Wow! I just checked the confirmation list for the 2008 Muskoka 70.3. It was just annouced a little over a week ago and there are already 500 people entered for this event and it’s more than a year away! At this rate I am sure that it’s going to set a record for entries for a one day triathlon event in Ontario.
Fleck…maybe I am wrong, but there will be an initial flood of entries, then it will be open for many many months with a trickle and then next May just as everyone is firming up tri plans, it sells out.
I plan to go, but frankly I can’t see it being any nicer an event than the Muskoka Chase or Peterborough Half Ironman (OK, maybe nicer than Peterborough due to resort feel and course…)
Dev
but frankly I can’t see it being any nicer an event than the Muskoka Chase or Peterborough Half Ironman (OK, maybe nicer than Peterborough due to resort feel and course…)
Dev,
I beg to differ. The race will be extremely well run, we know that due to Trisports expertise in this area, but I suspect that the race will have a bit of extra pop to it with the WTC’s involvment and the extra cache that the Ironman and 70.3 race brands bring to it.
From what I have seen, it’s going to be a real winner.
OK, fair enough…maybe a few bells and whistles, but hey, its still the same race director. For the incremental dollars that the athlete puts up, how much more do we get…sure slots to Clearwater, some more 70.3 swag, but with respect to the technical aspects of the race, I can’t see a big difference. After racing all over the world into my third decade, when it comes to a real “race” (vs Ironman which is a glorified tour), what I want is a fair race, no drafting, a safe course, ability to race everyone in my age group head to head…which is what I already get in Mitch’s Trisport races…all the other packaging that goes around the 70.3/NAS/WTC races is nice but not that important to me.
Don’t get me wrong…I’m saying that Trisport already does a bang up job. It does not need a 70.3 logo to elevate the game much more. Its great that we will have a 70.3 in Ontario, but the quality of the races that he puts on is already top notch.
Dev,
Since you and I have been going back and forth on this, I note that 5 more people have entered!!!
Gotta love the internet!
Agreed that we are already spoiled for outstanding races in Ontario - this one will just add to that great legacy!
OK, fair enough…maybe a few bells and whistles, but hey, its still the same race director. For the incremental dollars that the athlete puts up, how much more do we get…sure slots to Clearwater, some more 70.3 swag, but with respect to the technical aspects of the race, I can’t see a big difference. After racing all over the world into my third decade, when it comes to a real “race” (vs Ironman which is a glorified tour), what I want is a fair race, no drafting, a safe course, ability to race everyone in my age group head to head…which is what I already get in Mitch’s Trisport races…all the other packaging that goes around the 70.3/NAS/WTC races is nice but not that important to me.
Hmm… Peterborough was a total draft fest…
**Peterborough was a total draft fest… **
Really? That surprises me.
I saw this on runnerslife forum:
"We are still working with Deerhurst to determine the correct number of people.
We will probably limit it more so this year as we want to make sure we can accomodate everyone nicely.
I am expecting that 1500 seems reasonable at this time but we will know better in the near future.
Thanks for your interest and we hope to see you in 2008!
Janet Fraser
Trisport North"
In this case it is already 1/3 full. I will decide soon if I’m going to enter, I may do Timberman (as well or instead).
**Peterborough was a total draft fest… **
Really? That surprises me.
Surprise!!
Tim, who are you and whose wheel were you riding on at Peterborough to observe that it was a draft fest. You can’t see a draft fest behind you and you certainly cannot tell if someone in front of you is drafting unless of course you are right beside them and can observe their following distance and if they took 15 second to enter and exit the draft zone and if you are beside them during the process you’d be blocking 
Seriously though, where I was in the race I had my nose out there for 85K and felt like I was fighting a perpetual headwind for a large chunk.
I guess I don’t like these comments when someone label’s a Mitch Fraser race a draftest. On the balance, things are well spread out from what I observed returning from the turnaround in the top 20 positions on the bike… then again, I did not see the first 40 of MOP and BOP when I suppose there could have been congestion out of T1 before the hills and wind split guys up.
You certainly would have had to make a concerted effort to draft in that race (and most of Mitch & Janet’s races)
600 athletes self seeded through a mass start swim and the single loop hilly, windy bike course makes it pretty tough to be forced to draft (as in other flat races, Disney/Clearwater,etc).
Muskoka 70.3 will not have a mass start, it will be a WAVE start with Pro’s going out first then age groups.
Being a hilly course and multiple waves drafting will be limited. There has been a steady flow of entries daily.
For Dev’s and Steven posts, you are both right that Trisport put on top notch races and they will be well prepared. Having the schedule, the course layed out
13 months before the events shows you that they started planning this event well back.
Talking to Mitch and Janet, they are planning a lot of cool stuff for the event.
Sportstats will be there in full force with Live Timing with at least 7 Live timing points on the course and also www.eventsonline.ca with the Live
Results Tent, we will provid laptops for people on site to track athletes on the bike and run course.
I would expect 1500 to be filled before the end of the year or early 2008 as everyone sets their schedule…
Marc
Darn! I was hoping for a mass swim start!
Having never done a race with more then 600 people in it (Ptbo) I was really hoping to have 1499 other peeps to swim with!
Oh well, it’s still going to be a fun day.
I’ve probably missed it somewhere, but is the 70.3 in addition to the usual June race, or in place of it?
Thanks,
Kevin
The 70.3 is in addition to the usual June race.
I would expect 1500 to be filled before the end of the year or early 2008 as everyone sets their schedule…
Mark,
20 more people entered today!
Tim, who are you and whose wheel were you riding on at Peterborough to observe that it was a draft fest. You can’t see a draft fest behind you and you certainly cannot tell if someone in front of you is drafting unless of course you are right beside them and can observe their following distance and if they took 15 second to enter and exit the draft zone and if you are beside them during the process you’d be blocking
Seriously though, where I was in the race I had my nose out there for 85K and felt like I was fighting a perpetual headwind for a large chunk.
I guess I don’t like these comments when someone label’s a Mitch Fraser race a draftest. On the balance, things are well spread out from what I observed returning from the turnaround in the top 20 positions on the bike… then again, I did not see the first 40 of MOP and BOP when I suppose there could have been congestion out of T1 before the hills and wind split guys up.
How do I know…? I could see huge bunches of people coming to and from the turnaround point; I went past, and was past by, groups of people who were clearly drafting. On the rollers I could see the distance between lines/groups of people ahead.
However, it doesn’t surprise me that you didn’t notice it as up the front, there were clearly big gaps between people, but it didn’t take long before there were packs.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a great day, and superbly organized, but you’re kidding yourself if think it was draft free. There’s a point when it gets so busy that “everyone” is doing it, and there’s very little the refs or RD are able to do about it unfortunately.
I think people are nutty to pay over 200 US for a 1/2 but that is just me.
Tim, there is a difference between draft-fest and draft free. Its easy for an anonymous internet poster like you to slam Mitch Fraser’s race. You are part of the solution and part of the problem. I’m not saying it is draft free, but it is easy to not draft in a 500-600 person mass start with a 2K swim.
As an example, at Ironman LP, yeah, a few times I had a pack of people pass me. I just dropped back my required 5 bike lengths and rested up…no need to fight for position…the day is long and I passed them all back by the end of the bike…same in a half ironman…fight for position in the last 10K of the run when it counts…save your legs on the bike…no need to fight and chase anyone or any packs…just drop back and relax.
Many guys race like idiots clueless of their actually pacing capabilities. I see guys out of T1 every year who I end up beating by an hour or more who think they can ride 2:10 pace (or at least that’s the pace they jack things up to when I pass them…)
Guys spike their power early in the race trying to keep up with people around. None of these guys can sustain these stupid surges and all die off eventually strung out in a draft free line. Instead do yourself and everyone around you a favour and rest up and drop back 5 bike lengths…yes it is possible
Hey, and don’t tell me I don’t know what I am talking about because I am racing further up front. I’ve raced in Ontario for 23 years at mass start events with 500-600 people and I used to be the middle of the pack guy. People just don’t have any idea of what they can actually sustain through a full half Ironman and sprinting and jockeying for postion in the bike and end up in drafting situations in the first 30K…then they walk half of the run and I see lots of that when I am on lap 2 of the run and guys are walking in lap 1. I wish more of you guys had powermeters (I don’t), to see what your power is in the first 30K of the bike out of T1 when you are chasing and fighting down others vs the last 30K when you are hanging on, riding solo praying for the imminent arrival of T2.
I have always found at the Peterborough race that everyone seems to behave themselves very well until they hit the turnaround and have to come back into the wind. Then I see huge packs of people passing me. So I suspect that may be why Dev may not see what we see. Hey Dev, why don’t you “race” with me some time. 
I wish they would have more OAT officials at these races. But Mitch and Janet will do a bang up job on the organization and pulling the race off. But I hope they have a tonne of marshalls. I may try and get certified and volunteer.