I’ll be heading to Jordan Lake this weekend to run the Duke Half Iron. Is anyone else going? I’ll be riding my trusty GURU Cron’Alu and hopefully the run will treat me well. The run could get sloppy with all the rain in the area over the past week. Looking forward to a great time. See you at the race.
Roger
I will be out this sunday morning. I only live about an hour and a half from the race site so i will be driving out the morning of.
Good luck to all participating, and may you all set a PR.
Mark
You WILL set a PR, and I bet you’ll also beat the majic time that you’re shooting for! You could have a flat and still have a PR. Best of luck…
I’ll be there but in an official’s red shirt rather than in my DeSoto tux. Stop by and say, “Yo.” Hint: The head ref wears stripes, and the other assistant, who wears red, is female.
David
I’ll be there. I’m flying in from ottawa to Raleigh after work on Friday and will fly home on Sun after the race. I’ll be visiting some friends and ex collegues who live in Raleigh who are also racing.
I’d imagine that the race will be no wetsuit, but I am packing mine just in case. Also, I heard that the trail is not ideal for race flats and I should bring some regular lightweight trainers. Any comments ?
I have not done Duke Half in 2 years, but I would not recommend racing flats. The gravel was a little too rough for that little under your feet. Maybe it has changed.
They changed the run the last year compared to the year before, and I haven’t looked at the course this year to see if it is the same as last year…but, DO NOT wear racing flats unless you are absolutely immune to stone bruises on your feet. That is one course that is oftentimes gravel-strewn…the dirt trails are a nice thought, but, the gravel can be murderous. Too bad I’m not doing it this year, it would be good practice, terrain-wise, for the full Ironman I’m doing in the area next month. Good luck with your race!
Thanks for the info on the boulder size gravel on the run course. A buddy of mine ran it last weekend and he suggested that it would be “passable” in a lightweight trainer like the Saucony Grid Azura. Now I have to decide if I want to use my 2001 edition model or the 2003. Those who have used these two shoes know that they are quite different…I was really hoping to get by in my superlight grid statics !
Wetsuit is a 50/50 chance, so bring it. They checked water temp earlier this week and measured 79. With all the recent rain and moderate temps, it could go either way.
I ran part of the run course last Sunday and I’m going with my racing flats. There’s not too much time spent on the gravel roads, and there are some good lines where rocks are minimal. Course wasn’t muddy this past weekend, and it was raining the prior week here as well. With 100’s of sets of feet pounding the course, though, mud may become an issue if it rains again but it doesn’t look likely from the forecast.
Alicia, the bike is packed and in the bag, and both racing flats and wetsuit along with Grid Azuras are packed too. Now I just have to get into work early tomorrow and get a proposal sent out to a customer before I leave for Raleigh. I must go and get some sleep. I’m still all paranoid about racing in the first wave but Gary Bolton says that I should. Last weekend, I swam 31 min on a kinda short course (around 100 m short). See you at Duke, should be a great weekend !
Yippee! See you there!
Go to bed! (sez the pot to the kettle)
Alicia
Good luck to all of you - this is a fun course (and a special one for me!) with a challenging crowd. Alicia, my money is on you babe. Make me proud 
After the race come say hi - I will be in the RATs (Raleigh Area Triathletes) tent.
maylene
I would not recommend racing flats but I’m not a great runner either. I’m running in lightweight trainers and I think this would be the best choice for this run course. The gravel in areas could be hard on your feet. However, it is a great race and all the proceeds do go to the Duke Liver Center for cancer research!!!
Good Luck to everyone this weekend and I’ll see you at the race.
Roger