I am thinking about racing this one. I have a friend who did it last year and had a bunch of complaints.
-Crowded, (borderline dangerous) bike with lots of tours busses
-Crowded, chaotic transistion area
-Difficult logistics
-Weak field because good racers and pros don’t bother returning
Is he a whiner or is it this race a hassle?
whiner
.
I signed up for this year’s race because everything I had ever heard was the exact opposite of your friends experience.
Either way I am looking forward to the race because when you get done with the race you are smack dab in the middle of wine country. There a but a few wrongs that a good Zinfandel cannot right.
Whiner … I did the race last year and except for the logistics issues which isn’t is that a big deal if you have someone “supporting” you I did not experience the problems that your friend did. It is a great race!
whiner.
The ride is great;
T1 sucks;
The field might be slow if you can go faster than 4:15 but I can’t so it seems plenty fast for me.
Whiner
My second favorite race (behind IM NZ).
Yeah, lots of people and you need to be organized for the two transition areas, but the bike course is beautiful. And, I like how they rotate through the age groups so the same AGs aren’t screwed every year.
Traffic IS worse than in the past, but that’s due to (1) the growing popularity of Sonoman County and (2) that stupid Indian casino (which is where the tour buses are). Not a lot can be done about that.
Wish list: Repaving part of Westside; a few trees along far end of the run.
clm
I am thinking about racing this one. I have a friend who did it last year and had a bunch of complaints.
-Crowded, (borderline dangerous) bike with lots of tours busses
I did not find this to be a problem. They was good control at turns. Wildflower course can be more crowded.
-Crowded, chaotic transistion area
Swim transistion can be challenging. It is long and narrow with carpet over uneven ground. Where you are positioned changes from year to year. It felt unstable with bike shoes on. Otherwise, it wasn’t a problem, just an inconvience.
-Difficult logistics
With T1 and T2 in different places. You need to drop your bike off the night before. The area is guarded. You need to prep your bike as best as posssible that night but I would leave items to prepare for emergencies such as a flat on the rack.
-Weak field because good racers and pros don’t bother returning
Are you racing or watching? The racers go off first so you really only see the swims.
Is he a whiner or is it this race a hassle?
I liked the race. It has fun swim in the river. The bike and run are hilly enough for a challenge. Beware of late waves - the run can get hot later in the day.
**I liked the race. It has fun swim in the river. The bike and run are hilly enough for a challenge. Beware of late waves - the run can get hot later in the day. **
Agreed…my wave goes dead last this year (my 3rd running of this race) so I’m not really looking forward to that.
My only real complaint about this race—the damn dirt in T1. F**king gets everywhere running your bike up to the bike start. My shoes look like I’ve run a trail race by the time I get on the bike!
Otherwise, excellent race, very stiff AG competition. Highly recommend it to anyone, but if you’re still contemplating it and have not entered, do it quickly.
I am thinking about racing this one. I have a friend who did it last year and had a bunch of complaints.
-Crowded, (borderline dangerous) bike with lots of tours busses
-Crowded, chaotic transistion area
-Difficult logistics
-Weak field because good racers and pros don’t bother returning
Is he a whiner or is it this race a hassle?
Each and every one of these points is true and correct. T1 setup is one of the shittiest T1’s I have ever seen.
Some people love to race in the Wine Country, others are mired in the Whine Country.
Half Vineman is great. As others have said T1 sucks, it’s basically a rock beach. I had to pull a staple out of my foot a couple years ago.
The bike ride is fine with not too much traffic for a course that isn’t closed. I don’t remember seeing a tour bus last year at all.
If you go with a friend you can shuttle cars, one at the start and one at the finish. Waiting for the shuttle bus can take a while.
The quality of the field is good. There weren’t many pros last year due to a lack of prize money but the IM Hawaii slots mean that there are some fast people there. The run last year was a little long, approx 1/2 mile, due to a course change. I think they’re going back to the typical one this year so the time should reflect that too.
If you think you’re that fast you can try to set the course record or beat Steve Larsen’s bike split. Luke Bell went 3:50 in 2003.
It’s a good race and well run. What’s your friend’s name and how did he finish last year? Just wondering so we know what he considers a weak field…
Here’s the scoop guys … sorry i’m not in a position ot say whiner OR complainer, BUT:
Crowded Bike? … 1850 athletes spread out by swim waves over 2 hours and 15 minutes, hmmmm
LOTS of tour buses? … maybe a A tour bus, 2 max and if so they potentially exists on a 7 mile section of road. If there is a case of alot of tour buses this is the first we have heard of it.
Crowded, chaotic transition area? same as above regarding swim waves and the spread … YES t1 is on a crushed gravel lot but we have absolute ZERO control over that … carpet up to the edge of the racks after the swim, AND this year we will attempt to carpet at least a portion of the edge of T1 leaving the beach so athletes shoes/cleats can be cleaned off.
Difficult logisitics? I can see this, but i believe if you understand them it can be easier. You should try organizing the logisitics of the venue 
IMPORTANT NOTE: someone mentioned racking your bike the night before … WE DO NOT rack bikes the night before. (only run gera if you choose)
Weak Field? Pro field yes, only because there is no longer a pro field as of last year. Age group … compared to what? Hawaii … If thats what a person believes then its a slap in the face to athletes like Jens Beck, Chris Hauth, John Reback, Dave Liotta, Jefferson Hartman, Bart Decru, Darrin Rohr, James Allen, Tim Monaco, Mark Van Akkeron, Kristiann Gough, Shelby Sheffield, Katya Meyers, Kathy Winlkler, Shannon Smith, Sara Schuman, Lydia SAchlosser etc. … all who participated last year and some who ended up standing on the podium in hawaii!
Thanks for all the positive comments! Yes we know there are some drawbacks to a couple of the items above, and Cathy, we wish we could re-surface the couples miles on Westside Rd. and the 3/4 mile section of Faught Rd, but it is well beyond our influence in this county.
All events are becoming more crowded now days. Everyone competing deals with the same situation. I can understand not wanting to do an event simply due to the poor logistics within the operation. It’s each of our decision to participate. But it drives me crazy when an RD says;You should try organizing the logisitics of the venue ;)We don’t get paid to organize anything. We choose (first) where an when to participate then pay to participate. RD’s on the other hand get paid to organize logistics. So I see this quote as a week defense. Organization is the responsibility of the RD and that organization should be top notch if you’re going to put on an event. I don’t want to hear “you should try organizing logistics”. That’s your job. That’s what the RD is charging for. That’s what we’re paying money for.
Hey Chris … i agree with what you are saying 100%! It’s a wonderful and enjoyable challenge to pull it all off and see the event happen on race day … notice the tongue in cheek nature and at the end!
Didn’t mean to drive you crazy … i think tone of comment got lost in translation via email/internet! Maybe i should have said … “man, i wish we didn’t have to organize 2 transitions!”
Cheers …
Well said Bert. Furthermore, saying he has ZERO control over T1 or any aspect of the course is over-stating the situation. The only thing an RD cannot control is human behavior and the weather. There is a way to make T1 better. I don’t know what it is, I have never been there, but I know there is a way.
More carpeting, more racks, fewer racers, greater durations between waves and a million other variations. The over-riding complaint seems to be T1. Get creative. People don’t want to run around on crushed rocks in their bare feet or cycling shoes. This seems like soemthing the RD can fix, again, get creative.
Sounds like a fun course othere than T1, I’ll probably be there.
Responding to another poster about how fast my friend is… He’s pretty fast. Probably top 25 off the bike overall but had a tough run (about a minute a mile slower than his normal half IM run), normally his strength. He still finished top 50 overall.
Thanks for everyone’s input!
For the record, in years past T1 used to be in the upper level where it is paved and no sand/rocks to run over. Not sure why that changed.
I agree “things are lost in translation”. It wasn’t a personal attack. I tried to keep it in general, i.e., “RD’s” rather than “You”. Hope you didn’t take it as such. BTW Vineman will be on my calendar next year.