer Hills - it looks like the locals went this way, such as someone suggested with the lead rider.

I was in #1 and came back to #2, which is not correct either and is a DQ. Will contact the RD and let them know so I can be removed from the finishers.

Yep, but totally disagree on 3 about locals. We all had the choice to pre drive or ride the route. We all had the chance to be at the pre race meeting on Sat. We all had the chance to review all the maps on line and at the race pickup. I am a local and just about blew it too.

All I can again say is this should show folks just how hard it is for a RD, and why the rule is we as athletes must know the course. The quality of most volunteers is real real poor. They really do not want to be there. So if they help great, but do not count of them to do the race correctly.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I specifically remember your directions and thought they were helpful. I came in way after 10:00am and appreciate you sticking around to help us. I hit the whole course right and finished the race. Thank you!

not sure what you are totally disagreeing about. The people i know that did this during the 1/2 were from the area or nearby, albeit a handful of people that I know. I did attend the pre-race meeting.

If every participant should memorize the maps and course to the level of every turn, then why even have volunteers out there directing people, course markers and so on. When a race official/volunteer/police officer directs people a certain way, what should people be expected to do?

The police officer monitoring that intersection signaled me to proceed straight (instead of turning right). I followed his instructions, but then turned around (to the correct route) about a quarter mile in after processing things in my head. I had the benefit of remembering the route from doing the race in a prior year. Had that been my first time out like the others, I’d likely would’ve gotten lost as well. There are a lot of turns on that bike course and coupled with the lack of support/signage -- I can totally understand the confusion out there. Hopefully, the RD will address this in the near future and the race survives, especially with Wildflower slated to come back next May.

[The post above is applicable to the half-iron distance race last Sunday]

Was thinking about your comments more. If you knew you did not do the race correctly, why at the end of the race did you not go to the RD or timers and DQ yourself?

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Yep, that is the risk we all take if you just count on volunteers, signage etc. So is it the fault of a RD if folks the morning of the race mess up signage? Or a volunteer makes a mistake? If you know the course, have it in our bike computer, carry a map as was on the website, it is our race and no one to blame if we blow it.
I have been hit in races a number of times with all the above issues. Did I go nuts and blame the RD? Nope. If I had cut the race short, I would have self DQ'ed myself rather than see if I could sneak it by the RD.

Again, this has never happened in the history of the race, as Joe stated at the event. Of course they will try to install some more fail safe stuff, but at the end of the day, it still is our responsibility, not the events since things can happen out of their control.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

OK, I figured out what I did...
Did not turn right on Placer Hills, went straight, instead, and continued past the turnaround, marked "International Turnaround", which led me to think to continue straight on Lake Arthur Road. This becomes Cruther Road, which was an awesome winding downhill, to the T-intersection with Placer Hills Road where I saw no signage. Turned around and climbed back out of there to the turnaround marking and continued straight back along Lake Arthur and followed the blue arrows to T2. I calculate I went 37.4 miles in 2:02.
Had I my wits about me, I would have turned left back at the missed turn, cross over the freeway, done the stuff on that side of it and come back, skip the up and back and head on to T2. I would have added 3 miles to the ride, but at least been legit, more or less.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Yes, I am in the same boat as you. Up until a few hours ago I thought it was the Crothers Road turn I missed for the 1/2, someone elses post highlighted that was not the case. When I retraced my steps there was a volunteer there at Crother Road, directing the one or two like myself that returned from that winding downhill in that direction. The entire race was turning right at this point onto Crother. So they made the issue a bit better but still had not corrected the issue back on Placer Hills.

THIS. That intersection is the one spot where the half iron and international bike courses diverge (aside from the turn around point for the international), and only when the half iron racers are coming back to T2. I saw the sign just before the intersection that said "56 Mile" with a straight arrow pointing through onto Lake Arthur/Crother and knew it was going to cause trouble (I raced the international on Sunday). That sign should not have been there at all.

I've raced this several times (both distances), and trust me, even a lot of locals hate training on that course because it is SO HARD. It's like pulling teeth to get friends to join me up there, and we inevitably get turned around on our training rides. That said, while racers are responsible for knowing the course, there has always been a lack of volunteers and signs on that course, especially past the turn around point for the international. I've never had an issue on race day, but only because I try to ride the course a few times before race day.

I don't want to crap all over Colleen and Joe. They truly care, and do everything they can to make this race a truly unique experience, and are super responsive to questions and feedback. They offer a supported training day on the course every year in April. How awesome is that? You can tell they are trying to put on the kind of race they would like to participate in. The food alone was better than most races I've done in the past year (even with the long wait). There is room for improvement; the swim course is always confusing to crummy swimmers like me, and the bike course just needs some better signage. I felt like the international run course was more than adequately marked and manned, at least when my sorry arse rolled through. If someone wasn't at the intersection of the two loops for the run course directing runners, I could see how someone could make a mistake there, but the signs I thought were pretty clear (if you were paying attention to something other than your own suffering).

This is the only race I have ever DNF'd in. Twice. And I wear that as a badge of honor, and will keep coming back. I hope it sticks around, even with all of the competition next May on the calendar.

You're welcome! Glad to have helped.

That windy section just about got me killed with a car passing on a blind curve. I do not ride it anymore. If you take a left on Placer, it goes through meadow vista
and you are right back to the stop folks should have turned right on.

I agree, am surprised folks who did the mistake on the half just did not go do the rest of the course correctly and coming back, not do the out and back ,which only put a few extra miles on their race.

But again, this implies folks knew the course.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I glanced over some comments, so apologies if any of this is a repeat.

This was my 4th time doing the Auburn Half. I pop my head up every few years when I forget how painful the race can be. :) I wouldn't call myself a course expert... but I have ridden it enough to know the major turns involved.

I was one of the ones who went straight through the intersection instead of taking the right turn early on in the race. From past races, I knew it was a right turn at that intersection. Yet, when the volunteers and the CHP said to go straight... well... what was I going to do. I went straight. A few things that went through my head, in no particular order:

- I thought there was a last minute course change, hence the half distance racers had to go straight instead of turn right.
- I also thought possibly the race directors didn't want the half distance racers possibly crashing into the olympic people doing a u-turn on the same route... hence the need to split the course.
- I also thought "maybe" we would do the out and back FIRST, then left turn at the intersection to continue on the rest of the course. I would skip the out/back later on if this was the case. This wouldn't have made sense because it would have the opposite problem where the half people were turning left onto lacer Hills Road while the Olympic people were turning left onto Lake Arthur Road.
- Then I got to the end of the out and back (Crother Road at Hazel Road)... and there was a volunteer AT that intersection (Crother/Hazel) telling folks to take a right turn. This made me think the course really was re-rerouted.

I continued on after I saw that volunteer. I knew eventually I would have to take a left turn. Trying to be clever, I took the wrong left turn (onto Burgen Road) and ended up on a dead end. I backtracked to Crother and continued before eventually taking a left onto Applegate Road, part of the course.

All in all, I still ended up with 55.5 miles: https://www.strava.com/activities/999689521

I think there was a miscommunication somewhere between the race director and the volunteers/chp at that intersection. Things happen, we're all human. I still got 55 miles, and hopefully so did everyone else who went straight through the intersection.

h2ofun/Dave: congrats on coming in 1st!

Totally agree.

A lot of that route is what I train my outside biking with. I leave the park and ride at 80/bell, then take the course past that last left and go up to Colfax. Then back down, including the out and back. It kicks my butt. Have not been out there for a few months.

I thought the number of folks manning intersections, driveways, etc. was amazing! I thought the signage was the best I have ever seen. The issue is compared to courses where they are in the sticks, just go straight, and have no towns involved, those are easy to mark since you just ride for hours straight. Auburn is nothing like that.

I just hope folks realize how unique the Auburn is and help be part of solutions, not helping to kill the race. I have zero desire to just do flat boring races. I love Auburn. I love Donner. I loved Wildflower. Give me hills. Give me heat. Give me a kick ass race that separates the men from the boys. I was amazed in the international how slow most folks ran. Was it the heat? Or that it is just so hard? Either way, I loved it, even though I fell at the beginning.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I was thinking the same thing as I was getting to the top of the hill and ready to turn right. I got lucky he said international go right or I also would have gone straight thinking some of the same things you did.

It was not the RD. Looks like we just had a single, older volunteer, and they blew it! It can be confusing for a younger person. Next year I bet they have a few folks there, which may be my family and friends since they know how to volunteer. :)

Thanks on the congrats. This is only the second time in my career I have won overall. Was really bummed they did not give awards out at the race since I will never get this result ever again. I still do not understand why the run times from everyone were so slow. So far I am having a great running season but, still should have been a few of those bike studs that could run. But, when I looked at last years run results, I think I had like the 3rd fastest run time. I have no idea what is going to happen with rankings. If they are poor, I will really really be bummed!!!!!

Hope to see you back next year. I just hope the race is back next year.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

You rode on Crother twice. Thoughts and prayers :-) I'd rather climb out of Bear River Campground twice than ride Crother more than necessary.

No idea there was a volunteer at the end of Crother telling people to turn right. Yikes. Yeah, that is a major blunder.

I do not see how they could have had a person at the end of that hitting Placer. The race never goes there. Never taken that to the right, so I would have been lost.
And I find Placer not a real safe road to ride on anyways.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

We must be talking about a different part of Crother Road? The part I rode was relatively flat. :)

I edited my original post to say I got to the intersection of Crother and Hazel. There was a volunteer there who told me to take a right turn, which goes over Highway 80. So from the look of things, it really did seem I was on the correct course. If the volunteer had not been there, I would have turned around back towards the original CHP controlled intersection.

It's much flatter, but if I'm remembering the road name correctly, the pavement quality is atrocious. I rode it most recently in April , so maybe it was paved. No idea, but hey, you clearly made the most out of it!

Because as mentioned by others, later on there was a volunteer at this intersection and it looked like this was in fact the right course they were directing folks on to. My first thought was we had arrived at the intersection before the volunteer, esp as the race was now funneling that way.

Likewise! I hope it's back next year also. Was sad when I heard the race director making the plea during the athlete's meeting. Great race, organization is tough, but volunteers were great, albeit a few short this year. There was a volunteer at the second bike aid station filling my water bottle while smoking a cigarette who made my day.

Missed that. But the folks on their phones texting and not helping the athletes I see at every race

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Totally agree. Dave, you are clearly the odd man out here. No one agrees with you and no one cares about your USAT points. This was a race organization issue 100%.

Yep, I love to stand alone than be a lemming. :)

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

There you go again snow flake;)

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

I was thinking about this and I remember a time about 10 years ago when they had to divert the Flying Pig marathon course due to building fire. In that case, if athletes ignored volunteers because they "knew the course" they would have been put in harms way.

It's tough when things happened. But for the few who just think it is always the RD's fault, and take no ownership for their actions/mistakes, oh well, I guess they probably do this in all aspects of their life.

We are just lucky we have so many RD's who are willing to put up with a few Type A .... . I know I will never put on a race again since I got tired of killing myself putting on a race and they Type A's think they are entitled.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Yep, stuff happens in races and sometimes you can't do anything about it. I certainly appreciate the race directors efforts and I'm sure they are torn up over these issues, probably more than any of the athletes who are complaining. I still had a hell of a fun time out there and I'm not holding anyone at fault......just wanted to make a point that there are instances where it is a good idea to follow directions from the volunteers. I definitely got my $$ worth out of Auburn and would go back!

The email from the race director just about summed it up...they took responsibility, but then said the athletes were responsible!


"We do take responsibility for our volunteers and CHP directing you off course and we do apologize. You have to realize that we have over 200 volunteers to help put this race on. Ultimately though, it is your responsibility to know the course."

USAT Rules... Know the course. And, follow the directions of the race staff. Ummm... OK. [rolls eyes]

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

In case anyone was wondering if there was a current, I would say, yes there was.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

We could watch the start buoy being dragged back into position to see there was a pretty good current.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

So yep, this is 100% true.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

That was the exact same intersection where CHP was saying go straight and the old guy at the corner said he didn't know. I stopped, asked both, and got two different stories, meanwhile, as I am talking to CHP, some are going left, some straight, some right. It was pretty hilarious. It is also pretty unrealistic to expect me to memorize so many turns and twists that in the heat of the race (literally and figuratively) I would remember the course the very first time I'm doing it. I looked at my watch, saw that it said 42.x miles, and figured it couldn't be a left turn because course would be too short, we never were going straight, so I went right. My garmin said 54.8 miles at the end so I guess all is good.

Then race sends that email saying they will "let the results stand as is" and I was thinking, what's that supposed to mean. Are they saying there is no confidence in the results?

Thank you for volunteering. Except for two intersections, both turns, every volunteer (and CHP) was really great, especially the added atmosphere volunteers bring on the run.

That is saying the rules state, if you go long, that is just the way it is.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Oh, thanks. Wasn't sure what that email meant. All I know is having that first time feeling of having my ass kicked was really great, like the first time doing Wildflower. Hopefully these races are a week apart next year so I can do both.

My guess is since there were no timing mats out on the bike course, they can't discern what everyone did. So, either let the results stand as-is or DQ the entire long course field (the latter being the less desirable option of the two).

I hadn't even noticed there were no timing mats. I've criticized HITS for that before. Darn.

One of a few suggestions I am going to give to them is exactly this.

For the LC, then needs mats at the bottom of the bear river camp ground, and at the out and back section.

For the Oly, they need a mat at the turn around.

Would not hurt to have a mat at the ends of the run sections also.

Some folks will cheat.

Like any race, if ones swim, bike or run times are within reason, it is impossible to know if folks did the entire course. I remember seeing a person at IMLT 2013 who clearly only did one lap of the two loop course. Since there was no getting out of the water across a mat for the second lap, anyone can easily cheat on a multi lap swim course.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I was DQd and don't even show in the results! Kinda bummed about that.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

https://thepracticaltriathlete.com/...-ironman-races-left/

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep