I'll bump this b/c I'm interested too but haven't ever raced. I had an idea though. Buy a small rectangular inflatable raft. (say about 2 ft long by 1 foot wide) Fashion two shoulder straps out of a material that would not chaffe and you have yourself a super light (Probably less than a pound or two) back-pack / shoe-boat that you could tow in the swim and throw on your back for the run.

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"The more you sweat today, the less you bleed tomorrow"

I haven't done this race either, but friends of a friend have done it a few years back and have written a few emails about it. I wish I had saved those emails, because I definitely want to do this race at some point.

They had tried everything from dragging their shoes in a little raft to stuffing them in their shorts facing up... then facing down. In the end, they found it best to just swim with the damn things on their feet. Low-tech won out. Imagine that. :-)

They said it's pretty damn cold though. So you'd better be rugged.

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It is a very, very fun race. Probably the most beautiful on the East Coast. I have done it the last two years, when the weather has been stellar. A truly great experience. The organizers and volunteers are very nice folks.

You just stick your shoes into lycra short with the soles facing out and the heels pointing down. Seems the fastest guys stick them one front and one back as if you were wearing a jock and tailbone protector. I found that putting both in back, one on each cheek fit the best.

I cannot reccomend that race highly enough. I can imagine that it is a different event in bad weather (they cancelled the swims due to fog in 2002, so it was a 30 mile bike then an 18 mile trail run), but once you do it, you'll probably make it an annual thing.

Reggie,

Thanks, very interesting. Did you have any trouble with blisters? Running 18 miles with no socks and wet shoes sounds like a recipe for trouble...well, I guess you don't run all 18 miles with wet shoes, you can subtract the first run leg...anyway.

Matt

My brother-in-law did it in 2002 (the fog year) and there was 1 swim leg.

Said the water was freezing.

He wore a fuel belt and stuck his shoes in that.

If you can afford it, stay at the Mohonk Mt House as it is one of the great old hotels.

Yes, I did end up with arch blisters last year....I didn't have my footwear checked out; used some older "stability" shoes that I was throwing out because I deemed that I didn't need the stability, but thought they would make good trail running shoes (not). In general, however, it seems that most people have fewer problems with their feet than you'd expect.

Second the reccomendation of the Mohonk House, a truly unique place, but it is quite expensive (~$500/night with a 2 night minimum.) Super 8 Motel in New Paltz is the (low) stardard fare.

It is also a really fun race for the family to attend as the area is beautiful, there are good pre and post race dinners and they get an entry to the grounds of the Mohonk House as part of the deal.

food/beer note for New Paltz - The Gilded Otter is a nice brew pub and Bacchus has a huge micro brew selection.

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<< The Gilded Otter is a nice brew pub and Bacchus has a huge micro brew selection. >>

Nothing against Bacchus (well, other than the lousy service - it's always super slow, even if you are the only ones there, the food and beer are good), but, there's a motto about the wait- and bar-staff at the Otter that I'd like to share to help in your decision-making process as to which establishment to visit:

"They're hotter at the Otter" ;-)



Plus, you can't beat hanging out on the back deck w/ a cold one, after a sunny day of doing whatever outdoorsy thing floated yer boat that day. Kick back, and watch the sun set over the Gunks. It's sublime.

I'm meeting a buddy who's back in town tonite at P&G's for dinner (his choice), but I will be popping in to the Otter for a quick pop and to fill up a growler w/ Rail Trail Pale Ale (the Mrs' fave) to bring home for my honey.



Back to the SOS - for the Tri purists out there, here's the big plus - NO wetsuits for the swims. I may still sign up for it in spite of that.

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float , hammer , and jog

well, yeah, the service is slow...

I go back and forth between the two, my friend and I were making day trips to Hunter with a food and brew stop in New Paltz on the way home.

Anyone looking for a different type of endurance race, anyone I've talked to who has participated has loved this race (is that grammatically correct?).

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Considering the efforts RD (Don Davis) puts into providing meals to SOS participants, this tread should not go into direction of "supplemental caloric intake." You will be treated to a pre-race dinner on an evening before the race (catered by a good local restaurant), lighter meal at the finish line (soup and chili, fruits, etc.), and huge meal at the awards (catered by the Mohonk Mountain House). Sadly, over the recent years Don Davis succumbed to the whining of some of the more fresh to triathlon athletes, and began to provide nutrition and hydration ON the race course. Shocking! SOS definitely lost some of its ruggedness and "survival" flavor when aid station volunteers meet you miles away from civilization with "What flavor of the gel would you like?" or "What type of fruit would you like?"

Over the years, and independently of the weather, most participants tend to wear standard tri racing apparel once off the bikes. Tri-shorts or swim suit, maybe singlet or tri-top, maybe one-piece. Some use wetsuits (for speed or comfort) on the swims, some create elaborate shoe-carrying designs for the lakes, some stay minimalistic.

Water temperatures varied over the years, and can change dramatically in just 24-48 hours prior to the event (due to rains and rapid temperature changes late in the summer). Only the first lake (due to the swim distance) can became a challenge due to its water temperature. It can get pretty challenging for lower body fat athletes (in the late 80's, one year had dozens of swimmers periodically getting out of the lake to the shore to warm up and to release cramping). But usually, water temperature does not affect most swimmers until the last 5-10 minutes.

As for shoes - too many options had been used already to suggest anything new. From wearing them, to storing them under the apparel, to waterproof bags, to rafts... all methods had their proponents.

Race can accommodate only a very limited numbers of participants, so if you are serious, fill out your application right now. You also need to qualify (see race website).