Does anyone have experience with the Delaware Diamondman Half IM in September? Is the race well run? How is the course? I am trying to decide between that race, the 1/2 Champ. in KC, and the Great Floridian Half IM. Any help would be appreicated.
I haven’t done it (I am doing it this year), but I have done other races organized by Pirahnna. They are generally well run events with a very laid back vibe. Fun races overall and no major glitches in my experience.
I just did my first Piranha Sports race, Diamond in the Rough, and I was pleased with it. Well run, laid back, good value for the money, good volunteer support. I would expect Diamondman to be the same way.
~Jason
How did the race go? Was my discription of the course about right?
Dave in VA
The bike is a good course and its flat. Last year the run was on this gravelly stuff that was hard to get a rythm on and the swim got replaced with an 8k which turned out to be really good anyway and it was a nice race.
Why was the swim replaced?
I did Diamondman in '03, and within the constraints of a very wet spring/summer, it was well-organized. The run course as well as the run from swim exit to T1 had to be altered, but this did not mess things up too much. The run to T1 was very long (close to 1/2 mile?), but an area was set up to park running shoes at the swim exit so this was not as bad as it sounds. The run became a long out-and-back along the canal, as opposed to much of it taking place within the park, but it also proceeded smoothly. The swim was calm, the bike almost totally flat except for the long climb over the Reedy Narrows Bridge (this is done in both directions).
There were some problems last year, if I remember correctly. The swim had to be cancelled due to sewage problems, so the whole thing was a duathlon. (I don’t think the sewage issue is on-going.) And due to some part of the canalway being flooded-out, the run became a double out-and-back; this would not create a big problem. I THINK thse were the problems last year, anyhow.
I would do Diamondman again without hesitation, but it just didn’t fit into my plans last year, and it won’t for this year as well.
How did the race go? Was my discription of the course about right?
The race went well, I just decided to enter last minute as a training race. Your description certainly helped as I took the descents very carefully and saw several crashes. I didn’t think the main climb was nearly as hard as I expected it to be. All in all a fun race and good workout.
um this is gross -if i remember correctly it rained and some sort of sewage leakage -someone i went with swam in it the day before, before they announced it -but she was fine. id do it again though. thats the only time there was a problem
After Skyline Drive it must have seem like an anthill.
Dave in VA