So im thinking about starting 2009, where i left off 2008, with a half ironman.
The black bear half is end of May and i was curious if anyone here has done both and how they compare. Is the water going to be cold this time of year?
Thanks
I did Montauk MightyMan last year and it was a blast but very cold. The water on the swim was actually fine, but it was 45-50 degrees and raining for the whole race so people were practically freezing to death on the bike and run. It’s a gorgeous course though and well run. The bike and run are both hilly but not murderously so. I plan on doing it again next year. I have no experience with Black Bear though so I unfortunately can’t compare the two.
I have the other side of the equation for you.
I have done both BB HIM’s. Awesome, awesome race.
Water is beautiful and warmish…I wore a short sleeve wetsuit and then just a regular tri-suit for the race, so no cold issues.
Gorgeous location, VERY challenging bike.
Not done the Mighty Montauk Man
maybe the next poster will have done both!
thanks,
yeah i did the Montauk last year, loved it despite the cold.
Haven’t done Black Bear Half but I did the sprint the first year. The water was anything but cold, It was perfect. The Sprint bike course was pretty hilly so I can only imagine the Half was as well.
I really liked the race, sorry I don’t have more info about the half.
I’ve done both in the same order you’re thinking about (2006 and 2007)… both were great, but they’re very different races.
As others have mentioned, the bike in BB is much more challenging, though I found the BB run to be a little easier profile than Montauk (though it hurt more after the BB bike). I don’t remember the water being particularly cold at either race.
A good race at Black Bear should give you lots of confidence for the rest of the season!
so i entered black bear half. i needed something to really kickstart my season training. this should do it.
anyone else doing this? the bike sounds horrible.
I’ll see you there.
The bike course really isn’t that bad. I raced the Sprint last year and was out training on both the half and sprint course this past weekend. In many ways the Sprint course is harder because you are close to all out the whole time. Those short, steep little hills really burn when you are pushing as hard as you can.
With the half your effort level is going to be lower and you really can just get in a groove going over the hills. Climb coming out of Penn Forest turn-around is pretty gradual. Other big climb on Lovitt – on the Sprint Course it is a bit harder because you just finished the biggest climb on Pohopoco Road and immediately transition into Lovitt. The extra part of the loop on the Half course where you do Smith, Doetter’s Corner, and Memorial is pretty fast. Some up and down to be sure, but definitely a place where you can start to turn it up a notch.
BB is a great course with about the right mixture of challenge thrown into it. Don’t get psyched out too much by all the reports of the hills. I think that people are so used to course like Eagleman that they have a tendency to overstate how hard courses that have hills are.
One of the guys I was riding with this past weekend made a comparision to Savageman and said that the difference is that Savageman is a tough to course to go out and ride and Black Bear is a tough course to race. I think that is pretty accurate.
Pre-riding is probably a good idea so you can get a sense where you can ramp the effort level up and where you can sit back and not push too hard.
Good luck at the race.
thanks for the info.
im going to go out and ride the course before, see what the fuss is about
I was the one who said, “Black Bear is a tough course to race while Savageman is a tough course just to ride,” so I obviously agree with Zack.
Black Bear is a challenging course, but I agree that it’s difficulty is overstated. The Half is pretty much two loops of the sprint (plus a couple add ons). You feel like you are constantly going up and down, and it can be hard to find a rhythm, but there are no “monster” climbs.
For the first part of the loop, you kind of roll up. Basically, you’re riding rollers, but gaining elevation on balance. The two biggest hills on the course kind of come back to back, so your legs start screaming, but you get almost 6 miles of fast fast riding after the top of the second hill, so just when you think you’re fried, you’re done.
I think it’s a really fun and beautiful course. One of my favorite races. So enjoy!!
Yes, I am doing the half. I volunteered in 2007 so I am familar with the course. There is a Philly Tri weekend and CGI is having a Sunday ride if you want to go and ride the course with others. I think I may do that myself.
oh nice, ill look into that. thank you.