Hey Everyone! New here… I’m a Floridian and therefore have become accustomed to training and racing windy, flat conditions. I’m about 5 years into the triathlon journey and courses are getting longer and the terrain more diverse.
What criteria (rationale) are competitive age groupers using when selecting 70.3+ course terrain when trying to get a result?
Just curious about methodologies and esp success stories.
Thanks!
If I was trying to qualify for Kona I’d look for a new race with a priority on the race being in a far away/less affluent place. I think that same rational would apply to getting a high placement (result).
In general, the races I pick are always schedule/location dependent. 1st, does this date work with my work and family schedule? 2nd, does this location logistically make sense? 3rd, does this course and location interest me to travel to? 4th, is it cost prohibitive to travel to this location for a race?
In terms of terrain, I don’t really care if it’s hilly, open water, windy, etc. If it’s a flat course, I’m a little excited about the faster bike time, and if it’s rolling run course without hot humidity, I’m excited for the run time, but I don’t target them intentionally.
I used to do Hawaii 70.3 every year, but it’s such a brutal race for me combined with the skyrocketing lodging rates recently that I’m turned off of that race as an ongoing tradition now.
When it comes to qualifying for 70.3 worlds I know I’ll almost always be able to place high enough to get a slot regardless of the course design if I am entering a race the same year as the 70.3 worlds event. If I’m entering a qualifying race the year before when no one else has a slot it becomes more of a crapshoot. Only had one year-before slot qualifier, and all my others have been in the year-of qualifying races.
I do have a friend who is short and runs pretty well, but bikes very well on hills and he actually likes the hillier courses because he feels his size is more of an advantage biking those courses compared to big guys who are crushing the bike on the flats. But he doesn’t select them for that reason. He just feels his placement ends up better.