I was a participant this year in the half. Below are a few of my thoughts (I will also be sending these to USAT):

1. I didn't have any issues with the potholes, but I did have issues with the final 10(ish) miles of the bike course. By that time of day there was enough non-event traffic on the roads that it just became dangerous. I had a few close calls with cars trying to cut across and in front of me. Maybe we can't close the entire road, but it'd sure be nice to have 1 lane just for cyclists if its a 2 lane road.

2. Event Staff: I know there were a lot of volunteers, but if you are going to give someone a staff shirt and place them by the run course the day before the race they should know something about the course. We had some questions about the run course and asked a staff person and they said "I don't know. Just go look at the course map over there." We explained that we did look at the map and part of it wasn't clear, and after she pulled over other staff people we found out they didn't know either.

3. Run Aide Stations: in areas where there is 2 way run traffic, the aide station should be placed in the middle of the road. If you have it off to 1 side on a 2-way segment, then you have athletes that are required to cross in to oncoming runners to get water/Gatorade/etc

4. Aide Station Offerings: most of us had been awake since probably 3am and were exhausted athletes. Finding out that Coke/Red Bull or any caffeinated beverages were not offered on the run course was a major miss on the events part

5. Zoo: This was presented as a "cool" draw for spectators. My wife was sent to 3 different areas to get more info on the shuttle, to find out that it didn't start til 10-10:30 and would take 20min to get to the destination and then 20min to get back(but was not told where it'd actually drop her off).

6. GPS Tracker: the GPS tracker on the phones was a joke. We are wearing hi-compression kits with minimal to no pockets and you expect us to carry around our cell phone on the bike/run course? In this day most of use have the newest Iphones and Androids that closely resemble mini-tables. Where exactly do you expect us to place these devices. Also, by making the cell phone the main tracker, you are just inviting athletes to use them while on course.

7. Finish Line Aide: there were still a few hundred athletes on the course and I was told that there was no more Gatorade or ice at the finish. I understand that it was a hot day and the ice may have melted, but running out of Gatorade to offer completely depleted athletes is something that should not happen

If this was just a regular local tri I could look past some of theses things, but when a race is advertised as USAT Nationals I expect a top level performance

I was nearly knocked off my bike towards the end of the race as cars were stopped for an intersection, clogging the street. Another rider ran into me when I went wide to get around them. They should never allow enough cars to clog the street for that to happen.

Look. If we're going to complain about anything, it's about the race running out of pizza.

None of the half triathlon racers got pizza. Disgraceful.

Furthermore, there's no reason to deny a racer a cup of ice. I dump ice in my trisuit at at least every other aid station. No reason that can't be accommodated. Additionally, coke/red bull is a must.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

I wasn’t there yesterday to see everybody. MiamiMan has been a local race in this spot for a long time. It’s a much bigger race field now than it ever was.

The race director - Multirace (Multirace.com) is pretty easy to reach via email. I can’t speak for them because I have no direct affiliation but they are nice people and I think it would be helpful to them to hear your feedback directly.

wow - I was thinking about signing up for this race and it would have been a 12hr drive for me, but glad I didn't.

What's up with the phone - could you use your GPS watch instead? I've never heard of a triathlon doing this before, but have mostly raced IM branded races.

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https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

What's up with the phone - could you use your GPS watch instead? I've never heard of a triathlon doing this before, but have mostly raced IM branded races.
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They were beta testing a new race tracking system that used your phone.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

You opened a browser on your phone and carried it with you. Spectators would then open the browser on their phones to follow.

I know USAT has the same tracker as IM for short course Nationals. Not sure why that could not have been used

Was that you laying in the grass at that intersection? So sorry.

I don't think the roads were terrible, but I'm from Ohio, and that is all of the roads around me. Actually, I would consider these pretty good roads, but I could give them advice on how to mark pot holes better (and I will send an email).

I don't think bike traffic was that bad.

However, car traffic was awful. I was shocked at how bad traffic control was on the last leg back north into the park (127th street?)

I was weaving between cars turning in and out of parking lots, almost hit by cars. I was withing seconds of another person fighting for a podium spot and had to keep going hard there. Super sketchy NYC-bike messenger video type scary (and I like city riding). That part was definitely the most dangerous racing I have ever done.

I raced aquabike nationals in Miami in both 2017 and 2018. Both years I found the course support very much lacking, especially considering this was touted as the USAT Nationals for so many multisports. There was virtually no one minding the intersections or even giving decent directions and as the course became more crowded with cars, it was almost as if drivers were either unaware a race was taking place or downright angry that it was. I had numerous vehicles block my progress during the race at the last traffic light leading back into the park I had to come to a complete stop because there was no one stopping traffic and I literally said to the guy next to me "this is NOT worth dying over."

My emails to the RD have gone unanswered so I did what I could and will not attend aquabike nats again until it is moved to a new venue. It's sad but I just don't think that company cares one bit for the athletes.

Oh and yes, they cover the alligator signs every year and if you leave before awards are distributed you may or may NOT get your award.

I will send emails as you indicated and I hope many more do too!

I raced Miami Man for the first time this past weekend. Overall I enjoyed it and would do it again. As another poster mentioned the vehicular traffic at the end of the bike was pretty heavy and on a road with no shoulder; hopefully there is a course change or some other method that can account for that. I thought the road condition was good for most of the course and that parts with rough road were marked appropriately, but I guess signaling could have been updated after faster racers than me went by.

I was racing this year and was nearly hit going through an intersection right after I passed Publix on my right on that final stretch. But it wasn't for lack of course control; it was because a car decided not to listen to the officers at that intersection (there were at least two police there). The car jumped out and I immediately took evasive action, as the police woman was screaming at the vehicle to stop. Whew!

I've done Miami Man 4 times with the first in 2007. There have always been vehicle challenges and it will probably get worse as the city continues to grow. Fortunately, next year is the last time it will serve as USAT Nationals. I agree that USAT should do better in their championship races, but I also recognize that there aren't a lot of cities bidding on this. That's why it's been stuck at Miami so long. I look forward to seeing where the multisport championships go for 2021. Meanwhile, I'll pass on Miami for 2020 but mostly because I'm just tired of the venue.

Yes, that was me in the ditch not moving for 20+ minutes. Ambulance was maybe 20-25 minutes in arriving? I've reached out to the RD & USAT. I have yet to personally talk to them. I also have the other athlete who went down on top of me after hitting & then off into the ditch as well. I've got a lot of photographs from all angles 8 hours later, I hope to resolve this in a non-public manner as this certainly this is not something that needs to be dragged out. But this is a public forum and wanted to know what other input athletes had regarding the safety of this course (or lack of). It appears many others have had similar experiences.

I did race it last year and provided feedback on the dangers of the race, figured they'd improve. It didn't, it got worse. But here we are, and I'm only looking for Miami Man RD and USAT to pay attention to the issues and fix them, and resolve issues I've contacted them about. I'm walking slowly but will know more after the Sports Med Specialist appointment tomorrow hopefully. Unknown if surgery is needed or my race future at this point. I'm hoping for the best--think positive right?!~

Sorry you were down. You looked well tended to by the time I saw you. I fell really hard at Triple T and had to like by broken and bleeding self a ways to find anyone to help. It isn't a great feeling.

Miami Man has never been a closed course. Age Group Nationals in both Omaha and Cleveland were closed courses because the bulk of the bike courses were on highways. The parts that weren't on the highway had a lane coned off just for bikes. Although Miami Man's bike course goes around farms there is an awful lot traffic for such a rural area. I think the only way they could have a closed course is if they put it on the Florida Turnpike. That's about as likely to happen as the race getting canceled because of a 3 foot snowstorm.

I've done the race 4 years now. As a woman aquabiker over 50, I'm always in the last wave of long course athletes. By the time I get on to the first loop I'm getting overtaken by swarms of men starting their second lap. They're fast, and often come too close when passing. I can hear the ones with disc wheels, but the quiet ones who don't say "on your left" scare the crap out of me. There's always a lot of drafting, though I will say there seemed to be better enforcement this year. There were a lot of drafting penalties.

This was the first year I did the International distance aquabike. (Zero interest in doing iron distance aquabike at worlds next year. A whole other topic in itself.) The going out on the bike course wasn't too bad since at that point it was just international distance athletes with maybe a few slow long course athletes heading out. It was kind of hairy after the turn around because now we're going in the same direction as the long course athletes. A number of times I was passed by fast long course athletes including some riding in packs. I did see two riders go down. I don't know if they bumped into each other or hit a pothole. They seemed to be okay, they were just having problems getting untangled.

I hope they'll address the bike course issues. Next year I'll be back to racing long course aquabike.

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Tri-ing for a cure.

NYtrigal's Team in Training Page

I saw that and thought to myself "Really?!" There are all sorts of rules about not being able to use your phone as a computer or for communication. AS someone else said, where the heck am I supposed to put it? My skin suit has no pockets. I wasn't going to wear a belt with a phone pocket.

They did have normal tracking where they pick up one's location when they cross a timing mat.

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Tri-ing for a cure.

NYtrigal's Team in Training Page

That rule no longer exists or so we were told by the USAT race official.

Not sure I understand the issue with the phone tracking. Unless I'm wrong regular tracking through the timing mats was still available and you didn't have to carry a phone. If you carried the phone and set it up then it would give access to actual live tracking and not just at the timing mats. It wasn't a requirement and seems like some people might've been interested in it.

Well, I'm glad it wasn't just me! I know the race organizers and volunteers work hard to make a race go well. But, for me, this one really missed the mark on several counts. I originally signed up to try and qualify for Almere. However, this was before the length of the Almere course had been announced. I know how much time it takes to train for an full Iron and wasn't interested in doing it again for quite a while. And I've been to the Netherlands. When 2021 in Australia was announced, I thought, "Great! I'll use this trip to scope the course and get a baseline for training for the 2020 race. I've never been to Australia!" I did qualify for Almere (still not going). And, I've decided for the reasons below, that I won't be returning in 2020 to try and qualify for Australia.

For me, it was one of the worst races I've ever done. The swim was one of my worst. How was there a current in a spring-fed lake? Still can't figure that one out. I'm 56 so I was in one of the last waves and that meant being one of the last to get out on the bike course. As a result, the winds kicked up something fierce. 15-16 mph steady cross winds with terrifying 30 mph gusts. It was all I could do to keep control of my bike. Those last 15 miles with the wind and the angry traffic were the scariest miles I've ever spent on a bicycle. I'm so glad I didn't crash or have a flat because I NEVER saw any race vehicles despite their promise of several on the course. I only saw a course marshall once. Re-entering the park presented it's own challenge - racers who had already finished strolling along in the middle of the road! And there was the run.... it felt like running around a disused military base, complete with overgrown roads with uneven crumbling pavement, rutty grass (hello rolled ankles!), dodging families in the .5 mile portion in the zoo (twice), and dodging cars in the camper-van park area (twice). Thank goodness for the volunteers on the run, because it sure as heck could not have been more spectator UN-friendly. And, as someone mentioned above, to pour salt on my already wounded triathlete soul, they had run out of pizza (my favorite post-race food) in the post race food tent.

I'm really disappointed with Multirace and USAT. Neither seems to have listened to feedback in the past. I don't expect they will now. Ah well. Sorry for all those who had accidents or bad races! And congrats to all who finished it.

Thanks, it was certainly scary having been my first ever bike crash on a bike during a race.

UPDATE: Sports Medicine MD isn't sure if my labrum is torn. Possible MRI needed but wants to wait until some healing has time to take place. Hard to tell without an MRI or getting in there for sure surgically--it may be a damage muscle from landing on my shoulder, hip/knee/elbow and slamming my head-helmet on the asphalt sliding with skin across 15 or more feet. Anyhow, the equipment damage has come to just under $2500. That's without adding in anything else I spent like entry, plane AirBnB, car rental, food, bike flight transport--so yeah, this was a huge physical AND financial loss. The important thing is with a lot of healing and possibly surgery, I am alive and hope to race again if I can dodge needing surgery, next season. Unknown at this time though. 100% of the next month is going to just be focused on doing whatever I can to heal up and mend, and try to make my bike rideable again. Still limping a lot and had frequent headaches since but pretty certain I was awake for the whole crash. Never realized how much road rash hurts--not fun--but I'll live to fight another day--or another year I should say. Bummer too because I was in the lead in the AG gunning for an Almare spot. It really feels like it was stolen from me by the RD, as well as USAT because it's their championship & local races are run 10x much better and safer back home.

Rocky M - you don't have to lose consciousness to have a concussion! PLEASE get checked out! Better to know it's nothing than find out later it's serious.

For what it's worth, I had a bad crash on a shakeout ride 2 years ago in prep for IMLOU 2017. I don't know what happened. According to Mr. Garmin I was going 25 MPH down an overpass and then I wasn't. I woke up in the ER of a hospital an hour from the accident. I spent 3 days in the trauma unit with a concussion, 2 broken ribs, a spiral fracture of my left little finger (requiring surgery and 3 screws to put it back together), and a pneumo-thorax (broken rib nicked my lung). The concussion recovery was interesting. Thought I was fine. But the impact had dislodged crystals in my ear canal and resulted in vertigo. Thankfully, the concussion clinic knew exactly what to do (very strange treatment!). Then, thanks to my training buddy motivating me, I raced the run leg of a tri-relay 3 months later. Needless to say, I didn't race IMLOU, but I raced what I could and trained for and raced IMFL 2018. It was a long road to finishing my first IM. And I'm so grateful I was able to come back from that accident and race again. Hang in there. Listen to the docs. Ask them what you CAN do when they tell you what you can't do. Be a patient patient!

PLEASE tell me you have been to a doctor

Concussions are nothing to mess around with

Yes, I have. The MD for Sports Medicine.

I feel your pain but this part of your complaint is just part of Triathlon. I had a terrible swim too but I know the course was marked long and I went out way too hot for my own good - shame on me. I was in the wave after you so I too had to deal with a gentle breeze going out and a stiff wind coming back. Not much you or I can do about our age and everyone did the same swim.

I will be back next year to redeem myself if nothing else. I want to race against the best of my age group and Miami is a half day's drive so I'm going to learn from my mistakes and give it a go.

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"They know f_ck-all over at Slowtwitch"
- Lionel Sanders

I'm not blaming the race for the swim. Although I would suggest that it wouldn't kill them to add a couple of buoys for sighting! I have no idea why I was 30 seconds slower per 100 yds than usual, but it was not good. And I swear there was a current after the turn buoy heading into the finish! In a spring fed lake.... so weird! But I take total responsibility for that. The dangerous bike course? No. And it wasn't just the winds (I know they don't control the weather! I'm not an idiot!). It was also traffic. Getting blown around and trying to control a bike on a open road with traffic is VERY dangerous. And that's exactly what I experienced the last 15 miles. And, in reading some of the comments here and elsewhere, it's been the same problems year after year. Multirace and USAT seem to be tone deaf to the concerns of athletes. Yes, some of it is out of their control (weather, duh). But a safe bike course and better run course are very much within their control. I'm getting a bit tired of athletes who act like we can't be critical of a race or USAT because of some unknown consequence. (???) The best races I've done are the ones where the RD sends out a survey after the race. And then addresses what is within their control. It ends up being a great experience for athletes and spectators.

And hey, if you had a good race, well done you! I didn't. And a lot of it was down to Multirace and USAT. It wasn't my first time. I've done big and small races and everything in between. And it was not well run from my experience.

As for your comment about the "best".... it's not like long course athlete's have to qualify to race there. It's an open and you race who shows up. They may or may not be the "best". They may be the people who could afford it. They may be the people who live close. They may be the best. Or not. I'm not taking one thing away from anyone who showed up and raced. We all have a lot to be proud of. But none of us qualified to get there.

I wish I had know the issues with this particular race before I signed up. That's my lesson learned. I'll do more research next time. And I'll wait until USAT changes venues for the long course championship and give it another go. Good luck next year!