I can’t find a link to the results for these races anywhere on line. Anyone care to say how things went?
I did the half-iron. It was my first race, so I’m not exactly a race connoisseur, but here’s my take:
Well organized. Lake was clean and there was plenty of room. Water was chilly, but really not that cold. (I feel I am the authority on this, as I was in it longer than almost everyone!)
First five miles of bike course were on poorly maintained road (i saw several flats), but then you made a turn onto some great stretches of wide, clean (flat) shoulder. Wind got stronger as day progressed (I was in this a long time, too!). Everywhere you needed traffic control, a cop was there.
The run was on packed dirt --almost a carriage road, so there were ruts to keep an eye out for. I’m guessing that blazing fast people had to watch their footing, but this, alas, wasn’t an issue for me. Some of the racers I talked to thought that the course was long. Personally, I was in no condition to judge.
The weather turned out to be perfect. The volunteers were great. Good amount of space for transition area. I’d do the race again.
Went well. Weather held, forecast was for showers, it threatened all day but ultimately held off. Great swim, about 70 degrees, flat bike with some wind. The run was a bit challenging, flat but on a packed dirt trail. All in all, no complaints.
If you’re considering for next year, pack bug spray…I donated about a pint to the local insect population while standing around post race.
The swim was great; it had to be the cleanest, clearest lake in New Jersey.
The bike - The first 14 miles were nice (fast with decent road, then I hit a hole with my rear tire and felt something weird; checked the tire and didn’t notice anything. 10 mile later, POP! Tire blown. Unfortunately, my brand new spare tire had a hole in it. Since I was only 4 miles from the Transition (1st loop) I decided to start walking. 25 minutes later a guy stopped and gave me his spare tube (Thanks, dude!)
Then the real problem: As I was putting on the new tube I noticed that my brand new Zipp 404 rear rim had a 2 inch crack in it. I said screw it, put the tire on anyway and decided to ride until it breaks. Luckily, the rim never gave up and neither did I.
Although it was a tough day, it was still enjoyable. Pirahna Sports puts on very nice, well organized races…and the stuffed shells afterwards were awesome.
Great race. The swim was cold but not too bad. I felt like a superhero on the bike for the first 14-miles. Unbeknownst to me, there was a strong tailwind. After the first 14-miles the head wind I discovered provided a reality check. The run was tough, but different. I enjoyed running through the woods - it felt like I was doing Wildflower. I did think the run was either a bit long, or running on trails slowed everyone down, because no one passed me during the run, but my run time was pretty slow for me.
I would recommend this race. It’s nice to have another good 1/2 IM besides Eagleman in the mid-atlantic. The best part of the race was that my wife, (tri-spouse above), finished her first race. Also, in the goody bag, there was a red and white rubber ducky with devil horns and goatee. Excellent race souvenier.
The organisation was average, not up to Eagleman standards, but this was the first year.
The swim was good. Clean, not cold, course marked with tall bouys.
The bike was very flat. The first few miles required some moving around to avoid the rough stuff, but still able to hold 23-25mph. There were a few miles (4-5?) where they’d paved over an old concrete road, so the expansion seams were raised every 20 yards. Had to hand check the bottle holders every couple of seams. The wind on the course was rough and pretty much in your face.
Also, the bike course measure 2 miles short according to my computer.
The run was on hard packed dirt. There were horribly cambered sections, flat sections, and rutted sections, but nothing was too complicated. Aid stations on the run were well stocked with water, gatorade, and hammer gel. The run measured long by 1/2 mile, according my polar 625x.
Overall, a good race, definatly a good tuneup/training check to see how that off-season work played out. Just remember to bring the bug spray, I got eaten alive by the gnats.
My first race of the season and a great way to kick it off.
I thought the swim conditions were perfect and the lake was uneblieveably clean.
Bike course was fine after the first four miles. The first four were on horribly chopped up roads and people were swerving all over the place to avoid patches, holes, etc. Combine this with the typical poor bike-handling skills of most AGers and it was interesting to say the least (Fortunately, I stayed to the left, almost on the centerline and avoided most of the mess). Sprint bike course measured 1/2 mile long.
Run was decent and, as others have mentioned, you had to keep any eye out for holes and ruts. However, nothing more than you would experience on a training run on most trails so no real problem.
All in all I thought it was a good event given that it was a first timer. The only knock I would mention is the dirt/sand between T1 and the bike mount. I don’t know how you could make that better, but if it rained even slightly, it would have been a mud bog. As it was, I saw a lot of people running through the dirt in their cycling shoes – I am glad I wasn’t there when they tried to click into their pedals as it must have just been horrendous.
Kudos to Neal and Pirahnna Sports for a fun event. See you at the Diamondman in September!!
WHAT!!! I didn’t get the devil, rubber ducky thing!
I would call this race a great mom and pop half IM. 30 miles from a hotel, in the woods, bugs everywhere, but dedicated triathletes showing up to show off, or check, how their winter and spring training went.
The swim was fine. There were plants in some of the shallow sections that my arms got tangled up with, but they did not present that much of a problem. The buoys were easy to navigate and the temperature actually felt good.
The bike was fast. Wind did pick up, but spinning through it seemed to do the trick. My computer showed 56 when I finished, and I’m pretty sure my computer is accurate. My favorite part was the pot-hole surprise game at miles 15-16 and 43-44. I lost my spongy yellow plug thing to my aero bottle. Water was then splashed all over me for the rest of the ride.
I wouldn’t know if the run was long. It felt long, but that was because I was ready to finish. I thought the double out-and-back course was fair, but a little boring after a while. The good news is I only got lapped once, and that was by the winner, who posted a 4:16, and happened to be a Clydesdale.I had a fun weekend, and will be bringing bug spray next year. My legs hurt like hell today, but I demolished my personal best, so my spirits are high.
Best part was the locals standing out in their front yards with a look of intense curiosity at this rather unusual spector. I swear at one point I thought I was hearing “Dueling Banjos” playing in the distance or maybe it was just the seemingly longer than usual run taking its toll. Well organized race, nice job Pirahna.
This was a great race. Despite the post earlier, I think the course distances were accurate, I measured 55.90 on a computer calibrated on a running track (I got in trouble for biking round the track). My buddy got 56.05.
Piranha did a great job. It can’t be easy to get volunteers out to the middle of nowhere. The swim was beautiful, yeah the wind picked up during the bike, so we missed out on a tailwind for the first lap, but it was the same for everyone. Without the wind this would be a very fast course.
Good work by Piranha, I look forward to more of the same at Diamondman.
Doug Clark
I agree that this was a great race. My bike computer measured 56.01. As for the wind, I thought it was extremely mild compared to what I’m used to here in Philly. Also, if you were at the Brandywine Du, this wind was nothing. I averaged 1.5 mph faster in the 1/2 than I did in the 30K Du!!