The full email: Quote:
The Virginia-Maryland Triathlon Series team is excited to share exciting news of major changes to the SavageMan Triathlon Festival weekend. As SavageMan enters its 12th year the existing slate of races and their courses are getting a bit stale and dated, as indicated by both dwindling participation numbers as well as general buzz and excitement around the weekend. So it's time to embrace change and inject some new excitement into the weekend!
Whether you've never been to SavageMan before or you have your name on bricks in the Westernport Wall and want a reason to come back, we have changes in store that are sure to appeal to everyone, particularly:
- An entirely new race with a unique race format - the SavageMan 20/20 double sprint triathlon
- An all new SavageMan 30 moved to Sunday and with an amazing new bike course
- The legendary SavageMan 70 becomes the SavageMan 60
- A new run loop for the Sunday 30 and 60 races - including the legendary Fire Tower Rd.
- The SavageMan 100 is back - get the most out of the weekend with the SavageMan 20/20 on Saturday and the SavageMan 60 on Sunday
- The new SavageMan 50 option - want to keep to short stuff but take advantage of the entire weekend and race on both days? Now you can race the SavageMan 20 on Saturday and the SavageMan 30 on Sunday
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SavageMan 100.0 Overall Prize Money: 1st - $500, 2nd - $400, 3rd - $300 (M/F)
Saturdays Races
SavageMan 20: A sprint triathlon with a short 500 meter swim, 16 mile flat bike, and 5k flat run. Similar to the existing SavageMan 20 sprint, this race is perfect for beginners or those wanting to race both days without going overboard on the first day!
SavageMan 20/20: A unique new race format consisting of the SavageMan 20 raced back-to-back. Swim 500 meters, do a short beach run then swim 500 again. Then bike - run, back into transition and do the bike - run again.
SavageMan 30: Featuring all new bike and run courses the new Sunday SavageMan 30 is a 1.0 mile swim, 24.5 mile hilly bike, and 5 mile hilly run. The new SavageMan 30 bike course features a four mile descent into the Savage River Valley followed by a 3.1 mile, gradual and steady 7% climb back out via the stunning Dry Run Rd.
SavageMan 60: The all new SavageMan 60 consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 50.0 mile bike, and a 10 mile run. For 11 years the SavageMan Triathlon has been internationally renowned and garnering the top spot on triathlon bucket lists largely due to the extreme difficulty and amazing beauty of the SavageMan 70 bike course. We are incredibly reluctant to make any changes to this iconic race, and particularly to its bike course. However, participation has been dwindling and if the event is to be sustained changes are necessary, so we have come up with the new SavageMan 60 which keeps all of the flavor, all of the beauty (and more!) and much of the challenge of the SavageMan 70 while reducing the distance and extremity of the race just slightly.
On the bike, the Westernport Wall - and the tradition of bricks in the wall for those who clear it cleanly - continue with the SavageMan 60. The 7 mile, 2000+' slog up Big Savage Mountain also remains. Gone, however, are the repeated blows of 0.5 - 1.0 mile 10-15+% grades on McAndrews Hill, Otto Lane, Killer Miller, Maynardier Ridge, replaced by an 8 mile flat, aerobar-friendly dragstrip alongside Savage River and a 3.1 mile, 1100' climb up the incredible Dry Run Rd. Yes, it's a shame to lose the sawtooth profile of the repeated steep climbs and descents of the back half of the SavageMan 70 course, but Savage River and Dry Run Rd are truly something special and need to be experienced to be understood.
On the run, 3 miles is shed off the distance to reduce it to a 10 mile run, but the challenge remains as the legendary Fire Tower Rd and the top of the Campground Loop remain in use.
We hope you are as excited about these changes as we are. Registration is open and prices increase in 2 weeks.
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"If it costs you 30 minutes at Maryland so what" -dwreal