New Half Ironman event in South Carolina

Finally, another half ironman distance triathlon in South Carolina. On October 10, 2009, for the First Annual Long Bay Triathlon will take place in Litchfield/Murrell’s Inlet at Huntington Beach State Park. This is a half ironman distance event – 1.2 mile ocean swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run.

I’m happy to see another half iron race in South Carolina. Until now, we’ve had only Setup’s SC Half Ironman in Greenwood. That’s a great event, but it’s the only long distance triathlon in the state. Other half iron options, that don’t require too much travel, include the Rock n’ Roll Half Ironman in Macon, GA and the Whitelake Half in Whitelake, NC.

Race Info
Registration is now open. The cost is $165 for individual participants. They also just added a relay option for $250. This race is a USAT sanctioned event.

The swim is a 2-loop, out and back, wave start, ocean swim. Water temperature is expected to be in the low 70’s, so wetsuits will be allowed unless water temps go above 78 degrees. The swim cutoff time is 1hr 10 minutes.

The bike portion is a relatively flat 56 mile course with 3 aid stations. This course is not closed to traffic, and the cut off time is 5:30 from your race wave start time.

The run is also relatively flat, consisting of a 13.1 mile loop consisting of beach, trail, and road sections. There will be 5 aid stations on the run course. The run cut off time is 8:30 from your race wave start.

Concerns
Putting on a race this size requires a lot of work, volunteers, money, and attention to detail. Hopefully, this race will go off without a hitch. But I can’t really tell from the website if this outfit has experience producing races this size. The race director is listed on the website, but not the production company, so I assume it’s his show.

Personally, I like to know if the production company or individual has experience with large-scale events. I only mention this because a race this distance really needs all the controls in place – aid station supplies, medical staff, traffic control, volunteers, timing, etc. I wouldn’t be concerned if it were a road race or sprint triathlon, but a long distance event like this is a different beast. Just more time for things to go wrong. And first-time events, regardless of distance, always seem to have more hiccups along the way.

Initially, very little information was available on the website, but they continue updating and adding information, which leads me to believe this is a ‘work in progress.’ For example, it looks like they recently changed the race date from the 11th to the 10th. No big deal, but before I pay $165 for a race, I really want to know that all the bases are covered, that the event will be safe, and honestly, that it will be worth the money.

They are definitely working in the right direction. Hopefully, if they haven’t already, they will secure enough sponsors and volunteers to make this event something special because I really appreciate having another race option so close to home. Stay tuned.