is she hot? 
Am I the only one confused as to why anyone who isnāt local would choose Caliman 1/2 over Big Kahuna?
The promise of a PR course (caliman is fast! come set a PR!?)? The allure of a semi-inaugural event (lets not forget the that inaugural event had significant issues such as a badly mismeasured course and horrible road quality)? Closed boring roads vs. an open roads but spectacular ride? A wallow in the river vs. an awesome swim in the ocean? Running along the coast and finishing along the beach vs. a slog through cow fields? Sweltering heat v. a cool ocean breeze?
What am I missing here? I understand its logistically easier for the local yokels but for anyone elseā¦I donāt get it.
I do wish them both the best and I think there is room for both in the area. I just really wonder why people choose what they choose. The only thing going for Cali seems to be that it might be faster if the heat stays away. Is that how people choose their events?
ot
I for one chose Caliman as my first Half IM over Big Kahuna because at the time I signed up, I was lured by the promise of a somewhat āeasyā flat course, and figured that was probably a good idea for my first. Since signing up, I believe I could tackle a more difficult course, but Iām already in for Caliman. Plus 9/11 is my daughterās birthday and what a bummer 2nd birthday it would have been for her and mom to be waiting 6 or 7 hours for daddy to finish his race instead of being home for her 2nd birthday party.
Some like it hotā¦Dave Scott liked it hotā¦perfect preparation for Konaā¦hot and the wind blows 365 days a year over the farm fieldsā¦mimics the bbq lava of Hawaiiā¦and what a better way to prepare.
Big Kahuna - great raceā¦some like it coolā¦I love swimming in the ocean, some are terrified of itā¦I think that this is a whole different venue and that is why both will do so well even a week apart from each other.
I do know one person that is doing bothā¦awesome but crazy.
It should be a fun week either race you race.
mj
Hey Mary,
I agree that choice is goodā¦Iām just curious about the thought process people go through when choosing between two races at almost the same time in the same general geographic area. If someone prefers heat (sickos!) and fears the ocean (pansies!) then Caliman is certainly the way way to goā¦I just wanted to hear that from people. I have this sneaking suspicion though that āFast Course!ā-itis is at play and I do find that somewhat mindboggling. Maybe its marketing? I donāt know.
If you guys can space your races out by more than a week next year there is a good chance Iād do both.
Good luck with it :).
ot
Like TriBodyBoarder, Caliman will be my first half and I figured that flat would be the way to go. I also wanted to do the LA Tri (I know some people here arenāt crazy about that race but as a local I canāt get over how cool it is to race on some of the biggest/busiest streets in the city entirely closed for the race), which conflicted w/Santa Cruz.
I do not swim in the ocean. Call me what you want, we all are not āperfectā.
Dave
By the way, very nicely done newsletter. Enjoyed reading it!
Every day this week on my ride to work I keep thinking, āCaMan peeps better like the wind!ā
Thatās why Iām doing it.
I think I have a competitive advantage in the wind and heat. Plus, I like the few big races that I do to be āepic.ā
Big Kahuna is too pretty and nice. I live at the coast and thereās no novelty in it for me.
Why is Caliman more āepicā than Big Kahuna? Swimming in the ocean vs. swimming in a big river? A steady diet of rollers vs. nearly pancake flat? Hmmmmā¦maybe Iām missing some crucial part what makes something epicā¦maybe its the totally unknown cycling distance? 
(j/kā¦iām sure theyāll get it right this year!)
And if you think you have a competitive advantage in the wind (and I think you definitely do) the BK typically features a strong headwind on the outbound leg. I would venture a guess that BK would normally be windier than the central valley.
Too pretty and too nice to race at? Now thats the kind of feedback Iām looking forā¦something I wouldnāt expect :).
ot
āAnd if you think you have a competitive advantage in the wind (and I think you definitely do) the BK typically features a strong headwind on the outbound leg. I would venture a guess that BK would normally be windier than the central valley.ā
Maybe, but maybe not. If you had been up in these parts this past Monday night, Tuesday morning, you would have witnessed the nroth wind that the valley is prone to in the fall. If that kicks up for the race, people will be leaving their disc wheels in their cars, to say the least. We could very easily have sustained winds in teh 20-30 mph range with gusts around 40. Enough to make me go to gym instead of out for a ride.
Thats why I said ānormallyā. On any given day the central valley might have more windā¦I just donāt think it normally does.
ot
I consider Big Kahuna a fast course. Unless the wind builds up huge again I would think it could be faster than CaliMan since heat not a big issue.
I was originally going to do the LA Tri the week before Caliman, but couldnāt bring myself to spend $170 (entry plus shuttle bus fee plus Active.comās commission) for an Olympic distance race. Thatās a bit over the top.
I assumed you were talking about some annual average of āwindinessā and I guess my point is that the ānormalā wind of the central valley year round is irrelevant to how windy it can get here in September and October. And, though Larry is right that the typical winds might not push one off the road, if one had been out on a disc and aerobars on Tuesday morning, that person would have likely ended up in a ditch. However, this morning it has been calm and is only up into the mid-70s as I write.
But regardless, I am sure BK is a great and challenging race in its own right and will enjoy a stellar field of elite athletes all vying for the coveted title of āBig Kahuna.ā
Do people really care how many āeliteā athletes are in the field? Its never really occured to me to consider that.
And, are we really discussing the minutiae of the wind differences? Sheeshā¦lets just say either/both may or may not be windy. Mr. Ashburn may or may not have more of an advantage on either course from his 29872cm drop from seat to the aerobars.
ot
I would say that obviously for race directors the more elite ānameā athletes enter, the more prestigious the event appears to the media, but ALSO the the AGāers that are swayed by the thought that, āhey, Jane Doe Pro Triathlete is doing this race, so it MUST be a good race to compete in!ā. Not everyone decides on which race to do like this, but for sure some do. You have to think that a top triathlete isnāt going to do a race they think is going to suck!
I thought we were talking about prospective relative course conditions between the two races you were comparing. I think yoou asked why a person would choose one over the other, and I would imagine that course conditions would be rather important in this decision. Maybe not.
As for choosing a race based on who is doing it, I admit that would not be really high on my list, but it would probably still be a factor. I think a race with a good field gives one a more objective measure of their talent than a race with a less distinguished field. Afterall, isnāt that part of why you enter a race to begin with, rather than just timing yourself for a swim/bike/run on Saturday morning?
Yesā¦Iām really anxious to see how I do against Larsen ;-). Okā¦soāll Iāll put āmore effective marketingā (āfast courseā and ābig nameā triathletes) down for Caliman as reason for the out-of-towners to head that direction.
My only point with trying to end the wind discussion is that it started to sound like we were debating if the coin I was going to flip would be heads or tails. There is a strong wind that usually blows at BK, and the central valley is having higher winds this year - take your pick. Ash thought heād have the advantage on a windy course so I thought Iād bring up that the BK is usually predictably windy.
ot
If I were racing, Iād do both, though if I had to pick one, Iād probably go with CaliMan just because I HATE cold water. Though the BK medal is cool with that tiki head. Both would be a pain drive for me and overnight hotel. But, since I was told no more races until 15 October, Iām doing neither.
But I am doing the Auburn Century (70 miler). Anyone done that???
clm