How is the swim for this event? Never swam in the James River before, is the water clear/murky, filled with critters?
thanks
I did it in 2007 (the Half was canceled last year). The water wasn’t nice (murky, faint smell of fuel), but it wasn’t awful. The sun was in your eyes as you returned to shore, so sighting was hard and a lot of the field went off course. It’s a good race though. Unless you’re finicky about the water, I wouldn’t let it stop you.
I swim in the James all the time and other than visibility being about 1-2 feet it isn’t bad. There is a ferry route downstream of the swim so any fuel smell should be minimal. I personally never have smelled or tasted fuel while swimming.
is there a “current” feel to the James, or is it basically non existence. Obviously there is some type of current, but do you feel it or get any advantage/disadvantage to it if you do the half this year?
I did it in 2007 (the Half was canceled last year). The water wasn’t nice (murky, faint smell of fuel), but it wasn’t awful. The sun was in your eyes as you returned to shore, so sighting was hard and a lot of the field went off course. It’s a good race though. Unless you’re finicky about the water, I wouldn’t let it stop you.
why was the half canceled last year?
trying to decide between s.c. half in greenville or patriot’s half.
thanks!
A tropical storm was coming through, so they canceled.
Hurricane
.
There is a noticeable current but it isn’t very strong. The current runs towards the ferry so you will never be swimming directly against it during the race. I would expect a faster swim than normal especially if we can wear wetsuits. If the tide is low there is a problem with debris on the bottom, but it looks like it will be close to high tide when the swim starts.
Does anyone know if this race is usually wetsuit legal? I’ve been looking at the setup events webpage, and they basically state they do an initial reading on thursday and than the race day morning.
So in years past has this race been wetsuit legal?
Does anyone know if this race is usually wetsuit legal? I’ve been looking at the setup events webpage, and they basically state they do an initial reading on thursday and than the race day morning.
So in years past has this race been wetsuit legal?
I did it in 09 and was wetsuit legal. The river is fine, like any other river, it can be muddy. Critter wise, no problems.
I will tell you what, the swim to bike transition is close to .50 of a mile away, so keep that in mind. Try running that far with a wetsuit half off!
I did the Oly the day after this year and the water was fairly brown, and quite choppy. The current was noticable.
However, after scouting out the run to t1 the day before the race, i realized that it would be much easier to strip the wetsuit just after I got out of the water. I did, and had one of the fastest t1 times of the day.
For those who have done this race, would you do it again? If so, why? If not, why not? Also, how is the road quality for the bike?
The James river is tidal. Current will depend upon whether the tide is incoming or outgoing. It looks like about a 6:30 am high tide, so current will probably be slack or maybe just starting to roll out.
Yes, water was fine.
Bike is flat and fast
I enjoyed it
Yes
Just don’t get off track in the swim from the current.
The bike and run is as good as it gets.
Absolutely. Previous comments were made about the swim which I agree upon. They try to alternate the start with the current though. T1 is just a little long for a run. Bike is fantastic (good roads) and the run has been one of my favorites. The run actually goes out on a unshaded trail for about the first 2 miles or so, then hits a true offroad trail in the woods. You do this for 2 laps. (Note: Its not hilly at all though). It provides a lot of shade and is great. It was a flat, fast course all around. I just had a ton of fun doing this course, especially the run.
Also, easy to get in and get out and plenty of great places to stay in Williamsburg and very spectator friendly. My wife camped out with our kids the whole time. They typically bring a moonbounce in to entertain during the longer races. And you could head to busch gardens the day after the race as it is was empty with school starting up.
I would be doing this again this year if we weren’t going to CedarPoint for my wifes full. Doing it in 2013.
When I raced it the water was so low you could dolphin dive for quite a ways out to the first buoy. That can save you a bit of time.
I did this race in 09 and 10.
The swim is with the current and was really calm those years.
When you get to the bridge for the ferry you will make a sharp left and follow the bridge to the swim exit.
Both years I did this race the water near the bridge feels about 10F cooler. I also noticed what feels like swimming through grapes. I believe this may be small jellyfish migrating in the area. The water is slightly salty but not like the open ocean.