I am thinking of signing up for Eagleman 08. Has anybody raced it? Is it a good race? The fees are high, but I gather that many things are included in the fees.
Just do a search here on ST for Eagleman. Tons of posts, threads, and race reports on it.
Eagleman is a quality race and arguably has one of, if not the toughest, field of any half-iron distance race in the U.S.
The swim can be interesting, with the jelly fish and currents and chop. The bike is flat and is a decent ride through the nature preserve and the run is kind of dull: out and back. Both the bike and run are as flat as can be. They do a great job organizing and running the race and as stated you’ll find out where you stand competition-wise.
All in all it’s a great race a well worth the money. See you in June.
Tom
Next year will be my fifth at Eagleman. Great race, but it’s getting to be a bit too expensive for my blood. You do get a lot: real running shirt, bottle, socks, and a nice finishers medal. They also put on a nice awards ceremony and have a lot of food post-race. There’s a rather large pro field and the race is run very tight.
The race itself: hot, humid, windy, flat. The run is brutal with virtually no shade on the entire course.
And the race is always right after we get the first week or two of solid heat/humidity, so there’s not a lot of acclimation time.
Interesting…yes people do seem to talk about it alot. I am thinking about doing it since…I am about to move that way. Question though…if it is so hot and humid…why do I see people coming out of the water with wetsuits on their website? What is the water temperature at the race would you say?
Don’t wait too long before you pull the trigger…it closed out last year…not sure how fast/slow.
I’ve done it the past three years…worn a wetsuit each time. I’d say low to mid 70’s, but its definitely wetsuit legal. It can be hot and humid, or it can be really nice like the last one.
It’s a great race thats been around forever, can’t go wrong with it. i’ll be back next year.
Yeah…I took a look at last years results for my age group…it seems to host real athletes…quite a bit of athletes running their H.I. in the 7 min/mi area.
Jellyfish? are you serious? Call me a dumb***, but I thought jellyfish only live in the ocean? I read somewhere that in June the current favored the athletes. Is this normally true?
Great race and the local community is happy to have us there. First one this year and I will be back for more. BTW, fast run times this year because the conditions were perfect :-).
Jim
The current varies year-to-year . Conditions were very favorable this year with flat water and a modest push on the way back in. I wouldn’t count on it, though. It’s called the Choptank for a reason…
Well run race that enjoys very good community support.
Only 500 slots left as of 8/5/07
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They are dime-sized jellyfish (google “sea nettles”). It is a salt-water swim. Some years the jellyfish are there and some years they aren’t. The water is very warm and comfortable without a wetsuit though it is wetsuit legal so of course everyone wears one.
Hope this answers some of your questions.
A great race, I’d highly recommend it.
Water temps were low 70’s, so yes, wetsuit legal. You do know that people wear wetsuits for the buoyancy, right?
Sold out in late Sept. last year. Probably sell out in late Aug. this year!
No jellyfish this year, but the Chesapeake Bay, which the Choptank opens up into, is a salt water estuary fed by the Atlantic and is a major breeding ground for jellyfish. Alot depends on the tide on the day and water temps in the weeks leading up to the race. I grew up on the water in Ocean City, MD, and the bay there had mountains of jellyfish in summer.
I’m in. It’s a coin flip on weather. This year it was pretty kicking with no wind, favorable current, and decent temps.
Is $225 a bit pricey? Sure, but it is a well run race, your afforded a lot of amenities, and Columbia Triath Assn donates a good percentage of the proceeds to local charities. Besdies, you pay $450 for a full IM, why not half that for a 1/2?
Bob
Oh yeah…but I still haven’t bought one. Most of the races in the surrounding area where I’m at…the water is too warm per USAT rules. So…I am looking to get one…and I am seriously thinking about signing up for this race. Olympic is the longest distance I have done…but I am doing longer training rides at the present moment. I do know that the wetsuit makes you faster…so it should be good for me since I am an average swimmer!
Yo yo yo. I did it for the first time this year. Thanks for reminding me that reg is again open - and I am IN. A few notes:
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Race is great if you like flat and quiet - and only one loop for both the ride and the run. Swim isn’t so bad and you get a little help in the current. It reminds me a lot of my A-race, IMFL.
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This year it wasn’t terribly hot though I’ve heard it can be a scorcher.
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Book a hotel ASAP. Otherwise you will have to stay far away, pay too much, or both. Or get stuck camping out - which is great if you like camping, but not great if you do not (I do not). You’re not going to sleep well outdoors if it is warm.
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Avoid the pre-race dinner at all costs. It is a rip-off. The race is already ~$250 and to charge us an extra $20 for the dinner is a joke. Go downtown and get a decent meal for 10-15 and enjoy it rather than the garbage they serve at the pre-race dinner.
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Expect to see a lot of drafting, a lot of pros, almost no enforcement of drafting rules, and a lot of whining about drafting.
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It’s probably the most competitive half in the US. It has qualifying slots for both the big dance at Kona and Clearwater.
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Get their early because traffic on the bridge can be a nightmare.
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A sucky ‘destination’ race, a good ‘get r’ done’ race.
Ok…wow…those were some good tips…by your last piece of advice (not a good destination race)…let me ask you a question.
I want to go ahead and schedule a 70.3 race for next year. Will be living in Pennsylvania in a few weeks. Are there any other Ironman 70.3’s that you would suggest over Eagleman to serve as my first half im next year?
Thanks!