Have you done Racine 70.3?

Yeah, I saw that happened last year. What caused the no swim?

Good things about Racine - from a Racine native.  Cheese curds, kringle, awesome Italian food.  And the race itself is ok.   Actually..I was a spectator last year and the run course and swim are very easy to follow if you have any sherpas.  The weather may be brutally hot and the lake can be cold with swells.  However..last year it was crystal clear and warm.  The swim is 1.2 miles from point to point so I think it is better than doing a loop.  Although you have to walk a mile on the beachfrom transition to the start.  The beach itself is pristine. The volunteers seem to be awesome. the bike course is fairly flat and again lots of places for spectators to watch you.

The bad.. don't get lost and go down Racine street or Memorial drive. lol. 

I've done Racine 2006,2007,2008,2009,2011.

The swim is nice. Water is refreshing and historically cool/cold and since WTC took the race over, the swim is finally measured correctly. It's been notoriously short.

It's flattish on the bike with terrible pavement conditions. You might be better off saving your money and just hitting yourself in the crotch repeatedly with a hammer, in the comfort of your own home.

The run is flattish as well, with limited shade. There are 2 significant hills. The rest of it is flat. It's a boring course. I agree.

I did Steelhead in 2008. It was a duathlon. I cried an actual tear and vowed never to do that race again.

I think this year I might try the Rev 3 Half in Wisconsin Dells instead, or The Door County Half. The roads in Racine are... deplorable, and enough to make me want to drive 4 more hours north to Door County.

Pros=it's a one night stayover for me coming from Madison, the water is clean, I like the point to point swim despite the 1m walk from transition to the start,

Cons=bumpy, flat roads for the ride, double loop run course with very little shade.

I'm opting for either HITS Galena or REV3 Wisconsin Dells next year.    Both are a one night stay for me and hilly .

Scratch the above reference to HITS Galena.  I got an email from the last night that Galena is moving to Fort Collins Colorado due to marina issues in IL. 

Cons - It usually very hot that day.  Non-bike-friendly roads (as a lot have stated).  You usually see aftermath strewn on the road, ex. gu gels, water bottles, gel bottles, because of the bumps.  Lake Michigan is brrrrrrrrr cold!

Pros - Somewhat of a fast race, even though, as everyone as stated, the roads are not so bike-friendly.  The crowd support is okay.  Wetsuit-friendly swim to counter the coldness of Lake Michigan.

I've participated and completed this race 3 times prior to it getting picked up by Ironman.

I have heard Green Bay is a nicer race, albeit a tough bike and run with the hills.

I'm signed up for Rev3 Wisconsin. It looks good.  Rev3 is more family conscious and the site is also in the Dells.  It's not half an hour or an hour away, but right there.  Finish line is at Noah's Ark.  I suggested they have it line up with The Plunge (or something else). Having said that, 5 minutes of riding on the bike and we're out in wide open space.  The first 5 min are in subdivisions, but seem to have adequate space.

I've ridden the bike course, and it's much more hilly than Racine.  The run course is too, and I only did half of that.  Overall, I think it'll be a much better experience even though it will be more difficult.  I might still do Racine as well (it's still a decent event), but am looking forward to Rev3 Wisc more.  Hills are much more entertaining than the feeling of getting shot in the rump every 15 seconds from the Racine bumps.

Perhaps only if you drop pants.

Wear dark colors.