Sunday, 12 August 2012, was the inaugural Revolution 3 Wisconsin Dells Triathlon. Tackling the Wisconsin Dells would be a mighty ambitious feet for anyone, so keep this in mind as I recap my thoughts of this year’s event.
The Rev 3 race series is relatively new on the triathlon circuit with its first race in June, 2010, The Quassy, in Middlebury, Connecticut and was founded on the principle of change. And according to their website, one of the immediate goals was to make triathlon more interactive and enjoyable for spectators by providing fun things for family members to do while their loved ones were racing.
The Wisconsin Dells, originally named Kilbourn City, in honor of the Railroad’s President, was incorporated in 1856. Kilbourn City was a logging town as well as the home of the Ho-Chunk Indian Nation. The town was renamed to Wisconsin Dells in 1931, which was the name the locals and tourists had always used, with “Wisconsin”, derived from the Native American word meaning “dark rushing waters”, and “Dells”, mimicking the French word “dalles”, which means “layers of flat rock”, to describe the bluff rock formations. Today the Dells are the self-proclaimed ‘Water Park Capital of the World” with over 16 million gallons of water flowing through the parks and over 1 billion dollars in annual revenue. Who’s to argue?
This ends today’s history lesson; on to the race report:
Pre-Race
Check-In, Packet Pickup, and Expo began on Friday afternoon and continued on Saturday. There was no race day check-in or packet pickup allowed. Logistics would be a challenge throughout the weekend with the swim and transition areas being about 3/4 of a mile from the race finish. The expo, check-in, and packet pickup were located at the race finish which was tucked in behind Noah’s Ark (The Largest Outdoor Water Park). All in all, it was not a horrible location and finding parking was not really an issue once you got your bearings. In general, the check-in process was painless. The one quirky and very intentional item of note was the SWAG bag pickup. It was located in the far right hand corner of the Rev 3 merchandise store. Really? The SWAG bag contained the usual suspects (adverts and local coupons) plus a pair of Blue Seventy swim goggles and a Rev 3 visor, which all came in a Muscle Milk sport bag. However, you would need to finish the race to get the shirt.
The Expo was small with just a few booths. There was a race ministry booth, an Ulman Cancer fundraising booth, Pilot/Flying J, who is the presenting sponsor of the race series, Powerbar, and a few others. It took 15 to 20 minutes tops including the check-in process.
Bike check-in and athlete meetings were mandatory on Saturday. There was also an official swim practice on Saturday morning. The bike transition area was located about 1/8 of a mile (up hill) on a paved driveway from the swim exit. At the athlete meeting it was announced as a 1/4 mile but was a lot closer to 1/8, although I did not measure it with GPS. I was impressed with the bike transition area and the racking system that was used. It was space effective and seemed a lot less cluttered than the traditional bike racks used at most triathlons.
The Swim – 1.2 Miles
The swim took place at the Tommy Bartlett Swim and Ski Show theater located on Lake Delton. A TT (time trial) start was used for all age-group athletes. The process was efficient and executed flawlessly. The water temperature was reported at 73 F at the start of the race. After the invocation and the National Anthem, the race was underway.
The swim course was a single counter-clockwise loop and was well marked. With the TT start, congestion was minimal and I enjoyed the swim. I felt comfortable in the water and kept my stroke long and relaxed. There were no strippers at the swim exit and the run up to transition was long but uneventful. I’m not positive, but I believe the T1 time started when we left the water, so the run was included in the T1 time.
The Bike – 56 Miles
Challenging.
If this race can sustain itself (yet to be seen), this bike course has the potential to become legendary. It is without question the toughest bike course I have ridden in a race. The course, similar to IMWI in that it is a lollipop shape, gets serious almost as soon as you leave transition. The course has, what the race directory called, ‘three serious’ climbs and provides the athletes varied challenges throughout the ride. The Door County Half boasts the moniker ‘Are you tougher than the Bluff?’, well nothing against Door county (I’ve done that race three times and love the challenging course it presents) but the Bluff Rd. climb and subsequent descent down Tower Rd. on this course, ‘OMG’, hold on to your seat posts; and when you see the ‘caution signs’, pay attention! They are there for a reason.
My day presented plenty of challenges, from the front brake sticking problem that took several stops to finally resolve, and to a bathroom break that will remain anonymous. On race day I was pretty unhappy (in general) about how the day transpired, but in retrospect, given my training (or lack there of), I got out what I put in.
The Run – 13.1 Miles
The challenging and interesting run course was an out and back affair. The course presented a logistical nightmare for the city, the spectators, and especially the tourists of the Dells. One lane of traffic was closed on two of the busiest sections of roads in town. The course was well staffed with course marshalls and police officers directing traffic. The water stops were adequtely stocked and staffed (the volunteers throughout the day were terrific; A+). Although the course was interesting with the sites, sounds, and smells (some not so good) of downtown Dells, they might want to reconsider the route logistically.
My run/walk/jog/walk went south at mile 2. My left leg kind of stopped working. I had some kind of a nerve thing going on in my hip that would make my leg all tingly and numb and a reoccuring cramp in my quad just above the knee. I could run maybe a couple hundred yards before returning to walk mode. I was pretty much mentally defeated and I’m sorry to say (and somewhat embarrased to admit) that before too long apathy set in. There was just no real desire to try and push beyond the surface pains my body was expressing. I had no doubt that I would finish but that was about the extent of it.
The Finish and Post Race
The website touted a waterslide in the finish chute, they lied. The Rev 3 race series promotes having your family members cross the line with you (if you desire), a nice touch. The finish arch, the big screen scoreboard with each althete’s picture (which was taken during check-in) being flashed as they crossed the line, and the finisher’s medal were all well done.
What was not well done was the post race food, the finishers shirt, and the posting of results. The food (or lack there of) consisted of a pickle spear, some crummy looking potato salad out of a bucket, chocolate chip cookies, and a boiled bratwurst. AND there were no drinks, other than what was being handed out in the finish chute. REALLY?
The finishers shirt was a white cotton Hanes t-shirt! REALLY? I have enough undershirts, thank you.
The fact that bike transition was 3/4 of a mile away and that parking was at the finish line was an inconvience. So you had to walk to transistion, get all your stuff, and then walk back to the finish area where your car was parked. Not a super big deal but again maybe something to reconsider for future events.
In Summary
If I was to give the series some grades, I’d give them an A for concept, a B- for effort, and a C- for execution. The course was great; A+. It was challenging, interesting, and fair. The timing and scoring was first-class, not having individual results avilable at the finish area was an oversight, I’m sure. Volunteers; A+, they were great throughout the day! SWAG; D+, the visor and goggles are very nice; an A, the shirt; F– (REALLY?).
At this point I’m not sure that I would consider this event again. It is priced up there with the other high profile events (Ironamn, HITS) and for a mid to late summer Half, my money will be going back to Door County (by the way, great shirt this year, I love orange).
