A bit of a rant, but the only thing worse than finishing an Olympic distance race in the heat we had least weekend is to have the timers screw up your finish time (by not giving you one), deny you the medal for finishing in the top three in the class (OK, so there were less than 3, but still on the rare occasion when I win a medal, it would be nice to get it), and refuse to answer your e-mail and phone requests for them to fix their mistake.
While the bike course was well marked, and there were police officers at every road crossing, and the packet pickup at Buckeye Lake went smoothly, that is the end of any good things I have to say about my experience with HFP.
By the time I finished the race, the transition area was gone and my bike laying on the grass and there was no water left (on a day with 95+ degrees with the heat index). Then, when I checked the results on Monday to see my time, to my surprise, despite the fact that I went under the arch and a HFP person took my chip off, I had no finishing time and as such never received my award for placing in my age group. I have e-mailed and tried to call to get HFP to rectify the error with no response.
My advise to people who aren’t going to finish in the front of the pack, don’t waste your time or money with HFP Racing because you’ll get screwed.
I empathize with your experience. i would suggest that a sweeping condemnation of HFP Racing is a bit heavy-handed.
I’ve done a few HFP Races including Maumee Bay (a gem of a race) and the Buckeye Challenge. Both races went flawlessly and had some very nice “perks” such as race supplied foot wash basins at Buckeye and a very polished finish venue at Muamee.
Perhaps what you are describing is a bad experience unique to yourself on that day. That doesn’t minimize how rotten the race felt to you, but I don’t think it is at all indicative of all HFP’s races.
Shannon and Co. put on great events. my latest was 2006 DATT. while i had a really tough weekend, the course support, and the weekend overall, was top notch.
By the time I finished the race, the transition area was gone and my bike laying on the grass and… …I had no finishing time and as such never received my award for placing in my age group.
No offense, but i’m still trying to figure out how you could have placed in your age group to win some hardware, and at the same time finishing so late in the race that the transition area was already packed up…?
I don’t think that this situation is indicative of HFP racing at all. I have done many of the HFP events. They are a well prepared race organization that puts on very good events. You may also want to consider that they are a pretty smal group of people and all of them are up in Wisconsin getting ready for the Spirit of Racine, and that is probably the reason nobody is answering calls or emails. Wait until monday, send an email to Shannon or Scott and I bet the problem gets resolved.
As a matter of fact I was there for the same race as you. I had a tough day out there and got my first DNF ever. I was glad to be at an HFP race though becasue the support staff and local medics were there to make sure I was OK.
I’ve done many HFP races, and all have been well run. Yes, there’s the occasional minor glitch, but they have always been on top of things to fix it. I certainly don’t finish in the “front of the pack,” but I have several awards from HFP for placing in my class, even when my time was pretty slow compared to the winners.
Sounds like it was a tough day for everybody, racers and HFP people. I certainly wouldn’t condemn the whole organization based on one experience, although it sounds like it was pretty disappointing for you.
I’ve raced HFP events before and have the exact opposite view.
How is it that you placed in your age group, don’t have an official time all whilst they’re tearing down the transition area. Did you finish within the time limit?
I will reiterate with the others. This is your first post I see … hmm…
I have raced all over the country and have done many HFP races (perhaps 11). They are my overal favorite as they are very predictably well run. I’ve been to better (say, St. Anthony’s in Florida - but I didn’t like the race based on size, 500 TnTers, etc. - but VERY well run) and also much worse. They are one of the oldest multisport racing company in the U.S. and have done almost 900 (yes) races! I am sorry to hear about your experience though. I guarantee Shanon or Scott will get back to you. In fact, Shanon (HFPMan) and Scott occasionally post here.
If this is one of your first few tris, you may be in for a rude awakening if you venture out to other races/companies! And again, for a first post, then bashing like this without any contact yet …
I have to defend HFP as they, in my view, produce one of the best races in the country. I have done well over 10 races with them always in the friendliest atmosphere you will hardly find in other states. I live in TX now and am very envious of friends racing with HFP in OH.
Sorry for your experience but I know they will strive to do their best if you give them another try.
The transition is often taken down by racers who volunteer their time to HFP and they too wanna go home quickly.
wow - I’m sorry you had a bad experience but like the other dozen or so people have concurred, Shannon and company don’t deserve such a condemantion for what seems like may have been an oversight (i.e. you were really quite late getting in) While I don’t live in OH anymore, I’m thinking I’m driving 800+ miles back there to race the Buckeye Challenge this summer. I can remember racing MTB races at Shannon’s grandma’s house in the dead of winter with 8 inches of snow on the ground and even those were better supported than some tri’s I do now. I bet you you’ll hear back from someone after Racine this past weekend.
My advise to people who aren’t going to finish in the front of the pack, don’t waste your time or money with HFP Racing because you’ll get screwed.
wow–this is totally inappropriate. and is a minority viewpoint. HFP busts their hind to put on great races, and they do. personally, i’m embarrassed for you to post this. it sounds like it was a tough day for everyone, not just you.
also, how can you finish in your top age group and have the transition gone? sorry, but i don’t believe that. i don’t finish in the top of my age group and have NEVER had transition gone by the time i finish.
all of the tris i’ve done have been HFP, and the races have always been the best of experiences. most here would say the same. they will fix their error.
i was at this race, and agree it was a horrible day for a lot of people. however, i think the race was, as all HFP events i have seen/been a part of, was perfectly run. the transistion was open for a decent amount of time after the last racer came in, and there was food set up for almost an hour after that.