I may be relocating from FL to the Seattle area, how is the triathlon life? Seems like a short racing season compared to FL.
This has been discussed in detail on this forum already. I wouldn’t say the Tri scene in the Pac NW is as hardcore as other areas, but not because of the weather or shorter season. Most triathletes here are also skiers, MTB’rs, paddlers, climbers, ect. Not that they aren’t elsewhere, but Seattle and the PNW has a vast array of outdoor recreation opportunities, and a lot of people take part in them all. That being said, I think there are some great races near here from Canada to California that will be unlike anything close to you in FL. Hope you like hills. Good luck, and move to Portland.
Racing season in the greater Seattle area is late May - late September, and local lake water temperatures have a lot to do with it, as much outside of this window (especially earlier) and water temperatures can be in the mid to upper 50s.
A lot depends on where in the Seattle area you are looking. I know there are folks here that live in the city proper, so I’ll defer to them about what’s available in the urban setting.
I live 30 miles east of Seattle (the ‘Eastside’, as it’s informally known - primarily the towns of Bellevue, Issaquah, Renton, Redmond, and Kirkland) and there is a huge quantity and variety of good riding, several local trail systems for running, many lakes, and a mixture of public and private pools. There are some extremely hilly routes and it’s easy to put together routes with 5000+ feet of elevation gain. While not tri-specific, the Cascade Bike Club is one of the largest in the country and has an organized group ride just about every day of the year.
Seattle has 2 good tri shops in the city (Triumph Multisport and Speedy Reedy). Sammamish Valley Cycle in Redmond (Eastside) used to be squarely in the tri market, but I don’t know if they are anymore - I haven’t seen as much in the way of tri-specific products the last time I was in there as I used to.
Chris
Race season goes from beginning of May to end of September. The swims are all in lakes as the salt water is a constant 50F. Bike rides and runs all tend to be hilly. Between Oregon and Washington there are plenty of races all season. Like the other poster said, there is also a lot of other outdoor stuff to do around here. You can be skiing in an hour or hiking or mt biking 20 min from Seattle.
Riding in the winter does mean riding in the cold rain and mid 40’s temps. Most serious riders have a rain bike with full fenders.
I lived in Fl for 14 years before moving out west and never regret it.
here’s a race calendar
http://www.racecenter.com/
Thanks, the two areas I have been told about is eastside and I-90 corridor. There is probably a 50% chance of me moving out there by April.
Thanks, the two areas I have been told about is eastside and I-90 corridor. There is probably a 50% chance of me moving out there by April.
OK; the farther east you go on I-90 (especially once you get east of Issaquah) the sparser the traffic and the smaller the population. The traffic on I-405 (the main north-south interstate on the east side) is bad enough that if you get a chance to come out here and look around, I’d do a rush-hour test commute from wherever you will be working to places you are considering living. If that’s not possible, then you can find the real-time Seattle area traffic flow map here - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle/
Chris
Take up Cyclo Cross as it will help you get through the dark and wet months. Also keeps your fitness going. Seattle has a good series Oct.-Dec.
I actually think this is a great tri-sport community. You won’t find many flat land races, butI’ve found the racing out here pretty clean and well run. I would commit sepuku if I had to live/race in Florida, no offense. There are some really fast crews out here, but the majority of people race for the love of the sport. No matter where you live there will be training opps. Focus on your commute first and foremost, then where you will swim masters and open water.