I can imagine! That is a crazy run and I think if I saw it in the daylight I would never do it! But that giant pagoda on the side of the mountain is just so freaking cool!!!!

Patti

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Patti in NJ

Okay, thank you for posting this! Apparently the half bike course is the same as originally posted on the web site. Cool Beans!!!!

Patti

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Patti in NJ

meh. last fall the race started about 90 minutes late, reasons unknown. the swim sucked. racing on the shoulder of the course as cars passed you on left (didn't realize there was portions of the course with unclosed roads or maybe there was an area cars were entering that was unknown?). one water stop on each of three loops, volunteer was MIA on my last loop so i rode 18 miles with no water.

not worth the price of admission.

With the weather we have been having, and the weather outlook for next week, we are in for a VERY cold swim...

Should I send a WAAAAHHHMBULANCE for you?

It was a $150 fee for a half distance race. You are expecting Ironman 70.3-level accommodations? Rock star treatment?

The race started late due to police issues getting the roads ready. Out of their control. And you expect them to close all those roads for about 200 people racing? Really?

And you couldnt carry enough water yourself for a 56 mile ride on a cold day?

I hear Bassman is good, But in my experience every Citytri event I have ever done is the most disorganized event I have ever been to.

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Yellowfin Endurance Coaching and Bike Fits
USAT Level 1, USAC Level 3

Anyone know if it is possible to register onsite for the international distance on Sunday morning? I didn't see anything on the website...

You would probably need to call them. Active.com is showing you can register up until Saturday though.

Do we have an official water temp yet?? Got the email but wondering where we are at. I'm signed up for the half and 30min in that cold water seems pretty terrible haha

Facebook posts from CityTri indicate they measured 65 degrees in the water today. I am not sure I would count on that being accurate since its supposed to be rather chilly all week and rain.

I did the half yesterday and have to say I have mixed reviews about how the race was run, specifically the volunteers. I thought the course was great. The water temperature was perfect, the bike was nice and flat and had enough volunteers to direct you on turns, and then run had a nice mix of "trails" and road to run on. My big issue and I guess this is what to expect rom a smaller local race was the volunteers on the run course. One volunteer on the run course had no clue where to send people (didn't affect me) but my girlfriend who was spectating had to complain to the race director to get it straightened out. On the run course the volunteers were mostly sitting down and in some cases not at the water station at all. I guess I am used to Ironman 70.3 support but I have never had a race with so few water stations, water non existent or self service stations. If it was a hot day I know I would have been in trouble with dehydration due to this. I think for anyone looking to do this race in the future, it wouldn't hurt to carry your own water bottle on the run. Otherwise a good cheap local race and nice course.

I did the Bassman Half as part of a relay team (I was the bike leg). It was my first experience with a City Tri race and I can assure you it will be my last. I am accustomed to the smaller, local races but I have never seen any race so completely disorganized and poorly run. Believe me, I am not usually one to complain but I will let everyone know that this race is a waste of time. It's a bit of a shame too, because from what I saw of the swim and bike course, the setting is great - it just feels like these people have never put on a race before and yesterday the RD announced this was their ninth year!

And to top it all off they apparently did not time my relay team so it was just an expensive training day! How did everyone else make out?

Patti in NJ

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Patti in NJ

In general the Bassman race is a bit "spartan" in terms of amenities. I look at it as a full-scale training day anytime I do it as it is. I also know that the on-course support is minimal and one must be prepared to carry anything that might be needed.

The fortunate thing is both the spring and fall races are never hot, so its not hard to carry all the hydration you might need. I would prefer if they simply added a couple porto-potties onto the course. A few at the bike turn around area and a couple at the two far endpoints of the run course. Also some better support at the water stations. Other than that I really dont have a complaint.

I have done this race 4 times now and never thought it was a waste of time, but expectations have to be reduced. This isnt an Ironman event. You arent going to get rock star treatment. What you are going to get, for the modest race fee, is the ability to go out there and do a full-scale training day. The spring race works well for a pre-season tune up. The fall event is good for a nice end-of-season no-pressure race.

I am not entirely sure what you thought was disorganized about it. They seemed to keep everything moving pretty well, at least from my perspective. Sucks that your relay team time got messed up though.

I did the half yesterday and it was my first 70.3. Pretty low-key event with some really friendly people. Weather turned out great. Didn't get really windy until later. Lake was cold but not unbearable. Nice and clean. It was a good intro to the distance and I thought it was OK overall.

Pre-race was basic, but fine. Lots of nearby parking and fast check-in.

I thought the swim was way too crowded with the multiple loops and multiple events going on simultaneously. Maybe I'm spoiled by my past two events, but I was in almost constant contact and couldn't get into a swim tempo.

Bike course was fine except that the first couple miles are extremely bumpy with "inverse speedbumps" like indentations. Really rattles the hell out of you. Maybe a re-route in the future? Biggest issue on the bike was that two times (for me) the volunteers were chatting and not paying attention at an intersection. I don't like to harp on volunteers but you need to pay attention on a course that is open to traffic at intersections.

Run was fine but a little confusing with all the turns into and out of the trails. I misread a sign and ran an extra 2/10th mile on a trail. I'll share the blame on that one. Some stations were staffed others not.

Post race was crappy. Some food in a crockpot and picked over bagels.

I will not do this again unless the swim is staged better and, more importantly, they secure the transition area. It was somewhat "secured" pre-race, but anyone who resembled a participant could walk in or out without question. No one checking bibs against bikes, especially post race. When they were breaking down the transition area there were tons of bikes in there and people coming and going without any personnel to check on them. Not sure if that's CityTri or this event, but very concerning and a deal killer for me in the future.

I did the half yesterday and have done them in the past as well.

Always looked at it as a catered training day.

Transition was a bit crowded but it was more to rack hogs than RD. Guy next to me brought a storage
container....and the guy on the other side had a turkey wrap sitting on top of his towel!
(I did come back after the bike to find the fence had blown over on our racks!)

Swim....maybe the cleanest water you'll swim in the mid atlantic region. I got bumped once yesterday.
If you get jostled here you're doing something wrong. Water temp = perfect! 62 degrees?

Bike....3 loops of desolate roads in good shape... a few bumps here and there but overall a very nice bike course.

Run....alternated between macadam and hard packed sand through a camp ground in a state park.

Aid stations....they were a few out there unmanned thus self serve....the volunteers in the past were awesome
not sure what happened to them...cheerleaders from a local high school.

Awards did take forever - but - I'm guessing the folks that did the timing are to blame....surprised cause the timing
folks have been around since chip timing started.

Speaking of awards....Do you really need an awards ceremony.....I like the format where they post results...you see how
you did....go to a table...show your number....you get your award and go home.

I did the International event. I don't have high expectations of small local events and am always willing to give the RD the benefit of the doubt. Half the contracted police officers didn't show up so we were started a half-hour late. I think he pirated a lot of the volunteers from the run course to man intersections that were supposed to be handled by police. Were things a little disorganized? I suppose. There was a dog in transition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt9CZqkvXkw (you can see him here). Apparently the wind blew part of the transition fence down, and the run course could have, evidently, used a little more direction. However, I pre-read the course maps and really had no trouble following the International course for either the bike or the run. The only thing I really didn't like was the fact there there was nobody from the race monitoring gear coming out of transition. It would have been an easy day to upgrade if you wanted.

I try to reset my expectations that I don't need to have my hand held for the entire race day. Things were adequate. I've done worse events and I'll probably do Bassman again next year. The location is fantastic and it was nice to be able to camp within a mile of the start.

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Pete Githens
Reading, PA

anyone that did the half, did you see people cutting the course?? its pretty sad people were doing that. I know on part of the run past mile 6 you were in no mans land. the turn around out there had no one around, not even a cone...sucks for those who cut the course, what was the purpose of it? to get a PR? when you do a real race in the future and see how much slower your time is you will look like an idiott. ANYWAY, the race was ok. will i do it again? yes. were my expectations met, yes. it is not an IM branded event. you get what you pay for. it was a great early season race for everyone in the northeast.

I did not see anyone cutting the run but it certainly could have been done. I thought about turning early since I ran an extra .2 mile by mistake but stuck to the course anyway.

I have not done an Ironman-branded race (and have no intention of doing so) but I still was pretty surprised at how sloppy the organization was. I'm happy with my day though and I had already practiced on the course twice previously so I did not have any surprises on race day but I know a lot of people were complaining during the race to the RD about the run course. To each his own though, I will spend my money on other races (but probably still use those roads for training!) ;-)

And it looks like a wonderful park for camping!

Patti in NJ

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Patti in NJ

Yeah me and a buddy camped in the south side campsites. it was great. real cheap for 2 nights and we walked to the start which was awesome. highly recommend.

Anyone know if they posted pictures from the race somewhere?

http://uscandids.com/recentevents/event/134-bassman-triathlon

FYI, there were 6 DQs for not completing the entire course so some people got confused, didn't care to complete the course or got caught cutting it.