Top 10 Reasons not to do the Pocono 68.1.
- The Fernwood Hotel, which was home to the Expo and pasta dinner. If this hotel was anywhere else in the world, it would have been imploded, or updated at least once over the past 40 years. The building was outdated and visually depressing.
- When I woke up raceday morning it was dark, raining buckets, and 40 degrees. It may not rain next year, but the odds are it will be around 40 degrees.
- T-1, T-2, and the Expo were miles apart, MILES APART. All the roads were clogged up with the local residents and visitors attending local farmer’s and flea markets. Daytime traffic was a mess. You know, rush hour traffic kind of stuff.
- I’m not afraid of hills (doing MooseMan next year), but there were two hills in the bike portion where more than 50% were walking their bikes up the hill rather than riding. The walkers were blocking the riders, forcing the riders to weave in and out of the traffic. Bikers that were passing quickly were forced to go wide left, almost to the far side of the left land. I witness two bike-walkers slip and fall due to their slippery cleats on the wet road
- Crowd support except for the last five blocks was n support was sparce. On the run, one had to cross over into on coming runners to grab fluids.
- Even though there was to be no cars dropping off contestants at T-1 (everyone was to take a shuttle bus from T-2. ) You had athletes that were above the rules that caused traffic jams on the narrow country roads. Another tremendous waste of time.
- The end of the 68.1 was in the center of town, about 0.5 miles from T-2. The contestants were told to pack post race dry clothes, towel, etc. and the post race bags would be delivered to the finish line. They were not. The bags were delivered to T-2. Here we were, cold, wet and tired. Mylar wraps were given to the finishers, but it was a cold, windy walk back to T-2.
- The roads were deplorable in the bike portion of the Ironman 68.1. There were sections of single-file riding due to road washout. A mile was cut out do to unsafe road conditions (bike ride = 55 miles). There were sections of riding on the left lane, as one would do in England. Rides passing were not sure to pass on the left or right, as a matter of fact; cyclists were staying on both the left side and the right side of the road. It was unfamiliar, and dangerous. Pot holes with standing water…how deep ??? Crevices in the road…etc.
- It took me 45 minutes to travel a distance of 0.4 miles from the Route 80 off ramp to the parking lot of the High School, T-2. Parking volunteers were sending cars into areas where no parking spots remained. In the dark, in the rain; it was a mess.
And the Number 1 reason why I will never do the Pocono 68.1 again is: Why pay over $300 to do a duathelon. The rainfall that preceded the event was from Hurricane Irene which were many days before. Yet the river was not swimmable. As long as the swim portion is in a river, and not in a closed body of water like a bay, inlet or lake, the swim portion is in jeopardy.