I’d totally do this race, only thing that turned me off was finding my own kayaker… don’t know many of them.
Otherwise it sounds brutal and fun 
Oh yeah and I’d be good for late Aug or early Sept… a good Post Placid but Pre Florida race.
Jeff,
Hoax or not - this is what racing triathlons used to be. The local geography and topography defined the the distance and the race. The most famous race of all - that people now sign-up for like lemmings was defined in this way - the 2.5 mile Wakiki Swim, the 112 mile ride around Oahu, the Honolulu marathon course. Now it seems ridiculous, but I am sure to certain folk this type of event would be an attraction.
You had me Jeff until I read about the $10k purse and the steak and lobster BBQ!
If we do this, Mr. Three, I think we’ll keep these around. Maybe not $10k, but I can see starting with $5k and going up from there each year. I like the idea of a cash payout, and if you’re going to spend the day abusing yourself, you might as well get some good food at the end. Let’s do this right.
Right now I’m thinking Aug. 30. As one poster pointed out, September is packed in the northeast - and I don’t want to rain on anyone’s existing party. July is pretty tough for me (Musselman on July 18-19), and Aug. 22-23 is out because I organize the Portland Triathlon then.
The Geneva Bicycle Center is “in” for bike support. We seem to have some kayaks lined up. Game on!
PS The split transition is not a problem - and is actually a neat feature of the race. I’ve got a perfect spot picked out and we have enough bike racks. There’s something compelling about all 3 legs being point-to-point.
Jeff,
I’m not worried about winning any prize money…I’m concerned that by the time I finish Mr. Reho would have eaten all my food.
Monsieur Chartrand
Nice! Timing the race in '09 might be kind of tough, because most people already have their race calendars filled out. The last weekend in August, for example, has a large conflict with IM Canada and IM Louisville.
Late June would work well, because the only North American IM conflict is Coeur d’Alene, and you could maybe somehow have the race the same weekend as Ithaca Fest, which would be a pretty awesome scene. Early/mid-September also works well, because there are probably fewer conflicts than other times of year.
Jeff,
I’m not worried about winning any prize money…I’m concerned that by the time I finish Mr. Reho would have eaten all my food.
Monsieur Chartrand
Alas, I would endeavor to eat non or your food. I did make a food suggestion for Mr. Henderson that instead of Steak and Lobster we all dine on traditional Hagaas and Pigs feet. He told me he would “think about it”.
Love me some Pig’s feet!
I would love to do a race like this -an extra long swim and an option to cut the run short is my kinda race! Aug 30th is tricky because it’s a week after Timberman…keep us posted if you decide to go through with this though…it sounds awesome.
Jeff,
If you want to do a “test day” I am sure I can get a bunch of studs, posers and hangers on from Ottawa to make the trip. If you can make it a “mid week thing” then we can just take a vacation day from work and make it happen…pretty well all weekends for the summer are pre booked with racing or family obligations/kids sports stuff. I would imagine the original Sep 26th date could be pretty cold…
…as for two people out of the lot having an issue with the $300 entry fee, make that three :-).
By the way, come out for our Epicman training day Jun 5th in lake placid…3K swim, 180K bike, 21.1K run, all self supported, no timing, no entry fee, no finisher gear no nothing
Dev
Great marketing. Awesome way to gauge interest on the race.
Nice! Timing the race in '09 might be kind of tough, because most people already have their race calendars filled out. The last weekend in August, for example, has a large conflict with IM Canada and IM Louisville.
That’s my issue with late Aug… If a race conflicts with IMC, odds are I won’t be there.
Isn’t part of the appeal the fact that it’s an alternative to IM races?
To the OP. Considering the origins of the race it should have a slogan along the lines of “This race is no joke”
Oh, yeah, I 100% agree with you that this race is a preferable alternative to Mdot. I was just mentioning the conflict with Mdot because a lot of the people who would be interested in something like the Seneca Epic are probably already signed up for Mdot races in 2009 that have a date conflict (myself included). Because, of course, they had to sign up for the Mdot, 1 freaking year in advance. So, since I’ve already paid $500 for a race, I’m gonna do it, even if it conflicts with total awesomeness like the Seneca Epic.
Howeva… people aren’t committed to 2010 IMs yet, so the Seneca Epic (or the “Assault on Cayuga Lake”, as I’ve proposed) could be any time in 2010. I know I’d make it a priority race.
To the OP. Considering the origins of the race it should have a slogan along the lines of “This race is no joke”
I love it! Great tagline… mind if I use it? My other thought was inspired by Monty Python: “There’s too much peril here!”
For those worried about conflicting with IM - I’m not. They didn’t steer clear of Musselman when starting Rhode Island 70.3 last year. I’m more concerned with avoiding conflicts with existing Finger Lakes races - like the Cayuga Lake Triathlon, Finger Lakes Triathlon, Cazenovia. They are all excellent races and I don’t want to pull anyone from them.
But I do understand the other argument, that the clientele for the EPIC would likely be IM participants who are already committed for 2009. I like the idea of a “test run” in 2009 and then setting the date well in advance for 2010, so people can plan their schedules.
I’m still working on it… stay tuned. Dates are tough!
To the OP. Considering the origins of the race it should have a slogan along the lines of “This race is no joke”
I love it! Great tagline… mind if I use it? My other thought was inspired by Monty Python: “There’s too much peril here!”
It’s all yours
This is awesome that an April Fools joke is turning into an actual race!! I wouldn’t be able to commit to Aug 30th this year (IMKY) but not that it matters as this will still sell out. But I’m def going to try and get in for 2010!!
Shanks
There’s a lot of great ideas here. I suspect you wanted to test the waters for some of them so i’ll say that i loved
- optional canal swim (x2)
- the post race bon fire
- the non standard swim distance
Jeff,
This is a race that could prevent a racer competing the following weekend. Labor day is the Skinnyman in Skaneateles. Please stay away from labor day weekend or the weekend before when you set the date for 2010. Not that you care, but Skan is my A+ race every year, and I would not do this length of a race the weekend before. All other weekends are fair game from my standpoint with a years notice.
Does this mean I do get to announce from the hot air balloon? And, if so, can I float down to do interviews with athletes on course?
Isn’t part of the appeal the fact that it’s an alternative to IM races?
**I **don’t race IM… but it is my hometown race, and I like to be there to cheer on my friends. It’s a party week/weekend to me…