Turkey Tri, San Dimas Nov 29th

I'll be there.  First time in this particular race, but I've done a couple tri's at Bonelli Park before.  Fairly hilly bike course.  Run is also rolling and has a mix of trails and roads.

(E.T.A.:  Letmi, I see your first tri was Hansen Dam...this course is a bit hillier than that one.)

Edited by tcovert 2009-11-10 2:34 PM

I did this race in 2007. A few things you should know...The swim is pretty cold, probably in the upper 50's. Also, they say it is a half mile, but it is more like 3/4 of a mile. You will have to run back to T1 through a lot of gravel and on asphalt. The bike course is nice, but has some pretty big climbs. There is one very techincal part, after the dam, where you have a downhill, hairpin right turn, and a short, but steep uphill. You have to plan ahead on the gearing for that, or you could be in trouble. I recommend checking it out ahead of time so you know what to expect. The bike course is 14 miles, which is longer than they advertise. The run in nice, though it is long. They say 4 miles, but it was clocked at 4.7. There is a link below to my race report, if you're interested. It was a bad race for me, but only because of an injury. I hope to race it again next year.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=97014

I have done it twice. Its a nice after Tureky day race but too cold for me. So I am passing on it this year.

Almost wishing I asked this before I signed up!

I'm strong on the bike so the hills aren't disturbing me too much. But the freezing cold water and the T1 run area just sound bad.

My running isn't stellar ever since I had plantar fasciitis, but I'm fine with just finishing. 

Oh well, still out to have fun and if I have to endure a bit of pain/cold, it'll only make me stronger! :P 

Don't worry too much about the cold. I was in a sleeveless and did fine. I actually did a colder swim a few months later, so Turkey Tri might feel warm now! The run back to T1 isn't horrible, just a little dicey. Take it slow! You'll have fun!

Bonelli triathlons are interesting...

I have done the Turkey Tri and an Olympic Tri at Bonelli. Renegade Racing does a much better job than Tri Events.  You can see the swim buoys and the coarse is better marked.  The Bonelli bike course is not a beginner course and is challenging.  There are lots of rollers and only one flat part near the airport which is usually windy.  I would also classify the run course as hilly but, at least you do not have to mix in trail runs during the Turkey Tri.  I did not find the water cold at the Turkey Tri last year but, YMMV.  The water temp has t be in the low 50s before I find it cold.

Do not get me wrong, Bonelli has it own charm and I am sure I will race there again.  I did enjoy the Turkey Tri last year, and have recommended it to others...

Its all good. But indeed, you really have to watch the biking. There are a couple of hairpin turns with a small steep climb. When I raced it two years ago some guy did eat big time. You just have to be very careful during some of the bike. Other than that, it is a really fun Tri. I highly recommend.

Alas, I can't afford it this year.

Good luck to anyone else racing this.  Blue and white Kestrel Talon with Adamo ISM saddle, Xterra wetsuit,  black and gray TYR transition bag, black and white TYR tri top, if anyone racing wants to say hello.

---------------

Todd





Edited by tcovert 2009-11-29 6:41 AM

The water was a brisk 58 degrees. WAY too cold for me, and I wound up panicking for the first half of the swim. Every time I stuck my face in, my body's reaction was to breath in quick. I was ready to just bail out on the race. I stuck it out, but that swim ruined the rest of the race for me, I had zero energy to continue so I had a horrible race time.

Am I a wuss in 58 degree water or is that kinda on the cold side? I don't think I'll be doing a November race again!

Definitely cold...but I have to say I wore a sleeveless wetsuit and had one of my best swims yet.  (I suppose it was partly because I knew I'd gotten through a 1/2 mile training swim in the ocean this summer in 58F water with no wetsuit okay...that and it was cold enough that I had extra incentive to swim fast.)

Cold water is a real issue in triathlon--contributes to equilibrium issues and panic attacks--so is something to work towards getting at least a bit accustomed to:  Like I note above, in SoCal, you can run into water temps in the upper 50s even in late summer at the beach...definitely a possibility at some of the most popular tris in the area.

I was wondering why I was encountering so many people breaststroking on the swim yesterday...I guess that the cold water might have been the reason.

Sorry you had a rough time of it. 

what were the distances for this tri? couldn't make it this year but plan on being there next year for sure.

i'm actually planning on doing the series with tri events next year.

Just FYI:  The Tri Events series is a different promoter than for Turkey Tri.  Turkey Tri is bigger (and better run, IMO) than the Tri Events series, but all are okay events.  Higher percentage of first-timers at the Tri Events races, esp. the Steamboat/BOD in the fall.

Turkey Tri is a longish sprint:  1/2 mile / 14 miles / 4.5 miles.  (I found the bike course to be long--closer to 14.5.)

I did the race in 2007 and found that the published distances were shorter than the actual. It is published as a .5 mile swim, 14 mile bike, and 4 mile run. It was clocked by several athletes as a 3/4 mile swim, 15 mile bike, and 4.7 mile run.

Swim probably wasn't long this year--my time was right about where I predicted (out of the water in 14-flat, swimming on the outside almost the whole way), couldn't have been significantly long.  Bike was about 14.6 by my bike computer and the run was 4.62 by my Garmin.