Was wondering if anybody had done this race? Looks to be a 1/2 tri, 1/2 adventure race. I think the format is cool and I don’t have a sept. race locked in yet.
A few of my teammates did it last year and are going back again. They thought it was a really neat race – well designed and executed. The only downside is that the swim legs were REALLY cold last year, and given the format, that was not fun.
Great race in a beautiful setting. Bike is cold and the last 5 miles are up a 9% or better grade. The run is all trails watch your ankles. From Bike to run transition it’s up hill for about a 1/2 mile. No water stops on the run but you can drink from the 1st & 2nd swim lakes. The lake water is cold but refreshing. I swam with my ruuning shoes in a water proof bag straped around my waste with a nylon belt. The water proof bag was a dive bafg from a local dive shop. The run is most shade in case it gets hot. Gel pockets can’t be thrown away. Anything you bring in with you should finish with you. Don’t litter during the race. There are some real senic views if you feel like taking them in, but most likely you will be running hard. Everyone practically walks up the stairs to the top of Mohanwk when finishing the last swim leg. Good barbecue after the race. The names of the lakes I forget and some of the run hills are named like Godzilla and etc. After running Godzilla you are near the end and ready to stop running. I did the race in '95. A few years back there was too much fog and all 3 swims were canceled. Lot more miles to run. Good luck I think I will do it this year.
Jim, Do a search on this sight for the SOS. I posted a few weeks ago when someone else asked about it. It’s my favorite race. On thing you’ll need to do to get ready. Practice running in wet shoes. Don’t laugh! Most people just stick their shoes in the back of their shorts and dive in. I use a shorty wetsuite (that water is always very cold) and next time I’ll just leave my shoes on. So you need to toughen your feet. Some people finish with such bad blisters I don’t think they can get shoes on for a week! Just to set the record straight. There is water available on the course and two years ago with a hurricane aproaching the rain and fog was so bad that they cancelled the first two swims. This is a point to point race. It became 30 mile bike, 20 mile run, 1/2 mile swim, 1 mile run up the stone stairs to the finish. Good luck and have a great time!
I’ve done it three times (won it twice, finished third once) & always plan to do it when the date doesn’t conflict with other commitments.
It’s organized like this:
30-mile point-to-point bike ride, 3/4 loop with 5-mile climb at the end;
an 18-mile point-to-point trail run, interrupted by three swims (1.1 miles, 0.5 miles, and about 0.6 miles)
a 0.7 mile “hike” up the steps to a scenic finish overlooking five states.
The unanticipated challenge is the cramping – ouch! You can’t imagine what your muscles feel like as the blood concentration moves from lower body (running & cycling) to the upper body (swimming) and back again. Man oh man do you feel it!
Don Davis puts on a great race, which we like to call “an adventure race before adventure racing was cool!”
It’s a paved road ride the entire way, with waves of 20+ riders going off in one minute intervals. The understanding is that the first 5 miles or so are controlled and safe, then you’re not supposed to draft.
That said, there are always small packs that form, but it doesn’t really matter, since the last five miles is a climb (the drafting weenies get dropped) and the 4.5, 5.5, and 8-mile runs leave plenty of time to beat the tar out of the cheaters.
I’d enter now (or when you’re reasonably sure you’re going), and write in the app that you have two 1/2’s scheduled for August. I think they’ll be amenable…particularly if the check clears