I'll be there. Doing the double for the third straight year. This will be 4th in a row for 70.3. The first 2 miles of the bike are ever so slightly up hill, and there tends to be a healthy head wind at that time in the morning. Just settle in, bc it can be a long day if you worry about your speed at that point. Also.....try to enjoy barracks hill. Nasty gravel road on the run. Stay positive when going up, it's all downhill after that. Good luck.

im in, ive done the sprint every year for the last 7 years, doing the half this year as a training check for imfl in November had some injuries and im way undertrained so im just gonna have some fun and enjoy it

Thanks. I have decided to just walk up any hills on the run, even though the course looks pretty flat. Today I had my last hard workout (59 mi bike/5 mi run) before the race, and I feel good, so I hope that means the race will go well.

Good luck to everyone out there.

Ive done this race and the club I belong to has a great showing every year (Buffalo Tri Club). Im friends with the people that run this race (ScoreThis) and they put on awesome races that are very well organized. Its not a hard race but the weather can suck in terms of rain and heat. There is only one small climb on the bike and the trail through the park is rough so secure your bottles. The run has a couple small hills but nothing serious. Have a great time. Its a family event.

Great race! My favorite. Good luck.

I wouldn't necessarily call the run "flat", but it's not crazy. Barracks hill is fun, and you wouldn't be the only one walking that one.

The weather is looking good.

Good advice to not be concerned about your bike speed early on....you catch back up on the 2nd half of the ride. Yes, secure your bottles...the trail through the park is bouncy.

It is a super race....my favorite half (including the WTC 70.3s I've done). I'll be there for the sprint this year.

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Chris Harris

Make sure to add to the mural wall though you might want to hit it at an off time. The micro-race Friday is fun. Bring a tricycle and the craziest outfit you can conjure up. Friday also has a good kids race if you're bringing family. I hope the weather for the half is better than last year. Lots of rain and high winds. The lake boiled.

There is something on the FB page about needing a parking pass for the race. Is that something that I should have reserved? We won't get into town until the middle of the day on Saturday.

no you can buy your parking pass at the packet pickup. You get one with registration, you only need an extra one for spectators etc if they are coming in a second car

Whew. It will just be my husband and I, so we should be good. Thank you.

How does the course compare to Timberland, syracuse, etc.? Harder/easier bike/run, etc. Looking forward to the race. any other tips?

also how tough is barracks rd and do you recommend the grassy hill or the stairs at mile 3ish?

last question

anyone know if there is live tracking?

Not in the past, but they have a new-fangled ankle bracelet thing this year, so I don't know.

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Chris Harris

I only did Syracuse its first year, and I think the bike course has changed since then. Syracuse was tougher that year.

Barracks Rd. is a hill....it's not soul crushing or anything and they have entertainment on it, too. I usually run up the whole thing....you pass a ton of people and then it's downhill to the finish.

Stairs.

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Chris Harris

I do love a race that ends on a downhill. However, I work and live on top of hills, so I am used to running up hill even when I am tired. That usually gives me an advantage.

I am a little nervous about the 8 hour cutoff, even though I am aiming for 6.5 (hey, I'm a 42 year old woman, that is still mid pack). I have never done any kind of race that has taken more than 4 hours, so I keep wondering--what if something goes wrong? What if there are stormy conditions in the swim and I have mechanical problems that take a while to fix? What if I blow up and have to walk the last ten miles? What if I forget to take enough salt tablets and my blood pressure crashes? OK, that one I know the answer to--DNF.

I go back and forth between feeling completely prepared and completely panicked.

The ankle bracelet takes the place of the traditional timing chip. It's a neoprene wrap with the chip embedded inside. They unveiled the new chip system at my last race (Tri in the Buff). I found it a little bulkier than the neoprene ankle straps that I own but never really noticed it after I put it on. I don't believe it has any more power than a regular timing chip, in terms of function or tracking.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

It's a fantastic event. I've raced it the last 5 years. I'll still be there this year, but I'm unable to race.
I'll have a tent for Reach Multisport in the team area along the finish chute again. It'd be great if anyone here wants to stop by and say hello.

It's a bit misleading to say that it's all downhill after Barracks Road. It's rolling for a couple miles after that with a net elevation loss, then it's pancake flat with very little shade the last 2 miles along the lake to the finish.

The run isn't a killer, but it's no joke either.

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Don Larkin
Reach For More
http://www.reachformore.fit/
USAT Lvl1 Coach, NSCA-CPT, NASM-CPT, BS Exercise Science

Agreed. I've done either the sprint or the half almost every year for the past 9 years.

You're right about the run. After Barracks, it's easy rollers, then there's a hill through HWS up to Main St., then it's flat along Main St., and then downhill back to the lake, where it's flat as can be. It's one of my favorite run courses.

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Chris Harris

How did the race go for everyone? I finally was able to go sub 5 on that course and found a nice rubbing brake pad when I picked my bike up after the race. The rub wasn't nearly as bad as the rub was for the sprint the day prior....but..I guess thats what I get for not riding my bike outside at all this year. The brakes get sticky.

Not sure how I missed this thread BEFORE the race as I was watching all week, but oh well.

This was my first half. I had it in my head that I would love to finish in sub-6 but since my longest run all season was only 6 miles I was realistically thinking I should be happy if I came in under 7. Well I managed a 5:52:45. I was quite please with my time, though my run was very very very ugly. I actually surprised myself on the swim. I cam of the swim and saw 32' on my watch and thought it had to be wrong. The bike went very well for me as well. I had ridden it two weeks earlier and it took me 3 1/2 hours. I did it in about 3:10. Not too bad since it was only the second time I'd ridden that distance. It was the run that got ugly. I made sure to take in plenty of nutrients and electrolytes but right around mile 6 (which also happened to be the longest distance I had run this season), it all went downhill. The last half of the race was just a struggle to work through continuous leg cramps (extreme fatigue I assume since, as I said, I took in plenty of salts) and left knee ITB issues that were very painful. While I managed to come in under 6 hours which was my ultimate goal, I'd like to do it much more cleanly next year. I'm planning for Syracuse and maybe Pleasantman next year. If I can continue to build up throughout the winter I am hoping I can get through Syracuse and maintain a run. I think my time would be significantly better if I can maintain a 8min/mile pace as opposed to an average of 10 min/miles. Plus I plan to FINALLY buy a true tri bike next Spring (instead of riding a road bike with aero bar attachments )so I am expecting next year to be an exciting year.

Overall I thought the race was great though. Very well organized and just a great group of people all around. It rekindled my excitement for Tris again (not that I needed much fuel for the fire :)