Part 1 (Event Registration & Website) can be found HERE.
Part 3 (Event Expo & Race Day) can be found HERE.
The event's official website can be found HERE.
Athlete Guide
One week before race day, organizers sent all participants an Athlete Guide via email. It outlines in decent detail the ins-and-outs of the events for race weekend, including parking, race day schedule, lodging options, packet pick-up, etc etc etc.
Click HERE for the 2014 Athlete Guide.
Course Preview
Course Changes
More specifically, "changes from 2012." For the swim, elites used to swim in the Des Moines River. As most will attest, I'm sure they're glad they have since been moved to Gray's Lake just outside of downtown (age-groupers have always swam there). And the run? That used to start from the lake area and finish downtown. For age-groupers, transition has always been just south of Gray's Lake. I sorta miss the downtown finish, but it does make spectating a bit easier, I suppose. And it rids the run course of the nasty hill up towards the Capitol Building.
As I'd mentioned before, this year's courses haven't really changed from 2013 (as in, at all). But If you've taken a hiatus from the Hy-Vee Tri in recent years, they've undergone some changes. So best to review them now. So with that...
Parking
Perhaps the most confusing my first time around was the whole parking situation. Yes, it's just south of transition. And yes, transition is just south of the lake. But getting there is far from obvious. On race day, and the days prior, the lake area is completely shut down, which means you'll have to get to parking some other way. That only other way is coming in from the west, on Bell Avenue just west of Fleur Drive. Signage will be up to direct you, but you have to turn on to SW 22nd Street, which passes under Fleur Drive, and in to the parking area. All the way from 4:30am of race day, this lead-in to parking is traffic-laden, so be sure to give yourself an extra 30-45 minutes of stop-and-go and standstill time. Possibly even closer to an hour approaching transition closing at 6:30am. If you are unlucky enough to get there late and get parking close to the entrance, a long walk to transition will be part of your race morning as well.
And yes, athlete's and spectator's share parking, so it gets a little nuts nearing race time.
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| A view of the the parking (and transition) areas (Image courtesy of Google Earth). |
Transition is located at the Southeast corner of Gray's Lake, right off the Northeastern edge of the parking area. Depending on where you park, it could be a sweet little walk, so be prepared for that upon arrival and exit.
Swim Exit is along the Northern edge of transition, with Bike In/Out at the East, and Run Out at the Northwest corner of transition. All transition is assigned, with small numbered stickers corresponding with bib numbers stuck to the rack's top tube. Simply rack your bike atop your assigned number. Don't expect much space -- though bikes are staggered front-to-back, the bare minimum of space is allotted. In fact, the rear wheel of my bike was touching the rear wheels of the bikes next to me (despite the fact that they were facing the other way). That doesn't leave any room for your transition stuffs, so come with the bare minimum.
For relay racers (i.e. me), there is a "relay box" along transition's Western edge, right next to Run Out. Though I can't image too many scenarios that would improve the relay process, know going in that this is ridiculously hectic and confusing. The intention (at least last year) was to have swimmers run in to the Relay In, find their bikers within the relay box, and then bikers run out of the Relay Out opening (each are separate openings). However, in actual practice, the In/Out openings don't mean anything, because as soon as swimmers start to come in, everyone in the relay box crowds the Relay In/Out areas. So swimmers, after a grueling 1500m, run in to transition only to find a enormous sea of faces and virtually no way of locating their teammate. You can scream your teammate's name, but good luck deciphering among the cacophony of shouted names and "HERE HERE HERE!"s Many a seconds are wasted in transition by relay members, and very few are lucky enough to escape quickly. --Good luck.
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| Transition area in orange, with relay box highlighted in tan, and each sport's In/Out noted. |
The swim is an Olympic-distance 1500m open water swim in the crystal-clean (ha-ha) waters of Gray's Lake. The swim actually starts from a sanded beach on the north side of the lake, which means a solid 1km walk around the lake in bare feet starts off your morning (call it a warm-up). Swimmers exit South before turning West towards the lake's Western most edge. The swim route nearly follows the contour of the Western half of the lake, forming a horseshoe shape. Swimmers exit along the Southeastern edge of the lake, just north of transition. Passing the north-side "peninsula" that juts out in the lake, waters get shallow -- so much that, during drought years, you can actually walk along the lake bed if you wanted to. This year hasn't been so much drought-ish, but don't panic if you happen to touch ground.
Though the area is heavily grassed, it doesn't take long before things get very slick, and possibly even muddy in later waves. This is particularly so for the run in to transition. Many a times have I watched swimmers run in, turn left towards their bike, and -- because the grass is matted down -- completely eat it. I'm talking every fifth swimmer...so the statistics aren't on the swimmer's side. Be very careful running in to T1, and mind your footing every step of the way.
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| The swim. Note that the western trek actually travels further towards the western edge of the lake. |
TrainingPeaks Course Map/Details can be found HERE.
This bike event has almost become specialty, and despite its Iowan skylines, I consider it one of my favorites. Roads are completely blocked off, which means zero traffic whatsoever through the city's downtown roads. Even under USAC and USAT sanctioned races, rare is the event that allows for traffic-free rides.
Also Olympic-distance, the bike is a 40k ride over varied but paved surfaces. Though some of the roads are traditional blacktop, Iowa loves its concrete highways just as much. In fact, if you're riding over blacktop, be prepared for many potholes and patch jobs -- especially on George Flagg Drive along the Sourthern edge of Water Works Park (unless they have been since-fixed, which I doubt). One one climb adorns the route, and it is significant.
As mentioned before, Bike Exit is at transition's Eastern edge, which means quite the cleated run if you're assigned a West-side bike rack (which, given relay, I am, every year). As soon as you hit the parking lot, you mount, and ride through the spectator stands and on to John R Grubb Lane, the park's main road. Once you hit Fleur Drive, turn right. Out of the park and on to Fleur is actually somewhat confusing if you have a later wave: there are cyclists coming South towards you, coming North towards you, cyclists headed West away from, AND there are runners and spectators and volunteers point bikers every which way. Stay focused and be sure to FIRST HEAD NORTH (almost every year I see a cyclist miss the turn and head straight West with the Westbound cyclists, which not only is incorrect, but very dangerous).
A quick jaunt north on Fleur Drive follows with a right-hand turn heading east on Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway towards downtown and across the river. There's a Southern turn on to E 11th Street, and a u-turn turnaround back North, then West again on King Drive. Once back to Fleur, you turn right heading North, again to another u-turn turnaround back South on Fleur. As tempting as it is to turn left back in to Gray's Lake, cyclists turn away from the lake, West on Gray's Lake Road and in to the always-pretty Water Works Park. This is always where I do my overtaking, as cyclists fall in to place and in to rhythms. The roads are very flat inside Water Works Park, and I always aim to take advantage of it.
The route follows the Des Moines River inside Water Works Park before spitting you out on to George Flagg, whose roads can get a little dicey. A slight right on to Park Avenue and cyclists are met with two very nasty railroad crossings, one right after the other. In year's past, the concrete surrounding the tracks was just as rough-edged as the tracks themselves, and if cyclists aren't vigilant, a tire slipping in to the tracks would not be terrifically difficult. In year's past, organizers have laid out blue matting to smooth out the tracks for bikers, but even then it is rough enough to cause a wreck (and, for whatever reason, last year they DIDN'T provide the mats). Be sure to take this section slow and ride as perpendicular to the tracks as possible (they do sit at an angle).
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| A close-up satellite image of the tracks, to give some idea of the best way to cross them. Always run perpendicular to the tracks!! (Image courtesy of Google Earth) |
*Hwy 28: 1.48mi @ 2.1%avg grade (10%), 821-962ft (+143ft) (Category 5)
Though it is the only significant climb of the route, things get very lumpy from there along Highway 28. Several mini-climbs pop up that, along with their late-route appearance, are just enough to cause many cyclists to explode. The route does exit Westbound off of Hwy-28 to Army Post Road, but the mini-climbs continue through to the turnaround just south of the airport, and back on to Hwy-28.
The route turns back on to Thornton and then Park Avenue, which means a very quick descent followed immediately by the train tracks again. This also means that any speed you collect on the way down Thornton is quickly erased passing over the tracks. Park Avenue picks back up slightly after the tracks, so any speed lost is lost for good.
The route also turns back on to George Flagg, but keeps on Flagg instead of running through Water Works Park. Gorge Flagg Parkway is pothole-laden, many of which have been patched -- poorly. Be very careful over these areas. These stretches are also slightly on the incline, so speeds won't be as fast as they were on the way West through Water Works.
Finally, a quick left on Fleur, followed by a quick right back in to Gray's Lake Park. Just be sure to hit the brakes when you enter the spectator stands. It's all-too-easy to give the two-arms-up victory solute to your adoring fans, but T2 is waiting. Visualize, visualize, visualize!
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| The bike route, with Hwy-28 climb highlighted (Image courtesy of Google Earth). |
Run
TrainingPeaks Course Map/Details can be found HERE.
Though few past participants would likely agree, I miss the old route. The enormous climb up Capitol Hill to a finish just in front of the the Capitol Building. So cool.
Though the Hill is gone now, and -- for the sake of the spectators, I presume -- the run portion and finish line has been moved to Gray's Lake (it originally was a 2-mile hike from transition to the finish line two years ago). The route exits out of transition next to where swimmers run in, heading left/West and South outside the Western perimeter of the transition area (which makes spectating from the relay box really exciting, actually -- GO GOMEZ!!!) before eventually heading East-bound on the Meredith Trail. The route stays on the Meredith Trail all the way up the river to Martin Luther King Jr Parkway. East in to downtown (a cool part of the run) is met by a u-turn turnaround back where you came along the Meredith Trail.
Once back around the western edge of transition, runners instead turn left heading West and away from the water, still on the Meredith Trail. Just before the park entrance, runners turn around on to Fleur back south, before re-entering the park at the marina. Entering the marina means the blue carpets are laid out for you, along with spectator stands lining the right side of the course. This is when the sense of accomplishment finally hits. Though the final adrenaline rush would have you speed on a head, don't forget to soak this part of the course in -- you've done it, and you deserve the memory.
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| The run route. Pancake flat (Image courtesy of Google Earth). |
Info on expo, packet pick-up, and race day (including detailed videos and pictures!!!) to come following race weekend.
Keep R/B/S-ing. -tds
Keep R/B/S-ing. -tds
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