Richmond Rox Endurance Triathlon 9-23-12

I'm doing this too.  Also my first half.  Looking forward to it with nervous anticipation.  I feel good about being able to go the distance, just hoping I pace myself right.  I can plan all I want to take the swim and bike easy to conserve energy, but will I actually listen to myself come race day?

I've swam there twice. Almost no current each time. The race site is located about a mile downriver from the fall line, so the current is dictated by both tide and river flow. At race time, the tide will be coming in, which will either slow down the current or cause it to flow upriver slightly. However, since it's so close to the last set of rapids, I don't think it can flow upriver too quickly. So, we have a decent hope for almost no current. Obviously, if there's a lot of rain in the days before, the river level and current could be high. I hope that's not the case, because I want to go the full 70.3 and if the current is too strong they'll have to shorten the swim to downriver only or cancel it altogether.

I've ridden the bike course once. I find the bike course to be less hilly than the roads where I live and ride in western Chesterfield and Powhatan Counties. If you're from the mountains, you'll probably considerit to be flat; if you're from Va Beach or Florida, you'll think it's hilly. There are a lot of rollers but no real beasts to climb.

The run is kind of interesting - it's a mixture of about everything, including several flights of stairs. I'm honestly not looking forward to climbing the stairs after 56 miles of biking and 10 miles of running, but everyone else has to do it, too, so it's fair. I'm sure there are faster 70.3 courses out there, but this one should be a good challenge.

Laurie and crew did a fantastic job, really first class.  Volunteers were spectacular.  VCU medical was great.

The course was not what I would call a "beginner's half"... specifically the run. But i felt like I earned that 70.3 sticker!

My only complaint was about VDOT milling a random mile of pavement back in the country. Knuckleheads.