Son of a!! That was pretty much the only other race I wanted to do this year.
Oh well, guess it’s time to let myself go. To hell with getting a summer body.

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Alex Arman

Strava

And here we go again. At this point, you would have to be a fool to plan on and register for a North American Powerman event.

What safety concern would cause a race director to cancel a race three to four months out?

Lack of money to pay the police for traffic control.

That's a big time bummer.

I was concerned the same thing would happen in Michigan this year, but they actually had a nice increase in participants.

It went from:
2016: 91
2017: 88
2018: 122

I'm sure it's difficult to sustain a race with that few participants, but the trend for this year was encouraging.

shocking I tell you. <-sarcasm

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

I doubt you'll let that happen Alex. This did have the potential to be a pretty cool race, the location is good for sure, scenic.

This may hint at some of the issues: http://www.townoflyons.com/...tem/2878?fileID=6916

I was going to sign up a few days ago on the Powerman site for this race.

I talked to them at Du Nats and told them they cannot keep canceling races if they want a sustainable business model.

A lot of people

- don't like to swim
- struggle with the swim
- have no easy access to pools

But they still do Tri because it is sexier?

I can't imagine why Duathlon is not more popular.

Plus, one could set up races in very spectacular venues as you don't require a lake or sea.

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10k - 30:48 / half - 1:06:40

[quote]I can't imagine why Duathlon is not more popular.[/quote]

Bc a duathlon is way fucking harder than a triathlon for the same duration. A 10k/40k/5k du will destroy you as much as a 70.3 race and require the same amount of recovery time even though it's half the duration

Most triathletes don't like to run that much either and god forbid you've got to run an all out 10k then then turn around and run a hard 5k after biking. Most triathletes don't possess the fortitude to race that

It's harder to bike after that first run than it is to bike after swimming

running off the bike in a triathlon is very, very easy compared to running off the bike after running before the bike

it's hard to be social in a duathlon bc everyone is really freaking gassed on that last run. At Victoria 70.3 you'd have though 45% of the people I lapped on the run were out for a Sunday social run chatting with their friends.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Marketing.

Tri has been sold as a "real" sport and Du as a sport for someone who is lacking in skill. Of course, this is the same silly thought pattern that leads to the conclusion that a marathon is a more legitimate race than a 800 meter event.

Man, that is damning. And basically confirms everything I've previously thought about 3 Disciplines. I mean, it's incredible that the town in Arizona had no idea they were promoting a race there, and they didn't fill out paperwork for other races until two weeks before.

WOW

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http://mediocremultisport.blogspot.com

YMMV. Coming from a running background, I know quite a few high school and college teammates who have had no issues with Duathlons, myself included. You have to pace yourself properly (and not "run an all out 10k" like you described) and the race itself isn't too bad, and frankly, I'd much rather run a 5k off the bike than a 10k (olympic) or 1/2 marathon (70.3).

Training is significantly easier too than your comparison of a 70.3. You're talking a 40k bike vs 56 miles (less than half the distance) and not having to step foot in a pool. Considering the significantly larger numbers of people who run half or full marathons than any triathlon, there's significantly more people who'd be able to complete a duathlon than could complete a triathlon.

Yeah, it is fricking hard. But isn't that the point about it? I'm not a history guy but wasn't the first idea of Triathlon to see who is the toughest? (Swimmers, runners or cyclists).

We have a Duathlon series in Switzerland and I think a lot of athletes either have a running or cycling background. The fields are not huge but with decent quality. I've run the first 5k of a sprint Du in sub 16 and was only in the chase pack. But what the sport lacks is depth.

A lot of people run and a lot of people ride. In Europe cycling is a big sport. Cycling and running belong to the most purest of endurance sports and are easily acessible. I find it beutiful to fuse them together.

I can understand that swimming completes the picture. But with so many people struggling and neglecting it why not do some duathlons every once in a while?

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10k - 30:48 / half - 1:06:40

It takes balls for Powerman to present a contract like that to a town and provide/guarantee so little in return. It's like they aren't willing to build the event from the ground up first. Once you have a premier event and the registrations to prove, then and only then can you expect a town to sign up to those demands. Kudos to the town of Lyons for doing their homework - that's some good government there.

good for Lyons staff for researching before "buying"...sorry for Du in general but rd and companies doing bad business hurt tri and du, giving us all a bad name.

5k in legal fees just working on drafts of the contract. Those financial details are very enlightening

Interesting. I know they did one near me a few years ago, and everybody I know that did it, said they would never do it again. Bad choices on the run/bike courses, they way the swim was handled, etc.. Also they scheduled it for the following year, then canceled it around 6months out from the event. I would say it is a company I will stay away from for racing.

It may have originally been the point, but it no longer is. The goal for most now is the fastest time on the easiest course they can find. At least in the US. Hard courses are getting few and far between.

3 Disciplines...not surprising at all

@Herbert , @Slowman -

Any chance we can get a follow up convo with Chris Legh about this race? And any future insight he may have regarding Powerman surviving in North America?

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Alex Arman

Strava

I feel duped. :-(

Tyme, where are you located? Their regular tris in Michigan are generally good, some even very good. I have friends who won’t do 3D races anymore, but my experience has been solid enough. Not a brand I’d seek out, but more than happy to do one of their close races when time/ location work.

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team