Anyone else do Rev3 this past weekend? This was my first course with any hills and man they killed me! Got off the bike okay… could have used one more gear but was dead at about mile 8 of the run either due to heat and/or burning too many matches on the bike. Curious to others thoughts on the course and how this compares to IMWI for those who have done both
I raced REV3 Dells on Sunday as well. Third time so knew what was in store. Add heat and humidity this year and it was a tough go. I’ve also done IMMoo many times and would say that, if REV3 Dells was 140.6, it would blow away IMMoo in terms of difficulty. Dells bike has tougher, longer climbs than IMMoo, same can be said for the run course. If you’re signed up for IMMoo in Sept consider Sunday a great training day in the bank.
Cheers,
Tinman
thanks for the reply! I went into the race knowing it was going to be hilly and to use it to help prepare for IMOO but really underestimated those two brutal ones. definitely a good training day and taught me a lot.
What’s the vertical on the bike? Rev3 Quassy was about 4900 and was a very tough bike followed by a nasty run.
I was the guy dumping ice down my shirt and pants at all the run aid stations.
I really felt that I stayed within myself during the bike and came off feeling good but the heat and hills on the run really humbled me despite my nutrition and hydration going well eating and and drinking about 700cals with about 3 bottles on the bike.
Being from Northern Ontario I can honestly say that I have never run in such heat and humid conditions which leaves me a bit concerned going into IMMT especially since I still get cold hands and feet on morning rides up here.
I just uploaded my Garmin file and it shows 3022 ft for REV3 Dells. Quassy sounds like another league of nasty.
Quassy was just nasty all around. Tough bike followed by a relentless run.
I would like to see other’s downloads for that course…3000 sounds light and my garmin total was just shy of 3500 ascent. Anyone know what the run was…besides HARD & HOT!
Ryan
i got 3300ft for the bike and 627 for the run.
I raced the Dells last weekend as well. The bike was a beast in the best possible way. Super hilly and tough, just as advertised. Perhaps the difficulty of the bike distracted me from even thinking much about the run until I was on the course. During the run, around mile 11, I saw a mint chocolate ice cream cup someone had dropped on the sidewalk. It was a melty mess dribbling down the pavement and I felt it was quite likely someone would find me in a similar state a ways up the road.
All in all it is a really, really great race that had shockingly low attendance. If you want a serious challenge and top notch race production, this is where its at.
PS. if any Rev3 staff read this, please add a second aid station between mile 4 and the run turnaround!
Raced this 2 years ago and run was MUCH EASIER but what a challenging course. Saw the ice cream and thought about taking a hit- had it been 2 miles earlier I might have. Found out the first half of the run is mostly downhill so lots ppl burned out on the way back in. Bike is awesome and WAY HARDER than Moo. Hope they can keep irate in Dells- like better than Racine by far
HA! I saw the ice cream too - thought about how good it (not that specific cup!) would taste…
I second your notion for an aid station at the turnaround. It may have been the heat but that stretch seemed r e a l l y l o n g.
Thinking of doing Racine to take it down a notch…
I raced the Dells last weekend as well. The bike was a beast in the best possible way. Super hilly and tough, just as advertised. Perhaps the difficulty of the bike distracted me from even thinking much about the run until I was on the course. During the run, around mile 11, I saw a mint chocolate ice cream cup someone had dropped on the sidewalk. It was a melty mess dribbling down the pavement and I felt it was quite likely someone would find me in a similar state a ways up the road.
All in all it is a really, really great race that had shockingly low attendance. If you want a serious challenge and top notch race production, this is where its at.
PS. if any Rev3 staff read this, please add a second aid station between mile 4 and the run turnaround!
The low attendance is not shocking at all.
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There is a massively saturated market for races in the area in June. Literally every single weekend both days there are races within 90 minutes of Madison that are all very popular and usually sell out or are close to selling out. Pleasant Prairie was the same day and steals most of the MIlwaukee/Chicago market.
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The course seems to have scared some people away do to the difficulty and still being early season for the locals.
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Complete against two other 70.3’s: Racine (fast and easy PR and WTC) and Door County (the Wildflower of the midwest), simply put Rev 3 doesn’t have any way to separate themselves from the races to make their race more enticing.
I love REV 3, they are great at everything they do, they do it right and really care about the athletes (for ex. they wrote personal messages on each athletes packet this year), but I just don’t see this race existing next year.
Too many races not enough athletes.
The race was moved from August to the June date for this year. The Door County Triathlon (filled up) is held in late July. The Superiorman 1/2 iron distance (limited to 500) is held in late August is much flatter and has partnered with the REV3 Dells Event . The Racine 70.3 Ironman branded event is held July 20th. IM WIS is after Labor Day. There are multiple locally held triathlon events including the Waupaca (nearly 1000 contestants for the Mid August date) in Wisconsin during the summer months and I have not stated the National Championship in Milwaukee, events in Illinois or most of those in Minnesota. There is competition. It was a long, cold and snowy winter in the Mid-west with snow reports in Mid-May from those contestants in Green Bay.
FYI my Gamin recorded on the REV3 Knoxville 1/2 ironman course 3500 feet of climbing with a run that was not flat either.
I agree. It was my first time doing a rev3 event after hearing good things and they were as advertised. Everything was spot on with how the event was run. I really hope they will bring it back for another year but I can’t see them putting on that big of a production for the amount of racers they got. I was shocked to see how small the field was when I first saw the transition area.
I think ITU Chicago had a sizeable impact on the attendance. I think also while the sport might not be shrinking in participants, folks might be doing a fwe less races that last year, maybe focusing on just 1 or 2 big events…whereas some were doing multiple major events.
That being said, I know 2 of my local races are likely to be on their last year until the industry rebounds and local interest picks up again. I would STRONGLY recommend that some of these organizations join forces and at least keep the momentum going with youth triathlons as well as supporting youth swimming. I think it’s underestimated how much youth swimming as well as high school track & cross country drive this sport. Its’ not driven by cycling In my opinion. If they could put on some events and maybe just barely break even, its a long term investment. Like R&D is for a pharma company. Sure you could sit around and let academia make many of the discoveries, but you may be less likely to convert this into useable product.
Adding Aquathon run-swim-run as a late spring high school sport (like softball/baseball) would be another.
I raced the Dells last weekend as well. The bike was a beast in the best possible way. Super hilly and tough, just as advertised. Perhaps the difficulty of the bike distracted me from even thinking much about the run until I was on the course. During the run, around mile 11, I saw a mint chocolate ice cream cup someone had dropped on the sidewalk. It was a melty mess dribbling down the pavement and I felt it was quite likely someone would find me in a similar state a ways up the road.
All in all it is a really, really great race that had shockingly low attendance. If you want a serious challenge and top notch race production, this is where its at.
PS. if any Rev3 staff read this, please add a second aid station between mile 4 and the run turnaround!
The low attendance is not shocking at all.
- There is a massively saturated market for races in the area in June. Literally every single weekend both days there are races within 90 minutes of Madison that are all very popular and usually sell out or are close to selling out. ***Pleasant Prairie was the same day and steals most of the MIlwaukee/Chicago market. ***
Too many races not enough athletes.
Not only that, but the BIgfoot Traithlon in Lake Geneva and the Crystal Lake tri (Illinois State Championships) were the same day.
4 big races, all jammed up on the same weekend, fighting for many of the same athletes. Just dumb…
It was tough. This was my first half and I’m glad I did it. Some very tough climbs… Does anyone know how this will compare to iM Louisville?
I think ITU Chicago had a sizeable impact on the attendance. I think also while the sport might not be shrinking in participants, folks might be doing a fwe less races that last year, maybe focusing on just 1 or 2 big events…whereas some were doing multiple major events.
That being said, I know 2 of my local races are likely to be on their last year until the industry rebounds and local interest picks up again. I would STRONGLY recommend that some of these organizations join forces and at least keep the momentum going with youth triathlons as well as supporting youth swimming. I think it’s underestimated how much youth swimming as well as high school track & cross country drive this sport. Its’ not driven by cycling In my opinion. If they could put on some events and maybe just barely break even, its a long term investment. Like R&D is for a pharma company. Sure you could sit around and let academia make many of the discoveries, but you may be less likely to convert this into useable product.
Adding Aquathon run-swim-run as a late spring high school sport (like softball/baseball) would be another.
http://www.usatriathlon.org/about-multisport/demographics.aspx
I wouldn’t say it is increasing. 9,000 more annual members then last year and about 66% of that are youth, so less then 3,000 more adult participants. One day members declined by over 4% or 15,000 members (approx). Put those two together and you still had a loss of 15,000 athletes last year. Participation in the number of participants is down, doubtful that those continual members are racing more then previous to make up the difference and to support all these races.
The triathlon bubble is bursting. In the next 5 yeas races will go away, series will have less, coaches will go out of business, the upward trend can only go on for so long.
Triathlon will never be a mainstream sport it will always be a niche sport, this is not bad, just needs to be done right.
I was out there Sunday. I found it to be a very tough course. The bike was a challenge and the run wasn’t easy… add in the heat and humidity and it was killer. I’ve done Rev3 Quassy and while I think the course was harder (for sure the run was tougher) the temp was much better making it an easier course for me. I did IM Tahoe last year but I was more spent on the run on Sunday due to the heat. I have my age and race number sunburnt on my skin thanks to a poor sunscreen job 
I’m glad I did the race and it was great training for IM Boulder but this was not a PR day for me.
Oh … and I also did IM Louisville. I’d say its a very different course. While it does have a lot of hills its more rollers than large climbs. The run doesn’t have much elevation at all. But you will have heat and humidity!