A while back I found the following review of DATTT through the following link that somebody had posted:
It doesn’t seem to be working now (at least for me). Can anybody get me a different link or let me know if it works for them?
Thanks
the top dog…Michael infinIT 1 posts here often and i’m sure he would know. a pm might work.
I think I saved the article on my home computer. If so, I’ll post this evening. The link must have got lost when infinIT updated their site recently. A bummer, because that was some classic writing.
Thanks. And I pm’d infinIT 1 as well.
Marky mark, if you send it to me I will get it up on the new website.
Here you go. I updated it a bit.
I spent much of the Memorial Day weekend competing in the DeSoto American Triple-T (www.americantriple-t.com) held at Shawnee State Park in the “Little Smokys” region of southern Ohio. The TTT consists of four races over three days that total more than the Ironman distance. There are divisions for two-person teams and solo competitors. Those with the fastest combined times for the four races are the winners.
Although I can brag about having completed all six of the TTTs, Bruce Gennari of Brentwood, Tennessee is definitely “The Man” when it comes to the event. Gennari, a world class age-grouper for a decade, has finished all of the TTT events held at Shawnee. He partnered with Craig Evans to dominate the team division this year, and he led teams to victory in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Gennari’s team finished second in 2004 to Team Psycho from the Boston area. Pro triathlete and coach Gordo Byrn won the solo division in 2004, while Ohioan Scott Myers, second to Bryn in ’04, has taken the solo crown the past two years.
Until 2004, when TTT veterans from Ultramax decided to put on their own team triathlon tour, HFP’s TTT was the only event of its kind in the United States and may have been the only event of its kind in the world for age-groupers. The Irontour events that were held in Europe in the 1990s were limited to professionals. The Ohio Irontour in 1996 in the Mohican Country of north central Ohio, featuring a team led by Scott Tinley, was a one-time event, but HFP revived the concept at Shawnee State Park in 2002. The World Triathlon Corporation threatened them with legal action, forcing them to come up with a new name. In 2002-2004, the teams consisted of three members. In 2005, in an attempt to increase participation, HFP reduced the team size from three to two persons and added a solo division.
Here are my thoughts on TTT weekend:
Race #1: Prologue, Friday, 5 p.m.
Swim 250 meters, Bike 5 miles, Run 1 mile.
My theory about pacing the TTT has always been to spread your efforts evenly over the weekend. However, this year I have to admit I enjoyed the chance to go hard on Friday. Even if you do go too hard Friday evening, the race is so short that you’ll likely recover by the next day. It’s a time-trial start, as are all four races, with the starting order determined by pre-race seeding. Teams go first, followed by solo competitors.
If you have a shortjohn wetsuit or a skinsuit in your tri wardrobe, that’s a good choice for this event. Otherwise, most competitors go without a wetsuit. The temperature in Turkey Creek Lake was 67 degrees in ’05 even with a cool, wet spring. The 600-yard ascent to the lodge on the bike is a tough one, so make sure you have the gearing recommended by the organizers (a 25 on the freewheel) already installed on your race wheels. It’s a nice preview of things to come the rest of the weekend and the descent is a blast. The run is mainly flat and on grass. It’s fun to have everyone bunched together and full of energy.
There are time bonuses for the fastest five individual finishers in the first two races. Most of us don’t have to worry whether that is worth the effort.
As soon as you cross the finish line, head to the massage tent to get your name on the list. A big advantage of being on a fast team is that you’ll end up getting more massages over the weekend.
Enjoy the post-race food and the chance to mingle with your fellow competitors. Getting to know your fellow racers is one of the special things about the TTT. Race results will be posted that evening. Don’t take the results too seriously. You’ll know much more about your position in the field after the Saturday morning race.
One of the unique aspects of the TTT is that most competitors stay in the cabins or the lodge located about a mile from the transition area. Each cabin has a master bedroom and another bedroom with two sets of bunk beds. The cabins have the modern conveniences of home. There is a campground less than two miles from the transition area. Try to get yourself organized in your weekend home and in transition a couple of hours before the start. I mixed my bottles of infinIT on Friday afternoon and put a couple bottles in the freezer. It will help you to relax Friday evening if you’re not rushing around trying to unpack, but it’s hard to get a good night’s sleep on Friday no matter how organized you are.
It is smart to have your bike totally race ready before arriving at the race site. In the days before the ’05 race, I had decided to not replace a tubular which had a superficial slice on it, but once I got to the race site I got more nervous about it and starting asking others whether I should change it. Luckily Bob Duncan, the owner of Wheelie Fun Multisport was staying in my cabin and glued on a new tire Friday night (thanks Bob!), but I should have done before I left for the race. Just like every year, several highly-seeded competitors got flats on Saturday morning, ending their chances of victory early in the weekend.
Saturday, 7:30 a.m.
Swim 1500 meters, Bike 40 kilometers, Run 6.5 miles
This is the race that truly sets the tone for the weekend. It’s a traditional Olympic distance race. No drafting allowed on the bike, even with your teammate.
It has rained at some point during all six of the TTTs, so make sure you pack rain gear and bring it to transition every race. It’s a good idea to pack extra running shoes so you have dry shoes for each race.
Although the swim warm-ups tend to get shorter before each race as the weekend progresses, make sure you swim far enough out in the lake during your warm-up on Saturday morning to get a good sighting of where the swim buoys are located.
The bike course features the ascent of Thompson Hill. The most difficult part of this climb is the beginning. You begin the ascent just after making a 120-degree turn and the steepest section of the climb is at the bottom. It’s a long climb by Midwestern standards, but there is a break in the middle.
After riding five miles or so along the ridgeline, you begin a very fast, but bumpy descent with a sweeping hairpin turn near the bottom. Every year someone goes off the road at this turn, so beware! After a long flat stretch in the valley, you have another steep climb before a final long gradual descent back to the park and transition.
The run is your first chance to experience Lampblack Run, the run course used for all the events. It is a park fire road cutting through thick woods. There is lots of shade, but it can get steamy on a hot day. The road is mainly dirt, but there is some pavement early and there are rocks and drop-offs caused by erosion, so watch your step. Basically, you run three miles gradually uphill, then encounter a quad-pounding half-mile descent to the turnaround, then back the same way. If you fly down the hills on the return, you will likely regret it on Sunday during the run. Resist the urge to push it hard the final couple of miles to the finish.
After getting your massage, head back to the cabin as quickly as possible and try to get your feet up. If you were able to mix your drinks, prepare your clothes, etc. on Friday, you can spend most of the time between races refueling and resting for the next race which begins at 3 p.m. Everyone has to be out of the cabins by 11 a.m. on Sunday, so spend some time cleaning and packing so you don’t have to do it all Saturday night or Sunday morning. Noon is naptime in the TTT Village on Saturday.
Nutrition between races on Saturday is very important. In previous years, I had ate normal food for lunch, and that, combined with the caffeine I drank to stay hyped for the afternoon race, caused me to become dehydrated and have the runs during the run. I squatted in the woods six times one year during the Saturday afternoon race.
This year my nutrition between races consisted of a couple of energy bars which I ate within a half-hour of finishing the morning race, and a bottle of a high-calorie recovery drink that I drank about noon. I started drinking a bottle of infinIT an hour before the start of the afternoon race.
Saturday, 3 p.m.
40 kilometer bike, 1500 meter swim, 6.5 mile run
Until this year, this race had always humbled me big-time. I would go too hard on Saturday morning and/or experiment with my nutrition between races and pay for it during the afternoon race. I thought I had figured it out in 2005, but a thunderstorm blew through when all but the top six teams were either in the water or the bike. The six teams who had begun the run kept going in the lightning and rain, but the rest of us were pulled from the course. Some got rides in Jet Skis, while others swam to shore and hiked back to transition. Once the thunderstorm had passed, we did the run course. Our swim splits were thrown out.
In the first four TTTs the bike ride that begins this race had always been a draft-legal mass start. That allowed me to have one of my biggest thrills in triathlon when I led the peleton, which included Tinley, up a climb during the first Irontour. In 2005, race director Shannon Kurek, who completed the TTT in 2003 and 2004, thought the pack riding was too easy (and probably too dangerous), so he eliminated the mass start. Instead, there is a time trial start in which team members can draft off each but no other drafting is allowed. Most agreed that made the race a bit more difficult. The Saturday afternoon bike course is arguably the most difficult of the weekend. Be prepared for the long climb out of Blue Creek on the way back.
As in prior years, the time that counts for the team is the time of the slower member of the team, so the strategy is to help the weaker teammate.
Reversing the bike and the swim causes more difficulty in the water. The body just isn’t used to swimming 1500 meters in cold water after a 40-kilometer time trial on the bike. The result? Cramping.
Nearly everyone took the time after the bike to put on wetsuits for the swim. Team members can zip each other up. I save the short john wetsuit I bought for $50 from Performance specifically for the Saturday afternoon swim at the TTT. I can get it on very quickly and make up some time I lost on the bike. Some people start to cramp during the middle of the swim, but most have problems when they try to run out of the water. It has gotten pretty ugly seeing people trying to get their wetsuits off. Make sure to drink copiously during the bike ride to avoid cramping. Remember that the race is taking place in the heat of the day instead of the cool of the morning.
The run on Saturday afternoon is the point where the doubts usually begin. Have I gone too hard? How I am going to make it to the finish line, let alone do a hilly half-Ironman tomorrow morning? Am I letting my teammate down?
If you don’t blow up on Saturday afternoon and finish feeling like you have something left, you’re likely set up for a good finishing position.
Despite your fatigue at the finish, make sure you take in some calories and liquids as soon as possible. Another reason to make sure you stay hydrated and within yourself Saturday afternoon is so you’ll have an appetite Saturday evening. Unlike after a single-day event, you need to be able to eat well in the evening to fuel up for the half-Ironman the next morning!
Sunday 7 a.m.
2100-yard swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run
Every year I’ve had moments of great doubt on Saturday afternoon, but when I wake up Sunday morning I feel relaxed and ready to go. I know this is my day.
Much of that is due to my focus on Ironman racing. I’m prepared to go that distance and really can’t access the speed to hurt myself too badly on Saturday. It’s the opposite for some competitors who are more comfortable and experienced at the Olympic distance. They go for the glory on Saturday and Sunday is just about survival.
Although many competitors like to sleep in as long as possible on Sunday morning, I recommend getting up two to three hours before the start to begin fueling. You can eat an energy bar then go back to bed for another hour. You may also still be dehydrated, so it’s good to begin drinking early.
Be prepared for the added nervous energy in the transition area, as the competitors in the Little Smokies half-Ironman event are now sharing the transition area. They’ll start their race after the TTT competitors have begun the swim. It’s a two-lap swim, so be prepared to mingle with the Little Smokies competitors in the lake.
There are no water stops on the bike route, so make sure you have extra bottles marked to pick up when you come back by transition after the first lap. The bike course is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever ridden, with a couple of long climbs on narrow, nearly traffic-free state forest roads, but there are also some twisting descents and corners where visibility is restricted. There are several crashes every year, so ride with caution and always be prepared to encounter a car or a pick-up truck on the other side of a blind curve.
I recommend riding pretty conservatively on the first lap, both to check out the difficult sections of the course and to save energy. If your legs are feeling good, you can pick it up on the second lap. There are always casualties of improper pacing in the final hour of the bike ride and it will motivate you for the run to be passing people instead of being passed.
The advice is similar for the run, although you definitely know the run course by now. Be conservative on the first lap, then let it go on the second. There is no reason to save the legs now! I recommend taking a water bottle with you. There are aid stations every mile, but you may well want liquid more often.
The last out and back on Lampblack Run is one of the most memorable experiences you’ll have in triathlon. There are plenty of hand slaps and words of encouragement as you see your fellow competitors on the course for the final time. You truly appreciate your efforts and the efforts of your fellow TTT survivors over the past 36 hours, and a bond has been created between you that you won’t get in any other triathlon, even an Ironman. When you reach the 10 mile mark on the run at the top of the last big climb, you know it’s nearly all downhill to the finish. Savor it.
See you there!!
thanks!
Gawd I love reading that. I LOVE THIS RACE!!! 
Mark
Thank you! I can’t wait for May to come around. I love reading that…
Awesome race!
great report! i had read that before on infinit’s site and enjoyed it just as much this time. I am planning to be there for the little smokies half next year. Do you think the course would be a good preparation for a hilly IM like KY is rumored to be?
Thanks,
Dan
www.aiatriathlon.com
I think this course is excellent prep for any Ironman.
I did the solo last year and went on to Lake Placid. I felt the TTT was harder than Lake Placid.
Some people say this is one of the hardest 1/2IM courses around. There is no shortage of climbing on the bike or the run. Real nice roads though and beautiful scenery.
To give you some perspective on the 1/2IM course. Last year Kevin Gringas won with a 4:50ish time. He is, I believe a 9-9:15ish IM’er. Do the math on that one. A really, really good bike time is under 3 hours. I think I biked 3:15 there (at the end of the TTT) and biked 5:25 with a better run afterwards at my IM later in the year.
My team is signed up again for the 2nd year in a row. We also talked several others to sign up and now have a cabin full of Triple-T participants for next year.
One question I do have about this race is on the bike distance for the Friday prologue. Seems to me the course was only about 3 miles long this year and it appears to be the same course in prior events, so why is HFP calling this a 5 mile route?
Good question. There is no way it was 5 miles last year. But since about 1.5 miles is climbing and 1.5 is downhill, hard to judge distance. I don’t remember checking my bike computer though. I think we need a ST get together this time as it seems there are quite a few this year.
Prety sure with the turn right to the out and back in the car park and then the hill it is very close to 5 miles. At least I think I remember my comp reporting that, though the avg times allways seem rather high for the prolog.
I can’t wait until next year!
A ST get together at the Triple-T would be great, esp over a few cold beers on Sunday afternoon.
I think my computer read something close to 3 miles. Definitely less than 4, but I don’t remember the exact number.
I think you’re right.
jaretj
How well does the single aid station on the bike (final day) work? From the site, it looks like they will refill your bottles but you have to stop? From your report it sounds like a special needs type deal. I’m trying to sort out road vs tri bike and currently tri bike is set up w/ just aerodrink so that already needs work. If I can get by w/ one extra bottle in pocket or (shuddder) rear launcher I guess I’ll still consider tri bike.
Worked well for me. You can put your own bottles at the table near transition. As you come in from your first lap, you stop at the aid station, pick up your bottles and head back out.