This was my third time doing the half and my hubby’s second. While I have many (MANY) opinions on the race and new management, I’m curious to hear if other ST’ers were out there and what their thoughts were. I will say that anyone who did that iron distance or ultra distance course is one BAMF, regardless of how long it took you. The half was quite enough for me, thank you very much!
Michelle
I’ve been hoping to see some info on the races. I know the Grand Columbian races in the past had some real good reviews. Looking at results it looked to be a rather smallish race maybe around 200 people total for the tri’s (Not counting AB, Du’s)
What caused the delay and how was the weather? Is this race worth traveling across the country for? The venue looks real nice and I had hoped to make it in 2012 for the super or ultra but may have to put it on hold recovering from a shoulder separation.
Whats the bike profile like. I see the directions but not the elevation gain or profile. I am waiting to see if Silverman will be back. If not I might try the super. Thanks
My 310XT recorded the “ultra” (Iron-distance) race as just over 6100 feet of climbing - the majority of which was in the first part. As for the weather - the week before the race the high temp was in the high 90’s. Race day I don’t know if it hit 70. Pretty windy, but the last ~30 miles had a tailwind and was mostly downhill.
The issues with the run course extended to the longer distances as well - the turnaround for the marathon was too far out, and it ended up being ~1.5 miles too long. But hey, an Ironman is supposed to be hard, right?
Thanks…You ever do Silverman? I have also done Vineman twice and the first to years of CDA if you have done any of those for comparison… Thanks again…Hope you had a good race
Never done silverman, though I did “pumpkinman”(just the olympic distance) a few years back, which I believe shares part of the bike course. The climb into town at the end of the bike was brutal.
This was my first iron-distance - won my age group and it was the most fun I’ve ever had at a race. Aside from a few hiccups with logistics the race directors and volunteers did an awesome job (and I’ve worked races before so I know how hard it is to pull off). Would highly recommend the race to anyone looking for a tough course and a smaller, “anti-WTC” event.
Thanks and congrats…I gave up WTC in 2004, so this is a very strong possibility for next year. I have thought about pumpkinman. I really want another shot at Silverman. Thanks again
The race itself is an amazing course, both in terms of challenge and scenery. The previous reviews you heard were from the old race management and in my opinion well deserved. I did the race in 2005 in it’s second year as my first half and was blown away by how well organized and supported it was. They had the iron distance at that time as well and it was great for the back of packers like myself to be able to cheer on some of the faster ironfolks. I did it again last year and found the experience a little different without the iron distance, but the volunteers/organizers just as top notch.
The race is in a tiny town and there isn’t a lot to do in terms of restaurants/nightlife, so that’s something to consider if you’re bringing family along. This year we stayed at Sunbanks, which is a resort/campground and would be a better option for family. If you are travelling solo, you’d do just fine staying in one of the local motels (as long as you aren’t expecting the Ritz.) The weather is usually pretty decent, I think there’s pretty much always wind on the bike course and it can be hot, though I’ve been lucky with cloudy/70 degrees all three years I’ve done this race.
My main concern with this race was the disorganization of the new race organizers. They did have to deal with some big logistical challenges of moving T1 to a new location and the cancellation of their shuttle service. They handled the new start venue fairly well, but at least in terms of communication, it was pretty appalling watching the shuttle situation at the pre-race meeting. Conflicting information was announced to people who were (rightfully) concerned with how they were going to get from the finish line to their vehicle at the starting point. They would have been better served to send an email to race participants notifying them of the shuttle issue and at least preparing them rather than springing this information on them the night before the race.
There was a similar issue with the wave starts of the half. At the last minute, they decided to have three waves rather than the two they’d announced and had them based on self-seeded swim time. I have no problem with this except for the fact that because it was decided last minute we all had to have our timing chip read before our wave start and either the timing people weren’t prepared or there was some sort of malfunction, but it took about eight minutes between the waves and allowed the wind to get stronger and stronger between each. By the time my wave (third) started, the buoys were more of a crescent than a triangle and had to be repositioned for the olympic. It was not a great way to start a race of that distance. Add in other little details like the long run course and lack of age markings and it was a much more chaotic and confusing experience than I was used to at this particular race.
I really hope that TriFreaks gets their act together and brings this race to level of the previous management. It’s an amazing race and I really want to see it continue.
Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts. Kenney, I’m with you on Silverman - it’s also on my “Want to do” list and I hope someone eventually weighs in who has done GC and that one, as I wonder how they compare in terms of difficulty.
Michelle
Thanks for the post. I did Silverman in 2007. Brutal, but damn it felt good to finish. I am not hopeful it will be back though. If not I will probably do Vineman again and then this looks like a possibility. Thanks again…Cheers
Hubby and I are thinking of doing full Vineman next year as well. I hope you’re wrong about Silverman, that would be such a bummer.
Best of luck to you, regardless of what race you decide on!
M
My wife is the one who decided Vineman. She loves San Francisco. She does not do tri’s. so its a great destination for both of us. With preplanning and pre booking its much cheaper than any wtc event. So much more to do. Great race. She wine tastes while I am on the course. Its a great run race. Beuitiful course. Have fun
[I really hope that TriFreaks gets their act together and brings this race to level of the previous management. It’s an amazing race and I really want to see it continue.
.
Unfortunately I have had similar experiences with Tri Freaks at their Ocean Shores race.I have done the race a few times because I like the location. but more than once I have left there thinking this is the most disorganized race I ever done.They seem to do nothing to inform volunteers on what to do, there have been course discrepancies, and they have had poorly set up transition areas.I might go back next year but only because of where it is.
We had planned on Silverman for 2012, but like others I have my doubts that it will be back.
Sounds like there are some issues with the new company from some of these post. If I’m looking at the results right there was only 100 participants between the Half, Half AB, and Relays. I can’t imagine why there would be three waves let alone the self seeding, sounds like a mess that could’ve been easily avoided.
With regards to the town, it was just going to be the wife and I making a trip out of it and do some traveling sight seeing for a few days after whether we flew into Vegas or Spokane depending on the race.
Unfortunately I have had similar experiences with Tri Freaks at their Ocean Shores race.I have done the race a few times because I like the location. but more than once I have left there thinking this is the most disorganized race I ever done.They seem to do nothing to inform volunteers on what to do, there have been course discrepancies, and they have had poorly set up transition areas.I might go back next year but only because of where it is.
I was wondering about that. They have a ton of races, but I hadn’t done any of them. Usually, you hear rumors about race management companies that aren’t so great. (I’ve heard tons of bad stuff about AA Sports, though my own experiences have been fine with them.) Good to know that they also do Ocean Shores. I’ll have to factor that into my decision should I decide to do that race… 
M
Unfortunately I have had similar experiences with Tri Freaks at their Ocean Shores race.I have done the race a few times because I like the location. but more than once I have left there thinking this is the most disorganized race I ever done.They seem to do nothing to inform volunteers on what to do, there have been course discrepancies, and they have had poorly set up transition areas.I might go back next year but only because of where it is.
I was wondering about that. They have a ton of races, but I hadn’t done any of them. Usually, you hear rumors about race management companies that aren’t so great. (I’ve heard tons of bad stuff about AA Sports, though my own experiences have been fine with them.) Good to know that they also do Ocean Shores. I’ll have to factor that into my decision should I decide to do that race…
M
FWIW I’ve done a number of races with TriFreaks (not GC or Ocean Shores) and have only had a fantastic experience. I’ve also volunteered at a race with them and thought that the organization was quite good (got called months in advance, my role and time slot were all set, etc…). I have no affiliation with them other than this, just thought that I’d add my perspective.
Good! I’m in no way wanting to bash TriFreaks. I was surprised at what I observed at Grand Columbian and was honestly curious if it was typical or not. Especially as a volunteer, I’m glad to hear that your experiences were positive. I’m planning to write an email to TriFreaks with my experiences/feedback at GC in the hopes that it will improve future races there.
Thanks for sharing your feedback!
M
I did the Grand Columbian Half Ironman, and wrote my race report at:
http://bengreenfieldtri.blogspot.com/2011/09/racing-on-cigarette-smoke-alcohol-half.html
Ultimately, I think Tri-Freaks did a decent job of “taking the reins” on this race, although as noted in my report, I feel it is a significantly tougher course than previous years, at least for the Half. Some things could be improved, like:
-Shuttle service (apparently fell through 2 days prior to race)
-Marking on run course (Olympic run course was very short)
-Open and dangerous intersections cycling through town down into T2
-More timing mats/course markers to guide athletes
From what I understand, Tri-Freaks had to do “damage control” with the city due to poor PR from previous race owners, so I know they were fighting an uphill battle on this one. But overall, for a first year race under the new ownership, I think it was good. I raced the other event twice under the previous directors, and this one certainly had a slightly more “fun” feel to it, and could be a real blast going forward, IMO. I’ll go back.
Ben Greenfield
First of all, congrats on your win! I’m very glad to hear you describe the course as significantly tougher, as I certainly felt that it was. (But I’m sort of used that feeling at the other end of the race… ) I also completely agree with all of your points for improvement, especially the open intersections coming into T2. There were sections on that hill where there was no shoulder and a lot more traffic than I was happy to be dealing with at that point in the race. I can only imagine the struggles of the iron & ultra folks at that section.
Interesting to hear about the damage control/politics with the previous race management. I imagine that’s fairly common in a small town and I really hope that TriFreaks wins them over and improves on the event next year. With the possible end of Silverman, we need as many brutal independent races as we can get. 
M
I did the super and enjoyed that distance, it was a very challenging day out there. my 310xt only had about 4600 of climbing on the ride, as stated mostly in the first 55 miles. the 30 plus miles of headwind were fun as well. the run course was a bit long as well, but i didn’t think it that bad. at that point whats a few more miles. I would definitely recommend the event, good people, good challenging course. i have done silverman full several times, also a great event. climbs on the Columbian are definitely steeper and looked more intimidating when driving the course. silverman just has more of them.