I flew up to Chicago this weekend to see friends and family and figured I'd fit a race in as well. I didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised.
http://www.lakezurichtri.com
Pros:
-Easy to get to and excellent parking across the street
-Well attended: I'm guessing ~800 people (maybe more)
-Great course overall
-Swim: clean lake... a bit warmer than what the "official" temperature... but clean and a fair course which was a triangle
-Transition: ran on nice soft grass between swim out and T1. T1 was reasonably well thought out.
-Bike: awesome course frankly. Totally closed to traffic. Some rolling hills, a few sweeping turns, and the pavement was in shockingly good shape.
-They only gave out first place awards for age groups and top 3 overall. For anyone who's sat through St. Anthony's awards ceremony, this is a huge plus =)
Cons:
-The run course was actually great as you ran around the perimeter of the lake and you were mostly in the shade. However, the course needed to be better marked in my opinion. I was one of the first people out on the run course and I had to ask volunteers for directions (seriously!) on two occasions and in one instance the volunteer ended up yelling at me to make a left after I'd gone about 100m past a turn. This probably wasn't an issue for most of the people because, like any run course, once the race gets going it's obvious where to go.
-I'd also say that the aid stations were oddly placed. The first one was right next to transition and I'd guess the second was around mile 1 of the 3.2 mile loop around the lake. Maybe I'm wrong on that but just seemed like odd placement.
Minor stuff:
-On the odd chance the RD reads this, the beach start needs to be shifted north about 20' so that people on the right don't get boxed in by the dock on the right side of the beach.
-Also, this is just a general complaint but it needs to be stressed to the first timers to ride right and pass left. Put it in the packet... heck, shout it at everyone when they leave T1 :)
Overall it's a great race for anyone in the upper midwest and I'll definitely be back in the future.
http://www.lakezurichtri.com
Pros:
-Easy to get to and excellent parking across the street
-Well attended: I'm guessing ~800 people (maybe more)
-Great course overall
-Swim: clean lake... a bit warmer than what the "official" temperature... but clean and a fair course which was a triangle
-Transition: ran on nice soft grass between swim out and T1. T1 was reasonably well thought out.
-Bike: awesome course frankly. Totally closed to traffic. Some rolling hills, a few sweeping turns, and the pavement was in shockingly good shape.
-They only gave out first place awards for age groups and top 3 overall. For anyone who's sat through St. Anthony's awards ceremony, this is a huge plus =)
Cons:
-The run course was actually great as you ran around the perimeter of the lake and you were mostly in the shade. However, the course needed to be better marked in my opinion. I was one of the first people out on the run course and I had to ask volunteers for directions (seriously!) on two occasions and in one instance the volunteer ended up yelling at me to make a left after I'd gone about 100m past a turn. This probably wasn't an issue for most of the people because, like any run course, once the race gets going it's obvious where to go.
-I'd also say that the aid stations were oddly placed. The first one was right next to transition and I'd guess the second was around mile 1 of the 3.2 mile loop around the lake. Maybe I'm wrong on that but just seemed like odd placement.
Minor stuff:
-On the odd chance the RD reads this, the beach start needs to be shifted north about 20' so that people on the right don't get boxed in by the dock on the right side of the beach.
-Also, this is just a general complaint but it needs to be stressed to the first timers to ride right and pass left. Put it in the packet... heck, shout it at everyone when they leave T1 :)
Overall it's a great race for anyone in the upper midwest and I'll definitely be back in the future.