Did my first Olympic yesterday at the Philly Tri. Overall it was an amazing experience with a lot of spectators and good support. My only complaint was that by the time we got to the run, it was in the 90’s and really humid. This was even worse for us Clydesdales who didn’t start until 7:45ish. Either way, it was alot of fun. Anybody else there and what did you all think?
Kyle Stier
by the way, did they have to put the Clydesdales in the PINK swim caps…
3:54 AM?!! Can’t sleep?
I volunteered because I thought the price was steep AND there were too many bikes on a small course. However, I thought they did a fantastic job of organizing and from my viewpoint on the bike course, it wasn’t a mass parade.
I woke up at 3:45, got there at 4:30. I ended up at the bottom of Sedgely Drive and Kelly (the bottom of Lemon Hill) directing bike traffic. I saw an amazing array of bikes, postions, outfits, etc.
Overall, I thought it was great and I may be tempted to enter next year.
Later today, I’ll post a full account, as I saw some funny and amazing stuff out there, including a road bike group that invaded the course in the middle of the race. Assholes.
I thought that the race was very well done, and I had a blast there. I didn’t compete, unless you count being in a relay ‘competing,’ but the crowd was great, and the bike course did not get as congested as I feared (though with race organizers hoping for 3000 next year, that could still happen).
It did get hot, our relay ‘Team Cadence’ managed a win, but the city deserved to have a great race, and I think they’ve found one.
I raced in it and overall had a great time besides a few minor mishaps.
I thought the race was very well done for a first time event. I do have a few small complaints (as I always do)…
-The lack of drinking water at the swim start, until 5 minutes before the race started. The lack of cups also.
The total lack of security in the transition area. I walked right out with my bike an no one checked my wrist band or anything, I didn’t see anyone getting checked.
The run course was completely unshaded and extremely hot, it would be nice if next year they modified the course to incorporate some tree coverage or something.
The post race food and massages were great though, as was the energy from the race crew and the attitude of the athletes. All and all a top notch race and I can’t wait to do it again.
I raced it, and aside from a really tough day on the run, I had a great time. A few more thoughts:
-I thought they undersold the difficulty of the course. I went in thinking that Lemon Hill would be the only uphill of note, but the three other hills (all done twice) made for a tougher day than they advertised. The run was just as tough in the heat as well.
-I wished there had been another 100 yards before the bike dismount line. Coming off a descent, it would have been nice to have some more space.
In all, a great race. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of crowding on the course, and the support was top-notch. Great job by the organizers.
Another nice point of the race, I met a slowtwitcher!
Nice wheel Matty.
I wish I had raced as well as that thing looked. You were flying on the bike yourself, and it was very cool meeting you as well!
I raced at Philly this weekend. I had an overall great experience and would definately consider putting it on my schedule for next year. Some points worth noting:
Depending on where you parked, you had a small hike to the race site.
The point to point swim was pretty cool. Being bused to the start went smooth The water quality wasn’t as bad as people were making it out to be.
The bike course was well marked and staffed. The course was a bit hilly, but was offset by flats/descents. I thought all the turns made for an interesting ride as well. I had a lot of fun on this course. Again, was a little nervous about the congestion, but it ended up being a non issue.
I’d recommend this race to anyone…
The Other TD
I agree with you on the bike comment. I was expecting 3-4 “rolling” hills, not 4 steep climbs with 90 degree turns at the top. But that did make it more fun. As far as the run course, it was hot and sunny, but if you’ve ever done Eagleman, multiply that run by 2. Now that you mentioned the bike dismount, that would have been better a little further down the road. I did see the security folks in the transition area. They stopped many from even getting in for a while. But that may have been after they realized some people went in and took out their bikes. But the crowd was great, the volunteers were incredible, and I still can’t believe that was the first year for that race. I will be back next year.
I raced yesterday and I agree with just about everything said here. The positives of this event far outweigh the areas for improvement. Observations: I definitely would have liked to seen another 100 yards before the dismount line, I could have gotten a penalty as I was still trying to get out of my shoes when I hit the line The hike down to the transition was kind of a pain but I don’t think there is anything that can be done about that The Schuylkill water quality wasn’t any worse than many of the other swim venues in the local area, and the course was very well marked and easy to navigate. I actually enjoyed the swim. No water at the swim start … if this is the worst thing that went wrong then the things went off pretty damn well, which it did Run course, I had no problems with the lack of shade (there was acutally a fair amount that WAS in the shade), the grass parts weren’t a lot of fun, but they had the miles marked and course was easy to follow Would have liked to seen a more detailed map of the transition area ahead of time, recommend including that in the race packet next year Bike course was more challenging than expected and not as crowded as many feared (especially on the 1st lap). Most dangerous part was water bottles on the road on the 2nd lap, had a couple close calls, but not much you can do about that. Plenty of volunteers and aid stations
I had an absolute blast and will be doing this race again next year. Most of the negatives here should be pretty easily addressed, the only thing to worry about would be a massive expansion in the 2nd year that could make the bike course a little trickier. Overall a fantastic event!
Keith
Dude you Cadence guys were flying. I didn’t get passed too much, but a couple Cadence riders blew my doors off!
I agree with most of the comments. And I have to say it was a good day for me: I PR’ed, so that’s a plus, despite a pretty slow run in the heat.
I also enjoyed the swim, but I thought the beginning was actually a bit TOO wide as I felt alone out there for awhile. Water quality was not an issue–though a few people at work said I was “glowing” Just kidding.
I must be one of the few people who like hills. The bike course was pretty good, I like the climbs as the spread out the congestion.
I would also note that there were way too many people trying to fly super fast down the hills and cut people off in the corners…I think its a pretty dangerous way to ride and it doesn’t prove anything about how good a rider you are. But that’s true in any race.
Overall, they did a fantastic job–kudos. I’ll be back next year, as the start line is about 15 minutes from my doorstep.
“but they had the miles marked and course was easy to follow”
After the race my buddy says to me “I was pissed because all the miles weren’t marked on the run…” This is funny because there were HUGE brignt orange numbers spray painted on the ground for the mile markers. I still can understand how he missed them.
I just saw the official race results. Philly is my new best race performance to date. I am definately going back next year!
The Other TD
Yeah I guess if you were looking for the placards at each mile you could have missed them, but I got every split no problem, which to me is a big help on the run.
I had a great time watching, and plan on entering next year. It was cool seeing some of the different styles, especially watching how people attacked the two transitions.
At first, I was standing where you could see the bikers running their bikes in but not the dismounts. I’m still curious about the guy who was running his bike barefoot; empty-handed; and with no shoes on his pedals. Everyone else had their shoes in one of those three places. He was among the early bike finishers, so I’m guessing he didn’t ride the 40k barefoot (with speedplays, btw)… it was funny to see. I guess if he now has to shell out for new shoes, that’s less funny.
And is it normal for the first finishers to have a mike shoved in their face 10 seconds after they cross the finish line? one or two could speak, the others were pretty out of breath.
As others have said, it was very hot out, as hot as you’ll see in June here in Philly. It would be good for the run if the event was a bit earlier in the year, but then the river would be that much colder.
as for the parking, there’s not much to be done about it. at first i was thinking that if the event gets enough clout to shut down the entire art museum circle, then there’s potentially more nearby parking available - and it would for a more public finish line. But there’s a damn/waterfall behind the museum, so as it is the end of the swim is aroudn as far downstream as it could be.
I was there too, racing my first Olympic-distance tri. It seemed really well produced. I really enjoyed the bike course, which I thought was fantastic. Having the whole road to ourselves was great. I’d imagine it’s a pretty big deal to close those roads. Bike marshals were great – nice job frogonawire (that was my favorite corner). I actually really enjoyed the hills, which I thought made the ride a lot of fun. (I passed more people on the hills than the flats.) Most were just big enough that they started to get unfun right about the time I got to the top. I didn’t have much of a problem with congestion on the bike course, and didn’t notice any obvious drafting.
The first out & back of the run course was actually quite shady, but the heat was definitely miserable for the last half of the run, and it’s the misery that is more memorable. Or perhaps I was miserable because I should have gone a little easier on the bike…
I don’t know about transition area security at any other times, but when I picked up my bike they were not letting anyone but athletes in, and checking frame numbers to wristbands on the way out.
Overall, a really well-produced event, and a great first-Oly experience for me.
-Steve Stuart
hey, thanks
How’d you do? The last part of the run looked really hot. I was curious what the rest of the bike course and the swim was like, as I saw a tiny portion of it.
Also, I’m sure that the cop assigned to my corner was sleeping. He came by at 7 AM, tlaked to me briefly, then sat in his car for THREE AND A HALF HOURS!
I did great, for me. Not first, not last. About 15 minutes faster on the bike than I had any reason to expect, and only a few minutes slower on the run than I had hoped for. A PR, of course, as it was my first-ever Oly.
I think your corner was pretty typical. The cops looked bored & stayed in their cars a lot. But they did their job, and I suppose I can’t fault them for not being interested in my sport. The volunteers, on the other hand, were energetic, encouraging, and happy to be there. And they weren’t even getting paid overtime. Thanks again!
-Steve Stuart