So how does your 2012 season look? Most of us are base building, working on limiters, eyeing the calendar and
trying to put together our race schedule.
Early bird registration discounts are expiring soon (those that haven’t
already) – now is the time to act.
New races are added to the local triathlon calendar every
year. Good thing too, since so many of
the races fill quickly. It's practically
possible to race every weekend in June, July and August (often both days)
without leaving the Twin Cities. Sounds
expensive and exhausting. How to
narrow down the choices?
Proximity
The easiest starting point is proximity to your home. If you live in Minnetonka, Liberty Triathlon is more convenient than the Manitou Triatlon held in White Bear Lake the
same weekend. The reverse is true if you live in Lake Elmo.
Many triathlons have fostered close relationships with the
communities in which they are held.
Let's face it; disrupting traffic (even early on a Sunday) doesn't
always make us popular. Donating over
$32,000 like the Turtleman did to community charities in 2010 is one way to
keep races going. It’s nice to know that
your race helps others in your own community.
Racing close to home also makes it easier for friends and
family to come out and watch you sweat.
They might even get caught up in the energy of the event and give this
whole multisport thing a try. Sweet –
more training partners.
Distances
Not all sprints are created
equally. The distance of each discipline
(swim and bike) can vary greatly from race to race. The run distance in a sprint is pretty
consistent – around 3 miles.
Not a big fan of swimming in cool
water? The New Bri Tri with its ½ mile
swim in early June probably isn’t the sprint for you. Maybe Minneman’s 1/3 mile swim/walk (the
water is shallow for a long way) in late June is a better fit.
Bike distances vary as well –
Chisago Lakes Tri has a 22 mile bike for the Sprint. That’s almost twice as far
as your typical 13 mile bike in a sprint.
Course Characteristics
One of the great things about
Triathlon is that each course has its own unique characteristics. Lake size varies. A big lake can lend itself to rough
water. Water quality varies as well –
the swim in the Square Lake races in early September is in some of the cleanest,
clearest water you can find. The Twin
Cities Triathlon is held in the Mississippi River in St. Paul. It’s downstream and fast, but not so clear.
Lots of races advertise themselves
as “flat and fast” – some are flatter and faster than others. Other races tout the difficulty of the course
profile. Trinona’s tagline is Battle for
the Bluff.
Liberty’s run is on rolling paths
with lots of shade (and one climb on woodchips). Chisago is mostly on roads with less shade
(especially the half iron distance). One
Last Tri in Big Marine Park in mid September is run on a mix of paved and
unpaved trails.
If you like challenging hills on
your ride and run – there’s a course for that.
Hills make you . . . uh, run for the hills? There’s a course for that.
Look at the race websites, talk to
your coach, talk to the staff at your local tri shop, check out race reports at
beginnertriathlete.com. Course
information is out there, you just have to look.
Timing
Sometimes you want to build your
fitness over the season and finish with your “A” race. Maybe it’s the first time you’ve tackled an
Olympic, a half iron, a full iron.
Having that race cap off your season makes sense. Although with the Olympic and half distances
it is sometimes nice to have 2 of them in case the first one doesn’t go as
planned.
Need some late winter/early spring
motivation to get in shape? Schedule a
half as early in the season as you can.
Liberty’s ½ in early June fits the bill if you don’t want to travel. Yes, you’re asking for a lot of quality time
in your basement on the trainer, but we should all be there anyhow.
Price
Not all races are priced the
same. Generally as your race gets
longer, the price goes up. Ironman
Wisconsin will cost you $625 (normal registration) – that’s assuming you were
there the day after the race last year and have already registered. If not you can purchase a Foundation
Registration for $1,250. Mineapolis
Lifetime Tri is probably the next most costly at $149 for either the Sprint or
Olympic distance.
This won’t help for 2012, but
FrontRunner USA (which puts on New Bri, Square Lake, St. Paul Tri among others)
often has a ½ price sale towards the end of the calendar year.
A lot of race organizers offer
free registration to one race if you volunteer at one of their other
races. Definitely worth an email. Volunteering is a fun way to give back to the
sport.
Whichever factors are most important to you, now is the time to act.
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