Finding the right Competition

As an aspiring sprint/olympic triathlete, I am very particular about where and when I'll do a triathlon.  My first triathlon was the Mayo Lake Sprint and I trained from May to August 2009.   Honestly, it was more like an X-Terra race, and an interesting first foray into multi-sport challenges. It was fun, but not your typical sprint triathlon (if there is such thing as a "typical sprint").  My follow-on events were in September and October, both very flat courses and in salt water.  For Mayo Lake,  I didn't do much homework above reviewing some websites and reading previous race feedback to find this race.  As a result, I've thought about what are my top five things I look for in an event:

1. Day of the Week: I am a BIG fan of Saturday triathlons.  Summer traffic tends to be less, if you're returning home, and you have a full day to recover.  I know, what you're thinking is, "why does a puny sprint triathlon require a day of rest?"  Well...um, I'm not sure it does, but it sure does feel nice to have a day off before returning to work.  There are quite a few races on a Saturday in the Middle Atlantic region, you'll see that after I post my schedule for the year...which is coming soon.


2. Type of Competitors:  Every sport has their lazies and their crazies.  I look for events that have a share of both.  I plan to do some events that are very family friendly that embrace the fun aspects of competition, and I also plan on trying some races that will challenge my ability not finish last in my age group.  Who doesn't love watching that 30 or 40 something  stud(ette) who has the $10K bike and crazy get-up finish with the same time as someone just starting out from their couch at home?  A diverse group of competitors make racing much more fun!

3. Course Type: Some folks like flat courses and some like monster hills.  Some like the calm fresh lake waters and others like the choppiness of the inlet.  My first race at Mayo Lake last year was, as I mentioned earlier, was a bit more challenging with a 15 mile hilly bike and a 5K full trail run.  Had I known more detail (above what the website said), I would have trained differently, since I'm still new to the bike and run.    It was only the 2nd year for the race, but the race grew from 50 participants in 2008 to over ~300 in 2009.   I chose the race, in part, to participate in something less crowded and more with more beginners, however, there were a lot of more skilled triathletes than in my last two of the season (apparently the NC X-Terra championships were the week after Mayo Lake, so we had a bunch of folks testing their skills).  I still had fun (and will probably do it again this year), but knowing what to expect is half the battle especially when your starting out.  I mean, most people wouldn't start out with a SavageMan if they knew they were aiming for something like the Nation's Tri.  Right now in my triathlete career, I'm leaning towards flat to slightly hilly courses for both the bike and run.  As for the swim, freshwater is nicer, in my opinion, since it doesn't involve ocean water, but I'll take an ocean/bay swim if it's slightly choppy or calm.


4. Location:  This is a no brainer and common sense right?  Well, on the East Coast some people are willing to go to the ends of the earth, packing their bags and heading out for 6-8 hours in a car for a one weekend.  I personally aim for a 2-4 hour drive time, which puts me anywhere from NJ to NC.  After a race, whether you're staying the night or not, it'll give you the rest on the day to get home, minimizing uncomfortable post-race car time.

5. Accommodations:  I like to go to events with better hotel accommodations.  I didn't say expensive ones, just "better".  We all know that triathlons can take place in very austere locations, far from places with lodging and food places above one AAA diamond, I try to avoid those races mainly because I try and will try to make mini-vacations out of race weekends wherever possible.  I guess I like being able to sleep in a comfortable bed, not a campground, and eat well, instead of eating fast/convenience food, for 48 hours.

Thanks for reading.

Let me know what you think.