Rocketman Tri Review

Did the Classic+ today. Originally signed up for the HIM but ended up not being able to get the training in so I dropped down. I'm very glad I didn't make this my first HIM.

Here are the highlights from today:

TA closed an hour and a half before the sprint distance started. Originally they claimed they were going to have separate TAs for the HIM and the rest but they didn't. Absolutely ridiculous to be stuck standing around in nothing but tri shorts and a swim cap for that long with no access to my stuff. At least it wasn't cold. The TA was in grass/sugar sand. Like 3" deep.

Entry/exit to the water was set up in ankle breaking fashion. Sandbags in the water at the bottom of the stairs. The stairs themselves were nice, problem is that it was single file from water exit all the way back to the TA.

Water was barely waist deep for the entire swim. Heck, the first/last 50 yds was thigh deep so no one was swimming because it was too shallow so it was just a bunch of people walking through thigh deep water to the exit. It was bizarre and comical to see. The water was so shallow that most of the participants actually WALKED around the buoys at the turns. I swam because it was faster than walking but most didn't. It was that shallow.

Bike was 30 miles, which they were up front about. It was fine for the most part but there was no support whatsoever after the first 5 miles or so because of restrictions at KSC. The roads were pretty bad in a lot of places but that's not really the RD's fault.

The run was weirdly laid out and was unnecessarily long. It was nearly 4 mi and included a section through a museum that was just not needed. There was really no reason for the extended run distance on the sprint.

Finally it's 1430 the day of the race and the results STILL are not posted. I have no idea where I placed in my age group, what any of my official splits were nor how any of my friends did. There's just no excuse for this in this day and age. Most of the smallest tri's have the results posted online before I even get to my car after the race. It's really aggravating.

This race was a fiasco last year and I was hesitant to register this year because of that. I've met the RD and he seems like a good guy. I think he means well, but this race just doesn't work. The idea of racing around KSC is better than the reality. The roads are awful up there, there is no good location for the swim, the absolutely asinine requirement that all participants purchase a full price admission to KSC is insane. I know he struggles to get volunteers for these races, from what I've heard some folks have had bad experiences with him. It was mostly young kids doing all the volunteering, which is fine and I appreciate their time and help, but this race just doesn't work and I won't be signing up again next year.

Edited by aliddle9876 2014-10-12 1:29 PM