Does anyone know what’s been happening with the Clearwater 70.3 slots this year? In general, are people taking them right away, or has last year’s well-publicized draft fest negatively impacted the appeal of this race? Personally, getting a slot last year was a big motivation for me, (until injuries intervened) but this year I’m really not interested. I don’t want to travel that far, spend that much, and train hard that much longer for a race that just seems OK.
Since slots rolled all the way down to me at Florida 70.3, I assumed that lots and lots of people were not interested. However, in my wife’s division, she was the only one to turn hers down. A friend just got one at Vineman 70.3 and it must have rolled down a ways to get to him as well. It’ll be interesting to see how this year’s race turns out and that will probably dictate whether it succeeds or fails in the long run.
I enjoyed the race last year but I won’t be back until some of the issues have been sorted out, just not worth the effort for a late season race thats not perfect.
I’m sure the slots will fill but I’m guessing the competition will be easier than last year.
This is interesting…is the 70.3 thing not a big deal to everyone???
I can only speak for myself, but I think the 70.3 could still be a big deal, but not unless they put some serious fixes in at Clearwater, or find another venue. It will never be Kona, but it could still be a big draw if they do it right. It also seems like they had only a one-year marketing budget. I’ve seen very little in the pubs about it.
FYI: I’ll continue doing Timberman whether it’s 70.3 or not.
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Interesting. This topic went to page four in no time flat. Is everyone on vacation, or is this itself an indication that the 70.3 series has lost its appeal (at least on slowtwitch)?
I’m pretty competitive in my AG and seek out big races but have no interest in Clearwater. I’m not going to bother peaking and flying cross country for a flat race that will have huge drafting problems.
I think part of the reason the 70.3 slots get passed down so much further than Kona slots is because you get a larger mix of people at 70.3 qualifying races. At an Ironman race most people are there to qualify, and most slots that are passed on are by people who have already qualified. At 70.3 races you get a lot of people preparing for Ironman races who maybe don’t want to do 70.3 worlds right after doing IM Hawaii. Or possibly after all the expense of doing their Ironman races and practice 70.3’s they don’t have any energy and or funds left. Or as you have speculated, they went last year and didn’t like it, or they heard about last year and don’t want to go. You also get some people at 70.3 races who typically do shorter races (me), and the thought of doing 2 70.3 races in a year sounds horrible.
I am doing Timberman in a few weeks and I’m not sure what I’ll do if I am eligible for a Clearwater spot. I hate races where everyone is drafting, so I am thinking I probably wouldn’t want to go, but I am optimisticthat they have done something about the problem. Plus, I haven’t raced a half ironman since 2005, and since I mostly do Olympic distance races, I’m not sure I am up for 2 half irons in 3 months. I just found out I got into Timberman 2.5 weeks ago, so I’m not really in long distance shape.
So, my point is, people in 70.3 races have a whole lot more reasons to pass on a slot than Ironman races.
I think the 70.3 series represents a great opportunity to mimic the ITU format for championships - with the world championship rotating through various World Cup races. I’d like to see the same for 70.3. The problem is that this sort of takes WTC out of the picture. But I’d be much more intrigued if one year it was Vineman, the next Timberman, etc. Clearwater doesn’t have huge appeal for me. The race to watch will be to see Bjorn and Lieto chasing the 2-hour bike split mark there. That’s probably the only reason I’d want to go. The race was extremely well run, but the venue and course was just not that nice.
I thought the race sounded like a great idea until I read about last year’s race. I have zero interest in going to Clearwater. There are also some awesome options around that time of year that are much more appealing if one is inclined to be in race shape in November / December: Laguna Phuket, Island Triathlon series in Turks and Caicos, Ironman Western Australia, Miami 1/2, Texas 101, new Olympic distance race in St. Croix. Too bad they did not pick a really cool place for the 70.3 championship or even a better time of year. Maybe make the qualifiers for the following year’s St. Croix or something like that. But after seeing the pictures of Florida highways with SUV’s going one way and drafting racers going the other, no thanks.
The slots were pretty coveted at most races last year, but they blew it big time, and they have to go way down into the results to fill the slots now. I don’t think they really care though, same entry fee wheather it is 1st or last in the AG. I was really excited last year to go and race, but when I heard about the wave starts( or lack there of), and the tight send off times, I knew 100% what the race would be like. There is no reason to think this year will be any different, except that there will be a lot slower people there. SOme world champs…
After hearing how bad the drafting is, I would have no desire to particpate there.
Jordan … Lieto killed it on the bike out here on Sunday. Beat Larsens old record by going 2:04:36!
70.3 Camps Spots … at the awards here (Vineman) 3/4 of the spots in each AG went real quick then there was a bunch of rolldown. More demand here this year than last.
Best …
The exact same question has been bouncing around in my head the last month, and I was going to post it this week.
It seems like it has been an extremely quiet subject this summer.
The general perception seems to be a wait and see attitude to see if the bike segment (i.e. drafting) is improved this year.
As far as the one comment on most people are participating in IMs with the intention of qualifying, did I really read that right?!
Can I be the idiot to ask what happened last year that made it so bad?
You read it right but I phrased it poorly. What I meant was, that most people competing at Ironman races, if given a spot to Kona would probably take it. This is purely speculation, maybe I am wrong. I am just guessing this, since everyone makes such a big deal out of IM Hawaii. It seems like finishing IM Hawaii is a big goal for a large number of triathletes while going to 70.3 worlds–not so many have that on their lists of things they need to do in their life time.
Can I be the idiot to ask what happened last year that made it so bad?
Blatent drafting; bike/car crashes. Photos and reports posted last year after the race.
Gotcha.
I was thinking a long the frame of reference of 2200-2400 AGers, and 72 Kona slots i.e. 3-3.5% of the field qualifies. From my limited analysis, about 98% of the qualifiers are in the top 250 finishers, thus about 80-90% of the field aren’t really ever in the hunt. I would expect that at least 75% of the field knows that they are not going to qualify going into to an IM.
I’m going to go out on a limb here. I’m an MOP Half and full IM racer, and I got a slot by default for the 70.3 Championships in 2006 because, basically, no one wanted them! I got my slot at the California 70.3 in March after they offered them to AG winners and no one took them. Then, they offered them to whomever wanted them and I took one. I did the race, didn’t draft (I was so much slower than all the other “qualifiers” that I couldn’t have even if I wanted to) and really enjoyed the race experience. The banquets were awesome, the whole race scene was fun, etc. This year, I tried to grab a slot the same way, but they went MUCH faster than in 2006. It was actually somewhat competitive for the 70.3 WC slots this time around, so I was out of luck.
If you’re a hardcore competitor wanting a podium finish and a fair race with no drafting, I could easily see how Clearwater wouldn’t be on the top of the list, but if you’re an MOP’er lucky enough to snag a spot, you’ll really enjoy the experience. Just my two cents worth!
But, there seems to be more interest in the 70.3 worlds, than the ITU AG worlds.
Dave