I think both races are fun. The jump in at Steelhead was really cool....my goggles flew off when I hit the water though. Be sure to hold your goggles to your face when you hit the water.

I can't comment on Racine, but I've done Steelhead twice and enjoyed both experiences.

Steelhead is a good pick for a 1st time at that distance with a low level of difficulty.

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http://www.nunnsontherun.com

Done both and I'd say you couldn't go wrong with either one. Racine does have a history of being hotter'n hell on race day, but this year was perfect. Did Steelhead for the first time this year and I thought it was a good race with the potential to be great. The dive (if you so choose) off the pier at Steelhead was definitely cool - tighten up those goggle straps first though! Top notch volunteers & local support will be found at both races, and both HFP (Racine) and Tom Z (Steelhead RD) put together great events. Any other questions, or if you want more detail, fire away.

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"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare" - Juma Ikangaa

http://www.litespeed.com

I've done both but haven't done Steelhead since they changed to a jump in straight line swim so can't comment there.

Both are excellant races, however IMHO, the nod goes to Steelhead.

Both are equally well run, Lake Michigan swims etc. The Steelhead course is just a tad bit more scenic and the run is a bit more "interesting".

~Matt

Done both last year. Steelhead was awesome but Racine is still me favorite half. The courses are similar for 2/3 of the race, but the run at Racine is flat and fast, while Steelhead has some good hills thrown in there. There are always good pros at Racine. Easy pickin for them and the $5,000 first prize.

Paul

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Looking like a color blind super hero!
Damn triathlon.

I'm biased toward Steelhead and since I've never done Racine, I can not comment on the course. I can tell you the Steelhead is a VERY nice race. We have great volunteers and our course is one of the best in North America. The beach is a great place to enjoy the weekend. Hope you come tri Steelhead for your first 70.3. You will not be disappointed! Z

Where are you coming from?

If you are north or west of Chicago then Racine is much more convenient while if you are south or east Steelhead is better.

I live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago so with Racine it is a easy drive and I can sleep in my own bed. No brainer.

Beyond that the only others difference is whether you care about qualifying for the 70.3 championships and whether you prefer a Saturday(Steelhead) or a Sunday(Racine) race. I prefer Sunday, because I don't want to fight traffic to pick up my packet.

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Swim - Bike - Run the rest is just clothing changes.

nothing like posting and having the rd write back! i guess i shouldn't be surprised about hearing so many positive comments about both.

i did not realize that steelhead is a saturday race. i've only done olys on sundays, this could be a fun switch, but it also means maybe some minor changes to training leading up to the race.

my time will not qualify me for any kind of championships. (shooting for 5-5:15)

thanks for the input.

When does registration open up? any idea of the 2007 date? i'm planning on doing this as my first 1/2 im!

We are planning on opening Steelhead registration in the middle of November. I will be sure to post the exact date so you will know when to sign up! Z

awesome! thanks! i've heard great things about the race and my dad has a summer house about 20 minutes from there, so it is a no brainer for me to do that as my first!

tom,

does it sell out quick? last year i tried to register for philly about 10 days after it opened and i was already 300 down the wait list. i am new to tri and the other small local races i did never closed.

i will not get closed out of philly this year and want to avoid getting closed out of others. how quick do i need to register (am already planning to do it opening day, but just in case)

thanks.

We closed Steelhead about 4 weeks before the race date last year. I assume that it will sell out much sooner this year. Better be safe and sign up right when registration opens. Z

What are the dates for steelhead next year? I think I am finally going to get around to doing the race.

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Steelhead will take place on Saturday, Aug. 4th next year! Z

I did Racine the past 2 years. My impressions about the race:

swim - choppy and wavy if you never really swam in a big lake.

bike - flat and fast. Really the only hills are the highway overpasses.

run- flat and fast. They promote the run through the zoo but you really dont see a single animal, you just smell them once in a while.

Crowd/city - They seem to be into it. A lot of people show up to cheer slackers like me on.

I will be signing up for Racine to do it again in '07. They are doing a bit more this coming year since it is the "five year anniversary". The field was expanded to IM participation size (2200 people). If you want the feeling of a big time race only doing half the distance and paying a quarter of the price you cant go wrong with Racine!!

I did Racine in 05 and Steelhead this year , these are my comps (though they have changed the bike course a bit in Racine since 05)

Location: I'm in mpls so going all the way to St.Joes was about 3-4 hrs longer (chitown trafffic). St. Joes is smaller but has small-town "charm." The park at racine is more spread out and has tons of off-street parking, in some ways easier to get to - but steeleahd does great job of securing the parking lots at the biz parks blocks away from race site. Both have big beaches so kids/family can hagn out at - though Racine has an actual kids park that is popular for parents with small children.

Pre-Race: Racine to me has more accomodation options since Kenosha is fairly big and Milwk is pretty close (I had trouble finding a hotel in St.Joes since I waited till June and ended up with a pretty crappy motel one that my wife didn't like - but this was my fault). Steelhd 70.3 qualifier meant that the great mechanics of insideout are around to help u and they have a big store, but Racine has similar services.

Swim: very very similar - same lake, similar conditions, both nice point to point courses. Steelh has a very long trans (so long that I took off my wetsuit on the boardwalk and ran with it instead of at t1), but jumping in was a fun aspect.

Bike: both in rural settings. Steelh seemed to go on some smaller roads that cause bunching up on the bike this year - I got caught behind some cars and saw some people even passing cars on the left. Racine seemed less busy to road traffic and the only time you were really riding next to cars was on the streets back into town. Both have several stretches of fast roads where u can do you favorite bjorn impersonation.

Run: Steelh was more interesting, but really all it is is that you are running around the town - go up 2 bridges,a small part off the road, and part on a small highway. Racine's 2 laps around the neighborhood make it extremely spectator friendly (nice to have my mom just sit in same spot and see me 4 xs without moving at all), while Steelh out and back require a specator to move around more. The homeowners around the Racine one are great and u see many out with their hoses trying to keep you cool.

Finish: Racine you get to go down a big grass hill that lends itself to good pics. Steelh has this great narrow finishing shute that is lined with people on both sides and it feels awsome to have like 2 blocks of people cheering you on as u finish.

Post-race: Both had good post-race food, etc. Steelh obviously gives u the extra incentive of a 70.3 world's slot - the sole reason why I did that (and got a slot!) this past year vs Racine. Since I was coming from further away, having all day Sunday to drive back was great, compared to rushing to get out so I wouldn't get back too late back to minni - but that is just based on my location. If anything Racine's Sunday race probably makes for less road traffic on bike course...

Volunteers: I really have no complaints and praises for both. The aid stations at both were stocked with ice/food/gus etc. I have done Lifetime (oly) several times and I always think it PALES in comparison to the support u find at steelh or racine.

Temps: OK let's be honest - yes early aug should maybe be cooler - but these races are days apart. This year both were hot, but the weather off the lake can change so so fast - I wouldn't decide on a race becasue of this and if anything would show up with extra gear for any condition (though hopefully late july-aug wouldn't be as volatile as say IMMOO this year vs. last yrs super hot weather).

Either way u can't go wrong.

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//semi retired - old school = http://www.iwilltri.com //

Really can't go wrong...I thought Steelhead was a better bike, harder run...my swim was comparable...but jumping off the pier was really cool...the St. Joe/Benton Harbor (Steelhead) beach is great if you're considering traveling with the family...but Racine also had a beach and the zoo...like I said, you can't go wrong. I will probably alternate from year to year from now on...

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"Fortitudine vincimus"