Just got an email announcing a new Iron Distance race in Grand Rapids, August 26. It included a link to the website, but it doesn’t seem to be active yet:
Very interesting.
looks like there’s a 3/4 iron-distance race too?
Should have gotten a better date.
Who is putting it on?
jaretj
The same people doing the GR Triathlon
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Thanks, I’ll look into it.
jaretj
What is the riding like in that area?
Is there someplace the rest of us can see the info? Website in the OP doesn’t work so I don’t get where the “interesting” and “3/4 Iron” comments are coming from.
Is there someplace the rest of us can see the info? Website in the OP doesn’t work so I don’t get where the “interesting” and “3/4 Iron” comments are coming from.
Got it. Thanks.
As an aside, HFP racing used to offer a 3/4 option at it’s now-defunct Pineman event in Ohio. If memory serves, there were never very many people registered for that option. It’ll be interesting to see how the Michigan event pans out.
A few people always used the Pineman for a last long training day before a fall IM. 3/4 isn’t a bad distance for that.
Styrrell
Got the email today as well. The bike should have some decent hill on it. The swim should be great. No idea where they will run. The park does dump on to Northland Drive which is a busy busy street.
The date sucks. Week after Steelhead and I’m already registered for Steelhead.
I agree on the bad timing…I was excited to see this email in my inbox then I seen the date. I have unofficially commited to Wisconsin for 2012. I was commited to another race this spring when the GR Triathlon took place, heard they had a few issues. The plan is to race their June race in 2012. Hope they have all the bugs worked out after 2 years of that if they plan on going for a full distance race.
Is there someplace the rest of us can see the info? Website in the OP doesn’t work so I don’t get where the “interesting” and “3/4 Iron” comments are coming from.
Try this link
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/...CgsDzbzD373cyQ%3D%3D]
I’m excite. My wife has a ton of fans in GR and the schedule works out.
If I HTFU in a couple years and do an IM distance race this will probably be the one. I live about 10 miles from the park and train the area all the time. I did the GR Tri Olympic this year and it went fine for me. I wouldn’t know any different though, it was my first triathlon.
The website “splash page” is now up…and registration should go live later today. The full webpage should be up in a few weeks with (hopefully) fully approved maps.
I don’t mean to hijack the thread, but isn’t using “Iron” in the name of the event only going to invite a threatened lawsuit by the WTC? Other races have incurred the WTC’s wrath for even lesser use of the word “iron”, which is why most iron- or half-iron distance races use the terms “full” or “half” distance. Am I missing something?
Iron distance, calling it an ironman is a whole other ballgame. I think they are safe with iron distance, most of the non-wtc races I have seen also bill themselves as iron distance.
On a funny aside- my iPhone auto corrected wtc to wtf 
I think the development of new, non WTC, races is great, but have they done any market research on this that says this is a good, marketable date. That proposed date is only a few weeks ahead of IMWI and the Rev 3 Race in Ohio. Those two races will take a ton of their potential market, especially the Illinois side, off the table.
A few years ago the UltraMax race, which had a date in September near the then new IMWI couldn’t make it, even though they put on great events,
Good luck to them. I hoe races like this succeed because I am sick of rolling the dice and registering for an event 1+years ahead of time in a non-refundable event.