Not yet... But I plan to ride it on monday to check it out.

Well... I TRIED to ride the course today... had a major navigation issue with my edge 800 ( a bike computer with GPS that I had loaded the course route into ) not liking the fact that the course starts on park roads and bike paths for the first 7 miles. So without me noticing it rerouted me around all that nonsense (I can't say I blame it) and before I knew it I was way off course. By the time I figured out what was up and got back to the start I had already put in 17 miles. (Yep... that far off course, I'm used to blindly turning where the 800 tells me to go and its never failed me). Anyway... I didn't have time at that point to ride the 56 mile course, plus the ten miles to get back to the car (its a point to point).. so I rode the first 20 miles of the course, and then doubled back.

So my initial impression (of the first 20 miles) is that this is going to be a quite challenging bike course. You're pretty much either climbing or descending. There is very little flat or slight uphill/downhill to the first 20 miles. 1800ft of climbing in the first 20 according to my computer. If you like shifting a lot this is the course for you!

I'm hoping to try and ride the course again in a couple weeks when I'm back in town and I'll post my impressions then if you like...

Sorry... meant to have a real report to post... but the day had other plans apparently!

Nick, I think you may have rode the old version of the (new) course. I rode the one that is now posted on the race website yesterday and the bike goes directly out of the park and over rt 146. From there it takes a right on Louisquisett (sp) Pk. It does not appear to follow the bike path as in previous version...either way you are right in saying there are a lot of ups and downs in the first 20 miles.

Overall it is a really nice, fair course. Most of the decent hills are in the beginning. The rest of the bike is a mix of rollers and a few nice flats but it is a bit more challenging than the course that started in Narragansett. A few sections provided a decent amont of shade. The road condtions are fanstastic (for RI) with a couple of notable exceptions...Central Pk in Johnston and the final 2 miles into Providence. There is a 1 mile section of road on Central Pike that looks like it got shelled. I truly hope the road is repaired because it is an awful stretch. The approach to providence is a mess...nothing new there.

Traffic: the entire route was fairly quiet until you got back into Providence. Should not be as much of a clown-show at intersections as it was really light on Sunday morning.

VM

Doh! Thats exactly what I did! I definitely rode an older version of the new course. One I saw on Tri-NEs discussion forum. Thanks for the info!

Yeah. like the others have said, lots of up and down. Some "tough" climbs but mostly rollers. RI is famous for short and steep climbs, really tough to stay consistant with the watts. The roads are New England roads, never know what to expect and unless someone gets a envelope with $$ in it, they aren't getting fixed before race day. I ride the route weekly so I am very familiar with it, some of it will be tough be doable. Oh, and with the epic start from Lincoln Wood, it will be fun to see how they keep race morning smooth...

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

hi- i rode the first half as an out and back. very hilly! not all that scenic and the road was quite chewed up. i see from the website that the last couple of miles are the same as last year- bad, bad road conditions unless they have done some work on it. i used my training wheels last year and am planning on doing the same this year- just not worth wrecking the race wheels.. have not seen the last half though as it was not on the website when i was in provid
ence. good luck!

Thanks for info. Any guess on total elevation for the course?

Mr. Garmin says approx 27xx or so...

Estimate probably around 1500-2000ish, not too sure on the exact total. Nothing really sustained, mostly up and down. You will find that getting into a good steady pace will be tough and keeping watts consistant is not too easy. Plus, as stated before, some of the road really sucks. Unfortunately they don't put road conditions at the top of the list of maintenance items for the year and instead to half assed patch jobs. Though once you get into the Scituate area the roads can be quite nice, Providence downtown will suck pretty bad.

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

Thanks to both for the total elevation estimates. Really looking forward to my first half!

so the beach at Lincoln Woods (the swim start location) has been closed yesterday and today for high levels of bacteria already....

not a good sign this early in the summer, and can't say it makes me thrilled about potentially swimming in it a month from now.

Ugh.

Any sense of water temp?

Can't find online record of lake temp and want to know whether this is likely to be wetsuit legal or not.

My GUESS is that it won't be wetsuit legal.

I'm basing that guess off the fact that other lakes we swim in around the same area are already warming rapidly into the low 70s. By raceday I'll bet it will be just warm enough to not be wetsuit legal. It will be close though.

Of course all this assumes that its even safe to swim in there at all... or even if it is technically safe whether we'll want to swim in it.

Has anyone checked out the run course? It appears that this is a new course also. I tried to get elevation on gmaps pedometer, but it isnt coming up.

bikeroutetoaster.com is fairly fast and gives you cumulative gain (unlike gmap). But it doesn't take enough points and tends to underestimate total gain by about 20%, especially if there's lots of up and downs along the way.

runpartner.com is better, but a little slower, though it gives you a closer estimate (probably about 10% low).

Most websites simply don't collect enough data points to give you an accurate estimate. Though if we're talking about 1500-2500 ft of climbing over 56 miles total, it won't be too far off. When you're trying to map epic 5 figure days though, you get a huge range of estimates across different sites.

---

___________________
Twitter | Kancman | Blog

The run course is new this year... I have only run a few small sections of it as part of other runs, but from looking at the route there are a couple of decent hills in it but nothing as bad as the hill up Angel st from a few years ago. I plan to run the loop next week and check it out. I certainly wouldn't call it flat by any means, but its nothing to worry about. There will be pretty much zero shade on the course so if its hot on race day its gonna hurt! If you want to see an elevation map use one of the popular mapping tools such as mapmyrun.com and draw the route in and then look at the profile.

Nick - do you have a Garmin or another instrument that would allow you to track your run? I'm interested. Last year was brutal

I do... but rather than wait for that... why not just draw the route in mapmyrun.com or mapmyride.com? Very quick and easy, and instant elevation profile.

I probably won't run the course till maybe this weekend or wednesday of next week.

I've never understood why all races don't include elevation profiles in the course maps... but that's another thread.

I'll probably run the course tomorrow as part of my long run for the week. I'll have my Garmin on me so I can probably give you some data.

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

Both the new bike course and new run course are already available for viewing in mapmyride.com and mapmyrun.com.

Bike: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/36750230
Run: http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/36766010

If I screwed up the links, let me know and I'll take this post down, so I don't give out bad info. I checked both of these routes against the listed course descriptions from the race website, so should be correct.

thanks need

I actually ran it yesterday.

I screwed up a bit as it was pouring rain and street signs are somewhat non existent. (rain made it so i didn't bring my phone and thus couldn't pull up a map).

Anyway.... there is about a 1 mile hill starting at mile 1 to mile 2. about 200 feet in elevation. Then another short hill at the end of the lap. The rest is coming back down the hill or very flat.

Here's the elevation on the garmin site. As I said, I screwed up a bit (particulary around brown university) as well as at the end over the river because the road didn't have a shoulder or sidewalk and it was sketchy with cars. But that whole last section is flat.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/94473507

I will try to run it again on Tuesday, now that I know the correct route. to get an exact profile. Aside from the one big hill, and the short steep bit at the finish, it's fast. Good thing is by the 2nd lap (about 8 miles in), it'll be easy going terrain wise.

---

--
MyGearGarage - Track all your gear!

This is a great recon and good news. Now let's hope for decent swim conditions and some nice weather. Thanks very much.

Thanks for this info. Tried to ride the bike course on Sunday but didn't know how to get turn by turn direx on the garmin. Built course in biketoaster from mapmyride and loaded onto garmin. Anyway, made it to snake hill road and then wrong turn at albuquerque and ended up in sketchy-ville and then on a frickin 4 lane highway! Hope to try again on Sunday morning. The pond and transition area looked ok. Lots of swimmers and no flesh eating bacteria that I could see.

This will be my first HIM. Have done a few shorter races, but never done one that requires day before registration, bike drop off, bike/run bags, shuttles, etc (read last year's guide). Will read the new guide and attend a pre-race meeting, but just wondering if there is any good IM race planning article/wesbite to help with getting one's shit together before getting down there. Thanks!

I'm pretty sure it doesn't require bike drop off that is optional. May require T2 / run gear drop off though. Need to double check.

Bike course isn't too bad to follow. Rather than GPS, I just made a cue sheet based on mymyride (0.27 turn left, 22.3 turn right on such and such.) Pretty easy to follow. Then end is shady though.... but no 4 lane roads.

I will try the run again Tuesday. Might do the bike Thursday. Not sure.

---

--
MyGearGarage - Track all your gear!

Good advice on cue sheet. Will do this time.

Since swim/bike and run finish are miles apart, I am going it alone and staying in providence, what makes more sense: Drop bike off day before/take shuttle from providence (no bikes on shuttle, I believe) or park at pond and try to find ride from run finish back to pond after race over? Thanks for advice!

In fact, here's my cue sheet (should be publicly accessible). Obviously adjust the mileage from the exact start point. The first turn out of lincoln woods is the first item. So you might be plus or minus some distance.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2191721/PVDCue.pdf

---

--
MyGearGarage - Track all your gear!

Thanks for the cue sheet. Really appreciate it!

Any update on water temps? Sounds cuspy, but we are getting close to the actual date and I don't think it is supposed to get too rediculously hot in the next 10 days.

the last few miles leading into town on the bike suck, very bumpy, potholes, I saw a fair number of bottles/co2 that popped out in there.
the swim is nice, last year they had a good number of buoys so sighting was great! not like 1 half a mile up, but 1 every 100 yards or so.

Any suggestion for a place to stay for the weekend?

No idea on water temps... my GUESS from swimming in another pond in Providence recently is that it will be right on the edge. Probably 76 degrees or so.... Hard to know though... I'm just guessing.

As far as places to stay go... depends on what you want. Ideally if you want to be near the finish line I'd see if theres room at the Courtyard Marriott in downtown Providence, or the Westin or Biltmore. Not cheap options, but not awful either and all within walking distance of the finish line.

If you just want a cheap place to stay and you have a car... look in Lincoln, Warwick areas as there will be lots of cheaper options there I would think.

Pretty much anything in Rhode Island NOT on the far southern or eastern ends of it is within a 30 to 45 minute drive of the finish and start areas.

I stayed about a mile from the T1. biked over to the start. my wife then drove over to T2.

keep in mind last year T1 was in Narragansett, whereas this year its in Lincoln. T2 is in the same place though. Last year's swim was an ocean swim (I wish this year's was too!), and this year's is in the pond in Lincoln Woods Park. Bike course is different too... but the last few miles are still pretty nasty as its impossible to get into Providence on a bike without some degree of nasty roads.

Not doing it this year

Is it possible/advisable to ride the course the day before the race? Thanks.

Yes!!! Especially if you are in my age group!!!!

Seriously though... there's no reason other than tiring yourself out you can't ride the course the day before. Just be carefull in the last ten miles or so as theres a lot more traffic and obstacles and crappy roads as you get closer to Providence.

Is it advisable? Riding 56 miles the day before a race sounds like a pretty bad idea to me! Not exactly the best way to taper and rest up for the race.

You'd be better off driving the course and taking your bike along to figure out any technical sections. I rode the course 2 weeks ago and it's pretty straight forward. You might want to look at the last 10 miles as Nick said because it can get tricky. Oh, and please don't ride the course the day before (unless this is something you do/have done). You should be resting of at most doing a little job to shake out your legs, not riding 56 miles.

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

Thanks. Just to clarify (and I realize my question was poorly phrased), I'm not racing on Sunday (my wife is). I was just curious if I could get a ride in on the course on Saturday (my plan calls for a 3 hour ride). Wanted to make sure there weren't any non-rideable roads on the course (like the West Side Highway in the NYC Tri). I might do the race next year so I figure a chance to preview it could come in handy too. Thanks again.

Oh, now that makes more sense. Yeah, you can ride the course. I'm not too sure if due to the race there will be any issues with roads but on any given day you can ride it without issues (except potholes, traffic, etc). In fact, I may ride the course on Sat as well (also not racing).

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

Couple questions for those in the know...

1. The bike course description appears to have A LOT of turns, are these more like "bear left, bear right" type turns or is it that twisty?
2. If I drive to the swim start and leave my car there, how easy is it to get back there from the finish, say via taxi?

Thanks.

---

Thanks to Euro-Sports for my H3Cs.

http://www.euro-sports.ca

1. There are a decent number of turns, but navigation isn't really all that tricky until the last few miles when you get into downtown. I have to imagine that portion of the course will be marked very well. It doesn't feel super twisty to ride other than the usual few turns at the very beginning and the last few miles. There are several sections where you are on the same roads for a long time.

2. The athlete guide is now available online at www.ironmanrhodeisland.com which details parking, shuttles and other info. I don't know if you will be allowed to park inside Lincoln Woods on race day, but assuming you are a taxi will not be inexpensive. My guess would be $25-50 bucks. I'm thinking I'll park at the finish line area or Amica HQ and shuttle to the swim start.

What I'd like to know are the EXACT locations of the bike aid stations. They don't appear to be available online anywhere other than a statement saying they are every 15 miles.

What's the situation as far as water quality, temps for the swim. I know there was a lot of concern about the swim and I heard the lake was close in early June due to high levels of bacteria. Is it OK now?

Looks like the beach was closed for one day this year. It should be ok if there are no downpours next week.

http://www.ribeaches.org/closures.cfm

Based on the way the roads are being described should I be riding on my training wheels w/ puncture resistant tires or will I be ok on my race wheels with race tires if I avoid potholes? Not sure if the conditions are so bad that it�s a no brainer to be on the puncture resistant tires (broken road, glass, potholes).

I rode the course on my race wheels... only time I was remotely worried about them was the god awful section of Central ave towards the end of the bike that looks like it just got shelled. Apparently they have called that area a "no pass zone" in the rules. I would ride slowly and cautiously through that area. Its so lumpy its like riding a bucking bronco with wheels. Its only about a half mile long but if feels more like 2 miles long.

I didn't see a lot of glass, and although there are some potholes if you're paying attention to where you're going you'll be fine. Be especially carefull of all the railroad tracks and junk on the road as you go through the last few miles into Providence at the end as like any other major downtown area there's a fair amount of crap in the road.

Again... stuff to watch out for is the Central ave section, and be aware and carefull on the last few miles into town. Other than that its much like any other course.

Looks like we have to pay for the shuttles? Really? A $300 entry fee and they want some more money from me so for a quick shuttle ride....thats crap, should be free for athletes

O wait! I can get a free shuttle from Amica in Lincoln, but there are no shuttles back to the parking lot after the race, this all makes so much sense

Acccording to the athlete guide, there's a bag for you to put your clothes in at T1 that you can pick up at the finish. Do they also deliver your wetsuit?

---

“Read the transcript.”

I am not doing the race this year but the past two years- yes they will bring your wetsuit to the finish. It works like this: two of your bags go to T1 transition area with you. One of them (called Morning Clothes Bag) gets stuffed with everything you need on race morning but do not use to swim or bike. Drop this off when you exit the transition area to go to swim start. After you swim and are transitioning, stuff EVERYTHING except your bike into that second bag and leave it at your rack. Both bags will magically appear near the finish line. Have fun!

Do you recommend using a 11-27 cassette? I did the race last year on a 11-23, but if it's a lot hillier I may "upgrade". Thanks!

Is there is a good line to take on the final few miles on the crappy roads. i.e. can you ride on the outer edge of the road to avoid the potholes? Thanks.

PS - are there any updates on the water temp?

---

4 x Kona Qualifier

Unfortunately there is no one line better than the other. Your best bet would be to drive it to get a feel for what you are looking at. As for the water, don't have an exact temp but based on the other lakes and ponds in the area it should be nice and comfy with a slight chill at first. I have found it to be perfect temps to swim in the past few days.

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

Thanks, Nick. I did the course two years ago and have a vague recollection. As for the water temp, do you think it will be under or over the 78.1 wetsuit-legal temp. Thanks!

---

4 x Kona Qualifier

I would expect it well below 78.1... Though just speculation. There are high temps here this week though. I would be hard pressed to believe it will be higher than 70 though.

---

--
MyGearGarage - Track all your gear!

Thanks. I am in Narragansett for the week, but I had no idea how the heat would affect a smaller pond like Olney.

---

4 x Kona Qualifier

FWIW, don't forget that this is a WTC race. Wetsuit legal cutoff temp is 76.1, not 78.

I road the bike route the last few days and did the entire route this weekend. I would concur with most of the comments regarding the rolling hills on the second half. I live a few miles from Route 102 and it is pretty good shape. I question whether or not you will be able to get the full benefit of tri bike over road bike for this course. One thing is for sure, Central Pike/Ave is a complete mess! Watch out from start to finish going down this section of road (Central Ave) it is in really bad shape.

Tri bike for sure. The hills are not bad at all.... Rolling, but fast.

Reading the athlete guide - the worst part of Central Ave is a no pass zone too (which is good as I'm sure people would have been crashing into one another trying to avoid holes). Though - every race I've done, there are always people who ignore the no pass zone (generally riding in a group anyway....).

---

--
MyGearGarage - Track all your gear!

UGH!! Lincoln Woods was closed today on Wednesday 7/6 due to high bacteria counts. here's hoping its open again by Sunday.

They say they'll be re-opening the beach tomorrow.

Oh yeah... That gives you the warm and fuzzies.... Please please please.... Bacteria drop to just below the hazardous level.

Three words... Post Race Diarrhea.

Actually if you look at the readings on the official Rhode Island Health Department website thats not how it works... I forget the unit of measure used... but the levels go something like this..

6 - Normal, Beach is open
500 - Giant spike and the beach closes.
6 - Levels return to NORMAL (NOT just below the closing point) Beach reopens.

I'll feel fine about swimming there if the beach is open.

Speaking of which... the levels this morning look promising and I expect the beach to reopen shortly.

http://www.ribeaches.org/...cfm?beachID=RI304386

Levels are back down to 7 from a spike of 548

Yeah... Don't know much about corruption and Rhode Island much, do ya...

Gee, and you did not notice something "Strange" about the closures????

Lets play a little game and see if you can "FIND THE PATTERN"

6/22/2010 - Beach closed - re-opens 6/23
7/22/2010 - Beach closed - re-opens 7/23
8/25/2010 - Beach closed - re-opens 8/26

Hmmm... Just a "coincidence that they "test" 4 times per month, and roughly every 4 weeks the beach is closed.... Hmmmm

This year.

6/7/2010 - Beach closed - re-opens 6/8/2011
7/6/2010 - Beach closed - re-opens 7/7/2011???

Yeah... No... I don't see a "pattern" forming... nor would there be any "pressure" to re-open to collect money... especially in this economy... Yeah... Politicians would never do that...

And what are the possibilities and coincidence that the beach closes roughly EVERY 4 weeks during the summer????

Nah... They wouldn't possibly do that to give the "impression that the water is safe.

Like the water quality there... "smells like s^&t" to me.,

Actually its highly likely I know a lot more about Rhode Island than you presume I do... I've lived a large portion of my life here and am very familiar with how the state operates.

I also think your theory is flawed. While you have a point that the beach has closed around the regularity with which they do the testing your pattern does not extend very far at all.

In 2011 the beach has been closed twice.

In 2010 the beach has been closed three times

In 2009 it didnt close at all

In 2008 it was close once.

Hardly evidence of a pattern or some grand goverment conspiracy.

Anyway... I'm not interested in continueing this debate any further. Think what you wish. I'm currently focused on positivity, and I'm very very excited to be back to racing after spending the entire beginning of this season rehabbing from a run injury. So I'm going to focus my thoughts on what I can control... CRUSHING DREAMS!!!!

LOL well growing up in Mass and having friend who are/were RI politicians and lawyers who work closely with the RI State Government.

Funny how you fail to see that the beach closes basically every 30 days during summer last year, and the pattern has continued this year.

I can understand since they are testing 4 times a month that the frequency may not be greater, but when you see a pattern

2010
Test
Test
Test
CLOSE
Test
Test
Test
CLOSE
Test
Test
Test
CLOSE

2011
Test
CLOSE
Test
Test
Test
CLOSE

Hmmmm... Yeah... No coincidence there.

Not to mention that on the website, they show the beach re-opening the next day. Funny. When I see other lakes, ponds and bodies of water get closed, they are often closed for days to resume normal. Mass is also different where they require TWO clean days in a row before they will re-open a closed body of water. How interesting that Rhode Island "opens" it back up within 24 hours. Yeah... No issues there.

I'll just have to focus on setting a PR swim so I don't spend as much time in the water!

Ok... I'm bored while I wait for it to get stupid hot before I get my last bike workout in before the race... so I'll go one more round with you....

Pattern? you are only looking at two years worth of data. I suspect because after those two years of data the data no longer supports your theory. Funny... theres almost ten years of data available online. None of which you talk about.

Also... whats the motivation for this grand every 4 week corrupt government conspiracy? Theres no admission charge to Lincoln Woods, no parking fees, and no fees to use the beach and pretty much no income to the state or town from the beach except for the little concession stand there. So whats the motivation?

RI Politicians certainly have a history of being corrupt... but I'm pretty sure they have better things to do than create eleborate water testing schemes. I'm pretty sure they would rather get kickbacks from towing and construction companies. Its much more lucrative. Seriously dude... its three days out from race day. Howbout showing some support for your fellow triathletes racing instead of spreading nonsense theories with no factual proof. There is NO grand scheme here. Even our largest and most lucrative beaches... the ones that charge and get 20 bucks a day for parking and outrageous concession fees get shutdown by the water testing folks. Almost always after heavy rainfalls or other weather related incidents. The water testing folks do their job. PERIOD.

Ok... Its 88 degrees now... time for me to continue to acclimate to our recent heat wave and get out for one last short bike/run brick. I've got dreams to crush... even if its only the dreams of the BOPs and MOPs. They still count!

Let me simplify this for you.

This body of water is "supposedly" tested week during the summer.

Since January 2010, there have been FIVE months of tests and EVERY MONTH has had a failure. In 18 months, in EVERY MONTH this body of what was test, it has FAILED AT LEAST ONCE.

100%. 5 for 5.

I could care less what the water was like back in 2004. Nor do I know that it was tested. What I can see is for the last two years, in EVERY MONTH the water was tested it had a FAILURE.

June failures are HIGHLY irregular as well. Late July and August, make sense... But to have two years and two Junes with back to back failures? That is BAD WATER.

SECOND Pattern is the fact that it appears every 4 test fails. Over a two year period, that is very suspect to the point where it appears that it is NEVER really clean, but they are just covering their a$$. Last year in particular I would have expected Test 4 in July and Test 2 in August given the weather.

I suppose we can find whomever is responsible behind the grassy knoll... Are you guys done now so people can actually talk about the race?

Someone mentioned throwing a 27 cassette on, interested to hear if a lot of people and using different gearing in anticipation of the hills.

Not so much a "conspiracy theory" as it is there are a lot of "no-show" government hack jobs and would not surprise me to see that proper testing was either not done, or that they re-opened it after a failed test just as a matter of fact that a "day" passed. I swim in a sh&thole up here that fails for either e coli or cyanobacteria (algea blooms from fertilizer and nitrate the gives GI problems) and when ever there is a failure, they test every day and need to have two "clean days" before reopening, and these failed tests do not clear in a day. Cynobacteria tends to be more prevalent with heavy rains (washing fertilizer and animal waste into the water)

If you are running a standard, 27 should be fine. Good luck in the race

I went to school at Bryant (bike course goes right by it on Route 7) so I rode most of these roads for the past 4 years. Yes there are a few decent hills, but it really shouldn't be too hilly of a course....wind could play a factor in sections though

Why in the world did they switch the swim to this cesspool, isn't Rhode Island known for it's sea coast?

Did the pond re-open or not?

---

“Read the transcript.”

The Rhode Island Department of Health has it listed as reopening on 7/8 (tomorrow). So theoretically yes, the pond will be reopening.

I'm on my way to Providence this afternoon and just saw that they were having severe thunderstorms. That can't be good for the water quality, good grief!

Yeah I heard from some friends in Providence that they skipped their open water swim this morning in another pond due to heavy downpours and thunderstorms. I had the same thought. Oh well.... All we can do is hope.

If you look at the boh website there is no re open date...I am bummed this race looks bad...bad bike...bad swim...lots of turns in run...why didn't they leave it alone? so are we supposed to swim in this bacteria frappe?
http://www.ribeaches.org/...07062011_034517.html

They should just decide on going with Plan B and dump a few truck loads of Chlorine in this $%#& pit!

Anyone go to expo yet? They say anything?

I'm heading down there in a bit. My guess is they're going to wait till the last minute to say anything or make any decisions, but I'll let you know if I hear anything.

Just got back...so far nothing. The first briefing starts in a few minutes so I am sure that it will be brought up.

Good luck to all this weekend.

VM

Just saw here that they re-opened the beach.
http://www.ribeaches.org/closures.cfm

Is there any sense of water temp, or did they give any indications at the competitor meetings?

Curious to know if this is going to be wetsuit legal or not.

Excited to race, dirty water or not!

I was in the race off all morning, got to speak with the course director about why the new course. Long story short is it was all they could do. The swim was changed due to too many people crying about having an "ocean" swim and being scared. The bike route could have been better but on the route they wanted to use, 3 separate churches signed petitions NOT to have the race come through their area. The police backed this petition after an incident last year when a cop was punched by a guy who was so sick of waiting due to passing cyclists that he lost it. The run course needed to be changed because the Prov Police and the City of Prov did not like that the old course essentially cut the city in half and did not allow for north to south traffic. With no convenient streets to redirect traffic it was all they could do to keep a "similar" run course. Also, when they measured the course yesterday they found it short so be prepared for a little loop into the Hope High School parking lot that is not on the map to make up for the distance. After listening to all this and what they went through just to get a course down so they could have a race, I kinda have to give them a pat on the back. Rhode Island is not exactly the most friendly state for holding an event like this and kudos for them for having to re-think the whole thing and still hopefully put on a solid event.

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

I went to the race briefing today at 2pm. No word on water temps, and they say the pond will be open tomorrow and they are keeping a close eye on it. They do hope to get a water temp on Saturday and will have that info at the race briefings. So if anyone goes let me know what it is... I'm curious.

They did mention that the Ironman staff spent a great deal of time filling potholes on Central ave to try and make that area as safe and passable as possible. I am definitely appreciative of that effort and tip my hat to them for putting in the work.

Looks like were going to have a great race with a swim. I'm looking forward to it!

Nick G... thanks for the update on things from the race director's perspective. Thats quite a lot of hoops they had to jump through.

No word on Temps. But it should cool down with todays heavy rain. Hope it kills the germs or does it make it worst?
Fellow slowtwitchers if anybody has thermotabs and is staying at the hilton please sell me ten tabs.

Call Rhode Runner, they may have some and it's right down the street, easy walk.

http://www.rhoderunner.net/

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

Thank you need4speed

Sounds like I'm glad I did last year and not this year. Doesn't sound good at all...for this year or long term. Of course I bet no one complains about the economic impact...they just dont want all the other stuff that comes with it...

84 degrees...no wetsuit....wonder how many people are saying oh sh!t!

Nick - For the record, i don't pay attention to what others actually post so I erased this sentence and typed in this witty one instead. We are bad in Rhode Island but not that bad!!

Thanks for the inside info. The course was so much better last year. The church apparently still wields a lot of power in our little state,

I said oh shit at first. Then I went for a quick swim. I could swim in that pond all day.

---

“Read the transcript.”

Never said he got locked up, just that he took a swing at the cop. No worries, I just pictured the movie Falling Down when I heard the story. And yes, in RI the church does still have a say...so does the mob...the unions...the corrupt local politics and half of Federal Hill (the good half with the good food).

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

Sorry man. I don't actually read the posts I reply to...carry on!

Good luck in LP. If you are volunteering tomorrow, thank you very much.

VM

.

Ha ha ha, no worries! Looks like it will be a good day to race tomorrow, kill it!

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

Wow. If that's true about the Churches that is just lame. I wonder what the original course would have been like. I don't mean to disrespect the organizers, but those was the worst bike conditions I have ever encountered. That no-pass zone was a nightmare. I wonder how many people wiped out on that section. If the course stays the same, I definitely will not do this race again. Also, what about the spectator buses? Apparently spectators were told the absolute latest the buses would leave the start was 8:45, but buses were nowhere to be seen until after 9:30. Some of the transportation coordinators were telling spectators to write to the main organizers and complain about the whole spectator transportation system. Some spectators barely made it back to downtown to see their athletes finish the race. Surely there has to be a better way.

Unless the timing is off...sure was a lot of people with 0:00:00 for a time...did these folks not start?

Does anyone think the timing chips were off? They must have moved the timing mats in the run because the timing for the second and fourth sections of the runs were wayyy off. Also, there were some "fishy" swim times. What's up with the sub twelve minute swim split? Do they eventually correct this stuff?

Yeah I was out there spectating (the lonely Fuel Belt crew along the riverway) and the consensus was that this race was pretty bad. It was sad to see how few people were out there supporting the racers, the roads should have at least been patched and the overall operation seemed sloppy. No one seemed to know what they were doing, cars were being let down roads they weren't supposed to go down. It was almost embarrassing to watch. I really do hope they fix some of the issues for (or if it's even held) the race next year. It was good to see the competitors out there killing it though, there were some fit people looking good out there!

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

I wonder if this will go the same way as mooseman seems to be going. For me last year the draw was the ocean swim and the ride up from the coast. I was going to do this again until I saw that the course had been changed. There just isn't anything like swimming and biking along the coast! At least for me.

Last year the pro field was also a bit deeper and that was cool as well. Plus the Lake Placid spots...hoping that this keeps going, would like another shot at it again!

maybe there were no spectators because they were waiting on the buses at the swim. I do remember you guys though; it was nice to have you out there cheering. Thanks for the support. That section was pretty desolate otherwise.

At the end of the day, a city is absolutely the worst place to hold big race like this (half or full ironman). Not just the road conditions and the gross water (which everyone has already stated) but the worst part about it is the logistics. Everything from trying to find a parking spot for packet pick up to spectator shuttles was a total disaster. When you have a race like this in a small town, everyone knows whats going on and they are ready for it. Nobody that lives in Providence knew what the hell was going on, and why should they? It's their city, I'm sure they have other stuff to do. And unless you wanted to pay extra money, there was no possibly way to park your car in the morning and get back to it after the race. I ended up riding my bike 10 miles back to Lincoln after the race because there was no shuttle. (my fault, I should have read over the athlete guide, but for $250 you think they would provide a shuttle to the parking area after the race) Some people were taking taxis back up there, can't imagine how much that cost, or if they could even fit a bike in there.

Given the conditions, I guess the RD didnt do a bad job, but like I said, its nearly impossible to put on a race like this in a city. And Providence isn't even that big. Imagine if WTC tried to do a full ironman in a BIG city...like NYC??? man that would be a nightmare for everyone

Next Aug is IM NYC. :)

Haha I know, I was being sarcastic....I cant imagine the nightmare that's going to be for athletes and spectators

All in all, the RD made do with the cards dealt him. The first mistake was to "buckle" to the multitudes of whiners about swimming in the ocean. I will not do this race again unless it is in the ocean, the swim this morning was absolutely disgusting in the cess pool.

x10, the water was nasty....not even sure if it was safe to be swimming in there. BRING BACK THE OCEAN SWIM!! There's an independent half iron called Firmman in Naragansett every year (I believe its mid September) and the swim is in the ocean on Naragansett beach, and its awesome. If you're afraid of some waves then dont do the race.

I agree about bringing back the ocean swim, but I thought the pond was fine. I've done swims in worse (Ohio River at IM Louisville, Potomac River, etc). What I would complain most about, however, is the road conditions. The last 10 miles of the bike were simply unforgivable for an Ironman event. Despite a solid performance, I will most definitely not be doing this one again!

---

4 x Kona Qualifier

https://sites.google.com/...an-ri-start-7-00-a-m

Great race...

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

First up... You and the fuel belt crew were great and you really were in no mans land so it was nice to get a few cheers and see a friendly face on the desolate section of the run coure. Speaking of spectators... Anyone notice the lady with the tiger flag? She was everywhere!

The race for me was a rough one. I had a he'll of a time sighting on the way out on the swim with the sun in my eyes. I'm a slow swimmer but my time is so awful because I almost accidentally cut the first turn buoy at the end of the course. I just couldn't see it so i saw what i thought was it and headed for it. Turns out that was the 2nd turn buoy. A kayaker thankfully corrected me, and I went back to round it. Easily cost me several minutes.

I had a decent bike but the last ten miles or so of the bike course lowered my average speed a lot due to the conditions and having to ride on the horns so that was a bummer.

The run was rough for me... Still rehabbing an injury and that hill sucked the speed right out of me but i felt pretty good for the mot part. Aid stations were great, water sprinkler was awesome, volunteers were great.

I think all of the finish line volunteers came from my Tri club so it was great to see them all at the end.

I had a fun day out there, but the logistics weren't fabulous at all and a lot could be done to improve the race. I did think the cops on the bike course were great. I only had to slow down at one interaction in the middle of providence but that was it. I flew through all the others.

I have to say though that I don't think I'll do this one again. The race Nick mentioned called The Firm by the way is a great local half. I definitely recommend it and it has a great ocean swim, decent bike course, and great run course.

I didn't have a great day but I had fun despite some of the conditions. I thought the cops and volunteers did a terrific job and most of the athletes I spoke with were also having fun. Bring back the ocean swim and do something about the last 10 miles of the bike and this could be a great race. I loved the finish at the state house and my family found it convenient that the mall complex was right there to get out of the sun for short periods and find entertainment for the kids. I don't think I have ever seen as many mechanical issues on a bike course as I saw yesterday.

Did anyone else get a wicked headache, sore throat, and swollen glands last night? It's likely just a coincidence, but was wondering if maybe it was from from the lake. I have a solid immune system and haven't been sick in over a year and a half. Right now I feel like I've been beaten with a stick.

I had a great day. Complaints 1) no sunscreen? My 4th time doing this race and they always had volunteers with sunscreen, so I expected leaving T2 I would get sprayed. Unfortunately I'm burnt today. 2) They give out caps at the finish and they DONT SAY FINISHER ON THEM??? FOR THIS KIND OF $$$? That's a disgrace. It would cost MAYBE a buck to embroid finisher 2011 on the brim. They've done that in years past as well.

The volunteers and the fans were amazing. They made my day.

i will say the car in the bike chute right outside of the entrance to transition letting his wife out to get on the train as cyclists were coming by was by far the best site of the day...

The timing mats were def off on the run.

My boyfriend did the original bike course and said that it was beautiful and fair. ( just enough hills and flats to be fair and no significant potholes ) The original swim was the best part.....he called it the most beautiful swim he's ever done....waves?...yeah!...it's the ocean....suck it up...we're getting sick and tired of the " woosification " of the original extreme sport...

Gee??? You think??? Hope you recover, but like I said... looking at the water tests, that was an iffy venue at best.

I hauled it down to take photos of some of the pros on the bike. Timed it just perfectly and was there for about 15 minutes around the resevoir, but seriously??? I think only 11 of the 22 Pros who signed up showed up... Seems like another race that is on the cusp

We got sore throats and bad headaches that night too! Pond water?

A quick search yielded this:

http://www.in.gov/idem/4234.htm


but who knows. Like I said, it may be just a coincidence...

no illnesses for me... even though I spent 45' in that water (my "normal" 1.2 swim is about 35... does a wetsuit really help me 10' or did I do something really wrong?)

No huge complaints overall. The run was ok... except for the random local idiots walking across the street being total pricks because they didn't feel like waiting for runners to go by. Felt like body checking a couple of them. Generally guys in their 20's. Fat and full of attitude.

---

--
MyGearGarage - Track all your gear!

I woke up with a headache and a stomach ache this morning too.

I think it has more to do with the beer, bacon cheeseburger and chocolate I ate yesterday post race though.

As to mrtrick's comments... I had some near misses with pedestrians on the run course as well. Actually it was kind of funny how oblivious the city is to the race taking place. I wonder if it was even on the evening news the night before giving everyone a heads up. Best comment came from a non racing friend of mine on facebook yesterday...

"Was there a zombie apocalypse downtown providence?! Every street is blocked off by cops...and there are all these strange skeleton looking people wearing spandex running and riding bicycles everywhere!"

this race sounded like a complete mess.

Anyone come away from it with good impressions?

Looked at the results last night, didn't really see any Pro names that I recognized, saw some Age Groupers that really should be Pros names, so seemed like it was a pretty local affair vs. previous years.

My swim time was horrible too.. 55 minutes! I'm no great swimmer, but my normal swim time for a 70.3 is 40 to 42 minutes. I was 15 minutes slower than normal. Impossible to make up. Is that because we swam with no wet suits? I guess the extra flotation the wet suit gives you matters a lot. The sightings make your legs sink, which the wetsuit corrects when you have one!

Well Magali Tisseyre was probably the biggest pro name there. Noteable absences were Jackson and Stevens who were signed up and decide to race elsewhere or not race.

Rhode Island COULD be a great course, but my guess is it would have to be on a Saturday to deal with the church issues as well as really should be an Ocean swim and not in the stagnant bacteria pool.

Will be interesting to see how this race does... Seems to be Mooseman and Providence are not getting much love from the Pros but given the tiny amount of pro money, also makes sense.

FirmMan looks like a better run race, though is the same weekend as Pumpkinman.

Good impressions as-in a good performance? Yes, and this overshadows the races shortcomings for me.
Good impressions as-in I would sign up for it again? Probably not, without some corrections in the logistics of the race.

Logistically speaking it is extrememly inconvenient to have two separate transition areas, particularly when you can't park at the race start. Due to the lack of parking at the start, you had to take a shuttle from a remote location. It was all quite stressful, and it was very poorly outlined in the race packet. As others have mentioned, the road conditions on the bike were deplorable for the last third. The road was bad, and there were a lot of quick turns that made it slow. Furthermore, there were single-file areas where it was very difficult or impossible to pass, which really slowed faster racers down (I was in the third to last wave, M25-29, so lots of passing).

Here are my constructive suggestions for this race:
- Dear MDot, take a look at a Rev3 race packet and get some ideas. The bike course map and directions were a JOKE. How hard is it to put mile markers (distance since previous instruction) on the cue sheet? I tried to drive the course before the race and spent most of the day completely lost.
- Scrap the course. I am not that concerned with dirty swim water, but there NEEDS to be parking at the swim venue. The shuttling and checkin were unnecessarily stressful and left a very bad taste in my mouth. Furthermore, while the bike terrain was generally fair, the last third of the course was inexcusable for a race course. You just can't have no-pass zones, and single lane sections during critical points of the race. This really killed momentum of the ride.
- Timing matts and mile markers on the run course were way off. This is so easy, I am not sure how it could have been screwed up. Come on!
- I really don't care much, but if you are trying to play with the competition (Rev3 and independent races), need to step up the game on the goodie bag and swag.

The volunteers, cheering squads and aid stations were great and in spite of challenged logistics, I was very surprised to see how smoothly the gear pick-up was after the race. I know the RD was dealt a tough hand of cards, and I understand he did what he could, but there were a few easy things that could have been remedied to make this into a better experience. I would love to participate in this event again in the future because there is potential and a lot of things went well, but I think it needs to go back to the drawing board to make this a world-class event.

Regardless, I PR'ed, finally cracked 2:30 on the bike and ran well in the heat, so I am riding high today, so that overshadows any negatives of this race.

its remarkable how some of these races are falling out of favor. I wonder if it has to do with timing.

it seemed like Quassy absolutely crushed it this year. Deep pro fields (relatively speaking - I mean I know maybe only 4-6 guys and girls have a shot of winning, but having 30-40 "pros" still count), beautiful loops for bike and run, nice lake. Seems like a good time of the year? First weekend in June up in the Northeast, most people haven't started their season yet up there.

I look at video of Portland Rev 3, and it looked deserted - granted it was the first race and the course was changed very last moment, but still.

I understand the Rhode Island race got hampered by people complaining of road closures and I think its a serious problem for race directors all over the place. I heard there was a pretty big backlash surrounding the Quassy Rev3 race and all of the road closures. Many residents were not pleased with how many roads were closed for so long and some are saying they weren't allowed to their homes by the police. While others were told they simply couldn't go in a certain direction and were not given alternate routes. I volunteered on the course and can attest that there were agitated drivers.

Timing definitely matters.

Money definitely matters.

In someways, I think the WTC is screwing themselves in the foot with their points/money system and I think some of what you see are athletes timing races more and when you have a race that basically has no points and no money, it becomes almost of an an issue of having to win 2 or 3 of these other races to = 3rd or 4th at another. I think Belinda Granger was talking about IM Texas versus some other of the races and it came down to a 6th at IM Texas was worth 3 victories at other races...

I also would not be surprised if RI and some other races become AG only races with no prize money or pro points. Muncie was a 750 point race with $50K and RI a 500 point race with $15K. Now the funny thing about RI is pretty much every pro that raced got paid, except Raymond Botehlo, so for the Pros that showed up, pretty much just finish the race and you get at least $500. Unfortunately if you won, you only made $3,000 where if you did Muncie, that was $8500. So I could see WTC in the future saying just screw it, pocket the $15K and tell the pros if you want to race, you have to do Muncie that weekend.

And when you look at Quassy... You finish 4th there, you still take home the same or more than winning Muncie. A 7th at Quassy is the same as winning Rhode Island.. so in the whole scheme of things... you may go up against say Dibens and Carfrae, but compared to other races, you finish top 5, it is like winning another race and compared to say Rhode Island, you come on 4th at Quassy and you have made more than winning 3 of the Ironman 70.3 races from the lot that includes Canberra, Shepparton, Taiwan, Austin, Poconos, Pays d'Aix, Augusta, Branson, Japan, Muskoka, Ireland, Timberman, Yeppoon, Lake Stevens, Philipppines, Calgary, Antwerp, Racine, Rhode Island, Korea, Buffalo Springs, Italy, UK, Boise, Mooseman, Hawaii, China, Florida, Mallorca, Busselton, Port MacQuaire, Singapore, Pucon)

I saw the Portland video as well and did look like not a lot of spectators. Rhode Island from some of the pics I saw surprised me for the lack of crowds (or from what I saw) since it was downtown. Portland I can understand since it was a bit out of the way. Same for Quassy. I think what hurts Quassy a little is many of the families will go into the park and have an idea when their loved one is finishing, as well as it is a double-edged sword... The road closure make it a little tough and most of the park parking is taken by athletes, so for spectators the appeal of having to drive to the Timex lot and take a shuttle bus I think takes away from it a bit.

Haven't heard too much of the back lash on Quassy from the road closures, and not sure anything was different from last year to this. No whether the police were more ansy this year, that could be a possibility, but I have not seen anything rise to level of what I was hearing out of IM Texas where even some of the forums of the local papers had people threatening to put tacks down in the roads next year or "hit" races with their cars. Being Texas, I could see a shooting.

It does also raise the question of racers versus participants. I wonder how much of these issues would exist to a lesser extent with tighter performance windows. Regardless, community relations is a big part of races. Rev 3 really made a point of watching trash, being kind to the community, respecting the area, etc. Though I have to wonder how the residents would be "surprised" about the closures. I saw a lot of the local papers that listed road closures etc., so it was in the papers a lot leading up to the race.

All and all though a very important aspect for all races... Communities like the money, but at some point, you piss of the wrong people or people are having an aggitated/bad day, and things can get ugly quickly

Really makes you think how Rev3 is making money off these things....The fees alone for Quassy park and the permits...no idea how much that can run.

and yes the race was well advertised for residents. I guess some didn't read. I had a lady drive up to me saying...Help..I can't get home...i have groceries in the car that are going spoil. I thought to myself...you know there is a race on your road for a 3 hour window...did you really have to go grocery shopping right this second? She then proceeded to say...hell..i'm going...I am not waiting anymore...I calmly said..ok maam, we have bikers coming one way and runners coming the other way, I will go and tell you when there is a gap and you can go.. she goes...yeah yeah..ok.

the problem wasn't necessarily the closed roads, it was the lack of help from police telling people how to go around the closed roads. If you are in Middlebury...how do you get into Woodbury and vice versa. Basically the detour was go to 1-84 and just go to the next exit and backtrack if need be, but that wasn't posted anywhere, and people were stuck trying back roads..but all the back roads were blocked so it was pointless.

I'm guessing though that Rev3 paid a pretty penny for it or made the argument that they bring in quite alot of commerce be it hotels, restaurants, etc.

Well, the several people that commented above seem to have the same impression, to include this guy for the most part. My swim time (without rubber) was slightly slower than usual, but when I got out and read the time, it said one thing, the slip at the end added 6 minutes to it?? Did they adjust for the 5 minute delay at the beginning of the race?
What can I say about the bike course. I was in the middle of the pack due to my age group and I have never seen so many people on the side of the road with flats! Me included, 2 in the last 10 miles! Yes, that sucked. I thought the timing chips were off also on the run, but lets look at reality, it was dam hot! Slowed me down 25 minutes than normal. The humidity contributed and I expected to be slower, but not that much. And again, on the final slip they gave out at the end, it said my last time splits were 5:30s?? Yeah, it must have been that other guy running with my chip for that one.
I will say that I thought there were people willing to help with assistance everywhere, from sunscreeners to run support boys and girls (although no help with my flats). But I did see one bike support car out there and was stopped each time I saw them.
Bottom line, I came, did it and most likely won't do again. Should have gone to Muncie, heard it was perfect weather! And fast!!
Mooseman, RI, Lake Stevens... could I have picked three crappier races for the year??

Stay cool and mash. Fast IS Fast!

Well, I didn't race (my wife did) but I have some positive things to say about the race from a spectator perspective. I rode the bike course the day before (thank you for the help further up in this thread, especially the cue sheet which was spot on) and enjoyed the ride (riding it, not racing it). I thought 40 miles of it were challenging, scenic and fun. The view at about mile 40 over that bridge with the water to the left and the overlook to the right was spectacular. There were some nice hills, sweeping downhills and some flat parts where I got into a nice rhythm. Also, the course was marked the day before (tape arrows on the ground) so it made it easy to follow. Ten of the miles (and we all know which ten they are) were very unpleasant. Unless there is no other way to get to downtown Providence, I have no idea why they would put a bike course on those roads.

As a spectator, it was a good race to watch. If you drop your athlete off at the swim and watch them start, you can then go downtown and see them bike in to T1, start the run, come through downtown again on the run, and finish, all within a few yards. Everyone we met in Providence was friendly, helpful and glad the race was in town (granted we spent most of our time downtown). Everything seemed well organized and the volunteers we saw seemed really into the race and wanting to be as helpful as possible.

That said, I probably won't do the race next year because of the hassle of getting to the swim start (charging for a shuttle just rubs me the wrong way) and the condition of the roads at the end of the bike course. But I wouldn't describe it as a complete mess. Just a little rough around the edges.

I was standing right there when it happened, utter shock and awe. How the hell does that happen? It was just one bullshit issue after another. I lost count of how many people neglected to dismount at the dismount line and rode right into transition, an epic clusterfuck. I just feel the reins could have been a little tighter on this one. It's not the most popular race to begin with and this showing definitely didn't help it any. I really hope it comes back next year as I live in RI an have yet to have it fit in my schedule. I would hate to have a 70.3 literally 4 miles from my house and have not done it.

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

I am with u on this... want to do it cause I live in the RI but I won't swim in Licon Woods PERIOD...

---

The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev

What happened? I was in the race but didn't see this.

It's funny, to the locals this is not the ideal display of Rhode Island. I would never swim in LW, I would never bike through Johnston, and I would never run in downtown Prov. Oh well, we shake our heads and the people from out of town wonder why we live here. Hell, it would have been better if they just did the whole damn thing in Newport, at least it would have been more scenic.

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

Maybe just me,but the dirty water was the least of the issues. If you hadn't told me that the lake was a cespool I wouldn't have known. The lake was actually very scenic (as were several parts of the bike course).

I sincerely hope that they invest the time, energy and small amount of money it would take to turn this into a great race. There were certainly positive points and potential.

scenic?

u didn't think that the last 10 miles getto st. of RI weren't scenic?

---

The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev

fat chicks also have potential...

---

The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev

Ha ha ha...I guess it would be based on what a person calls "scenic".

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

You mentioned something about the race director getting petitions from the churches to change the bike course. I feel like the RD would get a little more credit (or perhaps less criticism) if he was open about things. Like "sorry participants, I know that sucked a big one, but we had another nice bike course picked out before the churches got involved", or "I know Lincoln Woods was horrible but I had pressure from people last year to change from an ocean swim." Without an explanation it just leaves us with a sour feeling.

haha, very true. I was tempted to hit T3 at mile 52 and drink a 40oz on the stoop.

Flying across that resevoir was pretty cool though.

Just trying to look at the good aspects of the race instead of the bad.

They did keep things hush hush. Their reasoning (I believe) was that for the locals and those in the know, they would just not do the race. For the majority of people who didn't do the race because it was open water, they would be happy that it was a pond swim. As for the bike route, if your not from here you wouldn't know any better anyway. I just want to point out that at no point in my career have I ever biked a those roads. RI has some awesome biking and that race course (part of it at least) was simply not a good showcase.

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

Okay this makes me think even less of them now. If I understand what you're saying their thoughts were basically "if people know the truth they won't do the race so let's just keep this course as secretive as possible. First timers won't know how sucky the course is going to be." If so, that's lame. Please correct me if I'm wrong, because I really don't want this to be the case. I prefer to live in unicorn land where RDs have the athlete's best interests at heart.

I live in SW MA and could sleep at home and do the race, but never had due to logistics and things I've heard about the race. It is disappointing that the changes made the course and race experience worse. When I heard the change of swim venue from ocean to what locals call goose poop lake, turned me and many locals off. I'm not sure the swim venue change was due to racers complaining about the waves but more that some towns refused to let the bike course come through their town so they had to change bike course and thus swim location.

Living local I have yet to hear good things about this race. Two transitions and shuttle bus has been a pain. From what I heard first year registration and bike check in took longer than most folks took to do the race the next day.

Patriot in Freetown MA Sprint and HIM is in middle of June, super clean lake, great roads, 1 transition, but no Vegas slots. I will continue to support local, well run, and cheaper race.

Have done this race 4 years in a row now. The course changes every year; not sure why.

Negatives:

swim changed to a pond; the pond was closed two days before the race due to high bacteria count didn't know if there even going to be a race

wasn't informed until I dropped my bike off the day before the race that it wasn't wetsuit legal (was told by a volunteer with 4 teeth)

the bike was the usual bumpy/single file at times ride

the run was up and down pretty much the whole way

This is the last year I do this race! I will stick to Timbermann...too much unnecessary stress revolving around this race.

I want to do this race again and while I can probably get past the water venue issue something definitely needs to be done with the last 10 miles on the bike course. I wish it would go back to an ocean swim with a coastline bike course. I know it's difficult to deal with the logistics of having this type of course because it's summer time and many people flock to the beaches on hot summer weekends adding to the traffic. Many of the other athletes I spoke with enjoy coming to Rhode Island as a destination race and end up spending a week vacationing with their families along the beaches. It's too bad the bike course couldn't utilize the best parts of Rhode Island vs. it's worst. If the bike course changes I probably do it again but right now it's tough to look past that last 10 miles. I'm thankful that I didn't have a flat yesterday and especially thankful I didn't flat on the last 10 miles.

I just checked the Ironman website and Rhode Island is up for next year on July 15th. Hopefully they make adjustments to the course.

While its not a solid rule, generally if I am looking to sign up for a race 3-4 months out and they still dont have course routes up...thats a big no/no in book and tells me they don't know what the course routes are. I know there are exceptions but most courses can be done months in advance so that when 2012 rolls around...the courses are already known. Also, I like races that have strong city support (KIC IT in stamford, ct comes to mind) and other types of historic support. Lets me know that there is high likelihood that course permits will be given.

If i remember correctly, this race was still deciding on where to have the swim in April/May.

People should take a look at the waves that the people in the Carlsbad Triathlon had to swim through same weekend. Those folks toughed it out and the waves were boogie boardable, in not marginally surfable if you were bored.

With all due respect - and I share your views on some elements of the course - but that same volunteer checked me in on Saturday and was there from 8am - 6pm and couldn't have been more energetic and helpful. Get over yourself. The fact he didn't have top notch dental work doesn't make him any less selfless and willing to take time out of his weekend to help you rack your $5,000 bike so you can exercise the next day for 6 hours.

Yeah, that comment rubbed me wrong too. People get up in arms about how shitty the locals are apparently treating the race, so they mock the locals who support it? The modern "triathlete way", entitled and elitist to the end!

Apparently someone didn't feel the need to show up at one of the many athlete briefing sessions....

---

--
MyGearGarage - Track all your gear!

My intent wasn't to attack locals or people with missing teeth (I am sorry if anyone here on the board has missing teeth).

Ironman is a business...a service business and each race seems to be it's own separate business run differently. And after paying $300 dollars to excerise/race for a day i expect a certain level of quality, prediticability, professionalism, saftey and enjoyment with a low amount of stress leading up to the race. This race seems to be going in the wrong direction every year.

So damn right I am going to complain; just like I would complain if my dry cleaner ruined my suit. Which has nothing to do with the price of my bike or how fast I race...

Nobody disagreed with your complaints or your right to make them. Two people took issue with the fact that you mocked a volunteer (someone not getting paid for his time or efforts to help you) for his appearance.

I'm with you, there is a lot of complaining and negativity from people who could simply choose not race the event. Maybe the swim could be in the ocean if every racer paid $100.00 but then people would be crowing about that too. Oh, and the guy who attacked the volunteer: way to go, keep it classy

---

Audaci Favet Fortuna

So I got the "pictures" email today, the one including me crossing the finish line with the total running time right there. Subtract the amount of time until my wave went, their times appear to be off by a few. I do not keep track of my whole ongoing time with a watch so I just try to piece together three separate times if I catch them. Bottom line, does anyone know where a link to the final results page are? Can't seem to find it. Thanks.

Stay cool and mash. Fast IS Fast.

I too noticed the time seemed off a bit. Results posted here: http://ironmanrhodeisland.com/.../?y=2011&rid=372

Yeah, I don't know what's going on with the timing. First I was 10th, then 8th, and now I am 9th. I have never seen such poor execution from a race before.

---

4 x Kona Qualifier

My thoughts FWIW...

This is was my fourth year doing this race. With a few minor exceptions, the IM circus did another very good job producing a hard race to run in a difficult location. My only gripe has to be the course...only because - as a rhode island resident - I want to see my state showcased in a better way (true ocean swim vs linclon woods...guess which showcases the 'ocean state' better). The bike course for the first three years was great. Nice and fair and, again, it gave you a great view of the state itself. The run course is what it is...every version they have put together has been tough and fair.

The volunteers were great. NBX did another great job doing bike tech work and on the course work. Eident Sports Marketing and Brewer Rowe did a commendable job...I am a happy camper at the end of the day and will more than likely sign up again.

My last word on the water...swimming at linclon woods was fine. The water sucked but so does Barrington Beach, Colt State Park beach and Goddard Park beach. All three other places hold tri swims and have their issues. Yeah my stomach was off for a day and a half...A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR AGE GROUP MEDIOCRITY!

VM

.

this race changes every year so impossible to know what the race will be from one year to another. I bet this is a big reason why this race rarely if ever brings in top pros...

Regarding the volunteer...it was really an attak on the RD. But even if it was a small dig at a volunteer...stop being so damn sensitive...THis isn't a book club!

If you think that's the reason there's not a deeper pro field, you're even more dumberer than your comments allude to.

Well I am sure an inconsistent course has some to do with it...

Almost no points and no cash is the bigger reason.

With 22 pros registered only 12 even showed up!

That shows how bad this race is organized and the uncertainly surrounding the swim course and poorly designed bike course.
that the few Pros that even signed up HALF decided not to race.

And I'm the dumb one....

Yeah, it must be because of the uncertainly surrounding the swim course and poorly designed bike course. I'm sure that's it. You're really entertaining, post something else, pretty please, it's super entertaining.

The race is over, let it go. We can bitch about the course changes next year when they change it again...for the 5th time.

---

_________________________
I got nothing.

I don't know if I'm sensitive but maybe its a misinterpretation of "classy" that you are confused about.

---

Audaci Favet Fortuna