I did this race back in 2014? I recall there being two significant climbs on the bike because the course was out and back and a bunch of rolling hills. I think the course is also long around 58 miles. The run was rolling with one or two punch hills. Good luck, have fun!

Thanks I think the course has changed, but not totally sure..

Sorry, I did Hague. opps my bad

I did the Oly last year (and Oly again this year) and yes, course was all new last year for all distances. Mainly rollers getting out to the loop, Oly used to turn around just before the loop began so i can't tell you about that part but I do recall others saying it was overall quite challenging but most of the hills coming early (and late since you ride back on the same road). The run was 95% trail and quite nice, IMO, but each loop started with this loop through a cave which last year had no lights. This year, I was assured they would light it up as it was quite dangerous. The swim is nice, lake is small so no shop, wetsuit almost guaranteed however I will say that there is little support in the water and the course can be a bit confusing for the half/full athletes so make sure you know the course. We saw more than a few athletes swimming in the middle of nowhere and I can't tell you whether they got corrected or DQ'ed.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

thanks!

Oh, couple more things, their website has Strava maps of the course which I find awesome in terms of understanding it without getting out there. Also, it wasn't the best run race, but I love the idea of HITS with the various distances all in one day/weekend, anyway, in the Oly last year, the lead guy, late in the run, took a wrong turn on the way back because there is little course support and no signage. He had to turn around and finished I think 3rd. For the half, you probably only need to worry about that once and the next 3 loops should be fine but whether or not you're at the pointy end, I am sure you'll find yourself alone for a bit out there so be careful, stay on the trail and study that strava map.

See you out there!

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

Some of the bike is on one of my regular routes. The stretch before is big rollers. if you power down, it will carry you almost all the way up the next one. A few miles after you cross rt 209 you'll have a significant short climb. Then just before you get to the Ashokan Res, you get your biggest climb. Then you go for about 6 miles where it looks like you are going downhill but you are going up. Rt 28 next; big easy uphill then rolling down all the way to until you turn right and back to the Res. Rt 28 is the busiest road in the area and the shoulder can have a lot of debris; stay as close to the line as you can. Soon after you make that right turn off of rt 28, you'll start getting views of the Ahokan. This is a beautiful section but I made a mistake, the biggest climb is at the end of this section just before you make the turn back to the to the rolling section and back to Williams Lake.

On the run, I think you are going to go over a big, high railroad bridge over the town of Rosendale, a cool old town that would be great for filming cowboy or goldrush movies

I wish I could say it's a great race, but these guys always manage to screw something up. Last year they thought it would be cool to make everyone run through a cement mine but they didn't think to put in any lighting. Tripping over rocks on a muddy trail in the pitch dark was a new experiene in triathlon. I went through it almost ten years ago in a mountain bike race but they lit it up with candles in bags. That was really cool.

When you are driving into Williams Lake, look up to the right and you'll see the old ovens that they used to cook the cement to make it usable for construction.

Enjoy the race.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Jim - at the Williams Lake Classic MTB race during the 90's, which was in October, they used to light the cave w Jack O'Lanterns - way cool.

They also had a section called Pete's Wicked Trail, and they'd have a case of Pete's Wicked Ale (RIP - still can't believe Miller bought them, then ruined it, then killed it) set up, so you could grab a beer handup during the race, if you were so inclined.

Dunno if they've changed this now w the new course, but in a prior year the Full run distance was 28 miles - and nobody was told about that, until they found out about it for themselves during the race.
So to any racers - don't be surprised if any or all of the distances are off.

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float , hammer , and jog

I used to think that all the problems with HITS races were because of Mark but he's been gone for a while and the F@uck-ups just keep coming. Maybe they should all just go enter on of anyone else's races and just to what the they do.

I'm sure glad that they aren't the one's who took over American Zofingen. They probably would have added a swim only to find out on race day that there isn't a lake at the pavilion!

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

I am doing the full. My first full. I did a preview of the course a couple weeks ago. The bike course around the reservoir is manageable. I found the in and out from the start line is the bear of the course.
Also, the run section is mostly all shaded. But if it rains, the trail course will be a mess. I went a few days after some rain and it was a very muddy and tough terrain in a couple sections.

How were the aid stations on the bike and run? Were there enough and how closely were they spaced? Thanks

What I have seen for long course is a table with bottles; self service.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Thanks

Oooh, good luck and all the power to you and the like 5 others who will take on the full. Last year it rained through the race, a couple sections were muddy but most of the trail was fine

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

C'mon, there will be at least 10 others, right? Lol

Ok, I think I am confused now. For the Olympic is that where all the climbs happen or the turnaround is before the big climbs that the Half and (brave)Full get?

I am debating signing up last minute for this but is $300 worth it for what you get? basically I don't want to pay $300 for a tune up/ training race that has no or little aid stations.
Anybody have a truly good experience with this race, I have read a lot of mixed reviews

The oly course changed from last year. According to the strava map, it's now mostly flat and fast after one significant hill surrounded by a couple rollers. I think the bigger climbs now belong to the half/full as I don't remember any big hills coming early in the Oly last year. Actually, the biggest hill last year in the oly was at the turnaround which I think was just before the loops began for the half/full. I can't speak to any climbs beyond that.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

Save you money and just come up and ride. In Ulster, Greene and Delaware counties we have the best cycling ANYWHERE! From my house in Shandaken, I can go 100 miles (well not anymore) in any direction and unless I want to, I won't see a traffic light and unless I head east I won't see more than 20 cars. We have hills that are miles long and 50 mile an hour descents. Great road surfaces and we even have a new indoor pool in Arkeville.

Come on up anytime you want!

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Was riding in the area this am, didn't realize HITS was going on.

A guy (who may have been the race leader, or at least in contention for the podium, I'd wager) who was in the Oly stopped me to ask if he was still on course. I told him I honestly didn't know, since I had no clue where they ran the bike course.
I ended up seeing him back at the aid station/turn by the Ashokan, asking a volunteer for directions, and not looking very happy about it all.

EDITED TO ADD - damn, he was WAAAAAAY off course by then. Just checked the website for the bike course info:
Missed the turn on Hurley Mtn Road, and was over on the Half course - guy probably ended up riding 30+ miles, much of it on the completely wrong course.

I saw nearly zero signage or course markings for the race, there was one arrow at that turn on a stake, but nothing after that.
Given that HITS markets themselves towards newbies, this is unacceptable.

I felt terrible for that guy.
I've only ever gotten lost on course during a multisport event ONCE, and it was a podunk, hometown sprint tri (with a kayak in lieu of swim, yay!!) that had a horribly marked trail run course - that in spite of me being intimately familiar w/ the area in general, I couldn't tell where the F they wanted us to run.

HITS seems to keep on making silly first-timer mistakes, and it's no longer their first rodeo, so ya can't really cut them slack anymore.

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float , hammer , and jog

''I saw nearly zero signage or course markings for the race, there was one arrow at that turn on a stake, but nothing after that.
Given that HITS markets themselves towards newbies, this is unacceptable. ''

I have been critical of the HITS group lately, but yesterday I did the sprint race and I think they did a reasonable job. At that turn in particular, there was a cop car and two guys in the road yelling ''olympic and sprint turn right'' and my wife, Michelle said that there was an arrow painted in the road. By the time you and you new buddy got there maybe there was nobody because everyone had already passed through. Every important intersection that I went through had cops and volunteers.


Mike Halstead had the second fastest swim in the Half!!!!! And he had a good race. His run still isn't back to where it should be but I'm glad that he is!!!!!!


On the way home to Shandaken, I rescued a guy racing the full on rt 28. He had flatted and his CO2 head failed twice. Thanks to racing with latex tubes I had my floor pump in the truck and let him use it and I cleaned up his trash. I felt really good about my race, but I felt even better after getting him going again.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

I did the Oly and rode maybe 15-20 back of the leaders, the course was fairly well attended but again, I had groups to follow. Last year, the race leader on the run took a wrong turn near the end, had to go back and ended up 3rd. Granted the leaders should be the ones who know the course but still lack of support was one of my complaints, more so that the first water station on the run wasn't up and running when I went past and I was in 15th.

More so my complaint here than anything was that the new flat, fast course lead to a LOT of drafting. Whomever was 3/4/5 on the bike heading back was a clear pack, although I don't know if the 3rd guy was doing all the work, if so I would hope he reported. Either way, no refs on the course makes me not want to do this race again.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

I'll second Sweeney on riding in Catskills being best riding. I think you would actually be hard-pressed to find quieter good roads for cycling anywhere in the World. Almost no traffic (5 hour rides with 5-10 cars whole time), wide shoulders, good road surfaces, and amazing scenery. Especially in Delaware County. Ride around Pepacton Reservoir is great. Also lots of opportunities for riding dirt roads if you have a cyclo-cross bike. If you want flat, stay in valleys (ride from Roxbury to Pepacton Reservoir and back). Or if you want epic climbs, just make a right or a left on any just about any road you see and you have mile long climbs, some of which have 18% plus grades - feels like Belgian Ardennes to me.

Dan, I saw you in the olympic results, right? You had a great race. What did you think of it?

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law