Good impressions as-in a good performance? Yes, and this overshadows the races shortcomings for me.
Good impressions as-in I would sign up for it again? Probably not, without some corrections in the logistics of the race.

Logistically speaking it is extrememly inconvenient to have two separate transition areas, particularly when you can't park at the race start. Due to the lack of parking at the start, you had to take a shuttle from a remote location. It was all quite stressful, and it was very poorly outlined in the race packet. As others have mentioned, the road conditions on the bike were deplorable for the last third. The road was bad, and there were a lot of quick turns that made it slow. Furthermore, there were single-file areas where it was very difficult or impossible to pass, which really slowed faster racers down (I was in the third to last wave, M25-29, so lots of passing).

Here are my constructive suggestions for this race:
- Dear MDot, take a look at a Rev3 race packet and get some ideas. The bike course map and directions were a JOKE. How hard is it to put mile markers (distance since previous instruction) on the cue sheet? I tried to drive the course before the race and spent most of the day completely lost.
- Scrap the course. I am not that concerned with dirty swim water, but there NEEDS to be parking at the swim venue. The shuttling and checkin were unnecessarily stressful and left a very bad taste in my mouth. Furthermore, while the bike terrain was generally fair, the last third of the course was inexcusable for a race course. You just can't have no-pass zones, and single lane sections during critical points of the race. This really killed momentum of the ride.
- Timing matts and mile markers on the run course were way off. This is so easy, I am not sure how it could have been screwed up. Come on!
- I really don't care much, but if you are trying to play with the competition (Rev3 and independent races), need to step up the game on the goodie bag and swag.

The volunteers, cheering squads and aid stations were great and in spite of challenged logistics, I was very surprised to see how smoothly the gear pick-up was after the race. I know the RD was dealt a tough hand of cards, and I understand he did what he could, but there were a few easy things that could have been remedied to make this into a better experience. I would love to participate in this event again in the future because there is potential and a lot of things went well, but I think it needs to go back to the drawing board to make this a world-class event.

Regardless, I PR'ed, finally cracked 2:30 on the bike and ran well in the heat, so I am riding high today, so that overshadows any negatives of this race.

its remarkable how some of these races are falling out of favor. I wonder if it has to do with timing.

it seemed like Quassy absolutely crushed it this year. Deep pro fields (relatively speaking - I mean I know maybe only 4-6 guys and girls have a shot of winning, but having 30-40 "pros" still count), beautiful loops for bike and run, nice lake. Seems like a good time of the year? First weekend in June up in the Northeast, most people haven't started their season yet up there.

I look at video of Portland Rev 3, and it looked deserted - granted it was the first race and the course was changed very last moment, but still.

I understand the Rhode Island race got hampered by people complaining of road closures and I think its a serious problem for race directors all over the place. I heard there was a pretty big backlash surrounding the Quassy Rev3 race and all of the road closures. Many residents were not pleased with how many roads were closed for so long and some are saying they weren't allowed to their homes by the police. While others were told they simply couldn't go in a certain direction and were not given alternate routes. I volunteered on the course and can attest that there were agitated drivers.

Timing definitely matters.

Money definitely matters.

In someways, I think the WTC is screwing themselves in the foot with their points/money system and I think some of what you see are athletes timing races more and when you have a race that basically has no points and no money, it becomes almost of an an issue of having to win 2 or 3 of these other races to = 3rd or 4th at another. I think Belinda Granger was talking about IM Texas versus some other of the races and it came down to a 6th at IM Texas was worth 3 victories at other races...

I also would not be surprised if RI and some other races become AG only races with no prize money or pro points. Muncie was a 750 point race with $50K and RI a 500 point race with $15K. Now the funny thing about RI is pretty much every pro that raced got paid, except Raymond Botehlo, so for the Pros that showed up, pretty much just finish the race and you get at least $500. Unfortunately if you won, you only made $3,000 where if you did Muncie, that was $8500. So I could see WTC in the future saying just screw it, pocket the $15K and tell the pros if you want to race, you have to do Muncie that weekend.

And when you look at Quassy... You finish 4th there, you still take home the same or more than winning Muncie. A 7th at Quassy is the same as winning Rhode Island.. so in the whole scheme of things... you may go up against say Dibens and Carfrae, but compared to other races, you finish top 5, it is like winning another race and compared to say Rhode Island, you come on 4th at Quassy and you have made more than winning 3 of the Ironman 70.3 races from the lot that includes Canberra, Shepparton, Taiwan, Austin, Poconos, Pays d'Aix, Augusta, Branson, Japan, Muskoka, Ireland, Timberman, Yeppoon, Lake Stevens, Philipppines, Calgary, Antwerp, Racine, Rhode Island, Korea, Buffalo Springs, Italy, UK, Boise, Mooseman, Hawaii, China, Florida, Mallorca, Busselton, Port MacQuaire, Singapore, Pucon)

I saw the Portland video as well and did look like not a lot of spectators. Rhode Island from some of the pics I saw surprised me for the lack of crowds (or from what I saw) since it was downtown. Portland I can understand since it was a bit out of the way. Same for Quassy. I think what hurts Quassy a little is many of the families will go into the park and have an idea when their loved one is finishing, as well as it is a double-edged sword... The road closure make it a little tough and most of the park parking is taken by athletes, so for spectators the appeal of having to drive to the Timex lot and take a shuttle bus I think takes away from it a bit.

Haven't heard too much of the back lash on Quassy from the road closures, and not sure anything was different from last year to this. No whether the police were more ansy this year, that could be a possibility, but I have not seen anything rise to level of what I was hearing out of IM Texas where even some of the forums of the local papers had people threatening to put tacks down in the roads next year or "hit" races with their cars. Being Texas, I could see a shooting.

It does also raise the question of racers versus participants. I wonder how much of these issues would exist to a lesser extent with tighter performance windows. Regardless, community relations is a big part of races. Rev 3 really made a point of watching trash, being kind to the community, respecting the area, etc. Though I have to wonder how the residents would be "surprised" about the closures. I saw a lot of the local papers that listed road closures etc., so it was in the papers a lot leading up to the race.

All and all though a very important aspect for all races... Communities like the money, but at some point, you piss of the wrong people or people are having an aggitated/bad day, and things can get ugly quickly

Really makes you think how Rev3 is making money off these things....The fees alone for Quassy park and the permits...no idea how much that can run.

and yes the race was well advertised for residents. I guess some didn't read. I had a lady drive up to me saying...Help..I can't get home...i have groceries in the car that are going spoil. I thought to myself...you know there is a race on your road for a 3 hour window...did you really have to go grocery shopping right this second? She then proceeded to say...hell..i'm going...I am not waiting anymore...I calmly said..ok maam, we have bikers coming one way and runners coming the other way, I will go and tell you when there is a gap and you can go.. she goes...yeah yeah..ok.

the problem wasn't necessarily the closed roads, it was the lack of help from police telling people how to go around the closed roads. If you are in Middlebury...how do you get into Woodbury and vice versa. Basically the detour was go to 1-84 and just go to the next exit and backtrack if need be, but that wasn't posted anywhere, and people were stuck trying back roads..but all the back roads were blocked so it was pointless.

I'm guessing though that Rev3 paid a pretty penny for it or made the argument that they bring in quite alot of commerce be it hotels, restaurants, etc.

Well, the several people that commented above seem to have the same impression, to include this guy for the most part. My swim time (without rubber) was slightly slower than usual, but when I got out and read the time, it said one thing, the slip at the end added 6 minutes to it?? Did they adjust for the 5 minute delay at the beginning of the race?
What can I say about the bike course. I was in the middle of the pack due to my age group and I have never seen so many people on the side of the road with flats! Me included, 2 in the last 10 miles! Yes, that sucked. I thought the timing chips were off also on the run, but lets look at reality, it was dam hot! Slowed me down 25 minutes than normal. The humidity contributed and I expected to be slower, but not that much. And again, on the final slip they gave out at the end, it said my last time splits were 5:30s?? Yeah, it must have been that other guy running with my chip for that one.
I will say that I thought there were people willing to help with assistance everywhere, from sunscreeners to run support boys and girls (although no help with my flats). But I did see one bike support car out there and was stopped each time I saw them.
Bottom line, I came, did it and most likely won't do again. Should have gone to Muncie, heard it was perfect weather! And fast!!
Mooseman, RI, Lake Stevens... could I have picked three crappier races for the year??

Stay cool and mash. Fast IS Fast!

Well, I didn't race (my wife did) but I have some positive things to say about the race from a spectator perspective. I rode the bike course the day before (thank you for the help further up in this thread, especially the cue sheet which was spot on) and enjoyed the ride (riding it, not racing it). I thought 40 miles of it were challenging, scenic and fun. The view at about mile 40 over that bridge with the water to the left and the overlook to the right was spectacular. There were some nice hills, sweeping downhills and some flat parts where I got into a nice rhythm. Also, the course was marked the day before (tape arrows on the ground) so it made it easy to follow. Ten of the miles (and we all know which ten they are) were very unpleasant. Unless there is no other way to get to downtown Providence, I have no idea why they would put a bike course on those roads.

As a spectator, it was a good race to watch. If you drop your athlete off at the swim and watch them start, you can then go downtown and see them bike in to T1, start the run, come through downtown again on the run, and finish, all within a few yards. Everyone we met in Providence was friendly, helpful and glad the race was in town (granted we spent most of our time downtown). Everything seemed well organized and the volunteers we saw seemed really into the race and wanting to be as helpful as possible.

That said, I probably won't do the race next year because of the hassle of getting to the swim start (charging for a shuttle just rubs me the wrong way) and the condition of the roads at the end of the bike course. But I wouldn't describe it as a complete mess. Just a little rough around the edges.

I was standing right there when it happened, utter shock and awe. How the hell does that happen? It was just one bullshit issue after another. I lost count of how many people neglected to dismount at the dismount line and rode right into transition, an epic clusterfuck. I just feel the reins could have been a little tighter on this one. It's not the most popular race to begin with and this showing definitely didn't help it any. I really hope it comes back next year as I live in RI an have yet to have it fit in my schedule. I would hate to have a 70.3 literally 4 miles from my house and have not done it.

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I got nothing.

I am with u on this... want to do it cause I live in the RI but I won't swim in Licon Woods PERIOD...

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The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev

What happened? I was in the race but didn't see this.

It's funny, to the locals this is not the ideal display of Rhode Island. I would never swim in LW, I would never bike through Johnston, and I would never run in downtown Prov. Oh well, we shake our heads and the people from out of town wonder why we live here. Hell, it would have been better if they just did the whole damn thing in Newport, at least it would have been more scenic.

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I got nothing.

Maybe just me,but the dirty water was the least of the issues. If you hadn't told me that the lake was a cespool I wouldn't have known. The lake was actually very scenic (as were several parts of the bike course).

I sincerely hope that they invest the time, energy and small amount of money it would take to turn this into a great race. There were certainly positive points and potential.

scenic?

u didn't think that the last 10 miles getto st. of RI weren't scenic?

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The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev

fat chicks also have potential...

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The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev

Ha ha ha...I guess it would be based on what a person calls "scenic".

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I got nothing.

You mentioned something about the race director getting petitions from the churches to change the bike course. I feel like the RD would get a little more credit (or perhaps less criticism) if he was open about things. Like "sorry participants, I know that sucked a big one, but we had another nice bike course picked out before the churches got involved", or "I know Lincoln Woods was horrible but I had pressure from people last year to change from an ocean swim." Without an explanation it just leaves us with a sour feeling.

haha, very true. I was tempted to hit T3 at mile 52 and drink a 40oz on the stoop.

Flying across that resevoir was pretty cool though.

Just trying to look at the good aspects of the race instead of the bad.

They did keep things hush hush. Their reasoning (I believe) was that for the locals and those in the know, they would just not do the race. For the majority of people who didn't do the race because it was open water, they would be happy that it was a pond swim. As for the bike route, if your not from here you wouldn't know any better anyway. I just want to point out that at no point in my career have I ever biked a those roads. RI has some awesome biking and that race course (part of it at least) was simply not a good showcase.

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I got nothing.

Okay this makes me think even less of them now. If I understand what you're saying their thoughts were basically "if people know the truth they won't do the race so let's just keep this course as secretive as possible. First timers won't know how sucky the course is going to be." If so, that's lame. Please correct me if I'm wrong, because I really don't want this to be the case. I prefer to live in unicorn land where RDs have the athlete's best interests at heart.

I live in SW MA and could sleep at home and do the race, but never had due to logistics and things I've heard about the race. It is disappointing that the changes made the course and race experience worse. When I heard the change of swim venue from ocean to what locals call goose poop lake, turned me and many locals off. I'm not sure the swim venue change was due to racers complaining about the waves but more that some towns refused to let the bike course come through their town so they had to change bike course and thus swim location.

Living local I have yet to hear good things about this race. Two transitions and shuttle bus has been a pain. From what I heard first year registration and bike check in took longer than most folks took to do the race the next day.

Patriot in Freetown MA Sprint and HIM is in middle of June, super clean lake, great roads, 1 transition, but no Vegas slots. I will continue to support local, well run, and cheaper race.

Have done this race 4 years in a row now. The course changes every year; not sure why.

Negatives:

swim changed to a pond; the pond was closed two days before the race due to high bacteria count didn't know if there even going to be a race

wasn't informed until I dropped my bike off the day before the race that it wasn't wetsuit legal (was told by a volunteer with 4 teeth)

the bike was the usual bumpy/single file at times ride

the run was up and down pretty much the whole way

This is the last year I do this race! I will stick to Timbermann...too much unnecessary stress revolving around this race.

I want to do this race again and while I can probably get past the water venue issue something definitely needs to be done with the last 10 miles on the bike course. I wish it would go back to an ocean swim with a coastline bike course. I know it's difficult to deal with the logistics of having this type of course because it's summer time and many people flock to the beaches on hot summer weekends adding to the traffic. Many of the other athletes I spoke with enjoy coming to Rhode Island as a destination race and end up spending a week vacationing with their families along the beaches. It's too bad the bike course couldn't utilize the best parts of Rhode Island vs. it's worst. If the bike course changes I probably do it again but right now it's tough to look past that last 10 miles. I'm thankful that I didn't have a flat yesterday and especially thankful I didn't flat on the last 10 miles.

I just checked the Ironman website and Rhode Island is up for next year on July 15th. Hopefully they make adjustments to the course.

While its not a solid rule, generally if I am looking to sign up for a race 3-4 months out and they still dont have course routes up...thats a big no/no in book and tells me they don't know what the course routes are. I know there are exceptions but most courses can be done months in advance so that when 2012 rolls around...the courses are already known. Also, I like races that have strong city support (KIC IT in stamford, ct comes to mind) and other types of historic support. Lets me know that there is high likelihood that course permits will be given.

If i remember correctly, this race was still deciding on where to have the swim in April/May.

People should take a look at the waves that the people in the Carlsbad Triathlon had to swim through same weekend. Those folks toughed it out and the waves were boogie boardable, in not marginally surfable if you were bored.

With all due respect - and I share your views on some elements of the course - but that same volunteer checked me in on Saturday and was there from 8am - 6pm and couldn't have been more energetic and helpful. Get over yourself. The fact he didn't have top notch dental work doesn't make him any less selfless and willing to take time out of his weekend to help you rack your $5,000 bike so you can exercise the next day for 6 hours.