Stockton Tri?
durhamvam
Posts: 246
in General Chat
Anyone out there doing this at the weekend?
I've just revised down my goals and signed up for the super sprint - still in pain after falling off that horse ten days ago so it didn't seem like a good idea to do the longer run.
I've just revised down my goals and signed up for the super sprint - still in pain after falling off that horse ten days ago so it didn't seem like a good idea to do the longer run.
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No freebies which is'nt here or there really i.e t-shirt, mug. No indoor facilities only one's car and portable toilet.
As for the prize presentation only one prize per category i.e 1st overall 1st vet of all vets no over 50 or 60 etc awards, no 2nd or 3rd in any category.
Perhaps the low entry this year was a reflection on last year, and people obviously doing either 2 or 3 laps on the bike instead of 4, and others breaking the World record for 10km on the run having only done 5km (went left instead of right at the course split point) being included in the results overall, which is ridiculous.
I came across a runner coming towards me on the run, he had obviously gone on the 10k course instead of turning left and following the the 5k course for the sprint, realised this and turned around. I'm afraid when you are breathing through every oriface on the 3rd discipline just to keep going, you have to have things made obvious on technical courses i.e someone at the split point shouting at the competitors to make sure they go the correct way, as they can easily follow the competitor in front who is in another event, and by the finish you had 3 events finishing at the same time, standard, sprint and super sprint. This is the 2nd event this summer i've done where the sprint race has started at a time after the standard has started where everyone ends up on the bike course in the second half of the standard race, and no one knows who is in the lead or even won at the end of the run, as the winner of the sprint came in 7 mins before the winner of the standard.
The bike course although very technical with 2 dead turns on each lap was excellent in organization with road closures, that i take my hat off to, but i think the event organizers are not triathletes and they should look at the event from a triathletes view point for next year. Lets not drive people away from events that could be very good and end up like most run races, 70% of the overall entries being vet over 40 or 80% over 35.
Presumably when they put the final results up as opposed to the provisional ones they will take out the people who obviously didn't go far enough?
I didn't mind not getting a goodie bag since I assumed that with the small entry, money had gone on road closures etc. You're right that more than 4 portaloos would have been nice!
However, I did have a good time.
Outside of the elite category triathlon World where the prizes are cash, the prizes are usually of little value or use.
Basically
1 - Poor marking of swim course - why didn't they use large inflatable buoys for ease of sighting? - I personally found the other markers from the water ski course confusing.
2 - the exit from the water was extremely slippy - mats required to cover slime (it took me 2 or 3 goes to get my footing) and according to my partner there was glass in the transition area.
3 - there were some very narrow parts on the bike course (approaching David Lloyds)
4 - No momento/goody bag. Many people like something to remember an event by. The race site states 'All competitors will receive a trophy on completion of the event' - so where were they?
The actual basis for the event is sound - it just needs a bit of tweaking to make it a good event.
For the record, finished the sprint in 1.25.46 (although suffered from a little cramp on 2nd bike loop & at the start of the run - probably lost me a couple of minutes) - roll on Newbiggin on the 13th
I think if a triathlon club had organised this event it would have been much improved.
1 to encourage newbies
2 solves the train or race dilema you do both and
3 encourages take up of the Tria association annual membership, if I do 6 races a year it is cheaper to cough up £5 a time for a day licence than £50 for the annual fee, whereas I do 6 main events and 4 or 5 of these SuperSprint events annual membership becomes more attractive.
If several clubs got together the benefits for them would be to generate more interest in club membership, create a competetive training environments and they can share resources. Just a thought.
No goody bag? I have two great events this year with loads of freebies and great atmosphere and safe courses...glad I didn't enter Stockton in the end.
I still can't believe they are including people in the results who cycled a lap short or who did 5km instead of 10km on the run. It won't change as last years results are the same, a super vet finishing 2nd having done half the run distance.
Truth is they've put the event on, the event's over and the profit split, now onto the next one.
I can only imagine that the event organizers name is used on a franchise basis and the other events they have put on around the country and abroad, if true, will have been with different people.
I'm just kicking myself for not bringing along a camcorder to the event and have one of my supporters taping the swim exit, the swimmers trying to climb out of deep water straight onto a slipway, then if successful at pulling oneself onto it you then had to stand up on green slime, one step forward 2 back, i grabbed someone who was on all fours and managed to climb over him before he slipped back into the water. Hilarious where the comment's of the spectator's, £250 i could have netted off Harry Hills Caught on camera.
The swims and transition area have been moved to the Riverside close to the Town Centre. The cycle course is entirely new and will be on [img]completely%20closed%20roads%20[/img]based around the Riverside and University areas. It will be flat, fast and quite twisty, it is an urban race after all, but none of it goes along depressed or development type areas. It will also be spectator friendly as the 8k (5 laps for the standard race) circuit passes very close to the transition hub 4 times each lap. The run is a 5k route (2 laps for standard) along the Riverside walkways and over the new Infinity and Millennium Bridges.
There will be a Sprint Distance, Standard Distance (with relay option) and a pool based mini-tri all on the same day. The mini-tri is targeted at newcomers to the sport and will be on the morning, it will also use the cycle and run route that the afternoon OW races use. There will be a small triathlon village and a top quality PA system to provide a ”soundtrack” for the event.
These events don’t come cheap, but at £20 for the mini and £35 for the Standard I don’t think they are unreasonably priced.
The aim this year to put on a really good regional event and to prove the course and organisation. Then to take it forward to a national standing event of some sort in 2011 hopefully.
It’s an ambitious project but a lot of effort and determination is going into making it the event the council deserve for their continued support of the sport.
If you have done this race in the past and been disappointed I hope that you will give it another chance I’m sure it will pretty much unrecognisable to the previous editions. Full information on all 3 races can be found at http://www.trihard.co.uk .
Rob Wilkins, TriHard