Right, …
Here is the plan, I for one am sick of paying the fees for what, apart from timing , I can do in my own back yard… What I secretly wonder is if I could put on a type of guerliia triathlon, where me and who ever else has balls can line up one sunday morning at a local sport and at whatever time the last person rolls up and wettie up we go swimming in a nearby lake, no life guards, nothing, if the local life guards dont like it , then they can come swimming after us. After we do a short transition to the bike, the group does a 20 - 30 K one loop course with a mamoth hill in the middle and to top it off you have to read the map or do pre ride so you know where to turn, thus the short course. next comes about a 10 K up and down and across the damm run, long, hot and hard, just like it should be, no aid stations, no supporters unless you bring your own and virtually no recognition, but and this is the big thing is you dont get a medal, and you compete against your peers will people come?? If I design the course will people attend??? For interest and kicks the course would be about 40 miles north of LA.
did something like that yesterday champ. My tri club organised a sprint event - transition was a bunch of trees in the park, they had cordial and some chocolate bars at the finish, and it was all very low key.
Fun as hell, too.
Thats what I am talking about!!! but less club stuuf, out here in thewest coast we are plagued by triathlon clubs that push themsleves in your face with the uniform, the good times and the fake crap. I just want to, as the saying goes, have fun, but the rules and regulations have worn me and my pocket thin!!!
yeah…the race fees for this event yesterday were gold coin donation. In NZ that means either $1 or $2. Classicly low key.
That’s a Great IDEA!! Let’s not support the growth of triathlon! Screw the people trying to create the experience of an event. I too am sick of paying $55 for some company to close down roads, provide lifeguards, officiating, medical support, aide stations, insurance, etc. They’re taking advantage of us!
Zonie
You hit it, man. But you forgot to mention that these bastards only spend about a hundred hours meeting with local cops and city councils working out a couple of the little details involved in putting on a race. And they have to the damn nerve to get almost 3 or 4 hours sleep every night the week before the race! And they only work at the race site cleaning up our mess for a couple of days after we take our T-shirts and goody bags home…but not before complaining about them.
I have done races like these, I would like to see more of them. I suspect that the early events of our sport were much like this. Comparing a low-key unorganized race to a big, organized race is like comparing apples to oranges. Neither is right, neither is wrong.
One does need to some common sense. Swimming in violation of established rules or contrary to the lifeguard’s instructions will make it much more difficult to race there, in any format. Your event may form someone’s opinion about the sport.