My wife would like a colored splainer too plz. (I want an excuse to visit that area to ride MTB)

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Given that every other event on their calendar has a registration/info link except this one, me thinks they either don't have many details to share or haven't begun thinking about them.

Gravel triathon NATIONALS ?

Ok, but just how many gravel triathlons are there exactly nationwide? (in the usa) Then, is there a listing for these unicorn races? And how many of these are actually USAT sanctioned?

Maybe l am out of the loop, but l can't imagine that there are very many ...

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hence my interest. i reckon there'll be 2 of us in my AG. i think i can podium.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Hilarious, but true !

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lots of questions.

-will there be limits on gear? like a really good bike driver could go with a 700 x 28c and go really fast? aero bars? maybe its draft legal?

The NWA is a hot bed for offroad for sure, but I think USAT will get a lot of flack over the states trans-athlete laws that were passed in 2021, too.

I know the event in NJ was angling to get Off Road nats back again, too. but they lost out it seems.

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info here - https://www.trisignup.com/...ntedbyDegree/Page-33

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http://www.pbmcoaching.com
USA Triathlon Level 3 Elite Coach
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I must be thinking of a different N.W.A.

thanks. but not a lot of info there yet. i hope it's not the same course as the MTB course. gravel is not MTB. also, the value of an NGB getting involved in a sport is: 1) insurance for RDs; 2) a generally accepted ruleset, and the capacity to enforce those rules.

so, what are the gravel rules? what is allowable equipment? what is disallowed?

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

right thats my question too.

-if the gravel and MTB course are the same, at least 1 will suck real bad. maybe both....

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USA Triathlon Level 3 Elite Coach
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i wouldn't mind having no equipment rules at all. but then the course design really matters. make a course that only an MTB can win. make a course that only a gravel bike could win. if that doesn't happen, then USAT allowed a farce to take place, under the cover of a national championship. i think we should know, soon, now, if that's the case. if that natl championship designation was granted without the assurance that this was sorted, then this should invite scrutiny.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Just took a look at Strava routes around Lake Wedington...Does not exactly look like a big up and down race. Anyone know more about this area? More dirt, rocks, roots? Is it worth a drive if you come from one of the corners of the US, or is it just going to be a ho-hum race course? Thanks!
Stephen J

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time will tell.

I know the NJ course last year for off road was a legit off road event.

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there are too many "course info coming shortly" notices on these national championships. i'm interested in draft legal tri in irving tx. no course info. and gravel nats. no course info. the only course info on the draft legal nats is to expect 700' of climbing over 20k, which is great, but where is that course in irving, tx? the only way the RD can tell me to expect that is if the RD has an idea of the course. so, what is the course? the proposed course? even if permits are not yet granted? if you can't show me the proposed course how can you tell me whether this course is a parking lot crit or a real course?

the pricing structure rewards early entry. i get it. i get the tier system. but i think it's incumbent on the federation or the RD to actually provide some info on what it is you're entering, beyond simply the price, the place, the date, and the distance. we know milwaukee. the AG nats has been held there for 6 out of the last 10 years i think (2022 inclusive). fine. i don't want to go to milwaukee. others do. no gripe from me. we don't have triathlon nats west of the rockies anymore of any kind, except for para. that's just a modern fact of life. so, i'll travel. maybe. but i'd like more info. are these races for real? meaning, yes, i know they're probably going to happen, but are they actual, real, national championship quality, races? worth my time, effort and money?

let's see some evidence that these are for real events and not just awards to the payer site fee.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

"but are they actual, real, national championship quality, races? worth my time, effort and money?"

Well I ask myself that often about USAT Nats (and other events...)

But i hear ya. im 50/50 on off road nats, but wont go do a race where you can ride a 700 x 32c gravel tire "off road" for sure.

Hope to see ya there.

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http://www.pbmcoaching.com
USA Triathlon Level 3 Elite Coach
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count me as interested as well, but are they any real qualifications required other than a credit card?

There are no qualification standards for most of the USAT national championships. Only non-draft Olympic and sprint I believe.

Until/unless these become marquee events that lots of people travel to from all over the country (like Ironman's events) and demand exceeds the number of available entry slots, I imagine they will remain without qualification standards. I would love to see this happen as it would mean triathlon culture has become less Ironman-obsessed, but I'm not holding my breath.

I don't have any specific info about this event, but i've done quite a bit of road, gravel, and MTB riding in NWA. I haven't ridden from Wedington, but it looks like there is a looped MTB trail from the lake: https://www.mtbproject.com/...44656/lake-wedington

And there are tons of gravel roads. There was a gravel race called "Chinkapin Hollow" from Lake Wedington the same weekend as Big Sugar. (Big Sugar was also in NWA, just a few miles away). Here are some of the gravel course routes/descriptions from that race: https://runsignup.com/...GravelGrinder/Page-1

So i can't say for sure that the courses will or won't be different from one another; however, i can say that there can easily be an option to have a gravel race course and MTB race course from the same lake.

edit: I saw that Bruce posted right below me. He is the director of Chinkapin Hollow that i referenced above (and Joe Martin Stage Race and others). If he's involved in nats I bet it will be a solid event.

Dan..."splaining" is exactly what we do down here in our neck of the woods. The two national championships are part of the now three-day weekend of the Ozark Valley Triathlon (road events) held at Lake Wedington Recreation area located 11 miles from Fayetteville. Lake Wedington is a US Forest Service park and sits in the heart of the Ozark National Forest. There are great single-track mountain bike trails and premium gravel starting from the park. I would argue that this venue is one of the few which can host a gravel tri, mtn bike tri and road tris at one venue and have each event held on the appropriate surfaces.

We will be uploading the courses for the two Nat's by end of the year. OVT courses are already online - http://www.ozarkvalleytriathlon.com

If the event disappoints...I'll buy you a Razorback Hog Hat and a local craft beer. I believe I'll be keeping my dollars in my wallet as this venue will not disappoint.

See you on the roads, trails and gravel...

Bruce Dunn
All Sports Productions
http://www.allsportsproductionsinc.com

The first one (that I'm aware of) in Colorado is happening next summer https://www.withoutlimits.co/...-lake-triathlon-ju-1.

It would be great to see gravel triathlon take off. I enjoy singletrack mountain biking, but racing on singletrack just isn't for me so I'm not too interested in XTERRA races. I like the possibility for more scenic settings that gravel triathlon brings over road as well as not having to deal with cars on highways mixing with the race.

What is the "NWA" ?

(I can think of only two NWAs, and neither of them are remotely tri related ... )

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North West Arkansas?

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I assume the Off road race will be legit MTB trails and not just dirt roads, yea?

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That was my guess since Fayetteville is in the north west corner of Arkansas. The other two I thought of...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N.W.A
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Airlines