Lough Cutra Castle-Olympic- Course Info

Boardcore

Couldn't agree more James, uphill mount line is always a no-no. We're lucky the rain held off because the layout was simply dangerous and poorly planned. Downhill embanked entrance to T2 had injuries written all over it. I wonder how this event passed the TI safety inspection? The setting for the event is fantastic, but you miss the club run feel and common sense.

RacoonQueen

Maybe good thing I missed it then...

Results up anywhere? Not on TI etc yet.

mossym

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Maybe good thing I missed it then...

Results up anywhere? Not on TI etc yet.

the two irish favorites got beaten by the english raiders anyway. no results i've seen yet

Boardcore

Clarify - Poorly planned in relation to the bike transition and coned single file first and last 600m of bike. The overall event was well run. Don't know if I'll be back though.

ructions

The ground was so slippy coming down to the dismount line I'm surprised there wasn't a serious injury. Not pleasant coming in sideways to a line you have to get off the bike before u reach it.

RacoonQueen

They've results up now but they're brutal. No splits. Results not ihttp://www.stuweb.co.uk/events/2014/05/25/1574/nteresting without splits...

edit: Found splits. Messy though.

http://www.stuweb.co.uk/events/2014/05/25/1574/

rodneyr1981

RacoonQueen wrote: »

They've results up now but they're brutal. No splits. Results not interesting without splits...

Hi,
Where did u find them? Cheers

Green&Red

I can off the bike coming into T2. Nice crack in the frame of my BMC

RacoonQueen

rodneyr1981 wrote: »

Hi,
Where did u find them? Cheers

Edited post above.
Results here http://www.stuweb.co.uk/events/2014/05/25/1574/

rodneyr1981

Green&Red wrote: »

I can off the bike coming into T2. Nice crack in the frame of my BMC

Fu@k. That's ****. There was a few protruding stones. Your luck was def out if it happens to hit one.
Not ideal run down into trans. Very narrow section at mount/dismount too. Didn't mind the bike route too much but though the run route was very rough. Couldn't easily do an ankle.

Bambaata

Green&Red wrote: »

I can off the bike coming into T2. Nice crack in the frame of my BMC

Shootballs!! Sorry to hear that!

catweazle

They are up on tri ireland with a show spits view at the top of each race - nice few bob for Geraghty for what ended up as an easy romp - he picked the right race

Bitterly disappointed to see no sign of Akw - no show or still swimming

Sorry to hear that Alan about the bike - that's a disaster for you

jamescantwell

sorry to hear that too, what a crazy transition area!

rooneyjm

I thought the event was well run but one of the worst bike sections i've encountered. The run was very dodgy.

Green&Red

I thought Martin Grealish was on a relay, must have false info from the OH

That would leave u with a prize then Rodney?

rodneyr1981

Green&Red wrote: »

I thought Martin Grealish was on a relay, must have false info from the OH

That would leave u with a prize then Rodney?

Not sure just a little annoying. Was talking to MG after he did it himself. Good to be able to bench mark off his times.

Kurt Godel

All valid points above, but I thought it was one of the best organised Tri's I've yet done, totally professional in starting all the different waves on time, and well marshalled throughout. What a great place for a swim! The back roads were rough all right, hard to get going (I'm used to similar back roads though), and the run was a real X-country slog. Really tough getting into and out of trans, with the steep bank, I almost went over running down with the bike. There was a good party atmosphere at the finish, which kept going long into the afternoon for the kids races. Thumbs up from me.

(Sorry to hear about the bike Green&Red)

Green&Red

I'd agree with u Kurt on the route, loved the roads, although the downhill was exceptionally steep, great climbs.
Though the transition and registration were excellent, shows that u don't need to be there hours in advance and that transition can be open while the race goes on and not be the end of the world. Although the fact that it wasn't neutralised was disappointing

Kurt Godel

One huge positive to the day, was the effort put in to organising and encouraging the kids races. They had water marshals in the lake with the kids, encouraging them, and offering support to those who might be frightened of their first OW race. They treated the kids races as seriously as the adult ones, and you could tell that most of the kids really appreciated getting to run a "big race" like this. Hats of to the Castle Series people for this effort.

As a side note to this- I helped my son rack his stuff beside another kid, who had the most overbearing triathlete father imaginable. He ripped off the tags from the new wetsuit (and tossed them nonchalantly onto my sons towel and kit), and spent 5 mins barking orders into the poor kid. His son didn't look like he wanted to be there at all, and actually said to his Dad "you said this was meant to be fun". Spot on kid, it's meant to be fun, especially at your age.

jamescantwell

there are some really messed up parents out there in tri and athletics!!iv seen some crazy stuff at juvenile athletics meets too

mossym

Green&Red wrote: »

I can off the bike coming into T2. Nice crack in the frame of my BMC

ouch. sorry to hear that. was racing there yesterday myself and can easily see how it could happen

mossym

and don't want to turn this into another drafting thread, but lets just say the oly leading bunch were keeping very close tabs on each other when they passed me on the bike.

PWEI

Green&Red wrote: »

Though the transition and registration were excellent, shows that u don't need to be there hours in advance and that transition can be open while the race goes on and not be the end of the world.

Agreed, other race organisers should take note.
You shouldn't have to close transition 3 hours before the last wave starts.
Joey Hannon for EG, transition closing at 8:30 & last wave starting at 11:50.
It's just too long a wait.

The Gauntlet cycle route was rough as hell. Some the worst roads I've ever cycled on & quite dangerous in parts.
I was on one road that can best be best described as a narrow bog road & went around a corner only to met by a tractor head on. Luckily I had my hands on the breaks & not the aero bars, otherwise I reckon I would have been brown bread.

Overall though I thought it was very well organised & the staff working there from the UK were great. Very friendly, helpful & chatty.

Kurt Godel

PWEI wrote: »

the staff working there from the UK were great. Very friendly, helpful & chatty.

The staff were a huge aspect to the day. They were constantly helpful and upbeat. The compere really knew his stuff too, and imparted a huge amount of knowledgable info to keep the crowd entertained throughout the day. A pretty slick organisation all round.

RICHIE-RICH

Agree with organisation comments - top notch.
Slick registration, racking, started pretty much on time
Results available immediately after you finish
Free grub and hot showers afterwards.
Good feed stations on run and bike.
very friendly staff and marshals all over bike route.

Yes the water was cold - it is a lake in Ireland in May!

Yes the road surfaces for the bike were a bit crap in places - it's Ireland and this is what we have to deal with every day. If you wanted smooth surfaces then the race would have to be run on main roads, and then you'd see double the complaints about traffic etc. The roads were not closed, so you always had to be vigilant.

Yes the run was a bit cross country- but this was flagged before the race.


Two small issue I had :
1. the bike-in part - a single lane no overtaking possible for last mile or so, and after dismount there was a very steep slippy grass track.
2. Although results were available on the day, the website for them is a bit rubbish, and is showing weird splits and times. Hopefully this will be rectified soon

Otherwise a well organised and successful event.

Green&Red

RICHIE-RICH wrote: »

Two small issue I had :
1. the bike-in part - a single lane no overtaking possible for last mile or so, and after dismount there was a very steep slippy grass track.
2. Although results were available on the day, the website for them is a bit rubbish, and is showing weird splits and times. Hopefully this will be rectified soon

Otherwise a well organised and successful event.

Wouldnt agree with that at all, sure there was a single lane but there was always the other side of the road, again u had to negotiate little cones but there was ample overtaking opportunities.

However they should have mentioned the ramps on the road in the castle, they were huge, I didnt see the first one at all

mossym

Green&Red wrote: »

However they should have mentioned the ramps on the road in the castle, they were huge, I didnt see the first one at all

yup, they had some yellow safety jackets hanging beside them, but i was wrestling with my shoe at the time and spotted the jackets but never realised what they were for, hit the first one a wallop. even if they had said there were ramps i would probably have twigged what the jackets meant

thought it was a private residence. why on earth would you have ramps?

Mr Tango

I did the Half Iron - some positive and some room for improvement - overall positive race (should say I was 3rd so a bit biased).
- Lovely swim - just like swimming in your local pool!
- Hill out of and back into transition - it is what it is - just be careful you don't slip - I left my bike shoes on on the way down the hill for a bit of extra grip on the grass (from the cleats) - worked a treat.
- Think I read about the ramps or the guy covered them in the briefing so was ready for them.
- Bike course was up there with the best routes I have done. Downside is the road surface but we are in Ireland - some fast sections - especially after Corkscrew hill which was nice.
- Some Marshalls on the bike were not the best - appreciate giving up time etc - but twice I overshot a turn as the marshalls were standing chatting.
- Run was nice in that it was laps - always better I find.
- Briefing said some trails - it was mostly trails. If it had of rained on the Sunday there would have been issues - it was just about okay. Should be open and declare it as a cross country run - that is what it is - more cross country than some of the cross country races I did this year.
- Downside on the run was having to cross the bikes coming in - you had to give way to cyclists - if you got stopped here and someone caught you, you would not be impressed.

Overall a good day and appeared to run smoothly and be well organised - has real potential - on a nice sunny day it would be even better. Price is up to 160 for next year. There was a 30% discount to enter on the day which is a good idea. At 160 though it is moving towards challenging the IM and Challenge brands and you are into closed roads etc.

lizanne83

I was really shocked with the bike course too (well the 7k back-road part of each lap, the rest was fine). Missed a turn on the run too losing 30 secs (no marshal) and stuck behind v-slow person in the crazy long neutral zone leaving the castle losing too much time there. Surprisingly got 4th in my category when I felt I couldn't go fast when it was near impossible to stay down on the bars and gather much bike speed on that long dirt-track stretch. Take aways:

Pros:
- yes, very well organised in general considered massive crowds / waves
- Lake was perfect for swim (despite having a crap swim!)
- Weather decent
- Great atmosphere, bag pipes thing was a nice touch!

Cons:
- That back road on bike (about 7k per lap) was dire. So much gravel, pot-holes and bad service, could barely stay on bars long enough
- The long transition in wet grass up a steep hill and trying to mount bike on an incline in such a tight space. Dangerous.
- LONG Neutral zone: I was afraid to take over a rediculously slow person for fear of being seen. About 800m towards castle gates neutral zone. Towards the end 2 guys whizzed past us. Was raging I didn't do the same earlier but hard to guage whether to risk it or not!
- First run lap was great. 2nd lap running past transition I overtook the guy I was following all along & then no one to follow... continued straight.... to the lake! There should have been a marshal at the part that you enter woods / through ropes section but it was camouflaged with no marshal on hand. Had to back-up there :eek:
- Good bag - a towel. Seriously? For that entry fee? HOTW was cheaper last year and we got a heavy jacket worth close to €80 I'd say.

Rant done. Good fun but wouldn't be returning to a course like that. Long drive, big fee, crap bike course. Liked the cross-country run though

Green&Red

Couldnt agree with you on the bike course Lizanne, a bit of loose gravel but hold your line on corners and you minimise the risk, didnt notice any potholes* that were dangerous

*a pet hate of mine since I moved to Dublin, in a group cycle people calling every little crack in the road, with Galway Bay the hole would have to be big enough to swallow your bike before there was a call, proper order too


On a side note, did anyone else come across the charity cycle on the Loughrea road after the race? Deadly dangerous, about 50 people spread out in 1s and 2s, impossible to overtake. Stuff like that only goes to annoy other road users and cause a rift between cyclists and drivers. A cycle like that should be in 2/3 distinct groups