Tested a new secret formula for Sweeney's Special Sauce Racing Fuel on a 52 mile ride today along the Long Island Expressway Service Rd this morning.

The Special Sauce started out a long time ago when I mixed Perpentuem and Mountain Dew to give me an extra kick. Worked great but it was much too gassy. For the races I do, I really don't need ''nutrition''. All I need is caffeine and sugar. Last year I tried black coffee with 6 sugars in a water bottle on the bike but it gave me heartburn on the run.

This years version kicks ass! Mountain Dew with a packet of one of those packets of caffeine energy drink with three tablespoons of sugar in a water bottle. It's like having three cups of coffee in a water bottle. I was jammin on the bike and I felt good after. Had lunch, went shopping and finally crashed around 3 o'clock

Now I'm really ready for Montauk!

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Hmm, Mtn Dew + caffeine and some other stuff mixed together w/ some more sugar?

How about calling it Green Bull? ;-)

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float , hammer , and jog

Yeah, but I can't get past the taste of RB. I tastes, to me, like I'm drinking bubble gum.

This stuff is delicious! The caffeine powder is cherry flavored with the Dew and more sugar it's delicious.

But yeah, Caffeine and sugar, put some salt in if you want; what more do you need?!

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Are there really only 6 people signed up for long course next year?


Edit: Is their nutrition/aid on the run and bike courses or is the race self supported?

I don't know that most people sign up for this race a year in advance. In fact, I'm unsure registration has even formerly opened this far in advance before. So don't let the 6 racer number sway you. That said, only 19 lined up for LC this year and it tends to be about this kind of number of hearty souls.

Aid. 2 aid stations on the bike loop, so 7 opportunities to grab water, heed, gels whatever for long course. But given the location of one table at the park entrance you probably wouldn't hit that heading out or in, so make that 5 aid stop possibilities.

There is 1 table for the run but you pass by it twice per run lap. In prior years contents varied by time of day. Water / heed for lap 1, but then more comes out later: gels, pretzles, cookies, water melon.

Re self support though: there's no mechanical support. I had an issue with my Di2 shifting that I just rolled with til I DNF'd due to cramping (forgot my nutrition and I cramp terribly if I don't ingest a fair amount of salt). Carry a flat kit and you should be fine.

Welcome aboard!

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To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

Tsunami really gives you the low-down on the race. I just want to add a few things. The aid tables are manned with enthusiastic volunteers and as you pass through the pavillion after each transition, you can not only get race appropriate stuff like,water, Heed, gels, chips, you can get a barbequed burger and a beer, and maybe a shot of Jameson! While you are getting cheered, howled at and heckled by the earlier racers who are starting to feel pretty good!

This is not like a wtc race. It's more like when the first racers went to Oahu for Ironman to find something different. Most racers keep coming back and most say that it's their favorite race of all!

I'm coming back next year at 70 to celebrate. Come join the insanity, you'll probably keep coming back for years!

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Alright, my wife (phunctional) and I are in.

I will do the long course and she will do the middle distance.

We just need to wait for USAT to email us our passwords.

Good to see, you won't regret it. Well maybe on the third lap of the bike or the final lap of the run you will but by then it will be too late.

Welcome to the race!

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Welcome aboard!!!
😎👍🏻

I think this is only the 2nd time out of all the years AmZof has been running (since Oct ‘05) that registration for the next year’s race was open this early.

To augment Sweeney & Tsunami’s points:
the Pavilion at the transition area is VERY well stocked, not only w race nutrition, but all the post race feast stuff too.
MANY a LC racer has grabbed a burger or dog or soup or cookie or whatever during the later run laps.

And yes - in years past we’ve had shots of Jameson and Irish Car Bombs available too, and more than one LC and GCG racer has availed themselves of that “aid” while still racing.

I’m hoping to bring those back again for next year.

For the run (post bike, since nobody needs run aid for Run 1 - although it is open for business then), you not only get the aid at the Pavilion, but the run aid station out on course, which you pass 2x for each loop.
So, you have the Pavilion aid at the start/finish of each run lap, and the Run course aid station at approx 1/3 & 2/3 thru the run course.

LC racers can use the bike aid station just outside the entrance for Special Needs, if they have anything specific for themselves they’d like to stash there.

When I did LC my plan was to have enough on the bike for the first 2 laps, maybe augment that w aid if needed, then have my last bottle in Special Needs for the final lap.
(I use Infinit, so I like having my own stuff. YMMV. )

GCG Middle Distance racers are better off just having their own stuff In Transition for each of the 2 laps of the bike, since you return there after each lap.

My go-to for that was always 2 bottles on bike to start B1: 1- water, 1-fuel, then swap out BOTH before starting out on B2.
I’d keep the replacements partially frozen in a small cooler bag, so they’d still be nicely chilled after a few hours of R/B/R prior to T3.

I’d generally just live off the run course aid, maybe bring some salt tabs w you and/or some Tylenol or what have you.

Hope this helps.

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float , hammer , and jog

ML, Look below. Thanks for my new signature line.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Zofingen WEST. Is in the planning stages.

Hayward Lake, British Columbia.

Is there a need to conform to a standard distance?

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http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

I just registered for the long course race because, apparently, I hate myself.

Now, onto a more important mission, let's all get in someone's ear about moving the date to LITERALLY ANY OTHER WEEKEND THAT ISN'T SUNY NP GRADUATION.

We have 51 options. I vote new years, with an xc ski option.

Eh, book your hotel early, no problem!

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To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

What what? Zofingen West? Hmm. I still need to get to Zofingen East (been to Switzerland and plan to go back for that race, possibly in 2020).

As to distance, the clear thing about AmZof is the distances organically use the available terrain. No weird out and backs aiming to force a certain mileage. So my thinking is that the "right" distance for another course would make use of what's available. Though maybe some long timers would like to weigh in on that...

Anyway, consider me intrigued!

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To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

Hi,

so couple questions, 1. does it usually sell out? 2. if I sign up for long course and later on decide that I was insane to do so, can I drop to a shorter distance? Looking forward to making a bad decision, just want to make sure its the correct one!

AmZof, to my knowledge, is limited to the # of cars that can park in the preserve, rather than to a strick # of participants. I've not heard of it selling out over my tenure (since 2012).

And yes, historically it's been very easy to change distances. But (!!!), I invite you to register for long and stick to your guns. It makes me sad to read an entrance list and then people drop. Just come prepared to suffer and you'll be sure to get your money's worth.

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To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

Thank you! Long course it is! My other question, one thing I loved in prepping for SOS was the bootcamp weekend and getting to know the course. Are their usually people who train/ride/run the course I could hook up with leading into the race to get some idea what to expect race day? I am outside NYC so a day trip or random weekend is always available!

I've never heard of anything official, but I've made the trip a couple times in April to scope out what winter did to the pavement and psyche myself up. I typically make an over night trip since I live near Philly. I'll definitely need to hit some tough run and bike climbing early next year, to prep for St George and PM Zofingen. Happy to advertise when I go, though damn near everyone is faster on that course than I am.

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To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

I ride the loop a couple of times a month summer thru fall., best riding within two hours of the City. I drive up from Queens, feel free to reach out. On a side note-Murphy's law-was that you coming down the Mohonk Climb this past Saturday? about 9 am?

Meanwhile, IM is still charging 4-900 bucks for HIM/IM!

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"The person on top of the mountain didn't fall there." - unkown

also rule 5

Cool! I love in Hoboken will send you a message and try to catch up when you head out there. Looking forward to the experience/pain!

The original Powerman Zofingen has a 10k run and then a 30k run.
150k bike course (3 laps of 50k) = 93m

When John McGovern decided to recreate that event here in Ulstertucky, rather than be a slave to those EXACT distances, he used the terrain available to make the best courses for run & bike, so they ended up being 5m and 15m for the runs for Long Course, for example.
Bike Long Course (3 laps) distance is 85 miles.

However, everyone who has done both events, says that while AmZof is a little shorter, it is HARDER, due to more and steeper climbing on both run & bike loops.

For another Powerman-esque event, you'd probably want to aim for approximate distances in that general range, but focus first on making it a fun, interesting, challenging course.

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float , hammer , and jog

Not me.
I took a "rest day" and did a casual cruise up w/ Mrs ML at Minne carriage roads that afternoon.

There's not a set AmZof camp, but like many others, I ride the course several times in the Spring prior to the race.

IF you're just going to ride a loop or 2, no need to pay to park in the Preserve, you could park elsewhere (like at the little Chapel down the hill, and there are other places too) on the course, and just do a lap or 2.
(You can use your car as your "aid station" if you plan multiple laps.)
If you also want to run the course, then you'll want to park in the Spring Farm lot, but you'll be paying the day rate to do so.

PS - they have completed repaving the road from where 299 ends, ALL THE WAY UP TO MINNE, and then down the other side a short way.
It is like. buttah.

Still need to add the white lines, but the pavement itself is sublime.

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float , hammer , and jog

ML, congratulations on your great finish at SOS Cape Cod. Why no report? It's good to see you all from SOS country finishing so well at the new race. Mike H continues to amaze!

Regarding warm ups for AZ; The Bridge To Bridge run is at the same place, on the same running terrain but a different course in late March or early April. It's the perfect chance to get in a run and a lap of the bike course. I'll probably be doing just that next spring.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Thx Jim!
It was the SOS designed so a rockfish like me could actually be competitive.
The bike actually mattered there; unlike the original SOS - where it's just an apertif to cleanse the palate and spread out the field before you start an Otillo-style swim/run event.
And the swims were short enough that I didn't bleed too much time to the rest of the field all day long.

Dr Mike is a machine.
I'll be racing him again tonite at the club sprint.
(weather permitting. Chance of Tstorms in the area all afternoon & evening)

Good call on the Bridge 2 Bridge Run - there were several peeps there racing that, then going out to ride afterwards.

The only caveat I'll make is - it is NOT at all like the AmZof run course, since it's mostly flat and almost entirely on carriage roads.
The only exceptions are the little jaunt up Rock Rift and back down, which is non-technical.
And then the descent down to the Pavillion, which is blazing fast - so, it ends up being a net-downhill run.

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float , hammer , and jog