Can anyone review the Eagleman Triathlon in Cambridge, MD?
Sure. Here is the course elevation profile:
The race is more of less in the middle of nowhere. The Choptank tastes like water from a marina should. If the wind blows you will not have fun. If it is hot and humid you will not have fun. However, you will most likely PR and therefore it will all be worth it. I recommend the race. The gentleman who puts this race on is also top notch.
I love this race! Not only is the RD TOP notch but the race is well run, with a ton of great competition. Swim in the Choptank is a little dicey; only b/c it is full of weird currents. The wetsuits helped a ton. Bike is super flat and fast. My peraformises (sp?) were killing me b/c of being aero for 56 miles. However, it was not that windy last year so it was a good race. If it is windy, it would be very challenging, b/c alot of the bike course is open.
The run is flat and out and back. It is nice b/c you can see your competition for a lot of the run. You start off in some neighborhoods and wind thru there and then out and back FLAT and fast. However, NO coverage…so if we get a randomly HOT day there is no reprieve. Last year it was overcast, so it was perfect.
Awards ceremony is top notch and moves quickly. Jerry McNeil announces this race and he is just fantastic - and knows everything about a lot of the athletes.
I’ll be there this year -we are driving out from Chicago. Good luck!
If you are looking for killer competition you will like this race; it is very competitive.
If you want to set a PR then you will like this race; it is about as flat a race as you will ever ride. If you are on a budget they offer up a tent site at a local high school, but parking for the race is a nightmare and when I was there it had the most poorly conceived transition area I had ever seen that was totally unfair for about a third of the racers.
It’s not scenic and if drafting annoys you then stay away. With 1,800 people crammed onto a flat course and too many riders with no sporting ethic, you will think you are in a road race. I rode a decent 2:29 there and from the 25-mile mark on, not one single athlete passed me. By single I mean individual not riding in a pack. It really bothered me and I would never go back.
The only reason to go there IMO is for the competition, but even that is suspect because you never know who beat you fair and square and who cheated. There were a lot of cheaters the day I raced.
Chad
Boring course but very fast. Vigo does an awesome job with race organization and really cares about the athletes. If you are a decent swimmer you may experience some crowds on the bike course.
Chad,
That is too bad about all the drafting you witnessed out there on the bike course. I didn’t see too much of that at all. I kept hearing all the motorcycles. I rode a 2:30 as well and never saw any drafting. My husband rode a sub 2:20-2 or so and he just said he didn’t see any drafters either.
I think Vigo does a great job and the competition (b/c of Kona slots) is intense.
So Chad and JJTwins offered two very different perspectives on the amount of drafting at Eagleman…why the big difference? In what age-groups are you folks? Do you think the age-groups that start earlier have a better chance to avoid widespread drafting?
I rode the course a few weeks ago. It really is flat. The roads are pretty smooth too. I was feeling good until I turned north at the marina. It was very windy. My speed dropped from low 20s to somewhere around 12-13 mph (I’m 6 ft. 3 in. with a long torso that acts a lot like a sail in high winds). It’s wide open going north (no trees or other barriers to break the wind). If it isn’t windy, the course will be nice and fast. If it is windy, I plan on getting to the marina as fast as I can and hope for the best. I didn’t look at the run course. It’s completely flat around there so I didn’t see the need. I did look at the Choptank though. Like I said, it was quite windy that day (a front was blowing through), so the water was extremely choppy. I think wearing a wetsuit is a good idea. The guys at TriSpeed said most people were wearing sleeveless suits last year because of the water temperature.
Great race. Hard core crowd. The swim is very tough. The run and bike are flat, but they are not easy because you go at such a fast pace all day, and you barely shift gears or cadence. I disagree about the course being boring. I enjoyed it. The roads are smooth, and I did not notice much drafting, but I started in one of the earlier waves. The run starts off along the coast, but then it feels like you are in Iowa.
What everyone else said…plus stay off of the road shoulder on the bike course. There seem to be bits of shells shaped like little daggers that can give you a flat ; )
Extremely flat… the hilliest part is the swim… not a fast one at all! The water is disgusting…
But it’s very well organized and the after race food is awesome!
I raced in the 30-34 Female AG. So, I didn’t see any major issues. I am sure there was drafting, but I was the 2nd female wave to go (women 25-29 went 1st), so there were small amounts of women ahead. Didn’t see “packs” of men out there - ?!!!
I actually rode and ran the course on Saturday. Like every has said, very flat ride and run. Encountered some nasty head winds on the ride. Roads are very bike friendly…wide shoulders, fairly clean, and not a whole lot of traffic…
Everyone here seems to have one opinion about the swim and the water - not good. I suggest that everyone pay attention to the waves in front of them and spend some time watching their drift. This will indicate the current fairly well. I think low tide is around 8:15 or so that morning - the outbound swim leg is up river. If the swim is out toward the bridge like last year the outgoing tide will be strong from right to left. But again, this will be evident if you watch the waves in front. The most difficult part of the swim will be the ‘chop’. What us locals call medium sized waves around 12-18". These just slap you around instead of carrying you along like larger seas.
The ride might seem boring, but you ride through some of the most beautiful marshlands around. If you care to peek up from your aero position, you will spot some wonderful wildlife. Or just keep you head down and push, then come back and ride with us when you can look around.
If it’s sunny and windy, the course is brutal. It is not unusual to see a 30+ ‘breeze’ primarily from the north with some west in it. Of course, that means the ride back in from the south is really tough.
Run course starts through neighborhoods and then turns into a barren out and back, then comes back into the neighborhoods again. About 6 miles of the run are in town. Again, if there are high clouds or a lot of sun, be prepared.
We welcome you all. It gets our local group really jazzed to have 2000 or our fellow triathletes come to town for a visit. Look for the Cambridge Multi-Sport tee shirts and please reply or private message any questions about logistics or whatever.
Steve
The race is a great one, why else would it be won each year by the likes of Natascha Badmann, Tim DeBoom, Chris Legh, and this year, Luke Bell.
The field is a little out of control, I think this year is a record #, and the result is my wave goes off at 8:32 (a preemptive apology to those of you I run over). The swim is difficult (there’s a reason it’s called ‘the Choptank’) but not that bad–and this year it shouldn’t taste too bad unless we go through a heat wave, which affects the ‘brakishness,’ is that a word?
If you think you’ve ever ridden a flat 56 miles, you’re wrong. The Eagleman makes any other course look like Lake Placid. You could stand on a phone book and see the whole Eastern Shore if not for the trees.
The run is hot and equally as flat, but Viggo puts on a great race, there are tons of draft marshals (are you listening Disney, where were you guys?) and the run course has an aid station every mile.
People do this race for the ‘hometown’ feel of it. And people say the swim is tough, and the bike is windy, and the run is hot, but the Male/Female Half Ironman records are always flirted with on this course, so it can’t be that bad.
As for drafting, I didn’t see too much of it last year because I was in an earlier pack (26:00 swim/2:22 bike)–but as I said, i’m the last age group wave to go, and i’ve gotten better in the water and on the bike, so i’ll be able to give a detailed report on whatever drafting goes on.
What do you guys think—do you yell at drafters when you see them, or do you keep your mouth shut and hope they get caught?
Anyways, sorry for the long report, the Eagleman is a great race, a lot of fun, well run, and very faaaast. Good luck.
Eganski
I did this race last year. I will be there again this year, and for many more years to come. All the previous posts are spot on, and for good reason. The race organizers have had plenty of years to work out the kinks. The one thing I had forgotten was, how rural Maryland can be. There isnt much to do in Cambridge, so I had plenty of time to plan my race. Also, note that the night before the race, all of the restaurants are jammed in Cambridge, so you may want to consider the pre race meal. I cant wait to be there again.