Post by boomxtwo on Aug 12, 2010 10:03:12 GMT -5
Ran my first Olympic Triathlon, Aug. 8, 2010. I had run only two sprints in the month or so prior. Prior to the race I hadn't seen a lot of written reviews of the Cleveland Triathlon - the one from the inner harbor through downtown, not the Greater Cleveland Tri, but had heard a few word of mouth negative comments, many which were confirmed. I'm hoping this summary serves as a good primer for anyone wanting to do this race in the future.
Regarding my comments, I'm a total newbie in the sport, so some of my concerns might sound wacky to someone experienced, or might not even apply. My critiques are just that, not complaining, nor a slam at any of the volunteers, all who were fantastic.
Personal
Newbie, 49 yo, Clydesdale. (BTW, why are heavy guys a plodding horse and heavy girls, Athenas, goddesses? I'm not suggesting the ladies be a big plodding animal, but can't I be a Thor or Zeus? Hercules?)
My Race
My time in the race exceeded my expectations.
I took it slowly on the swim so as not to get to excited and burnt out. I hung back out of the pack, slowly picked my way through a few people. 35 mins.
I'm not too fast on the bike. Did fine, struggled on some of the hills. 1h 35m.
I've only run a few 10ks before, so was surprised at my time of less than an hour.
Overall, I felt fine, never felt like I couldn't make it, and never stopped. I pushed hard as I could after the swim. This was pretty much my goal. My fan support was fantastic.
Finished 3:11, middle of the Clydesdale pack.
Registration
Pre-race at the hotel was a mess. The had too few workers at the tables. They had no cash for change for those registering. The lines were unorganized. They had on the tables "A-G" and "H-L" etc signs, and one person at the table. The volunteers there, and throughout the race were great. But at the registration they were not well directed. Nice and friendly, but just not trained. One guy near me asked a volunteer, "I paid $30 for the VIP express line, where is it?" She told him there was no such thing. He did find it around the corner.
The tee shirts were a bit cheap, not much in the goodie bag. Especially for a $100-plus entry.
The Course- Transition Areas
The transition area is on the inner harbor pier, next to the Goodtime (III?). It's fairly crowded there. They label the different racks for each wave of competitor. This seems like it crams everyone in the same spot for each wave's transition, rather than a random, less crowded distribution. The answer can't be to ensure fairness in the competitor's times, because for an extra $30, you can get the rack next to the transition exit. Fair, unless you pay more? This just didn't seem well thought out. The transition area was pretty well secured. You needed a wristband to get in. There were no pre-race instructions about this wristband, so it was a bit of a mess at the entrance at 6am with everyone stopping with their bikes and bags and digging to find the band stuffed in the registration packet.
Throughout the entire race, workers in the transition area were screaming their heads off with instruction, and yelling to keep people out of the way. Not a very peaceful area to get mentally ready. The yelling was not necessary at all. It's easy to in a calm voice ask people to walk to one side to allow the racers through.
You jump in the inner harbor behind where the Goodtime is docked. You walk down and jump in off of a platform, about three or four people can jump in at a time, swim out about 20 yards and tread water for a couple minutes for the start. The sprint distances stay in the inner harbor behind the Rock Hall. The Olympic distance swims past the Goodtime ship, makes a right out to the lake and toward the breakwall, past a line of buoys, keep them to your left all the time, out 750 meters, then turn and back. Some of the group starting five minutes ahead veered into our path after their turnaround, so there were a few head-ons. At the end, you climb up a ladder onto the floating platform and out. The ladder seemed short, the first rung was near the top of the water, so not an easy exit with tired arms. Lots of support kayakers and a few SCUBA divers even. This seemed very safe. Near the end of the swim, 100 meters or so out, I stopped swimming to find the exit platform and a lady kayaker asked me if I was OK or need a break. I told her I was OK, would like a break, but didn't need one. I heard the kayakers a few times directing swimmers in their direction. They were everywhere and made for a great swim.
It was a calm day, and you are always inside the breakwall, so the water wasn't choppy at all. Murky lake water, but you could see three feet or so out front. There was some seaweed near the platform area that got tangled on my hands and feet near the finish.
The bike course goes up E9th street, east on the eastbound Shoreway freeway, which is completely closed to traffic, that was nice, turnaround in a hairpin at one mile, back headed west about four miles to almost West Blvd, to a hairpin turnaround. Three loops, almost eight miles each, then back to E9th to the pier.
At the T1 exit, some super sprint bikers who were done were removing their bikes to leave. Security was checking the bike stickers to the markings or competitors bib, nice security, but they were stopping and checking the racers when I came through too. Huh? There was quite a little jam up at the T1 exit then.
The Shoreway is hilly. Some long slow grinders that you don't really notice in a car. But, it's a loop so every climb you get a free ride down (the uphills sure seem longer). And the downhill ending the loop coming east into E9th - wow you get flying, and that's where the fans line up, on the off ramp wall, so you really zip past them. That's a cool feeling flying past all of them cheering. I'm sure they were all saying, "Look at that fat guy go!" I'm really good on downhills! On the return back, uh, not so fast.
The Shoreway is pretty smooth, a few spots where the concrete is corrugated a bit, one big, well-marked bump, but no chuckholes, no traffic. Nice view on the ride across the bridges and next to the lake.
There is only one water station, at the east end turnaround.
(Wondering - why in triathlons on the course where volunteers are, or turning locations, don't they have some tire repair kits? These are like $5 each, and in the three tris I've done, each time I've seen someone with a flat walking back. I know you should carry your own, but doesn't this seem like a simple solution?)
The run heads up E9th to the Shoreway, then east on the eastbound lane. No car traffic. Aid station on on ramp, and turnaround which is about two miles out. For the Olympic distance, you run two loops on the Shoreway. Past the Muny lot, verrry boring. And they don't let fans out there - so for more than 2/3 of the run the runners are alone on the Shoreway. Then up the ramp, south on E9th to Lakeside, which is a short uphill, past City Hall, to W3rd, down the hill, behind Cleveland Stadium and the Rock Hall to the finish by the pier.
If they need to do loops, it'd be nicer if the loops were in the downtown part of the course instead of the hot, boring Shoreway pavement. Maybe loop on Lakeside? It's closed off for runners anyhow. But, the run is the run. 6.2 miles for a fat tired guy.
Other
By the time I finished, 3:11 in the second to last starting wave, the finishers' medals were all gone. Disappointing. There was also no Gatorade left. Even more disappointing. The post-race food table was exceptionally weak. The Sprint Tris in Lorain and Fairport Harbor in the weeks before totally blew this away. By the time I was there they had a few oranges, some bags of pretzels and water. And this is an important issue for a tired Clydesdale!
United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland was the event charity. The event raised over $180,000. Fantastic! Really inspirational were the triathletes pulling kids in rafts on the swim, towing them in trailers on bikes, and pushing them in carts on the run. Hats off to these competitors!
I entered because of the Rock Hall/Downtown ambiance. But, because of the poor race management, plus high entry fees, I wouldn't recommend this event to others. I'm glad I entered and completed it, but if I were doing it again I'd try the Greater Cleveland Tri in Mentor.
Regarding my comments, I'm a total newbie in the sport, so some of my concerns might sound wacky to someone experienced, or might not even apply. My critiques are just that, not complaining, nor a slam at any of the volunteers, all who were fantastic.
Personal
Newbie, 49 yo, Clydesdale. (BTW, why are heavy guys a plodding horse and heavy girls, Athenas, goddesses? I'm not suggesting the ladies be a big plodding animal, but can't I be a Thor or Zeus? Hercules?)
My Race
My time in the race exceeded my expectations.
I took it slowly on the swim so as not to get to excited and burnt out. I hung back out of the pack, slowly picked my way through a few people. 35 mins.
I'm not too fast on the bike. Did fine, struggled on some of the hills. 1h 35m.
I've only run a few 10ks before, so was surprised at my time of less than an hour.
Overall, I felt fine, never felt like I couldn't make it, and never stopped. I pushed hard as I could after the swim. This was pretty much my goal. My fan support was fantastic.
Finished 3:11, middle of the Clydesdale pack.
Registration
Pre-race at the hotel was a mess. The had too few workers at the tables. They had no cash for change for those registering. The lines were unorganized. They had on the tables "A-G" and "H-L" etc signs, and one person at the table. The volunteers there, and throughout the race were great. But at the registration they were not well directed. Nice and friendly, but just not trained. One guy near me asked a volunteer, "I paid $30 for the VIP express line, where is it?" She told him there was no such thing. He did find it around the corner.
The tee shirts were a bit cheap, not much in the goodie bag. Especially for a $100-plus entry.
The Course- Transition Areas
The transition area is on the inner harbor pier, next to the Goodtime (III?). It's fairly crowded there. They label the different racks for each wave of competitor. This seems like it crams everyone in the same spot for each wave's transition, rather than a random, less crowded distribution. The answer can't be to ensure fairness in the competitor's times, because for an extra $30, you can get the rack next to the transition exit. Fair, unless you pay more? This just didn't seem well thought out. The transition area was pretty well secured. You needed a wristband to get in. There were no pre-race instructions about this wristband, so it was a bit of a mess at the entrance at 6am with everyone stopping with their bikes and bags and digging to find the band stuffed in the registration packet.
Throughout the entire race, workers in the transition area were screaming their heads off with instruction, and yelling to keep people out of the way. Not a very peaceful area to get mentally ready. The yelling was not necessary at all. It's easy to in a calm voice ask people to walk to one side to allow the racers through.
You jump in the inner harbor behind where the Goodtime is docked. You walk down and jump in off of a platform, about three or four people can jump in at a time, swim out about 20 yards and tread water for a couple minutes for the start. The sprint distances stay in the inner harbor behind the Rock Hall. The Olympic distance swims past the Goodtime ship, makes a right out to the lake and toward the breakwall, past a line of buoys, keep them to your left all the time, out 750 meters, then turn and back. Some of the group starting five minutes ahead veered into our path after their turnaround, so there were a few head-ons. At the end, you climb up a ladder onto the floating platform and out. The ladder seemed short, the first rung was near the top of the water, so not an easy exit with tired arms. Lots of support kayakers and a few SCUBA divers even. This seemed very safe. Near the end of the swim, 100 meters or so out, I stopped swimming to find the exit platform and a lady kayaker asked me if I was OK or need a break. I told her I was OK, would like a break, but didn't need one. I heard the kayakers a few times directing swimmers in their direction. They were everywhere and made for a great swim.
It was a calm day, and you are always inside the breakwall, so the water wasn't choppy at all. Murky lake water, but you could see three feet or so out front. There was some seaweed near the platform area that got tangled on my hands and feet near the finish.
The bike course goes up E9th street, east on the eastbound Shoreway freeway, which is completely closed to traffic, that was nice, turnaround in a hairpin at one mile, back headed west about four miles to almost West Blvd, to a hairpin turnaround. Three loops, almost eight miles each, then back to E9th to the pier.
At the T1 exit, some super sprint bikers who were done were removing their bikes to leave. Security was checking the bike stickers to the markings or competitors bib, nice security, but they were stopping and checking the racers when I came through too. Huh? There was quite a little jam up at the T1 exit then.
The Shoreway is hilly. Some long slow grinders that you don't really notice in a car. But, it's a loop so every climb you get a free ride down (the uphills sure seem longer). And the downhill ending the loop coming east into E9th - wow you get flying, and that's where the fans line up, on the off ramp wall, so you really zip past them. That's a cool feeling flying past all of them cheering. I'm sure they were all saying, "Look at that fat guy go!" I'm really good on downhills! On the return back, uh, not so fast.
The Shoreway is pretty smooth, a few spots where the concrete is corrugated a bit, one big, well-marked bump, but no chuckholes, no traffic. Nice view on the ride across the bridges and next to the lake.
There is only one water station, at the east end turnaround.
(Wondering - why in triathlons on the course where volunteers are, or turning locations, don't they have some tire repair kits? These are like $5 each, and in the three tris I've done, each time I've seen someone with a flat walking back. I know you should carry your own, but doesn't this seem like a simple solution?)
The run heads up E9th to the Shoreway, then east on the eastbound lane. No car traffic. Aid station on on ramp, and turnaround which is about two miles out. For the Olympic distance, you run two loops on the Shoreway. Past the Muny lot, verrry boring. And they don't let fans out there - so for more than 2/3 of the run the runners are alone on the Shoreway. Then up the ramp, south on E9th to Lakeside, which is a short uphill, past City Hall, to W3rd, down the hill, behind Cleveland Stadium and the Rock Hall to the finish by the pier.
If they need to do loops, it'd be nicer if the loops were in the downtown part of the course instead of the hot, boring Shoreway pavement. Maybe loop on Lakeside? It's closed off for runners anyhow. But, the run is the run. 6.2 miles for a fat tired guy.
Other
By the time I finished, 3:11 in the second to last starting wave, the finishers' medals were all gone. Disappointing. There was also no Gatorade left. Even more disappointing. The post-race food table was exceptionally weak. The Sprint Tris in Lorain and Fairport Harbor in the weeks before totally blew this away. By the time I was there they had a few oranges, some bags of pretzels and water. And this is an important issue for a tired Clydesdale!
United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland was the event charity. The event raised over $180,000. Fantastic! Really inspirational were the triathletes pulling kids in rafts on the swim, towing them in trailers on bikes, and pushing them in carts on the run. Hats off to these competitors!
I entered because of the Rock Hall/Downtown ambiance. But, because of the poor race management, plus high entry fees, I wouldn't recommend this event to others. I'm glad I entered and completed it, but if I were doing it again I'd try the Greater Cleveland Tri in Mentor.
