Race Profile: Tri the Midlands Triathlon

I raced the Tri the Midlands Triathlon last weekend and had a blast. It looked like rain the whole morning, but we never got a drop. It was cloudy and cool the entire race. No winds to contend with, and the water temp was 84 degrees.

This is race #7 in the SC Tri Series, which is probably why it hit max capacity (400) a week before. Not bad for a first time event. The race was in north Columbia in an upscale planned community called Lake Carolina. Leaving from Mt. Pleasant, you can get there in 2hrs 15min.

Setup Events reported that they had over 70 novices registered, which are typically first time racers. That's incredible, and probably why this race had such a positive vibe. When you take the unique setting of this race, add in all the first timers and high number of spectators, it makes for a good race.

The Swim
The 500 mtr swim is in Lake Carolina – a good looking lake that isn’t funky and nasty like some of the other lake swims I’ve done this year. It’s a wet start, so you’ll wade in and tread water until your wave comes up. You swim counter clockwise around three buoys, and head back toward the beach. Once you exit the water, you have about 150 yards or so to transition, which is a little longer than most runs back to transition.

On these short swims, you should plan for some bumping, especially when it bottlenecks at turn buoys. I stayed in a pack of about eight swimmers the entire race. This is about as short a swim as you’ll see in a triathlon, so if the swim leg is something that causes you concern, you should check out this race.

The Bike
The 12 mile bike is another short distance, even by sprint standards. The first and last mile are inside the neighborhood. The course has a lot of turns, which I like. It just makes it go by faster to me. For the most part, there isn’t much elevation change. A few rolling hills, but nothing drastic. The longest straightaway on the course is slightly uphill and will keep even the stronger cyclists below 20 MPH, but this stretch of road is only about 2.5 miles long.

The Run
The 5k run is entirely in the Lake Carolina neighborhood. Leaving the transition area, you’ll have a nice ½ mile or so uphill, then it’s onto the bike path. Once on the path, you have another ½ mile of rolling hills, then it’s a long, big climb to the turn around point. At the turn around, you go back the same way you came and get to see everyone struggling on that hill. It’s approximately 1.25 miles back to the finish line.

I liked this run. You stay in close proximity to the field at all times, literally passing shoulder to shoulder. The hills make it interesting because they pack a punch for sure. And, as is the case with most Setup races, the finish chute was lined with spectators and adoring fans.

So overall, I really, really liked this race. I know I say that about every event I do, but I’m going to score this one slightly higher than the Lake Murray Triathlon (also in Columbia). The more urban setting makes the scenery much better, and I like doing a shorter course every once in a while. Two thumbs up. And I would highly recommend this event for first timers.

Race Profile: Savannah Sprint Triathlon

The 2nd Savannah Sprint Triathlon (500 yds, 16, 5k) is tomorrow morning (Sunday June 1). The race starts at 7:30 a.m. at L. Scott Stell Community Park, which is about two miles off I-95, just south of Savannah.

As of today, there are 200 pre-registered individual participants and 7 relay teams. Online registration is closed, but you can still register race morning for $60, and $90 for a relay team.

The water Temperature is currently 76 degrees, so take your wetsuit, just in case the water temp stays below 78 degrees.

Radek Parnica is the race director, and if you don’t recognize his name, you probably should. He’s easily one of the top 5 triathletes in the state. The first Savannah Sprint was last October, which was also Radek’s first time directing a race. I raced the event last year and think he did a great job, plus he’s filling a huge void in the Savannah area since this is the only Savannah triathlon.

Hilton Head has a pretty active tri community with several races, most of which are sponsored by Go Tri Sports – a really good Hilton Head-based tri shop. Savannah itself has a strong community of triathletes, and an active tri club. But until Radek stepped in, they had no triathlons. Radek also provides endurance coaching and can work with athletes in all disciplines. You can get all the details at Radek’s website.

If you decide to do this event, you’ll probably need to leave around 4:30 if you live in Charleston. That’s doable.

Race Details
The swim is in a small pond at the park. It has the same vibe as the James Island County Park swim. It’s a little funky on the bottom, and there are mutant duck/geese things swimming around, but it’s a pond, so what do you expect?

The transition area is first come, first served as far as rack placement. The 16-mile bike is typical back roads with little traffic, but do watch for cars since it’s an open course. The surface conditions are decent with no real rough spots. Police are there to man the intersections and there really isn’t any chance of getting lost. The run is a two loop affair inside the park, basically around the pond. Short and sweet.

Radek did a nice job with the post race food and award ceremony. There was a massage tent set up, music, professional photography and timing, and even a buddy of his riding around filming the race, which was later posted on YouTube. Pretty cool.

I won’t be racing tomorrow, but if he does it again in the fall, I’ll certainly be there. Highly recommended.