1st time races- have these guys ever seen a triathlon?

Triathlon Forum
1

I paid way too much for a 1st time race this weekend. It was the Gorgeman Half (well almost) IM in Hood River, Oregon. The venue has infinite potential, the race promoters/directors displayed infinite amateurishness.

Complaints are as follows:

Pre-race: Website lacked course details or any valuable details for that matter, no course maps at packet pick up (day before race), no confidence was instilled that they directors had a clue. No chip timing, no splits, no frills, not even basics as far as I am concerned.

Swim: Race started an hour late, ZERO buoys on the swim course. The swim had potential to be great. We got on a sternwheeler, rode up the mighty Columbia River and jumped off. Unfortunately, the only course instructions were “head toward the pilon (for shipping traffic) and make a left toward shore”. There was pretty good swim support in terms of kayaks, jet skis etc.

Ride: Again, a chance for greatness, if you like climbing and descending, which I do. The good news is that there were supposed to be 2 bottle feeds, it was fairly hot and with 4200+ feet of climbing, we needed them. The bad news is that they had the first one at mile 10, I hadn’t a drop to drink yet and the second one, well…I’m not sure where it was. We climbed (more or less) for about 25 miles to Cooper Spur ski area. I expected a bottle at the top, seems logical and I thought that is what they expected to do. Nothing. I found out after the race that there were bottles a few miles down after a fast descent, not ideal placement. Furthermore, they weren’t handing them out, per se. They were short of volunteers and the bottles were there, but you had to ask for one from the guy who was also doing traffic control.

Run: Great course, huge support gap. Again, hot day, screwed on bottles on the (long (2:39), but short (52 miles)) bike, needed fluids. I admit I knew that aid was NOT going to be plentiful. 4 water stations, no food, no mile markers. I carried a bottle out of T2, thank God. Many others didn’t expecting aid every mile or so.

Post Race: ZERO food. I raced for 4:30, others 6:30+ and NO FOOD! I will admit, there was a marathon run in conjuntion, loosely affiliated, that had water and some juice afterwards, but not close to what you would expect. ZERO awards ceremony. They ran a sprint in tandem and somehow screwed the pooch with results. Mind you, there were only about 40 sprinters and 60 1/2 IM racers and a handful of teams. A good race director should be able to keep track of that in his head. My girlfriend (did the sprint) spent a bunch of time trying to sort out the results and they still posted them wrong the next day.

Most racers were disgusted with the lack of support and lack of information. All this for $100 (March pre-reg), $125 (May pre-reg) and $150 or $50 for the sprint. I figure the race was worth about $75. We paid premium race prices for a no frills, rookie event. Infuriating.

Oh yeah, I still have no idea who the race director is, I never saw him. How about that for a calming presence??!!

2

well, you take your chances. certain frills you mention i don’t care about. if you’re an RD why would you want to pay for chip timing for a race with 100 entrants?

but the other stuff, you pretty quickly figure out which RDs care and which ones don’t. if this is a race that ought to be on the schedule, i’d contact the RD and ask him how he thought it went. if he said, “it went well,” then hijack his course, kick him out, and you and your friends put it on. if he said, “it went poorly, i’m embarrassed, i’ll do a much better job next time” then give him ONE more chance.

one stop on the “road to athens” this year is the pacific coast triathlon in newport beach, CA. this is a very successful race that fills up with close to 1500 entrants. this race was started by just a group of guys. bill leach. bob cuyler. one’s a school teacher. one’s a dentist. they trade off being the RD. you don’t have to be an expert to put on a race. you just have to know what a good race looks like and then make sure you produce it.

3

Another excellent first-time race was last year’s Ultramax im-distance race. It helped there that the top four people putting it on had something like 20 IM finishes amongst them, so they know what athletes need/like. Except for the mountainous bike course, which they have changed, it was a terrific time. I’m going back again this year.

4

I did 5340 in Boulder 2 years ago, I loved it. Great support, RD clearly loves racing and racers; she was everywhere before, during, and after the race.

Chip timing was supposed to be part of the deal and I wouldn’t care or expect it for $75. But when I pay (near) premium prices, my expectations rise in lock step. They also did the “only 500 racers allowed, filling quickly!” BS. Insulting.

Your last comment and my topic title nail it. You better know what a good race looks like. I don’t think they do, but they do know how to ask for money.

It seems like all the RDs in the Pacific NW are strictly business people, not racers. It’s too bad, I may have to put some of them out of business!

5

Dan,

Great post.

Indeed, there need to be some basics in place for a race to be good/safe. In any long race - hydration and nutrition with proper aid stations MUST be a priority.

As for some of the other things that the original poster was complaining about, that speaks more to the success of the sport of triathlon. Their are some really great races out there that do it all and many people new to the sport in the past 5 or so years have come to expect that, that level of organization and racer service goes on at ALL races.

As you know there are some great low-key races that don’t offer all mod cons and never will, but they do cover off the key things for racer support, service and safty. And if they are not going to cover certain things, thay are honest enough upfront to tell you so.

6

Fleck-

You are missing a big piece of my point. I am comfortable doing no frills races when promoted as such and charged accordingly. I’ve done no frills races, appropriately leveled my expectations and enjoyed them for what they are. I get angry when I am duped into thinking a race will be some national caliber event with great support, chip timing and all you would expect at a Wildflower type race and then get a disorganized, understaffed joke of an event.

I am blaming the RD for being ignorant of what it takes to put on an event that he advertised. Back to the title of my post “have these guys ever seen a triathlon”?

7

I believe the most important thing to look at when selecting a 1st time race is the organizer. Look at what races they have done before and that is a good indication of what to expect. Good 1st races: Ultramax, Paul Bunyan. Okay 1st races 5430.

8

Missouri has a series Duathlon, Sprint, 1/4 irondistance, 1/2 irondistance, irondistance!
www.raceforsight.org
The 1/4 and 1/2 are new the full was new last year! They are great beautiful locations and very well organized (also priced right!)
If Gt , Andrew or That french guy would like to come to Missouri they are welcome to stay at my place : ]
BUT no flag burning

9

David,

Thanks for your post.

If the event is as you said - promoted as an A level event, but delivered as a D level event, then I am in complete agreement with you and Dan. Do not return to the event next year. Speak with your wallet. The event managment business is turning into a competitive game and the consumer( the race participant) has many choices and not just other triathlons.

Or do as Dan suggests, that if you feel there is real potential for the event, take it over yourself and turn it into whatever level you want.

10

I did a half IM distance race this past weekend that was a third year race, but it was still very small. It was in the north Georgia mountains, and had maybe 150 participants (so I was told by race personnel). All in all, I thought the race went well, though there could have been a few extras added to the overall event. However, the weather was nice, the aid stations adequate, and the race went off without a hitch. I didn’t see any USAT officials on the course, but it was so difficult and technical that drafting wasn’t a problem (not that I saw). No chip timing, but not a big deal, either. There were no swim buoys, but the swim course was very straightforward (straight out, under a dam, around an island and straight back; the island and dam were the “buoys”). The race had a very family oriented atmosphere, and there was quite a bit of comraderie among the competitors – I guess a difficult course and a small field contribute to that. I’ve done some of the bigger races (St. Anthony’s, Lubbock), and I don’t think I missed much in the way of amenities doing this one. I’d go back and do it again, but I try to search out hilly training courses a little more diligently next time.

RP

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What was the name of the race? Do they have a web site?

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Gorgeman Half Ironman.

www.pmevents.com

13

Chatuge Challenge in Hayesville, NC (right on the GA/NC line; the race venue is listed as Hiawassee, GA, but it’s actually in NC). The race is hosted by the Great Smoky Mountains Triathlon Club, and can be reached at www.gsmtc.com. They have several races throughout the year, including longer sprint tri’s, duathlons and centuries. The races are small and the scenery beautiful. And the courses are tough.

RP