I would guess people use myriad criteria for how they select what races they want to put on a schedule for the year. What's the most important for you? Here are a few off the top of my head;
- Close proximity, minimal travel expense
- "Exotic" locations (I talked to someone at my local gym that made selections to places they wanted to vacation, usually internationally)
- The calendar, where the race fits in the year for your training schedule
- Bike course profile; maybe lighter riders wanting hillier routes, heavier stronger riders wanting flatter routes
- Run course profile; same reasons
- The attraction of the host city; my old trainer at my old gym always does Hawaii 70.3 and uses it as a family vacation
- Host location weather and temperatures
I'm relatively new to the game (just three 70.3's and one full IM so far) and after a few experiences that were less than stellar, I consider things like locations very unlikely to be uber HOT on race day, but I also try to select locations that make at least some sense for traveling (the wife would like to travel there, maybe there's family not far from the race, etc).
Lastly, if you're one that is shooting for the podium, do you select races that you think may NOT be heavily attended, fewer competitors, etc? This year I would guess most races will have fewer racers but they may have a much higher percentage of hard-core racers; this year and maybe even next could have a lot less "recreational" or first-time type racers.
Just curious how some pick their races
- Close proximity, minimal travel expense
- "Exotic" locations (I talked to someone at my local gym that made selections to places they wanted to vacation, usually internationally)
- The calendar, where the race fits in the year for your training schedule
- Bike course profile; maybe lighter riders wanting hillier routes, heavier stronger riders wanting flatter routes
- Run course profile; same reasons
- The attraction of the host city; my old trainer at my old gym always does Hawaii 70.3 and uses it as a family vacation
- Host location weather and temperatures
I'm relatively new to the game (just three 70.3's and one full IM so far) and after a few experiences that were less than stellar, I consider things like locations very unlikely to be uber HOT on race day, but I also try to select locations that make at least some sense for traveling (the wife would like to travel there, maybe there's family not far from the race, etc).
Lastly, if you're one that is shooting for the podium, do you select races that you think may NOT be heavily attended, fewer competitors, etc? This year I would guess most races will have fewer racers but they may have a much higher percentage of hard-core racers; this year and maybe even next could have a lot less "recreational" or first-time type racers.
Just curious how some pick their races