Planned on doing the 1/2 IM, but I decided to save a few bucks and I will be doing Sylvania Oly for half the cost. I'm cheap plus I really don't like two loop courses or three loops for the run.

Good luck in the race

I did the Craig Greenfield last weekend so I'm not doing this one. Plus I haven't been training for half IM distances. I'm fairly certain it will be flat since I don't remember Ovid being a hilly area.



Are the 3discipline events entry fees higher then average?

I don't think so, 140.00 bucks for 1/2 IM I think is about standard. But the oly was only $70.00

Interesting question, because I thought lower entry fees were one of the reasons they cited for why they chose not to be USAT sanctioned. (Let's not go into whether they chose or USAT chose for them.) I looked at entry fees for 3D races and several other races in the area, and the 3D races certainly seem to be on the high end of the typical range of prices. You can get a discount if you register early (end of April I think), but that's a lot earlier than most other races.

Looks like their half price is pretty "fair"...definately not "high"....

Cost to do Lansing:

$110 in advance, $130 thru 8/13, $150 8/14

Compared to:

Steelhead Half (2nd Year Race) $130

Peterborough Half (in Canada) $85

Incidentally, I wish all races were less expensive...I think www.trisportcanada.com has some of the best "value" for race that I've participated in...it's just a long drive to make more than once or twice a year.

-matt buese

Yeah, I thought the half price was fair. I think Muncie was around that price range, too.

I was looking at the prices of their shorter races (generally around $55 unless you register very early or very late), and comparing them to the cost of other similar races in the area, which seem to be in the $45-60 range. I'm definitely not saying that 3D races are more expensive than others, just that they're not cheaper than any others either, despite not having to pay for the USAT sanctioning.

I'm in.

No way I'm missing a hometown race.

No wetsuit for me. The weather so far seems like it's going to be perfect. Much cooler than the Steelhead.

I must confess that I never rode around the area much during my formative years. I can't go check out the course until saturday close to dark. So I might be doing this race blind, so to speak. Anyone here seen the course? Tips? Pointers?

Good Luck.

I'm in for the 1/2. I see Kenny has altered the run course a bit with less trail. That is more to my liking.

I don't care how many loops. 3D's Stoney Creek Int. distance race with 4 loops around the park for the bike is great. Just get me pointed in the right direction and let's go.

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Train hard...race well.
www.jimmishler.com
"Jim, I happen to agree with you" DougStern

Price is very fair for a 1/2 Ironman -

Will be interesting to see how the loop course works - if they have alot of athletes it could get crowded. Without USAT officials, the drafting might also be a problem. Guess it depends on the wave starts and the type of bike course - hilly or flat.

It does cut down of the cost of the race with a loop course - less roads to close, less police and less volunteers. Z

my wife is doing the race as part of her training for ironman florida later this year. judging by kenny's e-mails to the participants over the passed 2 weeks 3d has a lot invested in this race and has high hopes for it. if it ends up being well organized and executed, with it's great central michigan location (we're coming from windsor, just across the border from detroit) it could prove to be a popular race next year.

we'll see. keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best!

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____________________________________________________________
"I'm happy when life's good,
and when it's bad I cry.
I've got values but I don't know how or why."
- The Who

I'm doing the Oly. The wife was going to do it to but she hurt her back.

I grew up just down the road in the Chesaning area. So this is almost like a home town race.

Dave

I took this quote from the event website - "There will be plenty of Goldwings on the course, penalties will be given out for blocking and drafting no tolerance!!! "

Questions - Will there be two people on each Goldwing - one driver and one writing down race #'s.

Were the rider's (if they have two people on a goldwing) told what to look for - drafting and blocking. Did they have an inservice (instruction) to give them information on what drafting and blocking is on the bike course.

I did the Seahorse Triathlon in June. Saw about 6-8 Goldwings at the event. Each one had one person - the driver. They rode the course during the race. Out of 300-400 athletes - NO ONE received a drafting or blocking penalty!

Maybe no one drafted or maybe the Goldwings just could not right down the race #'s as they were driving their bikes.

Will be interesting to see the penalty list after this weekend's race. Z

What's the point Tom? I've been to more sanctioned events promising course monitoring than not and saw just as many if not more violations at USAT/monitored events. Stating there monitoring and penalties is normally intended as a deterrent more than a threat. I don't care what anyone says about the issue other than it is up to us a participants to police the course and be legal, not the event management. Please don't tell me you are claiming no one drafted at Steelhead.

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Train hard...race well.
www.jimmishler.com
"Jim, I happen to agree with you" DougStern

Jim - No I am not claiming that no one drafted at Steelhead. If fact, I believe that the officials gave out 10-15 penalites for drafting and blocking. One athlete even came up to me and asked me to overturn the officials penalty. I told him that I have no authority to do so and that the officials calls were the final decision.

My point is that without trained officials, a race management team CANNOT claim to be watching out for drafting and blocking and telling athletes that their will be officials on the course watching for these things. It is not fair to athletes for these things to be stated and not followed through.

Now if the RD is instructing the officials on the rules and someone is on the back of the goldwing writing doen race #'s then I have no problem with the RD telling athletes that someone will be on the course watching for these things.

If there are draft marshalls on the course, then there should be some calls. This was not the case at the Seahorse. The motorcyles were at the race but NO ONE got called for drafting. Hard to believe that NO ONE was in a drafting position for 15 seconds in plain view of one of the marshalls.

Again, I could be wrong and the officials at these non-sanctioned races have been taught the rules.

Also I am not saying sanctioned events do not have drafting - all races do. And even at sanctioned events, athlete get away with drafting and blocking because officials are not present.

You are correct in saying that athletesshould monitor themselves at races. We all hope that this would be the case, but we know that it really does not work as some athletes will always break the rules.

Lets hope that a few of the people get recieve a time penalty at the race this weekend. Z

My point Tom is I think you are splitting hairs and the issue is better suited on a separate thread. I'd hate to see a thread intended to promote participant camraderie for a new event head in the wrong direction.

The way I see it, every USAT event should be monitored and penalties handed out, no variance period. It should be black and white, no gray.

I would be willing to suggest that if we looked for example at the number of penalties handed out, or DQ's for that matter, as a percentage of participants entered in the 2004 USAT sanctioned MGPS events to date, the ratio would be laughable. And we also know that if 20 penalties were handed out at an event with 500 or so participants, probably 100 or more were "guilty", just 20 got caught.

The practice is a deterrent until every event goes whole hog after everyone. This is kind of like the village that leaves a patrol car parked at the town limit with a hat propped up on the headrest. It makes you think about your speed long enough to slow down...and then laugh when you go by and see whats really going on.

I contend every RD had better be claiming there will be course monitoring and offer some pre-race posts and commentary about the issue and why it is important, regardless of whether they actually follow through with the monitoring. I applaud any RD for at least raising the issue regardless of whether monitoring takes place and/or issues penalties, compared to those who go through sanctioning on paper but really don't give a rip.

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Train hard...race well.
www.jimmishler.com
"Jim, I happen to agree with you" DougStern

A lot of the 3D volunteers that I came in contact with last week had no clue about the two transition area's let alone drafting. I could feel a few people right on my azz during the bike race who eventually got over only to get right behind the next guy. I thought about reporting them but then I figured I'd leave that up to the race officials. I'm sure it's hard to find people to work on Sunday morning at sunrise but some of 3D workers were cruising in their "official race vechicles" smoking ciggies and checking out the female riders in their swimsuits... Kind of funny since I was doing the same thing sans the ciggies...

Nuthin wrong with soaking up the sights. Sure beats sausage gravy w/biscuits & cartoons :-)

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Train hard...race well.
www.jimmishler.com
"Jim, I happen to agree with you" DougStern