Water was always upper 60s, low 70s - perfectly comfortable. Original start was at Hemmingway Harbor - loved that mile long, super steep climb to wake up to riding after the swim... Boulder Beach is where most tri's in Lake Mead start, they don't have to shut down the major harbor for all the boaters. The bike course is not the same as the old Silverman Course, and quite a bit easier without the Three Sisters and the bike path (in my opinion - have not done the new course, but have plenty of experience on the old course.) And the run is also much different - we used to have a 13.1 loop, with more plenty of hills. It wasn't the climbing that was hard, it was the descents. For people who have done the new course, we would drop down Paseo Verde to Valle Verde (past the park where the turn around is), then climb up Horizon Ridge drive to where the turn around for the new course is. Drop down Green Valley, cross the road onto the bike path, then climb up (I forgot the name of the road) above the Target on Green Valley, keep climbing... A short little descent, turn around, climb back to the high point, drop all the way below the Green Valley Station Casino, run through the District, short little descent, climb back up to the bike path and then cross over to Green Valley - A lot harder of a course for sure.
It would be nice to have the real Silverman, complete with a full back. I'd do another road tri if that came back. But the Silverman Gang (the only ones who have completed all six editions of the full) have jointly decided that this isn't really "Silverman" We were spoiled. There will be a reunion if the full comes back though...
Vale!
Tracy T
http://www.thelencoaching.com Some light reading:::
http://www.tracythelen.blogspot.com