Redman Triathlon in Oklahoma City is a good one. It is in September every year. Bike course is rolling and run course is completely flat. Most years the main thing to contend with is the wind. This year it is the USAT Long Course National Championships and the qualifier for the 2016 Long Course World Championships.

Perhaps not meeting the "around the country" req, but I'd point out Barrelman in Niagara on the Ontario side.

---

Munq

Michigan Titanium in Grand Rapids is a great race. They are on their 4th year now, they have a full and half distance, and now this year they just added an Olympic for some reason. The venue is great, good spectator spots in the transition area. Swim is in a calm man-made lake.

Course is a 70.3 course so the full is a double loop.

Perhaps not meeting the "around the country" req, but I'd point out Barrelman in Niagara on the Ontario side.

Indeed, Barrelman - http://niagarafallstriathlon.com/ - run by the always outstanding, Multisport Canada - http://www.multisportcanada.com/ - is a great alternative choice. Ran for the first time last year to rave reviews!

There were a few Americans who ventured across the border, but I was surprised there was not more. This year, the race is a great deal for Americans with the Canadian dollar running about 20% lower than the US dollar! With everyone complaining about the costs of races this is a built in saving not just on the cost of the race, but the whole trip!

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

There is a Half-Ironman distance race at Salamanca, one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. I will be the first time such an event is held there. June 14th 2015

If anyone is around Spain at that date I think is is worth it

http://www.triatloncastillayleon.com/node/1377
http://www.yomaranevents.es/i-desafio-ciudad-de-salamanca/


A couple pics of this ancient and lovely city.


PLaza Mayor




University (one of the four oldest in the world)








The swim leg will be held here

Check out the TOUGHMAN series:

http://toughmantri.com/event_races.shtml


TOUGHMAN is now the second biggest half triathlon series in the U.S., and there are more races to be added to the calendar soon!

---

Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador

Sweet pics. I just booked flights to go there in July. More psyched than ever, thanks!

Let me know if you need anything, I was born there!

Another plug for the Gulf Coast Triathlon in Panama City Beach, FL. A great race with good lodging and restaurants nearby.

Another possibility is the Goose Pond Triathlon in Scottsboro, AL, currently schedule for October 4th, and is much less expensive than an IM 70.3. I have not competed in that one yet, but I am registered for this year's race.

A good spring alternative would be the Chattahoochee Challenge 70.3 in Columbus, GA that is scheduled in April and is about half the price of an IM 70.3.

Another alternative is the Rocketman Florida Half which is held at the Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 15th. A bit more pricy, but the race is capped at 250 participants so it is like a boutique kind of race.

I'll add another vote for Wildflower and Savageman. Tough courses that reward the athletes with the most guts, not just the most expensive equipment. Both are "festivals" with multiple days of racing, many athletes stay inside the parks either camping or renting cabins. Great atmosphere and spectator support. Savageman has a small prize purse and primes up for grabs for anyone who can win them (pro or AGer). Wildflower prize purse and primes are for pros only.

If you make it up the famed "Westernport Wall" at Savageman without falling over, you get your name inscribed on a brick in the road. A nice way to immortalize a tough accomplishment. There's a lot of cool character to this race, including people in various costumes chasing you up the hills.

---

http://trainingwheelsrequired.wordpress.com
@KellyNCollier

I really liked these better than any Ironman brands I've done:


Pumpkinman
Musselman
Patriot Half (mass)
Montauk
Surf City (santa cruz)
Challenge St Andrews

I've heard good things about Savageman and White Mountains. Pilgrimman was a bit chaotic in its first year last year, but has potential.

---

___________________
Twitter | Kancman | Blog

Border Wars is the first weekend of October! The first race was this past year (October 2014) and it had roughly 550 participants.

Great atmosphere, super flat! (biggest hill was the getting up the bridge to cross the Mississippi River) and is a sweet venue because you do the swim and bike portions on the Missouri side of the river and then run on the Illinois side.

Race is just north of St. Louis, MO. Awesome end of the year race!

I did my first 70.3 there and absolutely loved it!

^^^^^^^^^^
2nd for Border Wars. Lots of fun. Plus the competition between the Multisport Clubs is neat!

True-about the price and also has a fast downstream swim. But just a heads up, the weather can be iffy and it got rained out(thunderstorm/tornado watch) this year.
Also, next year it becomes a "TOUGHMAN".

[

Demi Esprit (in MTL) - PB course. No faster venue on the planet. Swim in the Olympic rowing basin (read: big freaking pool), Ride on the F1 racetrack (read: insanely fast bike splits!!), Run on the flat trails around the rowing basin (read: no hills!).

I'm a huge fan of this race. The bonus is that is all done in the middle on Montreal, which is a fabulous place to be both before and after.
And how many times in your life do you get to race on a full time F1 race course. You would be surprised how tight the corners are on a bike.
The IM distance is equally fun and the number of people on the course is restricted so you never get overloaded.

Another vote for Beach2Battleship. It was incredibly well run, tons of volunteers, they just seem to get all the little things right. Plus they also seem to get that quantifying the effect on the local economy is huge for the long term success of the race. They ask a lot of questions about how long you stay, how much you spend, etc.

Barrel-Man looks great and I hear great things about it. I am looking to check it out now that Challenge AC doesn't have a pro race. The course sounds stunning.

---

http://www.johnhirsch.org
http://www.stronglikebulltraining.com

With the U.S. Dollar worth 1.297 CDN, U.S. based athletes might want to consider Barrelman. With 700 athletes registered last year we believe Barrelman was the second or third largest non 70.3 in North America behind Quassy and Patriot Half.

---

John Salt, Founder - MultiSport Canada
Canada's Largest Triathlon Series and Barrelman Niagara Falls
http://www.multisportcanada.com / http://www.niagarafallstriathlon.com
"Discipline Is What You Do When No One Is Watching You"

I just did the Musselman in Geneva,NY as my first half and it was a great race.
A couple other New York non-Ironman half races that are on my to-do list are the Peasantman in Penn Yann and Big George in Lake George. I ve also heard good things about the Tinman in Tupper Lake.

It's relatively new, but River Roux Triathlon in South Louisiana is a doozie. I'm biased of course since I'm on the Race Staff, but the course is sweet. The bike is harder than you'd expect with rolling ride through the plantation filled West Feliciana Parish and the bike course takes you over the Mississippi River and back via the Audubon Bridge.

It is also in late November - a fabulous time locally in terms of weather.

Beach 2 Battleship Half - Wilmington, NC

---

Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

When are they going to put on Wensleydale again?

---

Deceptively slow.