70.3 Rhode Island
Anyone else doing/ has done this race? I have been reading race reports from previous years and looking at the elevation profiles. I live in S. Jersey where our biggest hils are the overpasses over the highways so this race should be an adventure.
Anyone have a good description of the big Hill on the run course. I have read it is a 7% grade, but the hill is described as being anywhere from 1 mile to 500 meters long. That is a big difference.
I would love to hear an EN view of the course and talk to anyone else that is going.
Christy
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The Hill (and it is THE hill) is a beast, but, it isn't a race breaker or anything. It is about a half mile from the run start, and you will go over it twice. It is probably only like a quarter mile long, but, it feels like further and is every bit of 7% of grade. I have never run anything like this that didn't have stairs. Again though, it wasn't any kind of race breaker...just 2-3 minutes of pain. The REAL issue is fighting cramps on the way down the second time when you are only .5 from the finish!
There is another long steady hill as you approach the turn around (again, you will do this one twice)...it is only a moderate grade, but, it is probably close to .75 of a mile. You DO get to enjoy going down this one after the turn around though...and it is well deserved.
All in all, the run course is a nice challenge...nothing too bad. Also, this run course is VERY well supported from a spectator standpoint, and you will never be alone because of the two loop nature of the run, so, that keeps you going too!
The swim, on my race morning, was very tough because of wind. The year prior to my race, it was like glass apparently, and, the locals say that the calm sea is the norm. It is a nice quiet swim...straight out and straight back.
The bike is very nice as well...flat for the first 30 miles, rolling for the last 26...with one HUGE hill at mile 45 - you will laugh because it is hilarious! It isn't bad though...it was actually nice to stand up for once! It is only about 45-60 seconds of climbing if I remember correctly.
Let me know if you have other questions...specifics or anything. I am happy to help and will monitor this forum regularly.
I would rate this as a great race!
Nice to hear about the crowd, the only half I have ever done was a very lonely run, only time we saw spectators was at the finish. I sort of picked this race on a whim, it fit nicely with our summer plans, and it seemed very different than the flat, farmland races that I generally get to do in Delaware and NJ. I am very relieved to hear it is nice. I am sure I will have more questions as we get closer.
We are staying in a hotel near the finish line and I know that there is a 50 mile drive to the start, but we could not afford to stay near the start. Huge/amazing price difference.
I'm in for Rhode Island 70.3 as well. It is close to home for me (we live in Boston suburbs), so I will probably drive down early or stay with friends (if I can bum an invite). I did IMSG on May 1, so was looking for race to keep me motivated into the summer. Not surprised about the price differences between beach areas and downtown Providence!
I'm not racing but will likely take the opportunity to ride to Prov. and watch some of the race and cheer my fellow ENr's on.
@david - which town are you in? I'm in Milford
After signing up a year ago it did not work in our travel schedule.
Hope you all enjoy it and your training goes well.
Carrie
will be racing in Rhode Island this year.
thanks for the course info!
T1 is something like 40 miles from T2...so, logistically, it is a little challenging to try to stage on Saturday. My advice would be, if there was a race to set up on Friday instead of Saturday, this one is it!
The swim is (was) straight out and back in Naragansett (spelling?) Bay, a protecting inlet, with an age-group run-in start off a sand beach. Out of the swim is up the beach, over the protective sand dune, past the wetsuit strippers and down into T1.
T1 is in an asphalt parking lot (the Naragansett Beach parking lot) and is nice and flat, plenty of space, lots of spectators...friends and family will have to choose to watch the swim exit of T1 - watching both would be difficult unless they are willing to run! (the sand dunes block the beach view from the parking lot)
I only have one other race to compate the Rhode Island T1 to, and that is New Orleans. I liked Rhode Island much better because if was, spacially, smaller, which meant less toting the bike around, a shorter T1 time, and Rhode Island was a parking lot instead of a field so I didn't worry about twisting an ankle or anything like that. Also, one thing to note about T1, IT IS A 'CLEAN' TRANSITION ZONE...meaning, you can't leave stuff on the ground. Everything has to be hanging on your bike and/or in the designated T1 bag that they give you, and everything should be left in the bag when you leave T1 so your bag can meet you at the finish.
The first half of the bike is mostly flat to rolling, the second half gets more hilly before you finally get into the city.
T2 is a big field right in front of the state capital...pretty set up. It is spacially a little bigger than T1, but, it is very spread out between bike racks so very easy to get in and get out. Again, it is a clean transition zone, so you'll have to put your bike gear into the bag you pull your running stuff out of before leaving (again, ONLY the designated bag is supposed to be on the ground...no laying your shoes out nice and neat). I didn't really find this clean transition stuff to be much of a pain though.
The run was described previously, but, I failed to mention that the turn around is litterally a stone's throw from the finish, so, you'll get to run right up to the finish chute just before turning around and braving that damn hill again...fun stuff!
This is a great race though...AWESOME fan support, great course; wish I could fit it in again!
If I were doing the race, I'd try to stay in Naragansett the night before the race and hae my sherpa pack up and drive to Providence for the finish. I realize that isn't logistically possible for most though. If you are driving from Providence to Narragansett the morning of the race, gie yourself an hour door-to-sand.
Dave E - PM me with contact info and we can try to hook up for a weekend ride. We have a group that rides out of Stow and another out of Westboro. I'm sure we can find a spot to meet.
I'm in for Providence this year and so is Dave. We're pumped to be on a new course!
I'll definitely be on the course somewhere.
My wife and father came, parked in the Naragansett (spelling?) beach parking (where you are directed to park) and watched me go out for the swim, come in from the swim, T1, and then exit T1. Then, they were there when I reached T2 in downtown.
Now, I don't know what life looked like in the 2:45 between exit of T1 to entrance to T2 for them, but, they made it alright! My guess would be that traffic was ugly after leaving the beach post T1 and that parking was a pain in downtown Providence (though there is plenty of parking at the beach race morning). There is really not as much of a traffic issue on race day as there is on Saturday...so, that certainly helped.
The entire time I was there I used a car...no buses. The nice thing is that downtown has a lot of parking and really isn't so big that you can't park 4-5 blocks away and be somewhere on foot in 10 minutes.
That help?
Steve-we are getting ready to pack up and head east. My husband wanted me to ask if your crew was able to leave the lake immediately after you were finished or if they had to wait until 8:30 when the swim was 'over' to head out. I am in wave 3 (the advantage of being an old lady) so I start at 06:05 and should be done WAY before 8:30-if he has to wait I might even beat him back to the city.
Thanks-
Sheryl