I haven't done the Menominie race, but if you're looking for a 1/2 in preparation for IMMoo, I would recommend the Wisconsin Dells 1/2 in mid-June. Swim is dead calm, bike is in rolling hills virtually identical to IMMoo, and about half of the run is on trails through the woods. Very much enjoyed it in 2003. Can also "play" in the Dells for a day with the family.

I did the High Cliff 1/2 in Appleton last year...bike is much flatter, run has one long climb and is 2/3 on trails, but the swim is very questionable. If there is any wind above about 10mph, the swim is VERY rough as Lake Winnebago is so shallow. It was shortened to about 1/4 mile last year due to 3+ foot waves.



Good luck.



Scott

Thanks for the feedback ... I wanted to do the Wisconsin Dells Half but it is not listed on their site for 2005. Have you heard anything about this year's race?

The water at the Dells is pretty nasty. It's really warm too - I chose a sleeveless suit.

I've heard that the Dells Tinman will not take place in 2005. Nothing confirmed yet, just rumor mill. The Menomonie Tinman is certainly a challenging bike course. I would recommend the Pigman Half Ironman in Cedar Rapids, IA as it's a great race and well organized. With a mid Aug date, though, it may be a bit close to IMMoo. If you use it as a quality 4-5 hour IM training session it can be done. Any unusual pains or twinges, just call it day.

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tinman

The website is up for Tinman. They are taking registrations.

http://www.tinmantriathlon.org/index.htm

If you live in Wisconsin try the Triterium in Verona. The ride is really hard and is a good warm up for IMoo - it just a bit short as it's only Oly distance:

http://www.triloop.org/register.asp

If you're doing Moo, I'd say the (2) must do races are:

1) HHH - Horribly Hilly Hundreds. An ass kicking day of 13,000ish vertical feet of climbing in 200k. Rides on similiar portion of Moo. 3rd week of June. A nice wake up call and fun day of riding.

2) PigMan 1/2 (Iowa) - Perfect timing before the IM taper.

I have heard from many people as well, including an email from the RD, that the dell's tinman will not be run this year. It was a part of the WI tri series which includes Devil's Lake in Baraboo and the Lake Mills Tri. Now, I am looking for a different one to do this summer, any suggestions? What has everyone heard about Racine? Or are there any comparable ones in MN?

Come on down to the Whirlpool Steelhead Triathlon on Aug. 7th. Perfect tune-up for Wisconsin Ironman. Z

I did it and the Aurora High Cliff Half Ironman last year....and the year before...both are within a week or two of each other this year.

What about the Spririt of Racine half? - that's a great race tune-up for IMMOO.



High Cliff is a much nicer race - the Tinman didn't seem organized and had really numbers last year.

The Tinman has a tougher bike course, the the run course is out in the middle of nowhere...really didn't enjoy the Tinman much - whereas I loved the High Cliff....

The High Cliff Half and Racine Half are both top-notch races. Last year, the swim was shortened at High Cliff because Lake Winnebago was VERY rough that morning. But the organization is first rate, the bike course is decent, the run is challenging and has variety, and the venue is cool. And last year we got to rub elbows and race against Dave Scott. Man, that was cool.

The Racine race is super. I don't think you'll find too many people complaining about it. I wasn't crazy about the bike course beause of the amount of city riding involved, but the course proved to be very fast. Lots of fast folks there, too.

Big thumbs up to the Pigman, too. I have really enjoyed that race in the past. Not too crazy about the Menomone Tinman because the measurements are a little goofy and there aren't many people in it. That race has been resurrected after shutting down for a year or two. Hopefully it picks up some steam and turns into a good event. The course is plenty challenging.

hope this helps,
Big EE

I did it a long, long time ago (1990) when it was held in late August. Even with the late summer date, I thought the water was cold - but this was back in my pre-wetsuit days. You'll probably want to use a wetsuit for it.

The bike was a 2-loop course. The profile probably pretty similar to IMMoo - I think the hills are a little longer. I also seem to recall riding thru more forest in Memomonie than the IMMoo course has. More shade and more windbreak.

Gotta agree with Big EE on both the Racine and Appleton/High Cliffs races - both are well worth doing. I've heard good stuff about Whirlpool Steelhead as well, but can't comment on it since I haven't done it. Racine is very well run, and it's a great opportunity to see some of the big boys and girls go at it up close and personal-like. The bike course is somewhat challenging - some gentle rolling and a few bad patches of blacktop, but overall good and relatively fast (depending on the wind, of course). The run is a double out-and-back, so you get to see everybody a couple of times and you get to watch the pro race - don't blink, or you'll miss Lisa Bentley as she FLIES by. HFP does a great job putting this race on, and it seems that Racine is behind it as well. High Cliffs is another good one - small and well-organized. The bike course is mostly flat, but the crosswinds coming off the lake can make it more challenging. The run is GREAT - a nice mix of road/trail through the park. I'd say you can't go wrong with either one.

I did the US Regional qualifier there 2 years ago. Late September, lake was a nasty shade of pea green, and chilly. Bike course was nasty hard.

Different bike course but still plenty of hills. I think the lake will be nicer in June as well.

With the Dells race gone I'd expect a lot more people showing up. I'm planning on driving over from the Twin Cities and skipping the Manitou sprint.

Can't wait !!

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Listen, Lupus, you didn't come into this life just to sit around on a dugout bench, did ya? Now get your ass out there and do the best you can.

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This quitting thing, it's a hard habit to break once you start.

I have decided to do it and plan on combining the race with a family trip to Mall of America. Can you tell me if there is a bikeshop in the Bloomington or Twin Cities area that I could ship my bike to and have them assemble/disassemle it for me?

Thanks!

Being that I've never shipped a bike to a race in my hometown, I really don't know which shops offer the service. But here are a couple you could e-mail or call...

The premier tri-shop in the Twin Cities is Gear West. They are about 20 miles from the airport but in the opposite direction from WI. http://gearwestbike.com

If you don't want to drive way out to Gear West, you could try Erik's. They have a Bloomington store that is not too far from the airport and they have an Oakdale location that is on the way to WI. http://eriksbikeshop.com

I appreciate the assistance! Take care ...