Sarah Jo Austin

Republic Tiger Triathlon Race Review

August 27th, 2008

Sunday I shared with you all my experience with my first triathlon, and today I want to tell you a bit more about the race itself and give you (and its organizers) some feedback about how I thought it went. Let’s get some key stuff out of the way:

• Race Name: Republic Tiger Triathlon
• Years Held: Two
• Distances: 300 yard swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
• Sponsors/Organizers: Republic Parks & Recreation, Ozarks Multisport Club, Sunshine Bike Shop, Ultramax Events

Prerace
OK, let’s talk about about the prerace, which includes everything from registration to packet pick-up to race morning to swag. For the most part, I found everything I needed to know about this race on its website, which I appreciate because I am online all the time, and I could check out results and pictures from last year’s race, too, which gave me an idea of what to expect for this race. At the same time, the website publicized two prerace workshops (one in June and one in July) that never really panned out–the website said TBA, and well, they were never announced, so I assume they were canceled or never organized.

I didn’t register for the race until the Monday before, but even so, registration was pretty painless. Ultramax Events has online registration, so there was no form to fill out and mail in. Bueno. Likewise, packet pick-up was well organized. Several OMC members were there volunteering and answering questions.

I’ll discuss swag here because most of it came in my packet. Excellent round up of goodies. For one, the t-shirt was awesome; it’s a black ringer technical T with cool (not lame) graphics that actually fits! I also got a plastic water bottle with the race logo on it, a Hammer gel, coupons to miscellaneous stores, some magnets, and a triathlete catalog. At the finish line, I was handed a black hand towel (soaked in ice water) with the race logo on it, too.

Swim
Let’s actually get to the race. Swimming, of course, came first. The Republic Aquatic Center has a 25 yard pool, so to get in 300 yards, you have to do 12 lengths of the pool. As a first-time triathlete, I’m glad I had a pool, but the short lanes made the swim difficult. Once you get into a rhythm, you’re nearly at the end of the lane, so you have to turn around and start again. The faster swimmers went first, but it was really up to the participants to organize themselves according to swim time. Naturally, because time estimates are only estimates, there were some traffic jams in the pool. The pool has a sloped, “beach” exit, so you don’t have to climb out of it.

Transition Area
The transition area was just a big parking lot, and since this is my first experience with a transition area, I didn’t have any issues with it. It sloped a bit, so depending on which way you were headed, you were going either up hill or down hill.

Bike
The bike course kicked my butt, but that’s probably my own fault. I am told that most triathlons either have a hard bike course and an easy run or vice versa, and this one had a rough bike course. Hilly does not begin to describe it; even when you think you’re on a flat, you’re on a slight incline. The course was six miles long, so we road it twice. We were out on paved county roads, so volunteers and the police and fire departments were stationed along the way to warn traffic and to assist if we wiped out. The roads were well-marked with the route, and there were signs along the way denoting upcoming turns or dangerous intersections.

Run
The run was, of course, my favorite part simply because I’m a runner. The course cut through a Republic neighborhood, and there were three aid stations, lots of volunteers, and a mister (like at the Olympics!). It was just an easy, flat course, which I appreciated after such a hilly bike ride. I don’t have much to say about; it was pretty standard as far as 5K routes go.

Facilities
Ah, yes, toilets. The Aquatic Center had real toilets with toilet paper, and they came in quite handy, though the TP ran out midway through the swim. The Community Center next door also had facilities for us to use, too.

Volunteers
The race volunteers were awesome! Many of them stationed around the pool and transition area were OMC members (I recognized them), so I was confident that they knew what was going on. Many of the volunteers on the bike and run course were high school students, whose organizations benefited from the race’s proceeds (I read somewhere that it benefited Parkview HS cross country and Republic HS band, but I can’t find that info again.). The volunteers on the courses cheered for everyone and were enthusiatic and encouraging! I even bantered back and forth with one HS boy who insisted that I was indeed Number 1.

Other Thoughts
The most depressing thing about the race was the staggered start. There were over 300 participants, and it took over an hour for us to get through the pool. By the time I started, the elite triathletes were crossing the finish line, and they were already announcing the awards when I came in from my run, which meant that I didn’t receive any of those awards. By the time I finished, non-race participants had started helping themselves to the post-race food, which really ticked me off. The area was clearly marked, but some people still insisted on feeding their kids.

I loved the race because everyone was so supportive of the beginners. I bet a better part of the field of participants were first-time triathletes, so I didn’t feel like I was the only one who didn’t know what was going on. At a prerace orientation on Friday night, one gal who was borderline obese came in and sat down, and I thought, “Surely, she’s just here with a friend. Surely, she’s not doing the triathlon.” But she did! And she finished it! It took her two hours to do the bike ride and another hour to do the run, (and I didn’t stay to see her finish), but she was such an inspiration! I don’t know if I’d have guts to do that. The course is by no means easy, but the distance is short enough that a beginner can tackle it. Everyone’s willingness to answer questions and not make you feel stupid really brightened the experience.

So the real question: Would I do this race again? I’ll give that a pretty confident yes. Based on my experience, I think it’s a great race for beginning and experienced triathletes alike, and I say go for it!

Entry Filed under: fitness/health