HFP Racing has been sold by Shannon and Jennifer Kurek after 32 years. The new owner, Greenswell Events, will keep the HFP Racing brand for the triathlons/duathlons they organize, I wish them the best and plan to do a couple of their tris this summer, but it won’t be the same.
I have a lot of HFP memories starting with their first ever tri in '89 that was based at a favorite park where I spent many weekends as a child, but racing the first, and only, Ohio Irontour, predecessor to the Triple-T, at that same park (Pleasant Hill) in '96 is probably at the top of my HFP memories. The Irontour was a three-person team format in the hills near Mohican State Park, with four races over three days totaling close to the IM distance, including a tri on Saturday morning with a 13-mile road run relay leg and a MTB leg (teammate switching allowed) on a course behind Shannon’s parents home. One of my teammates broke his wrist in the MTB leg and the other got sick after the second tri on Saturday and couldn’t start on Sunday. Thankfully, my broken-wristed teammate gutted it out on Sunday wearing a brace.
The highlight of the weekend for me was in the B-S-R format tri held Saturday afternoon, which was draft legal, when I led the lead pack, which included Scott Tinley, over the top of one of the multiple short, steep climbs on the route. I managed to stay with the pack into transition then almost catch one of my teammates and best friends on the run.
Ironman contacted HFP after they were alerted to the event’s existence and HFP had to come up with a new name when the event was revived six years later as Triple-T, keeping the team format but eliminating the run relay and MTB legs during the Saturday AM tri.
Thanks for all the races, the memories and the friendships Shannon and Jennifer!
I never understood why the Triple T never caught on. Perhaps it was just too hard.
I wondered about this because there seemed to be at one one time in triathlon and perhaps there still is an interest and fascination with multi-day “Stage Racing” - like what goes on in cycling. Well here was your event!
My wife and I journeyed down one year from Ontario to Ohio - MissP to race and me to support. Having been witness to it first hand - with MissP’s overall individual winning performance that year, I realized how hard it was - it was brutal! Perhaps that was it’s limiter! But that’s not to say that you could run an easier version of this over three days.
Still it never really caught on and that was right around the time that IRONMAN really started to take off. That’s where the popularity was! End of story!
Last year, then this year and now next year will be my forth TTT. The first one in 2015 at the original site was a great memory. The lake sucked at the original site but everything else was perfect, loved that bike course.
I also did the 1/2 in Racine way back when it was an HFP race.
Was the Pineman iron distance race one of theirs? Man, that was a tough bike course.
Yes, it was. I assume you mean the original Pineman location (Pleasant Hill Park).
I remember the 1999 Pineman race. We started the swim then fog rolled in and many athletes and volunteers/safety folks out on/in the water didn’t know which direction the swim start/finish was. As an athlete, it was hilarious watching as groups of 20-30 people would swim 100-200 yards in a direction that someone shouted, “Shore is this way”, then someone else would say, “Shore is this way” pointing in another direction and everyone would change direction and swim that way. From a RD standpoint, I’m sure it was extremely stressful. All the athletes were in wetsuits and we just needed the sun to burn off the fog, so it wasn’t dangerous (small lake, calm water, not overly cold). But it was fun seeing the group lemming thing evolve. That is my 1st of three favorite HFP racing memories.
2nd favorite was Triple T in 2008. It didn’t feel like a race as much as an incredibly epic training weekend. The athlete vibe was awesome because you felt like you weren’t competing against each other as much as suffering (in a good way) together. At least that’s what it felt like to me. Great to soak the body in the cold spring water after each race sharing race highlights with other participants.
3rd favorite was the Caesar Creek Oly race one year (1998 I think). Having a decent race and then a group of us heading out on a 13 mile trail run in the rain afterwards, yammering back and forth the whole time. The rain kept us cool, the pace was pretty chill. A total privilege to do.
I never understood why the Triple T never caught on. Perhaps it was just too hard.
I wondered about this because there seemed to be at one one time in triathlon and perhaps there still is an interest and fascination with multi-day “Stage Racing” - like what goes on in cycling. Well here was your event!
My wife and I journeyed down one year from Ontario to Ohio - MissP to race and me to support. Having been witness to it first hand - with MissP’s overall individual winning performance that year, I realized how hard it was - it was brutal! Perhaps that was it’s limiter! But that’s not to say that you could run an easier version of this over three days.
Still it never really caught on and that was right around the time that IRONMAN really started to take off. That’s where the popularity was! End of story!
Best race bar none. I simply adored that race. It was so hard and so fantastic. The people, the course and yeah HFP was/is an absolute dream company in my opinion. I REALLY hope it doesn’t go away. It’s an absolute gem of a race.
Great memories. I was at the '99 Pineman doing the bike as part of a relay. It was our swimmer’s first triathlon! What a debut. I witnessed “Fogman” ifrom shore.
Winning Saturn Columbus Classic downtown, finishing in front of the capital. Forget what year that was but damn I felt great that day. That race was one of the best produced duathlons the US ever had.
Proposed to my wife before the start another year after the event moved out of the city.
Shannon and Jennifer always treated me so well when I came to town.
My favorite part of any HFP race was the pre-race prayer. As a Christ-follower I’ve always struggled with racing on Sundays, but Shannon made the pre-race prayer a priority. That time together with others helped put racing into perspective for me. Shannon and Jennifer put their heart and soul into their races and treated everyone like family. I wish them the best. They will be missed.
They used to have the Caesar Creek Duathlon in April. A great early-season event. One year (which I believe was the last year for that event) it was cold and rainy at the start, and it got even colder after the start with freezing rain during the bike. I’ve never been so cold; took days to thaw out
I always enjoyed the Sunday half-distance event on Triple T weekend. This year it’s branded as Toughman Ohio
HFP has become a strong brand, glad they decided to keep it
I also did the 1/2 in Racine way back when it was an HFP race.
That was a good race - did it a couple of times when it was still HFP’s, once called Dairyland, and and I think the following year it was called Spirit of Racine, maybe.
Also did their inaugural race in Morgantown in 04 or 05 either called Mountaineer or Mountaineerman as my family is from just south of Morgantown. That bike course was as hard as you could find in the eastern US.
Wow, memories. I’m rarely here and haven’t posted in years, but seeing Mark Lemmon (hey Mark!) sharing this news about the sale of HFP is quite a trip.
For me, the inaugural Triple T at Shawnee State Park might have been written by Homer. I was the weak link on a super 3 man team, and I went on to place well in Kona. From the rushed travel, to me hurling after the Friday night TT in surprise 90 degree heat, to both of my teammates crashing on the insane Sat AM bike course – taking us out of the overall competition but not the event – to hilarious muscle cramps in the Sat PM bike-swim-run – to a full day of camaraderie on Sunday – I will never forget it. I remember that weekend more clearly than perhaps any other event. I actually still kept the crazy team jersey until recently.
Shannon was always super cool and welcoming with personal, funny call-ups. Wishing them well and fingers crossed for future events.
Winning Saturn Columbus Classic downtown, finishing in front of the capital. Forget what year that was but damn I felt great that day. That race was one of the best produced duathlons the US ever had.
Loved seeing many of the fastest duathletes in the country racing on the downtown and campus streets I rode daily and having so many cool, enthusiastic athletes like you visiting our city. That was a fantastic finish and transition area.
They used to have the Caesar Creek Duathlon in April. A great early-season event. One year (which I believe was the last year for that event) it was cold and rainy at the start, and it got even colder after the start with freezing rain during the bike. I’ve never been so cold; took days to thaw out
I was there. I remember heading immediately to the car after the finish to warm up. I think I may have worn full neoprene booties on the bike. I bought a pair of neoprene gloves recently after having very cold hands at the HFP series finale at Portage Lakes.
I remember that weekend more clearly than perhaps any other event. I actually still kept the crazy team jersey until recently.
Shannon was always super cool and welcoming with personal, funny call-ups. Wishing them well and fingers crossed for future events.
Hey Vaughn! Your team’s crash was certainly the big news in Triple-T village after that race. I understand Shannon wanting to avoid Slowtwitch as a current RD, but maybe down the road when he’s in a nostalgic mood he’ll visit Slowtwitch and share some of his stories. On a Covid-related note, thanks for the work you’ve been doing!
I remember doing the Pineman 1/4 distance race back in 2003 when it was really foggy too. It was my first triathlon with an open water swim. The fog lifted and so they sent us off and then it settled back in. You would look around and everyone was swimming in different directions trying to find the buoys. Some how, I rounded a couple of buoys - it might have even been the same buoy- before finding the shore and the swim exit. I was so relieved that the swim was over that I really enjoyed the rest of the race. The swim alone might have made this my last tri but the rest of the race got me hooked and I raced tris for 13 more years (now I just ride my bike). HFP Racing always did a great job and I really appreciate everything that they have done for the sport of triathlon over the years,
I was at that 2008 race. Sunday was cold! That’s the first time I did not see the typical energy at a race start. Must be a typical Sunday morning at TTT?
I grew up in Ohio but didn’t start tri until living elsewhere. TTT seemed like a good race to do in my home state.
It was well run and the venue was awesome. And I did not get charged extra for the Saturday afternoon calf cramps on the swim!
As for event vibe, that reminded me of 24 hour mtb events. It was a bunch of brothers and sisters in suffering.
I also did the 1/2 in Racine way back when it was an HFP race.
That was a good race - did it a couple of times when it was still HFP’s, once called Dairyland, and and I think the following year it was called Spirit of Racine, maybe.
Also did their inaugural race in Morgantown in 04 or 05 either called Mountaineer or Mountaineerman as my family is from just south of Morgantown. That bike course was as hard as you could find in the eastern US.
First HIM was Spirit of Racine. I always signed up and got the best early bird discount.
They turned it into a 70.3 and doubled the cost.
I’ve never done a branded half as unlike IM a HIM doesn’t require the WTC level of logistics or support.
They used to have the Caesar Creek Duathlon in April. A great early-season event. One year (which I believe was the last year for that event) it was cold and rainy at the start, and it got even colder after the start with freezing rain during the bike. I’ve never been so cold; took days to thaw out
I always enjoyed the Sunday half-distance event on Triple T weekend. This year it’s branded as Toughman Ohio
HFP has become a strong brand, glad they decided to keep it
The freezer fest at caesar creek was my very first tri.
At the end I thought if I can survive this, I can do anything. I learned so much that race. My hands were frozen into a claw position after the bike and I had yet to learn about quick ties. My fingers were so frozen that I had to ask a volunteer to tie my shoes.
Yeah, that Sunday morning at TTT in '08 was chilly. It was the first time in my life I didn’t WANT to race. I told my friends, “I’m not racing. You can’t make me!” But once I set up stuff in transition, it was Game On (with Game On being a very slow march into the water as opposed to the enthusiastic run-in at most other races).
The Saturday AM race was chilly too. I recall starting the run and feeling a Powergel in my shoe that somehow escaped my jersey pocket. I took the shoe off and discovered it was merely my foot still numb from the swim and never warming up on the bike.
I absolutely loved the bike courses on Saturday and Sunday. Hilly and technical. There were sections where you felt like you were by yourself in the woods. It’s a great area, and was a great series of races.
The only bummer that weekend was someone stealing my full wetsuit after Friday night’s prologue race (I had it drying on line by the RV we were staying in ~100 yards from the finish line).