Why you should always know the course!

Mike Hedman

Some of you have read my story about thinking I crushed the bike portion of a tri...only to be informed that I needed to "GO LEFT to start your second lap!!"  

Well, this guy did a little worse: sports.yahoo.com/olympics/blog/four...n-in-Tokyo

He was the anchor runner in a long distance relay, pulls into first place, then follows the press truck out of the finish chute, and out of first place...OUCH.  He does a respectable job of catching up to the pack, but there's not enough road to let him get back into first.

Mike

Nemo Brauch

OMG- Joe and I saw this on TV the other night and both of us gasped! Worst Nightmare!

Paul Hough

Wow...that hurt!

Scott Alexander

That happened at the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon a few years ago. One of the elite folks turned somewhere he wasn't supposed to. He ended up adding about .5 extra miles before an escort moto caught up with him to turn him around. Don't know where he was, placing-wise, before or after the wrong turn, but it was his own fault for not knowing the course.

grosso27

As OCD as it may be, I always make a point of getting to my races early to drive the course.  Not only so you know the turn by turn, but also to see how the hills feel, bad patches of road, etc..

It always helps to know when to pedal the whole way down a hill b/c there is a big one coming up next & stuff like that.