Very close. 76.4 as of 5pm. Probably under 76.1 in the am. https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/...1&network=GA_DCP

I added that website to my favorite list a few days ago. Really pulling for it to be wetsuit legal. I'll take all the help I can get.

For sure. Let’s also hope that it’s not 93 degrees in the afternoon as they are now projecting.

I would assume the river is really really full and moving after all the rains north of Augusta from Florence. Is there any concern with debris in the river and extra bacteria from run off from the storm or did the storm not come close enough or rain enough in Georgia to affect it?

I did the race in 2016 when it wasn’t wetsuit legal. I’m not a good swimmer and I still swam 25 minutes swimming super easy. The current was insane.

I just hope the swim doesn't get cancelled! There seem to have been a lot of cancelled swims recently...

Cheers,
Ginger

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https://www.instagram.com/gingerhowellracing/
If you find yourself thinking "What if I can't", instead think "What if I can!"

Augusta and SC didn’t get as much rain as expected so I think the swim will be ok. My brother lives there and kept me updated. Hopefully the engineers will release some water to help with current and water temp.

77.4 as of today, and air temps not helping bring that down

Not looking good for wetsuit legal. I’ll still wear mine even if it’s wetsuit optional. I’ll take the penalty of starting at the back for an easier swim.

water temp is going to be boarder line,with high air temps we have had i would say above wetsuit.
FYI >Also air temp will be 90 plus lots of sun.

I'm not a great swimmer either. However, waiting until the wetsuit wave starts (at the back of the pack) will put you in higher heat later in the day. Not sure it's worth it. Hopefully with a rolling start it will go much faster.

Of course, that depends on what your wave start time would normally be. In ‘16, the difference between my wave start and wetsuit wave start was a whopping 8 minutes.

The swim is insanely fast, even for ordinary swimmers. I am about average. Last year, I swam Augusta without a wetsuit about 8 minutes faster than my fastest ever wetsuit swim. A few people wore wetsuits last year, but I am not sure if it was really that worthwhile, given it put them in the hottest heat for the run.

They’ve changed it to a self seeded rolling start this year. Expecting to get everyone in the water in 25-30 minutes so you’re not penalized for wearing a wetsuit if it’s wetsuit optional, especially if you’re self seeding near the back anyway.

How’d everyone do? The rolling start needs some fine tuning and the bike course needs some revamping to avoid all the railroad crossings. Other than that, I think it was a fair race. The humidity wasn’t bad and the high was only 90, I’ll take that on race day in Georgia. But I live in Georgia so I may be more acclimated to the heat than a lot of folks.

Had a great race. PB at 4:55. Swim was good. The current definitely was not as strong as it was two years ago. I enjoyed the bike course aside from all of the railroad tracks and rumble strips. They need to alter the route to take at least half of those RR crossings out. Only one really rough road on the bike and the climbs weren't bad. I seeded myself towards the front of the swim so it wasn't too hot when I was running. Was definitely getting up there after I finished though. Overall, I like the Augusta race. Just needs a few bike tweaks as you mentioned. Would be great to move it back a week or two for a better chance at cool weather.

How'd you do?

Glad you had a great race! Just as a curiosity, whereabouts on the course do the railroad crossings fall? Are they all in town near the beginning and end?

I agree, the humidity wasn't bad. Of all my 2018 races, Augusta was the lowest heat and humidity, so it didn't seem terrible to me compared to what I've experience recently.

On another note, did anyone see any draft marshals on the bike course? I don't recall seeing a single one all day.

Yes, I saw a marshal drive by somewhere around mile 30- or 40-something - ironically, right as I was passing somebody. I thought it was a good day overall. Dealing with the wonky logistics at this race is a bit of a pain, but seeing your support crew so many times on the run course is great!

Congrats on the PB! That’s smoking. It was my first HIM and second triathlon so finishing was an accomplishment for me. I exceeded my swim goal and bike goal but cramped up on the run around mile 7 and had to start walking more than I wanted. I also took my time in transitions so there’s probably a good bit of low hanging fruit for my next one.

The railroad crossings were bad within the first 10 miles. Someone could have a small fortune if they collected all the bottles and bento boxes that were ejected and sold them. There were a few more spread out after the first part of the race

Congrats on your first half! Welcome to the club. Hopefully you have many more to go. I recommend electrolyte salts if you had some cramping troubles. They prevent cramping and help you intake more fluid without sloshy stomach. Hard to intake enough electrolytes via fluids on a hot day like that and the salts are a big help in my opinion.

I saw one race marshal as well.

My thoughts on the race
Last time I raced Augusta was 2015. Current didn't seem as swift. Wetsuit legal last time. I swam 30 compared to 27 in 2015.
I liked the bike course. RR crossings basically in the first 5 and last 5 miles. Not just that there were RR but they are really rough RR tracks. I saw someone's bottle cage literally explode going over the tracks. Rumble strips a couple of times out on course. The old bike course seemed to be more rolling throughout the hilly part whereas this one seemed to have the 5 more distinct longer climbs. Saw one Marshall not long before the penalty tent.
Run was hot, but it's pretty much always hot. Agree that as far as humidity in the south goes (I'm in Florida) that part wasn't as bad as it could have been. Seems like everyone had a good race. Congrats!

I was religious with base salt and electrolytes and still cramped. I attribute mine to muscle/overuse fatigue from my lack of training. Was hot, but I felt Nooga 70.3 was/felt hotter.

I saw marshals about 5/6 times...even witnessed him/her looking at their watch, timing individuals making a pass. I didn't see anyone in the penalty tents. It was relatively clean ride from my perspective. It was my first Augusta race and I really enjoyed the town and race. The train tracks were annoying but not a big deal imo. I think it could be mitigated in future races.