I don’t know what the happened at Riverwatch this past weekend that would illicit a situation to cause Triathlantic to cancel upcoming races.
We have been very lucky in our area to have had such high quality events. I was not there because of conflict with IM Lake Placid, but hope to keep participating in Triathlantic events.
I am very saddened if we are to lose such wonderful venues.
Brad, you’ve shown us some great state parks and small towns through out the mid-atlantic. Many of these places we come back to like Northeast, and Point Lookout for dinner or just for a walk in the park.
I hope the issue can be resolved. Its a shame for people to treat you, your family, your staff, or volunteers in an inappropriate way.
Frankly I don’t know what to say, other than the loss Triathlantic races is a big deal for thousands of athletes in the mid-atlantic area.
Riverwatch was my first triathlon back after a 7 year hiatus and it was great! Brad did an awesome job with the event and the organization was top notch in my opinion. Unfortunately there were some problems with someone placing tacks on the bike course and a couple of people acting out of line after the event. I was hoping to race a couple more of triath events this season… so I hope that the fallout from Riverwatch does not cause the cancellation of any other races.
To Brad, his staff, and all of the volunteers at Riverwatch, thank you for a great event!
The loss of Triathlantic would leave a terrible void. The RD, his wife and his staff set a tone and create an atmosphere that are unparalleled and irreplaceable.
I did riverwatch for the second time, and with the exception of low-grade general outrage as people found out about the tacks, all seemed quite normal. I thought the crowd was pretty low-key, and the race was well organized as usual. I saw and thanked brad while i was there - he was typically distracted as the race was still in progress and he was dealing with the tack thing.
in hindsight, it seems as though there were a number of issues coming up to the race that were beyond the norm, and then reports from his wife and staff/volunteers of bad racer-behavior.
I wondered as i heard about the tacks what people would do … or what brad would do. i mean really it’s just a shit deal if you got a flat due to sabotage, but (remember, he had the course street-swept the day before), nobody’s fault but the ass who tossed the tacks. I mean, i’d be pissed as hell if my day was ruined like that, but you really can’t hold brad’s feet to the fire over something he had no way to control or anticipate. i guess people just want somebody pay … and brad is so visible and involved, well, he’s an easy and immediate target.
it’s such a shame and i’d hate to lose my favorite race series. with the bad vibe going, i feel bad my self … despite my prerace instructions of “the pizza is for racers only” … i found my family after the race munching on a slice each … it’s mom and dad (who operate on the guilt-system as it is), so what can you do? i just skipped the pizza myself to “make up for it,” but still …
Regarding the tacks thing - the “people in glass houses” saying comes to mind. If you’ve been around Baltimore triathlon for a while you’d have undoubtedly heard the lore about Brad doing the same sort of thing to another race, a long time ago. True or not? I wasn’t there. The story lives on, though.
Now Brad knows I’m a bud of his, we’ve a pretty long, good history, but sure sounds like someone is out for a really old payback, if those Baltimore triathlon legends hold any water. Its just too coincidental to not take notice.
I was one of the “victims” of the tacks at Riverwatch. Because I’m fairly new to the sport I haven’t practiced changing a flat during a race, so it probably cost me 12 minutes. I know I’m not the only one. I was frustrated as hell then and still am now, but I don’t blame the race director. Other than that, I had a great time and really like the course.
I don’t get people who berate volunteers. I try to thank each and every one I pass, as well as the cops who are directing traffic. As long as I have enough breath, that is
I would like to do Riverwatch again, as I really enjoyed the race–hopefully I’ll get the chance to have a tack-free ride.
Was that at the (one and only?) Annapolis Triathlon back in 92 or 93? I did that as the swimmer in a relay. I also vaguely remember that someone painted incorrect directional arrows on the road the night before. There seemed to be some serious issues with the rights to that race, as I recall.
What the f*** are you talking about? If you remember, I was bamboozled by two attorneys who stole the event. I tried to tell people, but people didn’t care - the race fit their schedule. It was a disaster and then they took everyones money for Ocean City and Annapolis again and then filed for bankruptcy. No race, no refund.
There was a long nasty longsuit which we brought and won. It also came out during the lawsuit that the other group put the arrows down themselves when they realized they didn’t know what they were doing and were trying to shift blame towards me. One attorney was brought up for disbarrment and the other moved out of state and is now a minister.
NOW APOLOGIZE (Sorry i should have added the smiley face - i meant that in jest)
Brad, I never paid too much detailed attention to the stories because like I said, you’re a bud. You know how in the old days I stood up for you and your races against some very influential local personalities. It wasn’t as easy as it would have been to go along with the flow.
But more than a few people have told a story about a dispute of “rights” to a race where you were involved and glass or tacks and crap being thrown about the course the night before the race. I didn’t say - nor do I really know - who did the throwing and what not, because its an old story and I never really gave it too much credence. As I said above - I wasn’t there. But the legend lives on, and it has your name in it, too. Its a weird coincidence to find it happening now. Seems someone else here on Slowtwitch has heard the lore, too.
I’m not saying anything that you can’t find being told at Spinervals or Starbuck’s. Catch me offline if you need to straighten it out. I haven’t heard tell of it in a couple of years, but I don’t hang with those folks much anymore.
Yup. I remember all the whoopla. Did that race in 2:29 and change. Got a 5th place Clydesdale award when the entire post-race crowd challenged the weight of the guy in front of me and I got move “up” in the standings. Cool. I do recall all the accusations and counter charges. Supposedly the course was marked wrong by a competitor but I was just following the guys in front of me so I never noticed. Very sorry to hear about abuse for volunteers though. I’ve been race director for two races and I know how hard it is to get volunteers so I too make the time to thank them throughout the race–we wouldn’t be enjoying our sport without them.
(Sorry i should have added the smiley face - i meant that in jest)