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Sea to Summit Triathlon is back....
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Please let your friends know. This is the first announcement of the race. If you are looking for a Norseman like challenge and you are an Ironman level triathlete...here you go. Sea to Summit 2.0 Triathlon is back. Its a 1.5 mile swim followed by a 95 mile ride to Wildcat Ski area then you run up Tuckermans Ravine Trail to the summit of Mt. Washington Mount Washington Observatory. Registration is not up yet but the website is done. Go to http://www.s2striathlon.com/our-team.html for details.
Last edited by: Jeff Spicoli: Oct 30, 14 7:13
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Jeff Spicoli] [ In reply to ]
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Jeff Spicoli wrote:
Please let your friends know. This is the first announcement of the race. If you are looking for a Norseman like challenge and you are an Ironman level triathlete...here you go. Sea to Summit 2.0 Triathlon is back. Its a 1.5 mile swim followed by a 95 mile ride to Wildcat Ski area then you run up Tuckermans Ravine Trail to the summit of Mt. Washington Mount Washington Observatory. Registration is not up yet but the website is done. Go to www.s2striathlon.com for details.

Do you have an event date? Also do you get a lift down the mountain, or do you have to jog back down Mt. Washington like they make you do after the Mt. Fuji half marathon (which makes the toughest marathon around a crazy 3/4 marathon). Is the trail run technical or is it just uphill hard.
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Jeff Spicoli] [ In reply to ]
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Wow! This sounds like a great event -- I'm interested!

I figured out the link now -- it works, but it first routes me through Facebook for some reason.
Last edited by: AG Tri Newbie: Oct 30, 14 3:28
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [AG Tri Newbie] [ In reply to ]
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The link worked for me..... Is it not working for others?
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Jeff Spicoli] [ In reply to ]
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Jeff Spicoli wrote:
The link worked for me..... Is it not working for others?

Can you just post event details like date on this thread rather than send us to a website that may or may not work (does not work for me either)
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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Great, I get to respond to Dev, the famous slowtwitcher and triathlete. Nice to meet you.

Here is the direct link to the website: http://www.s2striathlon.com/our-team.html

Date: June 27th 2015 (yep, 6 days after Tremblant 70.3)

Support crew required (wow, just like Norseman !): your sherpa gets to drive you down from the top after the race ("This car climbed Mt. Washington" sticker optional). I'm emailing this thread to my brother right now !

Trail run / climb: This site provides a good overview (http://home.earthlink.net/...gton.html#Washington), but plenty of other resources are available.

From memories in my twenties, the 1st part of the trail (Pinkham Notch to Hermit Lake) is tough, wider and technical but with bigger rocks than usual. I remember a dad with his teen son jogging past us on the way up like 2 mountain goats.
The 2nd part (Hermit Lake to the top) is tougher, with some big boulders, steps on the side of the ravine, etc. You get to use your hands more than once even without poles.

Although I've never climbed up Tuckerman's Ravine trail, we rode it down from the top after climbing up Boott Spur trail in a memorable long day hike with my wife and friends. It can become quickly slippery & hazardous, especially in inclement weather. Mt Washington is a legendary climb. You can begin the hike in shorts & T-Shirt, but as soon as you get above the treeline, you must have a shell & fleece insulation, and I would bring gloves and a hat.

I'm seriously thinking about it, as I'm progressing from Oly to IM distance training (with your sound advice "just friggin train"). Finished last year's HIM Tremblant in just over 6 hrs, without enough run training, which was a great but humbling experience. Brought me great respect for the distance run training and racing. Adjusted my approach to gradually build more distance and hills and just finished a great 16 km run of the Tour du Mont-Royal Brébeuf which got me hooked as I'm looking forward to longer events.

I know that 2 long races back to back is not usually advised, but this one of a kind event makes the endurance sports journey quite interesting. I guess this post is also to make my case so that they let me register...
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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http://www.s2striathlon.com/


From the website:



SEA TO SUMMIT 2.0: JUNE 27, 2015
The Sea to Summit Triathlon is an Ironman caliber/ partially self supported race consisting of a 1.5 mile swim, 95+ mile bike ride and strenuous 5.5 mile run up the “most dangerous” mountain in the East, Mt. Washington. The race starts at 5:00AM on Saturday, June 27th, 2015 at the beautiful and historic Hamilton House in South Berwick, Maine ajacent to Vaughn Woods State Park.


This is not a race for beginners. Participation of a minimum of one half ironman distance race or equivalent race is required for entry into the Sea to Summit. Athletes must have completed a 1/2 IM event in under 6 hours or an Ironman event in under 13 hours.


Sea to Summit 2.0 was developed for those of you looking for a new and unique challenge. It's about standing at sea level and 10-12 hours later standing at the top of the highest point in the Northeast. This is an intimate race, with a limited field size of 100 pre-qualified athletes.


There is no rain date and race mangement reserves the right to modify or shorten the race course in case of inclement weather or unforeseen circumstances; and to accept or reject any entry. No transfers or substitutions will be allowed. There will be no teams allowed and the mininum age of entry is 18.


Edit: added info from the website

Francois-Xavier Li @FrancoisLi
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." George Bernard Shaw
http://www.swimrunfrance.fr
http://www.worldofswimrun.com
Last edited by: Fix: Oct 30, 14 3:32
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Fix] [ In reply to ]
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Jeff Spicoli] [ In reply to ]
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looks entertaining. the swim sounds like the sleeper. river swims are tough. much more "big water" than lakes and ponds. especially if its not a down-current route.

what's the bike route like? probably pretty punchy in that area?

and i assume people have tried to 'run' the Mt Washington trail. what's the record for that? versus the average hike time. that will probably help with predicting results.


paging tri_yoda. he may know.
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [dsmallwood] [ In reply to ]
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The swim is a light tidal current. We will work it so that it is balanced as its an out and back. The bike is punchy but there are no really steep hills believe it or not. In the past the fast guys got up the mountain section(Visitor center to summit in about 1:15).
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [dsmallwood] [ In reply to ]
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The bike is punchy but really nice. It's the final climb up Pinkham Notch that's the toughest part. Pavement can be pretty good around there. Not sure where exactly it's safest to start using route 16. I'd probably take the 153 route as much as possible, though it's a little more climbing.

The hike is great. I bet it's pretty fast at the beginning. Then it gets to be a tough scramble. Then continues to be tough. 1:15 is impressive as hell. The best Strava for it right now is 1:21, for 4246 feet of vertical gain. After 95 miles on the bike, that'd be tough...
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Jeff Spicoli] [ In reply to ]
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WOW.. This is exciting!!

I grew up in Wells Maine. Unfortunately my race calendar is full for 2015.. You better be around for 2016!! I was planning my iron debut at ICDA that weekend, but Sea to Summit looks like so much more fun!!

Will this be USAT sanctioned? Draft legal?

I can't believe I have to wait 19 months to race this awesome race!!

Austin Hardy -

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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Aust1227] [ In reply to ]
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1:15 was a guess as we dont time people on the actual mountain. We used to time them from Dana Place Inn to the Summit. I did 1:27 when I was running a 3:15 marathon. So 1:15 is doable I bet. This is for the 4.4 mile Tuckermans Ravine trail.
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Jeff Spicoli] [ In reply to ]
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My brother-in-law did the original event way back when (2000-2001) when it had a sea kayaking portion instead of the swim, bike and run were same as the reboot scheduled for next year. He said the run up Tuckerman was absolutely brutal where it is basically on all fours in some points due to the steepness of the grade. He also said it was a great event and definitely something different.



"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler

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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Brian in MA] [ In reply to ]
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Bump
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Philsnick] [ In reply to ]
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Philsnick wrote:
Great, I get to respond to Dev, the famous slowtwitcher and triathlete. Nice to meet you.

Here is the direct link to the website: http://www.s2striathlon.com/our-team.html

Date: June 27th 2015 (yep, 6 days after Tremblant 70.3)

Support crew required (wow, just like Norseman !): your sherpa gets to drive you down from the top after the race ("This car climbed Mt. Washington" sticker optional). I'm emailing this thread to my brother right now !

Trail run / climb: This site provides a good overview (http://home.earthlink.net/...gton.html#Washington), but plenty of other resources are available.

From memories in my twenties, the 1st part of the trail (Pinkham Notch to Hermit Lake) is tough, wider and technical but with bigger rocks than usual. I remember a dad with his teen son jogging past us on the way up like 2 mountain goats.
The 2nd part (Hermit Lake to the top) is tougher, with some big boulders, steps on the side of the ravine, etc. You get to use your hands more than once even without poles.

Although I've never climbed up Tuckerman's Ravine trail, we rode it down from the top after climbing up Boott Spur trail in a memorable long day hike with my wife and friends. It can become quickly slippery & hazardous, especially in inclement weather. Mt Washington is a legendary climb. You can begin the hike in shorts & T-Shirt, but as soon as you get above the treeline, you must have a shell & fleece insulation, and I would bring gloves and a hat.

I'm seriously thinking about it, as I'm progressing from Oly to IM distance training (with your sound advice "just friggin train"). Finished last year's HIM Tremblant in just over 6 hrs, without enough run training, which was a great but humbling experience. Brought me great respect for the distance run training and racing. Adjusted my approach to gradually build more distance and hills and just finished a great 16 km run of the Tour du Mont-Royal Brébeuf which got me hooked as I'm looking forward to longer events.

I know that 2 long races back to back is not usually advised, but this one of a kind event makes the endurance sports journey quite interesting. I guess this post is also to make my case so that they let me register...

I would like to do this YES, 6 days after Tremblant 70.3 BUT I really need to know how technical the uphill run is. I have no issue with the uphill part, but as i have some nerve damage in my left leg from an accident 3 years ago, I no longer risk technical trail runs in training nor and have to avoid races with them. It's just not the risk of damaging my body. If the footing is good I AM IN for sure. This is exactly the type of event I crave...AND perfect hard day before IM Whistler...the 5.5 mile uphill run may take a lot of time, but the pounding will be zero.
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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Sorry to hear that you're still impacted.

Then I hate to disappoint you but this trail is very technical, more so if racing it. It is definitely not a path, but a rock ridden hiking trail. Folks running it faster than hiking pace have probably done it quite often or are very strong and agile trail runners. I'm considering light hiking boots instead of running shoes if I'm not confident about my foothold on rocks with my trail shoes.

It's best if you see it (or better do it) first.
Here's what I could find quickly, others may suggest better examples :
Pic: That's an average view of the first part (below Hermit Lake).
: Family hike on that first part (easiest) ending with some of the section leading up to the bowl (hinting at what comes next)
Video 2: Longer but to the top of the mountain. 2nd section starts after 7 min mark approx. Big boulders, exposed and definitely not flat.
Note that I now remember how frustrating it is to see tourists around the top in sandals and high heels after all of the effort you've done to get to the top. I wish someone would have told me about that beforehand.

Honestly, if you're even slightly concerned about your ankle/foot health and racing season, I would only register after having hiked it at least once.
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [dsmallwood] [ In reply to ]
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dsmallwood wrote:
looks entertaining. the swim sounds like the sleeper. river swims are tough. much more "big water" than lakes and ponds. especially if its not a down-current route.

what's the bike route like? probably pretty punchy in that area?

and i assume people have tried to 'run' the Mt Washington trail. what's the record for that? versus the average hike time. that will probably help with predicting results.


paging tri_yoda. he may know.

The Mt. Washington Road race is longer and less steep (7.6 miles on the road).
The Tuckerman's trail is about 4.5 miles long with 4600' gain, so it is really steep.
I have actually never hiked Tuckerman's, as it is not a good winter route (I have
been on Lion's head and various routes in Huntington), but it is just
going to be a steep hike. Thousands of people do it every year, it is not that big a deal.
(as long as the weather is good)

Although this race is hard, I think it is being a little over hyped. It is way easier than an IM.
Fast "hiking" will get you up Tuckerman's in about 2.5 hrs in good conditions and. I would think
running up it in about 90 minutes is very doable.
The record for the 7.6 mile road race is 56:00 and typical times are a little faster than your HM time.
The road race is just on the edge of what you can "run" faster than powerwalk (unless you are a
true elite). With Tuckerman's being even steeper, and off the bike, it is just going to be a
powerwalk. Mentally, even though it is up, this seems way easier than trying to run on
a flat when you are tired. Maybe that is a hikers mentality, but that's how I see it.

If I wasn't in OR I would definitely do this race. Sounds fun and it is definitely different and
nice to have an offering that is put on by a local RD, not some corporate franchise.
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Jeff Spicoli] [ In reply to ]
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 I won't buy a license for any race. So really hoping this isn't USAT. Also, any idea when registration might open?
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [tri_yoda] [ In reply to ]
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tri_yoda wrote:
dsmallwood wrote:
looks entertaining. the swim sounds like the sleeper. river swims are tough. much more "big water" than lakes and ponds. especially if its not a down-current route.

what's the bike route like? probably pretty punchy in that area?

and i assume people have tried to 'run' the Mt Washington trail. what's the record for that? versus the average hike time. that will probably help with predicting results.


paging tri_yoda. he may know.


The Mt. Washington Road race is longer and less steep (7.6 miles on the road).
The Tuckerman's trail is about 4.5 miles long with 4600' gain, so it is really steep.
I have actually never hiked Tuckerman's, as it is not a good winter route (I have
been on Lion's head and various routes in Huntington), but it is just
going to be a steep hike. Thousands of people do it every year, it is not that big a deal.
(as long as the weather is good)

Although this race is hard, I think it is being a little over hyped. It is way easier than an IM.
Fast "hiking" will get you up Tuckerman's in about 2.5 hrs in good conditions and. I would think
running up it in about 90 minutes is very doable.
The record for the 7.6 mile road race is 56:00 and typical times are a little faster than your HM time.
The road race is just on the edge of what you can "run" faster than powerwalk (unless you are a
true elite). With Tuckerman's being even steeper, and off the bike, it is just going to be a
powerwalk. Mentally, even though it is up, this seems way easier than trying to run on
a flat when you are tired. Maybe that is a hikers mentality, but that's how I see it.

If I wasn't in OR I would definitely do this race. Sounds fun and it is definitely different and
nice to have an offering that is put on by a local RD, not some corporate franchise.

It sounds a bit too technical for my nerve damaged left leg...I was hoping it was a flat surface (in terms of texture, obviously not steepness) trail. Ideally we would have just run up the Mt. Washington auto road for the run leg. In a sense that would be cool because there would be benchmark times to compare to in terms of the running race.I am still intrigued...is the trail continuous uphill or any small downhills...even if there is 10 feet of technical downhill that makes it dangerous for me.
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Jeff Spicoli] [ In reply to ]
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The lower section of the T.R trail is definitely runnable if you are good at hopping from rock to rock. The ravine....nope. You are climbing but just hand grabs and scrambles. Not technical by any means. Above the headwall it turns into huge granite holders some the size of homes. It is negotiating up and over those that brings you to the top. This race is no where near as fatiguing as a marathon towards your legs and there is no pounding when you go uphill. The recovery from S2S is only a couple of days for a well conditioned athlete. Show up not in shape, and your quads are not going to let you finish the hill.
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Jeff Spicoli] [ In reply to ]
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Also, this race is sanctioned through USAT. Its for insurance reasons.
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Jeff Spicoli] [ In reply to ]
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Could two racers have the same "sherpa"?
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Re: Sea to Summit Triathlon is back.... [Jeff Spicoli] [ In reply to ]
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I thought about this some more and you can dismiss my input.

My thought is that across North America, endurance athletes know about the climb up the toll road. The hike up Tuckerman's only locals are aware of.

Let me give you an example. There are many amazing hikes form Bourg d'Oisans that take you up to and beyond Alpe d'Huez....but the Alpe D'Huez tri is not making you take those routes. None of us who are not local know any of those routes...we want to go race there to go up Alpe d'Huez.

At your event, you have the Toll road, which is known for both bike races and run races across North America. While modeling this after Norseman might sound good, I think the main attraction there is the Toll road....if athletes could run up this, that would make the run part of the race really compelling, because they will be running and not hiking/power walking.

Having said that, I THINK you have chosen this route because you don't have to try to get a road closure, which would likely be impossible, given that people will arrive at the foot of the climb over a span of perhaps 3 hours and the differential in the run splits would be 2 hours, then you're looking at closing the road for 5 hours or so.

But if you could get a road closure, I think running the toll road makes the race that much more of a draw, because of how well the toll road is known in the endurance world. Frankly I don't think that 100 runners running on the extreme right over 5 hours even needs a road closure. I've run/hiked half way up on the road and down (at the time my wife who was with me did not want to keep going further given the downhill), but not sure if we were there illegally.....but that was 1991 so things obviously change!!!

...and yes, I do have a vested interest, but when I first opened the thread, I thought the run would use the climb or we would get to ride part way up just to destroy the quads (because everyone will be stupid and show up on standard cranks and a 11-23) and run the rest.

So is the main issue the difficulty in road closure ?
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