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FiftyStatesHalfJan 16, 2012
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FiftyStatesHalfJan 16, 2012
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CLeponeNCFMar 15, 2011
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XTERRAFeb 25, 2011
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CLeponeNCFFeb 21, 2011
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FiftyStatesHalfNov 24, 2010
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Aero HammockJun 25, 2010
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sallyMay 12, 2010
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joanam
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Pinchot Park Triathlon
good love to you
"Run From the Cops" 5k
This race has my favorite running shirt, maybe of all time. The logo of a cop with a night stick in a running pose is awesome! I ran the race this morning and was happy with the event.
Carmel Triathlon Sprint
This was a pretty good race overall. I thought that it was well organized and safe for the participants. There was some difficulty to keeping cars in their lane during the roundabouts, but nothing too bad. There were only 2 aid stations, but one covered both sides of the road a little over 1 mile into the run. This gave you another chance at about 1.5 miles to get a drink or another one. Bike and running courses were fairly flat and the roads were in pretty good condition. Very good for newbies or those wanting to work on their transitions.
Georgia Half Marathon
Hilly course, but I was a minute off my PR, so if you train on hills, this is a good race to partake in.
Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon (BQ)
This was my 3rd marathon in 6 months. Compared to Chicago and Vegas this marathon is more "rural", but the course is flat. Only 2 short climbs which are in the first half of the marathon. The section on the boardwalk can be windy at times. The support throughout the course is great, great pace teams. Overall a well orginazed race.
Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon (BQ)
This is my 3rd Marathon as with the previous 2 at Chicago. Vegas was a great run! The weather was great, the first half was awesome as you run up and down the strip! I do like Chicago better because there seems to be spectators through out the course and it is MUCH flatter. That second half was tough! One hard part is making it to Vegas and not partying to hard before the race!
I have done 4 marathons so far and previous 3 were in Chicago. Vegas is a better marathon than Chicago because it is in December and the weather is more predictable and colder. The first half is a loop in the strip and pretty flat overall. Second half can get lonely as 75% of the runners are in the half marathon group and the race continues on the west side of the strip which is not a very nice scenery and there are 4-5 pretty hilly cross overs. The gear check, family meeting points and the finish line are easily accessible for everyone and the concert afterwards is awesome!
Lake Geneva Olympic Triathlon
Overall, fun and challenging course. I agree with JackHammer that the swim seemed a bit short. Bike course was well marked and had some nice rollers. My only complaint is that there were a few miles of really rough roads. Be ready for a steep descent coming back into the transition, then a monster hill when you start your run. A few other notes- the transition was not well-secured, spectators were coming in and out. Packet pickup was also not well organized - the line went down the street a block and I couldn't find my wave assignment.
Now that SORT has been taken over by 70.3 Series, this would be a good opportunity of HFP Racing to improve the LG event. Great location and course layout.
I think pkrause said politely what I intended to say. LG is a great course but Mr. Dobes is challenged organizationally. I too would stay away from his races.
I haven't done this race, but I did do the Delevan Lake triathlon several years back (which I think is run by the same guy, Frank Dobbs). It was (without a doubt) the most poorly run race of which I have been a part. The distances were not right, there were no volunteers, the course wasn't marked so people were taking wrong turns ... it was chaos. I am not sure if the situation has improved in the past couple of years but I would approach races run by Lake Geneva Extreme Sports with caution. If you are looking to do a triathlon in that area that is good -- try Bigfoot. I did it last year and (apart from the poor conditions that day which they don't have any control over) it was great.
Did this event a few times. Two years ago, there was no way the swim was 0.9miles (my time was like 6 minutes faster than my average). Not sure how they measured it or if they even checked it. I called the race director but he never bothered to call me back. Good part of this race is the run. Up a nice incline to start it out. Lots of rolling hills. Nice challenge.
Haunted Hustle Half Marathon
A ho-hum, fairly flat course, much of which is on paths. Lots of aid stations with a varitey of nurtrition options. Definitely wear a costume - I wish I had worn one!
HRMS Naperville Sprint Triathlon
This was my first race this past year. Very well organized with lots of helpful volunteers and local sponsors- the race has been held for the past ~28 years. The course is very flat and easy to navigate/well-marked. It is crowded, there were close to 1,600 finishers last August. But, it was so well organized that with the exception of the swim start (you start 4 at a time) I wasn't aware of the number of competitors. Naperville is a nice area too. I did some quality pre-race eating at the Flat Top Grill and the Pita Pit. Good post race food and nice finisher medals.
Chicago Triathlon
I had completed my first tri just a few weeks prior so I opted to volunteer at the Chicago Triathlon instead. I worked at the bike in-and-out area. I have to say I have no desire to ever do the race, regardless of the ~$150 entry fee. For starters there was blatant and rampant cheating. I can't tell you how many people biked into the transition area, biked off the course, or started/ended the bike portion without their helmet even though volunteers were yelling at them to follow the rules. I know it sounds like I'm a goody-goody but biking through transition is dangerous, and a few of the people I yelled it was clear that they had no idea what a triathlon was and simply didn't know (although that's not an excuse) but there were several 'seasoned' racers that just ignored me because they knew I wasn't an official that could penalize them and/or they were listening to their iPod. I spoke to other volunteers but at no point did I ever see an official. I emailed my complaint to USAT saying that the $$$ cost of the race should more than justify an adequate number of officials to not only enfore the rules, but more importantly to establish safety on the course. I never got a response.
Any triathlete has to experience the Chicago Tri at least once. Personally, I don't think its worth the $155 for a sprint/olympic. There are others half that price which are better. My last time was '08 and will never go back. I found that the water and road conditions are awful. I would agree with joshua.markou's comments that this is not the race for an inexperienced swimmer for a sprint/olympic. It's a fast course with a lot of people. There's a big difference between 2K entrants and 6K.
But, for me its not worth it swimming in a lake which is a health risk and trashing a pair of nice wheels on LSD.
This was my first time competing in the Chicago Triathlon and most likely my last. I think I have a long list of complaints, but the major ones are the quarter mile from when you exit the swim to the transition area coupling with having to run on rough cement. Transition area was a mess, people are completely disrespectful, you will be lucky to find your stuff in one place - or at all for that matter. The bike was super crowded, I witnessed several people riding outside the boundaries, with angry Chicago traffic. With such a large race, of course, there are many slow riders, making it dangerous. As a swimmer, I can say I was extremely disappointed with the other athletes. Please don't enter a triathlon if you can't swim. Doing the backstroke in open water or hanging onto the wall is not the way to go. Also, sprinting 200 meters and then getting to your regular pace which is slow as molasses should not be your technique.
Tri the Creek - Short
2010 was the inaugural race and as you would expect it has a few kinks to work out, which is the only reason why I am recommending the race- it should get better. Heard not so great things about D3's event planning, and they planned it the same weekend as a Notre Dame home football game! Someone flunked event planning 101. The park is gorgeous. Very flat, easy trail. The run portion should change a fair amount in 2011 as the trails were poorly marked and unknowledgeable volunteers were giving racers wrong directions. In addition some idiot from D3 was riding his bike on the narrow run paths through competitors which made no sense. Crap post-race food.
St. Anthony's Triathlon
For those who want to get away from the rain/cold weather of Chicago or the boredom of training indoors for the past 5 months, head to Florida for St. Anthony's Triathlon in April. It is the kick off race for the triathlon season and you will definitely see the top names in the triathlon world at this venue. For a Chicago native, this race challenged me in every element but plan on going back next year.
A few things that I under estimated, the heat, wind and salt water. Normally, training in Chicago we do not have the heat play a role in our training until June/July. We slowly build up our endurance to get acclimated to the heat come July/August. This played a huge role in my first Olympic in several years (throwing out the window the past three years of half ironmans) and my first race in 7 months. Also, this was first open "salt" water race. I have never been sea sick until this race. Not a good thing going into T1. The bike course is flat but can be very windy from the spring storms to the north. The run course wraps around the city through the historic district and is very flat but the heat is the key factor.
The city and neighborhoods love this race and are out there supporting the participants. A well organized race from start to finish. The expo and post race festivities were great. The drawback is that it is expensive, $150 for race and airfare. I stayed with a friend to save on the hotel costs and rented a descent tri bike for $50 to save on shipping expenses of my bike.
Rock'n Roll Chicago 1/2 Marathon
I just got done with this race (version '10) and would highly recommend it for others for a few reasons: (1) Chicago - any race here will be bigger (in both runner and spectator parcticipation) than most any other races you could find. While bigger is not necessarily always better, it is almost always more fun. I would rather be surrounded by 1,000s (running and watching) in downtown Chicago then running on the flatest, fastest course by myself in a suburb; (2) Corrals - All races should have them, some don't. Starting with people who run the same speed makes the start smoother and the race better overall because you are able to pace yourself off of your peers. This race did a great job with staggering small corrals; and (3) Course - The course is flat and fast (too bad I wasn't on this particular day). If it weren't for being a little hot in August, this would be a go-to race for a PR; and (4) Marathon training - if you are training for the Chicago Marathon, this half fits nicely into any schedule no matter how beginner or advanced. If it fits into my schedule, I will definitely be doing it next year.
I agree with all the points outlined by pkrause. It is indeed a great course, (I mean it is Chicago!!) the corrals are nice, the spectators are out cheering on runners. The only problem I have with the Rock n' Roll Series is that it is sponsored by Cytomax. I drink Gatorade when I train, which may just be a personal preference for me, however I do feel that Gatorade is much more common and more people train with Gatorade. Not that I believe Gatorade should sponsor ALL races, but just the races that I register for... I'm Kidding, however we all know the cardinal rule that you should never try something new on race day, something that you haven't trained with before, well if you have not trained with Cytomax, this race might surprise you. I ran it last year and spit out the Cytomax at the first Aid Station and had to run the rest of the race with just water which I was not prepared for. This year I did it with just water knowing that I did not like the Cytomax beverage. If you are running another Rock n' Roll series event this year or the Chicago Rock n' Roll next year buy Cytomax before the race and test it out, or else you might have to do it on water alone.
Lake Zurich Area Triathlon
This was my first triathlon and I have to agree that it was very well organized. After training in chilly Lake Michigan, I was extremely surprised to jump into the 80+ degree Lake Zurich. Even swimming without a wetsuit, I was still pretty hot. Lots of people all over helping direct throughout the race.
I really liked the fact this was not a hugely popular race, not as much pressure and I definitely finished a lot higher than normal.
A surprisingly well organized race. I would recommend Lake Zurich Area Triathlon to both newbies and experienced athletes as it is small in size and the course is somewhat challenging. In 2010, the water temp was 81F and I felt very hot in the wetsuit, should I have swum without it. The bike course has some rolling hills and I would say run is a bit hilly. The race organizers have done a great job. I will do this race again next year.
Big Foot Triathlon
My 2nd year also and despite the weather not cooperating the race went off very well. Agree with the swim being short and the muddy run was a pain. great way to see where you are early in the year. And love the Lake Geneva area. Great place to spend the weekend! Very well run by RAM Racing!
Also the calculator here was handy in planning times and seeing where i need to work.
This is my second year doing this race and 2010 was even better than 2009. The race organizers seems to have a good handle on what the athletes need. (e.g. instead of bunch of junk in the race package a nice bike jersey and a high quality swim car). Although this year, I believe the swim was a bit short. Loved the muddy trail run. Will do it again next year.
Capitol View Triathlon
Just finished this race for 2010 (did it once before in 2008) and will definitely put it back on my calendar for 2011. Swim is a swim. Bike is is excellent rolling hills, with a few short climbs and a few flats on which you can open up. One of my favorite bike courses of the races I have done in the Midwest. If you don't save a little bit for the run, you could be in trouble. 98% of the course is a challenging up and down trail/grass run that prevents you from getting into a groove. Good early season challenge to let you know how much work you have to do for the rest of the season.
American Triple T Ohio
Incredible race experience. This is one of the toughest races I have done even compared to IM. Over 15,000 feet of climbing in southern Ohio's beautiful foothills. 140+ miles. Spectacular training weekend and awesome to meet new people.
Alivio Y Salud - Run for Health
Great race in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago, IL. The Community really supports the event as they come out to cheer. This is actually the first race I ever ran as a child, I still have the race bib!
Galena Triathlon
This was my first year doing Galena, (first ever Triathlon actually) and I absolutely loved it! Great thing about your first Triathlon is you always PR! The hills are very tough, however once you are up, you get to fly down on the bike.
As a supportive family member of a triathlete, this is my least favorite course ever, although the town is nice. Swim to bike transition is about 17 miles from the course finish. Basically you just have to wait at the finish line or if you choose to see the swim start, good luck getting back to the finish line.
CARA Lakefront 10 Miler
A very well organized race. The course can be tight on certain areas, but the lakefront runners are usually polite enough to share the road with you. I am planning to do this race again in 2011.
Shamrock Shuffle
Excellent race - very well organized this year. Overall a great race that I would recommend to anyone!
I really love the Shamrock Shuffle. It's a race that means not only running with thousands of other and supporters, but also breaking out of the winter hibernation. I liked the adjustments to the course this year, there were more turns, less straight-aways, making it more interesting. Also, running a PR always helps matters.
This was my first time running the Shamrock Shuffle but it is definitely a 'must-do' race in Chicago as the 'unofficial/official' running season opener. A great way to kick off spring even though it can be snowing and cold the day of the race (as it has been the last two years!) Love that fact that the start and finish are the same as the Chicago Marathon, It helps me imagine turning the corner on Columbus Dr. and charging toward that finish line on 10-10-10!
A great season opener! This is my 3rd year doing this race and I enjoyed it more and more every year irregardless of the weather; the weather can be 60s sometimes or 30s like it was this year (2010). Shamrock Shuffle is a signature race for Chicago.
St. Paddy's Day 5k Run/Walk & Leprechaun Leap
Fun race. Nice way to start the season. Great location, well organized and family friendly.
It is a fun 5K. Whether you want to test your speed limits or trying to finish your first 5K, this race is a great one to try.
The Doylestown Duathlon
Come out and race with the biggest and the best...and the shortest and the slowest. There is something for everyone. Great prizes, fabulous food and a great after party.
Half Madness Half Marathon
A well organized event hosted by Multisport Madness. The course starts/ends in downtown Batavia on the banks of the Fox River. There are hills that challenge the course around the river but for the most part, it is relatively flat. Parts of the course are along the Fox River which adds to the scenery. Great post race festivities. Due to the success of this race in '09, MSM added the 10K.
Terre Haute Triathlon
I have done this race 3 times. Everytime I stand at the start of the race waiting for my wave to go off swearing I will never do it again but I always come back. The course is well marked and it is a perfect distance for an early tri. The swim is short, the bike is 25 miles on a relatively flat course, and the run is an 8K on a trail. This is a really casual race -- I don't even think they have chip timing. Every year there is a threat of thunderstorms and every year the weather has ended up perfect. Maybe this year I will take home an AG award.
Christie Clinic Illinois Half Marathon
I did the inaugural Illinois Half Marathon last year. I have done inaugural races in the past so I wasn't expecting much from this race. I was pleasantly surprised by this race starting with packet pick-up. When I went to get my shirt, they were out of my size. Instead of having me take a Men's XL, they offered to mail me a women's small. That was refreshing! Day of the race it was cold. They let us stand in Assembly Hall and use the WARM bathrooms. The race course was well marked, scenic, and had ample water stations. Volunteers were great, there were spectators, and finishing on the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium was very memorable. I can't wait to do it again this year.
Tower Triathlon
Does anyone have any details about this other than the YMCA website? It pretty much just gives the distances w/o any course maps, etc.
Plus $75 is a bit much for a small sprint tri without much Swag. I probably will sign up as it is close to home.
Danskin Women's Triathlon- RecPlex, Pleasant Prairie
This race is a great sprint race. The bike course is a bit awkward, but otherwise the course is easy to follow.
Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon (BQ)
Highly recommend this race. I ran it a long time ago and the course has changed since I ran it -- it was much more challenging back then. The startline was very convenient to our hotel, the volunteers were great, there were plenty of well stocked aid stations, and I remember grapes on ice at the finish line. The expo the day before was big enough for me to buy new running shoes because I brought 2 right shoes to the race. And of course the theme of pigs keeps you smiling throughout the race!
Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon
I highly recommend this race. I ran it a few years back and am running it again this year. There is a decent sized hill at about mile 4 or so that is a little intimidating, but I thought it fit into the race well. By the time we hit the hill I was warmed up enough to power up it; wasn't yet at the point of getting tired as I would be if it came later in the race; and it is a nice set up for a long downhill around mile 10. I train in Chicago (no hills) but found the hills in this race interesting and fun rather than discouraging. Great experience the first time around and looking forward to another one in May. If you haven't done this race, put it on your list.
Bank of America Chicago Marathon (BQ)
I ran the Chicago Marathon this past year for my first Marathon EVER! It is an amazing race with all the people lined up along the streets to keep you going. It is great to see all the neighborhoods, I especially love mile 19 through Pilsen (I am from Pilsen). I had about 10 friends and family members on 18th St with signs and noise makers. It was GREAT!
Love this race! Fun, friendly, flat. Amazing volunteers. Too bad Active.com screwed up the athlete tracker because I was 50/50 if I was going to race that morning and was relying on the tracking to let my friends/family know I was racing.
Flat course, great race. Come and enjoy Chicago and have your best marathon ever! Over 1 million spectators watch it!
Whirlpool Steelhead 70.3
This was my first long distance and it was a great experience. Water was beautiful, bike was HARD - 25 mile/hour headwinds for 20 miles and the run would have been fairly easy if I had some energy left after the bike! I recommend this race to new or seasoned triathletes.
One of the best organized races that I have done. Definitely will do this one again.