Run Bi Tri Format

[tommy]

We have a new triathlon format coming to town. Anybody else heard of this or tried it? There will be a series of 12 in the DFW metroplex in 2007.

The events are in reverse order. One advantage is having a mass start of the run, rather than staggering the lake or pool. Another is that the person that finishes first is the winner (like I care ) without having to review chip times.

It looks like the swim will always be in a pool. I guess it's safer than a lake when everyone is tired and pushing hard.

I hope that they have a strategy for getting the finishers out of the pool and out of the way. It can get pretty populated at the finish line (edge).

I always finish a swim loose as a goose. Good therapy for me.

 

[Philip]

Tommy, I have done this format before many years ago and it was great fun. The swim was done in a 50 meter pool with everyone entering the same lane, alternating lanes out and back and exiting the opposite side of entry. The distances were short but by the time we hit the pool the pack was spread out enough that you escaped with fewer scratches and kicks of a mass swim start.
I was just about to challenge you to a race but I don't want to embarrass myself so let me recover a bit more then listen for my foot-strikes behind you.
Awaiting the next race report.
Philip

 

[kodi]

I've done many of these before and like Philip, I think they are a lot of fun and the strategy is good just as he stated. The other nice thing about them is they work well in cooler weather at least when the pools are heated. We used to have one where we had two pools you did the snake like swim
(4 laps) in the first pool then got out ran to the other pool and did another 4 laps.
Go for it, you'll love it.

 

[SumoRunner]

I used to think doing the swim last would lead to a few drownings since people are so fatigued at that point. But doing the run when it's cooler has to be an advantage. I'd take a chance on legs cramps just to get that out of the way earlier.

I've only done one as part of a team about 20 years ago. I did the 1500m swim, then touched the biker who rode 25 miles. I then ran the first half of a 10k and he finished the second 5k. It was in July and the afternoon temps got up to about 85F which to DFW people may not seem so bad, but we ain't used to running in that in upstate NY.

The swim was in a pool and they had more entrants than they anticipated, so we had to swim across the 25m width rather than the 50m length. Twice as many turns. No lane stripes either. There was an inexperienced guy who started on my left and crossed over two places to the right in the late stages. Most Tris in this area are done in lakes. Pool swims are rare.

 

[tommy]

Thanks for pointing out the temperature factor. It would be tough to do a lake swim in February, and even a pool swim would have us freezing on the bicycle. The next trick it to ramp up bicycling in the winter.