I’m racing here for the first time on the 23rd… can anyone share their experience with the race course? bike hilly, etc…
Here’s the bike route: http://www.tricolumbia.org/Columbia/images/maps/Bike_Map_Columbia.pdf
Run: http://www.tricolumbia.org/Columbia/images/maps/Swim_Run_Map_Columbia.pdf
Our local club did a training ride there last weekend. It had more hills than I was expecting, nothing too long, but rolling through the countryside. My gps shows 1345 feet of total elevation over the 25 miles. The bike course is nice, rolling hills over good roads, no sharp corners to navigate.
Biggest issue last weekend was the heat, 90 degrees and high humidity. Nobody I know ran the full race course, we just circled the lake once or twice instead, so I can’t comment on the run course. And the swim in the lake wasn’t open to us.
I’ll be out at there as a volunteer at the DC Tri aid station.
Good luck!
The swim is nice. The bike is hilly. Mostly rollers but with a couple of steep (but not very long) climbs. The run has some steep climbs but a fairly flat finish. Race organization is top notch, as are all of Vigo’s events.
i made it my “destination race” last year and combined it with a visit to an old college buddy. last year it rained, hard (well i thought it was hard, but i’m from california) but i’d call the bike course “rolling” and not “hilly”…ie if you’re properly geared and fit you can stay aero the entire time. it’s very well-organized and i’d go back and do it again without hesitation or reservation.
the only thing i didn’t like was that once your bike is racked, the transition volunteers wouldn’t let me exit to go warm up on the bike. had to run to warm up, not a big deal but something i remember as an inconvenience. have fun, it’s a great course!
Swim - Flat. No, really flat. Counter-clockwise around the perimeter of the lake so you are never far from shore if you are the panicky type. Lake is small so no waves to speak of.
Bike - Rolling hills, several roundabouts (can take these in the aerobars at full speed if you are confident and roads are not wet), a few longer inclines, and one steep hill that will kick your butt. Watch the traffic, impatient/clueless drivers can be problematic on the main road away from and back to the park. You won’t set a PR on this course, but it won’t kill you either.
Run - Tough course with a lot of hills. Take it easy up the first hill inside the park, you will lose a few seconds, but it is short and you will be glad you did for the rest of the race, and you can make up the few seconds you lost as you run across the dam leading to the finish line.
Race was used as National Age Group Championships at least twice back in the mid nineties IIRC. Best be in (or near) racing shape for this early season race.
I’m racing here for the first time on the 23rd… can anyone share their experience with the race course? bike hilly, etc…
I raced it last year and will be back this year. I rode the course last weekend to reacquaint myself with those glorious hills!
The swim is easy. Water temps last year were cool, but not cold and the water was murky and flat. I swam through a good bit of plants near the little island we pass on our left, close to the finish. The bike course is hilly out of the gate. There are three significant climbs (longer than 30 seconds), which you can see if you look at the course map (link). You’re either climbing, descending, or on a false flat for the entire course and it can be windy: cross winds on Tridelphia, and head winds on Homewood Road and Linthicum. The run is through part of the park on paved trail and moves into a neighborhood, and as I recall hilly.
Good luck and have fun.
Raced it many times as a junior. Bike and run are both very hilly and challenging. Hard to get in a rhythm. Very well organized and a great atmosphere.
what greg said …
… but i’d call the bike course “hilly” … nothing too steep, but there’s not a single section on the course that’s actually flat. it’s the perfect course to accidentally shell yourself as the hills don’t seem too long or too steep and invite you to bring it … but if you do, you’ll pay for it on the run. The run starts off with short STEEP hills in the park and transitions to long rolling hills in the neighborhood outside. The last mile and a half is fast, if you’re still running strong.
All in all it’s a pretty painful way to welcome the race season!
I have done Columbia 4x in the last 20yrs. The swim is a really nice easy one, the bike is challenging with at least 12 rolling climbs and like said before takes a few times of racing it to get into a good rythm. The run has short steep hills the first part with a big hill at 3m, then you run into a residential area and then do the hill again at 5m.
Rob Vigorito puts on a GREAT event. In fact he is the RD for Eagleman, so expect a really well organized event.
The weather has always been hot and humid, even when cool the week before.
I would rate this a MUST DO race.
I’m signed up to do it, but have not had the opportunity to “practice” the bike or run course. Is it typically wetsuit legal?
I’m a local for Columbia, and it’s consistently one of the best-organized races around. (Be prepared, Rob Vigorito has never met a microphone he didn’t like. Awards can be tedious.)
Bike course has a lot of false flats, be ready to just keep going. There’s a fairly steep descent right after you turn onto Tridelphia Mill Rd, followed IMMEDIATELY by a steep (but fast) ascent. People who aren’t familiar with the course drop gears and speed way too fast at the bottom to about a quarter of the way up, so watch for congestion. 
Two years ago someone crashed badly and had to be Medevaced from the bike course – just be careful, there are some twists that look fun for 28mph but maybe shouldn’t be…
TomNYC is right – don’t kill yourself on that first hill on the run (no matter how much the TNT people shake their cowbells), save it for the hills (out and back) on Carillon Dr.
The very end of the run course (after you come across the dam) has an uphill right before it descends into the chute. Any other run, it wouldn’t be an uphill, but I always find myself trying not to throw up!
Since it’s a big race in a relatively small park, transition space is at a premium. Pack light and only the essentials.
local here as well. just got home from two laps of the course. havent had much time to get out on the bike due to school, so 50 mi of those hills/rollers (however you want to classify them…) was quite a bit.
something i noticed today since last year - we had a ton of snow this year, and as a result there is more sand/gravel along the shoulders, especially on rt. 108. not sure if Tricolumbia is lobbying the municipality to get this cleaned up prior to the race.
I believe Viggo pays to have the course swept … could be wrong on that but that’s my recall. I’ve done the race 4 of the last 5 years and there’s never been an issue with debris.
for the other question, it’s always wetsuit legal.
In years past, yes. They’ve had the course swept 1-2 weeks before the race. It’s a huge help on 108!
I believe Viggo pays to have the course swept … could be wrong on that but that’s my recall. I’ve done the race 4 of the last 5 years and there’s never been an issue with debris.
for the other question, it’s always wetsuit legal.
Thank goodness, I’m gonna need it.
thx guys… is the elite wave a dive start?
It was an in water start for the open/elite when I raced it in 2008. I don’t think even the pros do a dive start there.
Water start always.
One other thing that should be mentioned, besides the hills, is the ROUNDABOUT on the bike course after the first right hand turn down the hill. Just be aware of it, and other cyclists, at ~3-4 mile mark.
Going back for my 5th race there after missing it for 4 years. Looking forward to it and hopefully decent weather. Have experienced everything from 90* to ice all over my car in the morning!