There was some issue with using the same pond as last year. There was also some conflict with the local canoe rental businesses. IN any case the plan now is to have a one-transition race at Smithfield beach (where the first IM 70.3 Pocono was held) and the finish about 2 miles away at the Shawnee Inn.

I actually like this setup better anyway as the logistics are way easier to deal with (two transition races are annoying). The only trouble with this is now we have to climb out of the valley instead of starting with that screamer downhill like last year.

They updated the maps. Www..challenge-pocono.com/athletes/course-maps/

Def a river swim now. The bike starts with a climb not the 4 mile decent as it use to be. And only one transition.

Hopefuly this will be better.

Well what did people think?

I had a great day out there. Pretty much couldn't ask for a better day. Granted I raced the Oly so I was done way before it got hot. The half guys sure had a warm day to work with.

Swim in the river was damn near perfect. There was a slight current, but that served to keep the water incredibly clean and clear. You could see the bottom of the river 20 feet down. The swim upstream was no big deal. Yes I was slower than I would have liked but I'll take it for the nice fast and relaxed down-river long leg. The half course simply went just a bit farther upstream before turning around.

Bike - I love this bike course. The initial 5 miles were challenging with some good rollers and one big climb. The road surface on Community Drive (about 1 mile long) was rough but serviceable. Would have been nice if the local authorities patched some of the gaping potholes on River Road but the race organizers were at least able to mark them well with yellow spray paint so they didn't pose a problem. The ride on rt 209 was just fine, and I really appreciated the entirely closed course so I didn't have to worry about checking for cars when I passed someone. I turned around at the 10 mile mark, but the half course simply went out farther before turning around and coming back. As one of the faster Olys I was working my way through a big crowd of slower half racers. Once I got to that turn around I was in a much clearer space with very few people ahead of me. Last 5 miles were the same as the first just on the way back. This made for a very fast return if you were able to handle the screaming descents while negotiating some nice curves. This was a cyclist's course for sure.

Run course was appropriately difficult for a race with "mountains" in its name. There were two monster hills to run up and I am proud to say I gained places on both hills while I watched a couple of guys whither a bit trying to figure out how to climb a 12% grade on foot. All that time I spent years ago hiking in the mountains in the Poconos and New Hampshire, etc paid off here. Took 9th OA in the Oly and 2nd AG so I am pretty pleased with that.

Excellent organization, great race in general. I will be back again.

nice review noofus, and congrats on your finish! 2nd AG and 9th OA is a pretty good day for sure :-)

i'm considering this race for next year (probably half). any comments on spectator friendliness, host hotel or other hotel suggestions? I'd be with wife and 3 kids (9, 6, 2).

The day was great. majority of that course is shaded, but you could still feel the heat/humidity.
The swim felt longer then it should have been, but that was also up river for 600m...very clear and nice swim
bike was challenging for first and last 4-6mi. road was very choppy in some parts. I got a flat early which sucked but was able to swap it out easy and continue on. when you get on to 209 its a straight hammer fest. it was flat to rolling terrain and the pavement wasnt bad. i saw 1-2 draft packs that pissed me off but whatever, what can you do.
run- be ready for some hills. its a pretty hilly course with 4-5 mi on trail/loose rocks. again its mostly shaded but if its hot/humid it catches up to you eventually.

for logistics...it was my first time having the finish line in another location. i didnt like it but managed. highly recommend staying at the shawnee inn. you get a shuttle from the hotel to transition. the shawnee inn is where the finish is so you car will be there...

overall good race experience, but wont do it again. timberman is the same weekend and live in new england. much easier choice for logistics as well.

I did the 70.3 on Sunday so I can comment a bit on it although it was my first 70.3 so I don't have much to compare it to. Finished third overall and had my best tri yet so I'm definitely biased towards giving a positive review as a side note. The swim was perfect with little to no current and very clear water and the buoys were easy to spot (a little into the sun on the way up river but no problems at all on the way back which was longer anyways). The single transition location was great (I had read people complaining about multiple transitions before) although getting back via the shuttle system was a little annoying since the finish was 3 miles downstream. The bike course was fair. As others stated the actual hilly sections were the first and final 10k in and out of transition, and the closed highway was mostly very gentle rollers which I thought just kept you awake and had a great surface to ride on. There were two splits/stretches of course off the highway on the way back (see the course map) that gave you some shade. The run was definitely fair as well if not on the more hilly side. First 2 miles flat then some big hills along the cinder path mostly all in the shade as well. Then coming back out onto the road after 10k it seemed much harder the second half of the run, but could very well just be the fact that I was 4 hours into a race of a length I hadn't done before... So thats my analysis of the race course itself -- definitely fair but I thought a very very good course overall. I thought the weather was perfect as even though it got up to high 80's much of the run was in the shade when it started getting the hottest and on course support was very good with plenty of options. Can't comment on hotels as I slept in my car the night before... The hotel at the race finish looked nice though and I saw plenty of families there. It is at the base of a ski resort so I'm sure there are plenty of options and the town nearby had a solid ice cream place perfect for post race called sweet creams cafe. I'd love to go back although I'd also like to be in a race with pros next time just to see how I stack up and I think it adds another dimension/ legitimizes it a bit more as well, but that's just my opinion. Cheers.

I have to admit I have no idea how spectator friendly the course is. It generally isn't something I pay much attention to. The host hotel is actually really nice. It's no Hilton or Marriott but it is a clean and comfortable place. An old inn with plenty of charm. It was really nice to be able to finish the race, walk across the lawn, and get into the hotel to go shower and change before coming back out to watch the finish line activities.

One really nice touch is that the hotel opened its coffee shop at 5am on Sunday for all the athletes so there was coffee and pastries for sale (and they accepted room charge so you didn't have to run back to the room for money or anything)

I did the Half last year and the Oly this year. I think I like this configuration of the course better. The river is much cleaner than the pond we swam in before. The pond was above the main road, and the river is naturally below it. So of course the river swim added a rather large hill to the race, but as a strong climber, I liked having a hill to pass people on early :)

Great race--was my first half, and I couldn't imagine a better overall experience. Beautiful location, great organization (with some hiccups, mostly due to them figuring out some of the course/transition details late in the process).

We stayed at the Shawnee Inn, which is right at the finish/expo area. It would be a very convenient location for your family to stay, and there's lots to do on site (indoor pool, a few restaurants, a brewery, golf, other outdoor activities). It's seen better days, but it's still a reasonably nice place to stay. So, if you stay there, the race is very spectator-friendly in terms of amenities for your spectators.

The course is not particularly spectator-friendly in terms of actually watching the race. Spectators could watch the swim start and T1 (at Smithfield Beach, a few miles up the road from the Shawnee Inn), and then the run at about mile 6 (Oly finish) and the finish, back at the Shawnee Inn.

As I said...beautiful location: