I hear the hill is a snot locker.

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Yep, did it last year. Just a few things to think about.

Arrival: Get there early (Wed/Thurs. before the race). There is a good chance that your bike will be a day behind you especially if you connect through San Juan. I guess the rule there is people 1st, luggage 2nd.

Lodging: I stayed at the King Christian Hotel. It's a pretty good Hotel, but next time I'd like to stay at the Hotel on the Cay. The Buccaneer is also very nice, but it's a couple miles from the race start. You'll get a tour of the grounds during the run (actually you'll see it twice!). One word of advice. If you stay at the Buccaneer and you ride to the race start go in a group. Someone got mugged last year on their way to the race start. They stole his bike and cracked him on the head pretty bad.

The Attitude: If you are a "Parrot Head" you are basically going to Heaven. Whether you are or not let me recommend reading "Don't Stop the Carnival". Ya' gotta' get into the "Island Time" mentality. Fail to do this, and you'll go crazy in St. Croix. I'm talking to all the type "A" personalities, and everyone from MA, NY and NJ! Being born and raised in MA, I'm one of those people.

Food: Basic American Stuff. Plan on dinner taking a little longer than usual. Like 90 to 120 minutes. So go to diner (supper) early the night before the race. For me, a post race cheeseburger, a cold beer, and a little Jimmy Buffett right about sunset, put a lot of things in perspective that week.

Sun Screen: Wear it, wear it, wear it!!!! It's really easy to get burned that far south, that early in the season. It will be provided at most water stops on the run.

The course:

The Swim: You actually start out at the cay, so you literally swim a couple hundred meters to the swim start. The water is warm (84 degrees or so) and clear, with some current but not that bad. It's not wetsuit legal. I really loved this swim.

The Bike: First, they drive on the left! So get used to saying (or hearing) ON YOUR RIGHT!!! Yes there is the "Beast", and yes it is steep, but hear me now! It's not the worst part of the bike. It's the 35 very hilly miles after the Beast (and the heat) that got me. The "Yellow Line" rule does not apply on the Beast (but only the Beast), so you can zig zag up if you have too. Leave your legs on the Beast and you are in for a long day. Take a cab out to the Beast a day or two before the race. Bring a camera. The artwork on the road at the beginning of the Beast is pretty good. The scenery is awesome.

The Run: Hot, hot, hot... and a little hilly. The run is well supported, as was the rest of the race. Did I mention sun screen? Good! Wear it!!! The Buccaneer is a beautiful property, so enjoy it as you run through.

The weather: It was really hot and humid. I got killed on this course because I took ZERO electrolytes. I forgot them in the Hotel room. By the end of the bike, my race was shot. Lesson learned. I cramped on the run pretty bad.

Overall: I had a great time, and look forward to going back in a year or two. I'd definitely do this race again. Also worth noting is the sprint race that weekend. If you are a SCUBA diver pack your regulators, and skin diving gear. Next trip I'll allow more time to go diving and decomp. before flying home).

That's all the news that's fit to print!

Joel

I did the race last year and liked it so much am coming back this year for another go around. The prior post was excellent and I agree with everything he said except I would reccomend staying at the Buccaneer. It is a first rate place. The included breakfast buffet was awesome.

It's a pretty fast crowd at this race. Qualifying here is difficult given the good competition and limited slots. The qualifying times don't seem too impressive at first glance but this is no ordinary 1/2 IM. It is hilly, windy, and hot,hot,hot. Conditions are very similar to Kona only hillier (and it felt hotter).

No wetsuit swim which can be smooth or choppy depending on the day. Cool start from an island you have to swim out to.

The bike is the teeth of this course. Save some gas until you get to the Beast at mile 20. The Beast is very steep but isn't that long and wasn't too bad. Like was stated above, it's the backside of the course is quite hilly as the heat builds and the headwind kicks up.

The run will be very tough if you pushed the bike hard. Very, very hot. The race website says the run is flat,.... bulls#@$. Rolling hills most of the way. Good support on the run though. Plenty of ice which saved my life.

All in all a great race and a fun island. The guy who got mugged drove to the race early and parked in a bad spot. You have to be carefull in Christainsted after dark. Don't wander off the into any dark sections. Lots of good restaurants and great snorkeling. You will have a great time. see you there.

Hi,

I also signed up for the race. Are there any cheap hotels or good (quite) hostels around? What are the cheapest airline deals? I've been shopping for airline deals and got from 850$ down to 590$ (RT from LAX). Sounds pretty good, so I will book as soon as I get my academic scholarship money.

OLN aired the race coverage of the 2003 race. If you're interested I could mail it to you. It's not the best coverage but better than nothing.

daniel

---

�The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.� -Michelangelo

MoodBoost Drink : Mood Support + Energy.

Thanks so much for the advice!!! I understand that it is HOT down there..LOL

I booked my hotel at the Chenay Bay Cottages. They had a special triathlete package $600.00 u.s. for 5 nights, plus a bunch of other goodies. I booked my flight through American Airlines,departing from Detroit on the 28th. I'm not sure about their policy for bike shipments though..if anyone knows..I'd greatly appreciate it.

For me..i'm not trying to qualify for anything..just going to finish and have a great time on a tropical island. I'll leave the qualifying for IMFLA..:-D

And YES, i'd love to be able to borrow your tape...promise to give it back!!

Shelley

---

-----------------
http://www.konashelley.blogspot.com

Great post by Joel Smith.

I did the race last year for the first time as well. We stayed at the Buccaneer which was very nice and, as mentioned, the included breakfast buffet was excellent. Great beaches, views, free rum runners every day starting at noon, free walk-up PC with internet access, etc.

Race notes:

Swim - not much to add, just enjoy the beautiful warm, crystal clear waters.

Bike - I agree that the Beast should be the least of your worries. The backside of the island (i.e. last 35 miles) is a killer. It was a once in a lifetime race for me so I only had two goals - climb The Beast and finish the race. We road out to the beast two days before to check it out and, WOW, what a mind-blower for a flatlander from the midwest. I ride a 650c with a 42 small ring and went with a 12-25. Didn't make it up the Beast on the recon ride. Very bummed! Went immediately back to race central and bought a way over priced 12-27. This proved do do the trick as I made it up the Beast on race day while many others were walking up their bikes or simply falling over when their forward progress halted. The Beast itself is very bumpy with a big rut running down the middle (for drainage, I suppose) so be careful if you're doing the serpantine to take the angle out of the hill. Also, lots of other riders all close together and barely in control.

Run - rolling hills, HOT,and not much shade except near Christianstead. Hydrate like you've never done before and definitely take electrolytes all day long.

Negatives - an IM qualifier and no race chips. What's up with that? St Croix is certainly the more economically depressed of the sister Islands compared to St Thomas. The cruise ships have stopped coming to St Croix due to petty theft, etc. So, be careful where you go, especially after dark.

---

tinman

I haven't been, but I wanted to add something that I've read in a few race reports. I've read that sometimes people walk the Beast in order to do better through the rest of the race. One guy I know did that the second time he did this race and he PR'd by quite a margin. I realize that your first time out one of your goals is probably just to get up the thing, but it's an interesting race plan, so I thought I'd mention it. Good luck and have fun. Sounds like an amazing race!

Dawn

     I agree with everything Joel (who I met in the airport as we waited for our bikes which did not arrive until the next day) said above. The beast is bad, but about 10 miles after the beast, the heat, constant steep little hills, wind, and sun really took their toll on me. The race is beautiful, so enjoy yourself and don't go too hard on the bike - if you are able to run the 1/2 marathon, you will pass 100's of people who went too hard on the bike and are unable to run. I recommend the Bucanneer Hotel - it's about $100 more a night then some of the other hotels, but it's very nice. Also, I echo what Joel said about the sunscreen. Believe it or not, you can still see the tan lines from where my St. Croix race number was on my arms 8 months after the race!!! I stupidly forget to apply sunscreen after I got body-marked. Good luck.

are there any "cheap" hotels for poor students like me? I already have to sell my car to afford university tuition and the racing season. I don't really care about luxus, don't even need a bed, as long as it's clean and quite. any suggestions? or is there a safe campground nearby, for the days after the race?

thanks,

daniel

---

�The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.� -Michelangelo

MoodBoost Drink : Mood Support + Energy.

After we just booked flights with AA, I looked up their baggage policy, and it seems they are the only ones who don't automatically charge extra for a bike. If I remember correctly, if it's under 50 lbs and within certain lxwxh restrictions, you can check it in place of one of your checked bags. Look it up on their website for more details. http://www.aa.com

It's been a while since I've been there. Buccaneer is definitiely high price/high end. Christiansted is safer than Fredericksted. tripadvisor.com has a handful of hotel reviews up. Looks like you can find something in the $75/night range. With a roommate, that wouldn't add up to something too awful.

Food is expensive there since just about everything has to get shipped from the mainland. If you're going to be there a couple of days, you might look into slipping a hot plate into your luggage, or going in with a couple people and renting a small condo so you can do your own cooking rather than eating out.