Grand Rapids Tri June 9th First Timer ?'s

1. Get there early. The first year they had a "bike drop-off area", but I don't recall if they had that last year or not. They were running a shuttle from a couple of different parking lots as well, but I have preferred to just park over by Vitale's in their parking lot and walk my stuff over. They also have parking at the Amway facility with shuttles, but I would go for Vitale's if possible. Not far away, easy access.
2. Prepare to be annoyed with the transition area. It isn't their fault, they are doing what they can with the area available to them, but it is cramped and the aisles aren't very wide. Transition spots are numbered by rack, but first come on your particular rack.
3. Transition is extremely long and narrow, as it is basically on a two lane road. This means about one rack on each side of the road, so you have to go through a *LOT* of ground to get in and out of the transition area. It is also a short distance from the swim exit.
4. HIM goes off first, then Sprint, then Olympic. The sprint swimmers will start mixing in with many of the HIM swimmers on the second half of the swim.
5. As always, be careful exiting the water. They do have volunteers there to help a bit, but it is a concrete ramp going up out of the water, and can be a little slippery. Also opportunities to stub your toes!
6. Last year, I think the loudspeaker down near the water went out (or just wasn't loud enough, can't recall which). I didn't realize what was happening, but they had the crowd count down "5, 4,3, 2, 1, GO" to get each wave to start. I was lucky to have my goggles on when I saw people around me start moving, so I just went with it. Hopefully they have that issue taken care of this year.
7. The swim is nice. The sprint is out about 250 yards, over 100 yards or so, and then back 250 yards (just guessing on distances). This is nice for me because it gives a bit of room for the waves to spread out before the first turn buoy. Water temp should be around 70 for race day, I am guessing. Good wetsuit swim usually.
8. Hammer that bike. It's mostly flat (at least for the sprint). The Olympic and HIM go out and return on the same course, so there is some intermingling, but it isn't really a problem. Caution needs to be used by everyone at the sprint turnaround for the bike.
9. I've thought it was a great race the last two years. Good crowds near the transition and finish lines. I remember there being multiple waves for each event (I think sprint was M 29-under, M30-44, and M45-up), so the start lines aren't too bad.

My biggest complaint (and this isn't much) lies with the packet pickup being restricted to Saturday at certain times only per event. Oh well.

Enjoy!

Thanks Brad. I should have mentioned I'm doing the half. Any other insider perspectives are appreciated!

I second everything Brad said. Great advice all around. Couple of additions....

Bring bug spray for transition. They'll have some available but bring your own to be safe. The mosquitoes are vampirish this year.

Be VERY careful at the sprint and Oly turn arounds. Shouldn't be too much of an issue with you doing the half, but they have a couple crashes each year because someone is turning and someone else is going straight and it doesn't get communicated.

Get into the swim corral early. Especially if you are in the first wave. Last year I had to fight my way though the masses who didn't start for 3 or 4 waves and barely made it to the water in time for the start.

Be careful as you exit the swim. It is a boat launch ramp and each side drops off so make sure you watch your footing. Just check it out during your warmup so you aren't caught off guard.

If you are interested, I have a couple race reports from the past two years...

http://www.ironmanbythirty.com/2012/06/11/race-report-grand-rapids-...

http://www.ironmanbythirty.com/2011/06/06/race-report-grand-rapids-...

Note that the bike course has changed slightly but not dramatically. Same general direction and hills, just different roads.

Oh, and one final piece of advice... don't pass me!

Good luck out there!

Just noticed you are doing the MiTi full as well. I'll be doing that one too. If you are in the GR/West Michigan area and ever want to pre-ride the course, let me know.

Thanks for the additions Kevin. I'm in Birmingham on the East side of the state so pre-riding isn't likely. But hey, you never know?

This part should be totally different this year as the bike course has changed. You still get a bit of a climb as you pass through Saranac, but the new route has much better roads so we get to avoid the mess of pot holes. Also it is more of a straight shot through Saranac so no hills around blind corners.

I too park at Vitales and make the trek over. As long as you can carry all of your gear in a single backpack, this is probably the easiest way to get to transition in the morning.

Hope you can make it back someday Rottieguy! Maybe try for the Michigan Titanium half or full in August?

Another Q: Are the half distance bike aid station fluids actual bike bottles they give you or do they just hand you an off the shelf bottle of Gatorade or a bottle of water? If its off the shelf, does anyone remember what size (oz) it was.

The bottles are Gatorade and Aquafina-esq bottles with sport tops on them. (Basing this off of last two years and as far as I know it hasn't changed)

This is what the Gatorade bottles look like: http://www.roadcycler.com/images/Gatorade.jpg 24oz I think. These fit int your water bottles cages great. It was almost like they were made for it. Last two years it has been fruit punch (red) at all of the aid stations on the bike. On the run it has been yellow and blue Gatorade in cups.

The water bottles are 20oz bottles that they put sport nozzles on. These fit into a water bottle cage but are not super snug. You are better off putting this one in your downtube cage or your jersey pocket rather than a behind the saddle cage.

The bottles should be good to go with the wrapping removed unless you get a dud.

Awesome! Thanks for the details Kevin. Starting to get my nutrition plan organized.