Triathlon Entries

MCOS

Guys n Gals,

Just wondering what you do to keep an eye on Tri entries. They fill up so fast that you have to be on the ball for most of them. I mean Kilkee went in about 12 mins last year!! Do ye watch TI or Active Europe or what?

Is it worth having a thread to post up notice of when entry is opening for an event?

Cheers

Cool Running

12mins, F**k thats quick. I taught Mullaghmore went quick in 24hours. Its like trying to get concert tickets. All the tris on the TI calender have dates that they are opening for entries but wouldnt be surprised to see that change.

Last year one of the lads e mailed everyone in the club as soon as he seen entries opening which was very handy. Maybe every club could put a certain person in charge of notifying people by text when events open. I think clubs are also able to block book events which could be handy

Oh ya a thread for entries would be handy, just as long as event organisers dont hi jack it themselves

pgibbo

A few of us send a text to people we think might be intersted in entering an event. But as you point out some sell out way too fast to get an entry. I'm hoping that with so many additional events on this year, tri & adventure races, that the demand won't be as great.

A thread on here to remind people a day or so in advance would be a great help too.

--amadeus--

We could have a stickie in teh Events forum. Have a table that people add popular events into, along with opening dates and entry method.

If you subscribe then you'll get an email (I think) when the thread is updated so if someone posts in the thread to say event X opens tommorow at 9 then everyone subscribed will get a mail.

pgibbo

--amadeus-- wrote: »

We could have a stickie in teh Events forum. Have a table that people add popular events into, along with opening dates and entry method.

If you subscribe then you'll get an email (I think) when the thread is updated so if someone posts in the thread to say event X opens tommorow at 9 then everyone subscribed will get a mail.

Sounds good. And yes I got an email with your response before I saw it on here so that's an added bonus too (unless your work mail system filters the mails).

tunney

MCOS wrote: »

Guys n Gals,

Just wondering what you do to keep an eye on Tri entries. They fill up so fast that you have to be on the ball for most of them. I mean Kilkee went in about 12 mins last year!! Do ye watch TI or Active Europe or what?

Is it worth having a thread to post up notice of when entry is opening for an event?

Cheers

Only tree races sold out quickly last year (and every year)
The tree Ks
Kilkee
Kenmare
Kinsale (lord knows why)

Everything else didn't fill quickly I believe. (I am open to correction)

--amadeus--

pgibbo wrote: »

Sounds good. And yes I got an email with your response before I saw it on here so that's an added bonus too (unless your work mail system filters the mails).

Cool - well if someone sets it up I'll stickie it

pgibbo

tunney wrote: »

Only tree races sold out quickly last year (and every year)
The tree Ks
Kilkee
Kenmare
Kinsale (lord knows why)

Everything else didn't fill quickly I believe. (I am open to correction)

I only know of the ones I entered or wnated to enter:

Kilkee - sold out before I got to it
Kenmare - managed on the 3rd round of places
Ballina - sold out in 24 hours or so. Know quite a few that missed the boat there.
Galway - was very slow to fill
Lough Key - got in early with any issues

After that I haven't a clue

Krusty_Clown

Aren't Tri entries largely transferrable? Maybe this is why they fill up so quickly. People have a back-out option. Or perhaps they're just not as mass-entry as road races (what's the typical field size?). Still planning on bursting my cherry this summer, but will be targetting a smaller field race.

MCOS

Triathlon Events 2010
Event|Race Date|Entry Date/Time|Cost|Distances
Limerick Duathlon #1|07-Feb|Enter on Day/9am|tbc|3.8km/14.3km/3.8km
Limerick Duathlon #2|21-Feb|Enter on Day/9am|tbc|3.8km/14.3km/3.8km
Limerick Duathlon #3|21-Mar|Enter on Day/9am|tbc|3.8km/14.3km/3.8km

daymobrew

IrishTriathlon.com has an extensive Event Calendar.

I know that it doesn't tell you when entries open, but you can get links to sites with that info from there.

--amadeus--

MCOS wrote: »

Triathlon Events 2010
Event|Race Date|Entry Date/Time|Cost|Distances
Limerick Duathlon #1|07-Feb|Enter on Day/9am|tbc|3.8km/14.3km/3.8km
Limerick Duathlon #2|21-Feb|Enter on Day/9am|tbc|3.8km/14.3km/3.8km
Limerick Duathlon #3|21-Mar|Enter on Day/9am|tbc|3.8km/14.3km/3.8km

done here

HardyEustace

I don't mean to sound critical but there is exactly the same table on the triathlon-ireland website.

It just seems that
a. we're doubling up on existing information
and
b. there's a distinct danger that if updates occur to the triathlon website information that won't be carried over here.

wellboss

pgibbo wrote: »

I only know of the ones I entered or wnated to enter:

Kilkee - sold out before I got to it
Kenmare - managed on the 3rd round of places
Ballina - sold out in 24 hours or so. Know quite a few that missed the boat there.
Galway - was very slow to fill
Lough Key - got in early with any issues

After that I haven't a clue

Not that it really matters, but ballina was sold out in bout 20 - 30 mins last year and it wasnt NS but this year it is, so i expect it to go quickly again.

Cool Running

wellboss wrote: »

Not that it really matters, but ballina was sold out in bout 20 - 30 mins last year and it wasnt NS but this year it is, so i expect it to go quickly again.

Lough Key is NS this year aswell and its a fantastic Tri so id expect it to go quick aswell. You have to be quicker on the keyboard than in the pool to do well in a Triathlon this year:D

Raging_Hull

--amadeus-- wrote: »

We could have a stickie in teh Events forum. Have a table that people add popular events into, along with opening dates and entry method.

If you subscribe then you'll get an email (I think) when the thread is updated so if someone posts in the thread to say event X opens tommorow at 9 then everyone subscribed will get a mail.

Amadeus has now set this up:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055805950

kingQuez

Hey Tunney, When you say kenmare, which race is that -- the lost sheep or little bo peep?

I'm not a fan of the TI calendar layout, its complicated to check info on (you need to click buttons to get details), and doesnt include the basic info I want when trying to plan a year (like what distance a race is, and when entries will open).

Anyway, down to my real question, anyone know when (roughly) should I be keeping an eye out for Joey and lost sheep entries opening?

toomuchdetail

A question along a similar lines , I started Tri's last year and completed a few incl Athlone .
With travel costs ,entry etc I want to enter about 6/7 this year , I have entered Athy as it will be my first olympic ,Will do Athlone as the buzz is great , will do Nenagh as its the in laws home town , beyond that no real plans, looking for a reasonably straight forward swim ,preferably SP and good cycle and run :
Any recommendations as a top 5/6 must do's ?

Raging_Hull

toomuchdetail wrote: »

Any recommendations as a top 5/6 must do's ?

I'd be very interested in what Tri's people recommend too? I've also entered Athy, hope to do Athlone again but would love to hear any recommendations for July/August (SP or Oly)?

Highway_To_Hell

Always enjoy Carrick-On-suir sprint, the downhill swim is nice if yu are not to confident in the water. The bike section is a nice loop but the road surface in bumpy and the run is a nice loop out the road and back along by the river.

Last year the Clogherhead Tri was a nice day out and well run.

Bambaata

Valentia went fast too and its postal with a money transfer involved!! i applied on day two of entries open with the letter prob getting to them by the Thursday and it sold out on the Friday. I produced a calendar in excel with all events, my time (once i did it), my place, the category of race for me (a, b or c etc), the whereabouts of the event, the distances involved, the date registration opens, when i registered, NS points achieved, whether it was a tri, duathlon or other. I then made new worksheets for the full results of each race. twas great and it has made tracking this year's progress very easy (one race down!). I had all events and just highlighted those i intended to do

EDIT: oh and i also set reminders in google calendar for the entry dates

jb-ski

Raging_Hull wrote: »

I'd be very interested in what Tri's people recommend too? I've also entered Athy, hope to do Athlone again but would love to hear any recommendations for July/August (SP or Oly)?

Lough Key in Sep is definitely my Nr 1 and will book out fast. nice swim, tough (very scenic) cycle, and lovely run through forest. (confession, i am slightly biased!)

Hook or by Crook also fantastic. Great (tough) swim, nice bike & run.

Metalman,(olympic distance), Rossespoint also good but run pretty average. it's not listed yet so may not be happening 2010.

carrick on Suir is good, (easy swim).

Heard good reports on Carlingford, but haven't done it myself.


So put Lough Key in your diary as a must do event.......!:)

Cool Running

jb-ski wrote: »

Lough Key in Sep is definitely my Nr 1 and will book out fast. nice swim, tough (very scenic) cycle, and lovely run through forest. (confession, i am slightly biased!)

Hook or by Crook also fantastic. Great (tough) swim, nice bike & run.

Metalman,(olympic distance), Rossespoint also good but run pretty average. it's not listed yet so may not be happening 2010.

carrick on Suir is good, (easy swim).

Heard good reports on Carlingford, but haven't done it myself.


So put Lough Key in your diary as a must do event.......!:)

Yes Lough Key is a class event. The swim is in a lake which is interesting and the run is very scenic through the forest. will go very fast this year.

Sligo is also a great event, its sprint distance this year and taking place on the 31st of July

catweazle

All sprint reviews for me!

You would guess I was involved in the Brian Boru Challenge in Killaloe (I'm not) I harp on about it so much but I really enjoyed it, lovely swim area and very difficult cycle and run, the view when you finally reach the top of the run is great.

I also enjoyed Loughrea, the weather they got was spectacular, again a nice swim and a good transition area, swim and cycle are reasonably fast. Probably the best t-shirt I got was with this one.

Athlone was a bit too much hassle, long wait to get going due to numbers, while the swim is easy (downstream) it was very murky. Bike is reasonably fast and I enjoyed the run around the town as there was a lot of supporters. I thought the transitions were very long and maybe I am being precious there was no mats when running up it from the swim and was a killer on the feet. Again the sheer numbers make the logistics hard but it was tough having to wait until the transition area opened up again before you get your clothes.......I was freezing.

North Tipp was a very good one fror your first, a pool swim for the nervous swimmers, nice fast bike on the motorway and the run wasnt too bad either

jb-ski

Cool Running wrote: »

Y

Sligo is also a great event, its sprint distance this year and taking place on the 31st of July

hi Cool Running, Is this replacing 'Metalman' or a different event?

thanks, jb

Cool Running

jb-ski wrote: »

hi Cool Running, Is this replacing 'Metalman' or a different event?

thanks, jb

Yes there will be no Metalman as in Olympic distance this year as far as I believe. This will be the only event ran by Sligo Tri Club I think, they have a blog at http://www.sligotriathlon.blogspot.com/ with some info further down the posts

jonnyfingers

toomuchdetail wrote: »

A question along a similar lines , I started Tri's last year and completed a few incl Athlone .
With travel costs ,entry etc I want to enter about 6/7 this year , I have entered Athy as it will be my first olympic ,Will do Athlone as the buzz is great , will do Nenagh as its the in laws home town , beyond that no real plans, looking for a reasonably straight forward swim ,preferably SP and good cycle and run :
Any recommendations as a top 5/6 must do's ?

I also recommend the Carrick triathlon. I am biased though as I'm one of the organisers! But the swim is easy as others have said. Depending on the tide you can do 750m in 6 minutes! The bike and run are straight forward also.

Just to let everyone know that we will be opening our race on February 1st all going well. Registration will be on our new website www.carricktriathlon.com so keep an eye on that if interested. Race will be on Sat 17th July.

toomuchdetail

Good feedback , some suprises as there does not seem to be too many of the bigger one mentioned . Pity on Lough Key last year as I had an entry and let it pass due to guilt at home as I was out the previous 2/3 weekends on various races !!

Is 6/7 Tri's reasonable (2 Oly/5 SP) in a season or are more possible , I know its down to what you want from them but hoping for a few of the adventure races/half marathons also .

SucCes09

Any word on Eireman HIM\IM? See nothing on their website or the Tri Ireland site.

tunney

SucCes09 wrote: »

Any word on Eireman HIM\IM? See nothing on their website or the Tri Ireland site.

why oh why........

DustyBin

SucCes09 wrote: »

Any word on Eireman HIM\IM? See nothing on their website or the Tri Ireland site.

from: http://www.eireman.org/home

Eireman website wrote:

Unfortunately Éireman will not be taking place in 2010.

Highway_To_Hell

SucCes09 wrote: »

Any word on Eireman HIM\IM? See nothing on their website or the Tri Ireland site.

Would love to have another go at this event but I heard that the local residents were not too happy with the chaos caused by the closure of the motorway so I would presume it would be tough to get approval to run it again.

tunney

Races I have loved:
Given I'm in a reminising mode and reviewing results from the last 7 years anyways........

Kilkee - never had an off day, hats off to Limerick for this one. Good honest course. The bike route sorts out the drafters a little better and the run is fun. Great town, good piss up, plenty of accomodation (rent houses).

Kenmare - organisationally somewhat lacking, but a nice bike course, and run course. Great town for drinks and great restaurants. Prefered HIM in the country by a mile.

Dublin City Triathlon - local race for me, swim isn't that dirty, bike course is technical enough which helps with drafting and the run course is specator friendly. I was there as a spectator for the entire weekend this at was blown away by the organisation, work and the fact everything was covered by Piranha TC. Sets the bar for race organisation at a reasonable price.

Camlough - My first OW triathlon and possibly the best sprint on the calendar. Swim is in a nice calm lake, bike course has some crippling hills on it which keeps it honest and the run has some crippling hills too. Its a tough sprint but fantastic.

Joey Hannon - Lovely pool, very nice run course (well it was the first year in UL, assuming its the same) very fast surface, gives alot back.

Abbotstown/Fingal - Swim is like Joey Hannon, bike course is a bit boring, run is likewise. But somehow the whole race isn't, an exciting course and one I've enjoyed whenever I've done it.

Mourne tri - a lovely lake, fantastic swim, a nice bike course, albeit plagued by drafting both a tolerance of and a course that lends itself to it. However it run that blows you away on this course - on forest paths in the most scenic of environments. That being said it took me a few years to notice the stately home you run past. A definite must do.

Bull island aquathons - mid week fun. A different format and a bit of a blast.

Garadice lake tri - now gone after only two years. One of the few races that took fantastic care of the spectators. Its so easy to get people to go to races when they are given food and cakes after a race and are looked after during it. (My fondness for the race is helped by the fact I won it ) Pity its gone. Also Garadice lake has to be one of the cleanest lakes in Ireland.

Galway tri - now also gone. Nice river swim, bike course was nice, run was around the grounds of the college and along the river. Was a nice one.

I used to love Ballyronan as well, but the numbers on the bike course have gotten too high but over recent years and its off my favourite list. Pity was a great race. Potential for an extremely fast, and honest, time on the course. Used to be one of my favourite courses.

griffin100

Some randon thoughts on the various tri's that I've done.

Carrick On Suir - excellent race with great swim and great athmosphere. Got a towel in goody bag which I still use.

Athlone OD - hated it, long transition run, closed transition after race for a long time, crap swim, short run (8.5km); short bike, crowded at bike exit / entry points - it's there to make money

TriLaois - nice early season race with a pool swim. Well organised.

Quarryman - excellent and well organised race in its first year last year. Good goody bag.

Athy - well organised and great atmosphere and weather (always!). Run a bit short last year and run surface poor in parts.

Kilcock - ok. Nothing special. Short run.

Skerries - well organised and tough bike route. Last years swim tough due to lack of visible turn around buoy.

Trammore Metal Man - well organised with nice swim and bike. Run tough as its along beach and sand dunnes.

Loughrea - great swim in the clearest water in Ireland. Nice bike but boring run route. Excellent organisation.

Just my opinions...

kennyb3

tunney wrote: »

Races I have loved:
Given I'm in a reminising mode and reviewing results from the last 7 years anyways........

read your blog, what will you do now? reading your rookie entries has me thinking i might give tri a go next year. also seeing the massive improvements gives us all hope

griffin100

Just read your blog and really sorry to read the last entry. Hopefully you'll still offer words of advice to us plodders. New sport?

tunney

kennyb3 wrote: »

read your blog, what will you do now? reading your rookie entries has me thinking i might give tri a go next year. also seeing the massive improvements gives us all hope

PS2 dusted off, may flog some kit and get an Xbox 360.
I'll still swim, bike and run but just to swim, bike and run. Not for any training effect.

griffin100 wrote: »

Just read your blog and really sorry to read the last entry. Hopefully you'll still offer words of advice to us plodders. New sport?

No new sport. Just impossible to manage a new job, new baby and a full on training schedule. I'll still be lurking, living the triathlon dream through others

I will get to Kona at some stage - it just may be in the 70-74 AG now

shotgunmcos

R.I.P!

Tunney's 2010 IM Dream....


Rejoice!

Daddy Tunney...:D:D

.....and all the sleepless grumpy, intelligent but scathing comments we are all going to get on our unqualified opinions on this forum in 2010 :cool: LOL

--amadeus--

tunney wrote: »

PS2 dusted off, may flog some kit and get an Xbox 360.
I'll still swim, bike and run but just to swim, bike and run. Not for any training effect.

No new sport. Just impossible to manage a new job, new baby and a full on training schedule. I'll still be lurking, living the triathlon dream through others

I will get to Kona at some stage - it just may be in the 70-74 AG now

Wow.

I have to admit I respect the reasons for the decision - it's true to everything you've said on here. I hope you'll stay around here - you've a lot of knowledge to pass on.

kennyb3

--amadeus-- wrote: »

I hope you'll stay around here - you've a lot of knowledge to pass on.

+1 to that

Bambaata

i was extremely shocked to see your announcement Tunney. I sure hope you stay around though. Its always good to get your opinions on things and i for one have learned a lot. I cringe at some of the early PMs i sent you this time last yr :P

dare2be

+1

Enjoy your posts and reading some of the advice passed on to others. Also enjoyed reading your rookie series on Triathlon Ireland web which has helped find some inspiration for my rookie triathlon season

jb-ski

dare2be wrote: »

+1

Also enjoyed reading your rookie series on Triathlon Ireland web which has helped find some inspiration for my rookie triathlon season

anyone got a link to this, i'd love to read it.

thanks.
Also thanks Tunney for all the posts on here, also always informative,
and often controversial (grumpy). Thanks!

toomuchdetail

A new phase and a new challenge for you ;great for you and family.

tunney wrote: »

may flog some kit and get an Xbox 360.

Until you sell the bike its not over !

tunney wrote: »

Just impossible to manage a new job, new baby and a full on training schedule.

Remeber that great Philospher David Beckam
" Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing"

tunney wrote: »

. I'll still be lurking, living the triathlon dream through others

There is always coaching but in the meantime hope you stay around as your advice and direction to us middle aged newbies is appreciated.

Highway_To_Hell

jb-ski wrote: »

anyone got a link to this, i'd love to read it.

thanks.

here you go

MrCreosote

Hey Tunney, sorry to hear about that. Still, I'll look forward to your contributions on the parenting forum!

Some thoughts on the 3 tris I did last year:

Blackwater/Fermoy sprint: Nice sprint distance at the end of the year. The swim is downstream. Bit of run in bare feet for T1 but nothing too much

Little Bo Peep/Kenmare olympic: I really enjoyed this, very scenic cycle, tough run. Swim was a little short but very well organised race.

Hell of the West: Didn't get to do the run, but the rest was great. I'd agree with everyone else, this was a fantastic event. Last year the only hellish thing though was the fiery heat!

mjth2004

Wakey wakey, hands off snakey!!!!!

Valentia Island Tri Registration is open NOW……..

shotgunmcos

got in with 5 TI places to go... my slow computer was nearly thrown out the window...


back to the leaba now..

mitresize5

christ - said I'd chance it at about 8.45 while I was waiting for the kettle to boil and it was open.

Got in with 24 places left - I tried to have a look just there out of curiosity and can't even open the page. Having said that there were 100+ no TI places left at that stage

mitresize5

just had another sneaky look there and its closed for TI members and only 29 no TI places left.

reminds me of queueing for Nirvana tickets back in the day - except in cyberspace and from the comfort of my couch:):)

interested

scary stuff
I logged on at 7.45 and got a place - there was 120 TI entries left at that stage - back quick bike spin - 0 entries left for TI and Non-TI ...

Here's hoping we get a nice day for it and get to swim across to the island this year.