Lough Cutra 24th May 2015

Kurt Godel

Lough Cutra date is 24th May 2015, early bird entry for the Oly is €63, and sure to get much, much, higher (other distances also being held). Personally I liked this race in 2014, though it was very well organised. Family friendly in that they have a kids series too.

RacoonQueen

Had been thinking about doing the half there, but not at that price. Jaysus.

mossym

the swim was cool. the bike okay, the run not great. not signing up till i see is there something else on similar time instead

Kurt Godel

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Had been thinking about doing the half there, but not at that price. Jaysus.

Yeah it looks like even these "early bird specials" are dearer than their equivalent last year:

2014 early bird pricing: Oly €53, kids 11/12 €18, kids 8/10 €14
2015 early bird pricing: Oly €63, kids 11/12 €25, kids 8/10 €21

(All the above FWIW, no-one has a gun to their head to enter etc)

Fazz

Wow €126 for the half.

Highest Irish race entry I've seen. (Exc IM70.3)

ToTriOrNot

Fazz wrote: »

Wow €126 for the half.

Highest Irish race entry I've seen. (Exc IM70.3)

Could it be the IM 70.3 effect already? As in, they know people will pay those price for IM races, so why not similar races of the same distance??

PWEI

I paid €105 for the half this year.

There was roughly only 80 competitors taking part & I doubt they'll even get that next year at that price.

P2C

I be shocked if its not one of the super series races selected next year. Was down last year spectating and seemed to be pretty well organized. Really liked the staggered transitions where you could rock up and rack before your wave and not have to rack at stupid o clock. I know a lot of the lads felt parts of the run was through a field that was quite lumpy and not a worn trail and some of the faster guys felt that the waves start left the course very busy on single track making it impossible to pass on certain sections of the course. More akin to cross country or trail running if that's your thing. There was a clear advantage to the first wave who got on the run course early.

sconhome

To be fair to the organisers they seem to be setting up a trend of quality races that have the potential to compete with the Challenge family and IM events as a third event brand. They definitely target a different audience that both of the big brands are overlooking with the immense focus on imvolvement for the entire family.

I was involved last year with run recces etc but nothing planned as yet for this year. I've no comment on the prices but I have asked the question of the organisers.

Chartsengrafs

Any idea if this is likely to be NS again or too soon to say?

tunney

Basster wrote: »

Any idea if this is likely to be NS again or too soon to say?

A cynic would say yes, given what happened last year.

sconhome

https://twitter.com/CastleTriathlon/status/535135366232408064

Discount extended on Lough Cutra

sconhome

.

billy14

A few more optomists.

sconhome

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=205dbb306a97aa6a11b879bf8&id=561a8fb821&e=8887495158

I see the 30% off is extended only for Irish residents. Presume this will be moderated by the TI cards and with the Standard race being NS it should get snapped up sooner rather than later.

Apparently there are 80 in for the Gauntlet Half at this stage and there is work being done on the run course and mount / dismount area for all races.

I've yet to see the run route improvements (or discuss them) but I know last year was an improvement on 2013 so they are listening to people obviously.

rodneyr1981

AKW wrote: »

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=205dbb306a97aa6a11b879bf8&id=561a8fb821&e=8887495158

I see the 30% off is extended only for Irish residents. Presume this will be moderated by the TI cards and with the Standard race being NS it should get snapped up sooner rather than later.

Apparently there are 80 in for the Gauntlet Half at this stage and there is work being done on the run course and mount / dismount area for all races.

I've yet to see the run route improvements (or discuss them) but I know last year was an improvement on 2013 so they are listening to people obviously.

With the prize money that was on offer for the HIM I'd imagine there will be a strong field entered this year

Mr Tango

I was third in the him last yr. prize money was v good. Would go back next yr but too close to im austria (28 june). If they could sort out a few bits on the run it would be great. Wouldnt change a thing about the swim or bike.

RacoonQueen

Is 5 weeks from Austria too close?

Still thinking of Lough Cutra half myself...

catweazle

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Is 5 weeks from Austria too close?

Still thinking of Lough Cutra half myself...

Me too - I am out the same day as ye! I don't see it as a major problem - my guess is it will be a bit of a slog as this will be done during peak training with no tapering

But I would like to do at least one race beforehand and we dont have much choice really at the time of year, can't see me doing too many later on in the summer after

peter kern

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Is 5 weeks from Austria too close?

Still thinking of Lough Cutra half myself...

its perfect or ****e depending on what you are planing

RacoonQueen

peter kern wrote: »

its perfect or ****e depending on what you are planing

Well I doubt I'll have the discipline to use it as a 'training' run out...but it wouldn't be a target race either so smack in the middle of heavy training and no proper taper (maybe a mini taper). Don't really want to disrupt training at that stage either with recovering from a race but would like to get a long run out beforehand.

Mr Tango

I picked up an injury in my foot and couldnt run for two weeks.

Also found i took it easy week before as i wanted a good race abd then normally a week to recover - maybe a day or two more. So i think a biy too close for that especially if u then need a two week taper.

Do it as training prob ok but whats the point in spending that sort of cash for training. You can do that at home for free

peter kern

There is no way I could come close in a training session to a race and I think if people have the money to do an

Mr Tango wrote: »

I picked up an injury in my foot and couldnt run for two weeks.

Also found i took it easy week before as i wanted a good race abd then normally a week to recover - maybe a day or two more. So i think a biy too close for that especially if u then need a two week taper.

Do it as training prob ok but whats the point in spending that sort of cash for training. You can do that at home for free

mossym

AKW wrote: »

I've yet to see the run route improvements (or discuss them) but I know last year was an improvement on 2013 so they are listening to people obviously.

this is back on my radar so was having a look. run course map for 2014 seems to be the same as last year.

sconhome

To be fair the route is the same '13 - '14 but more of the offroad sections were filled, levelled and rolled. I would say this is what is in the plans for '15 as well, but I would assume that this is down to the Lough Cutra estate itself as to where it spends money developing.

mossym

AKW wrote: »

To be fair the route is the same '13 - '14 but more of the offroad sections were filled, levelled and rolled. I would say this is what is in the plans for '15 as well, but I would assume that this is down to the Lough Cutra estate itself as to where it spends money developing.

ah understand now Sean, thanks for the clarification

sconhome

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=205dbb306a97aa6a11b879bf8&id=0fda16a691&e=ca569fbabd

Just a heads up for anyone not yet entered.

pgibbo

AKW wrote: »

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=205dbb306a97aa6a11b879bf8&id=0fda16a691&e=ca569fbabd

Just a heads up for anyone not yet entered.

Man, those prices are tasty!!! :eek:

catweazle

I am still considering it, still a bit pricy for my liking but the timing isn't too bad and its relatively local so the other expenses are minimal

Racoon you decided on this yet?

pgibbo

Will the lean & mean CW be able to manage the cold fresh water temperatures of May?

catweazle

pgibbo wrote: »

Will the lean & mean CW be able to manage the cold fresh water temperatures of May?

I certainly wont take criticism or sneering from you Posh Spice when it comes to early open water swimming. Sure you have your holidays set for May each year so you can practice in warm water

sconhome

pgibbo wrote: »

Man, those prices are tasty!!! :eek:

Be thankful you are paying in €!

Gauntlet: €135 for Irish residents £165 for UK!! Glad to see the shoe on the other foot for a change.

sconhome

Last call for the training day tomorrow. They are closing the free registration at 12 today. http://www.castletriathlonseries.co.uk/training/training-days/

If nothing else a good opportunity to start getting acclimatised to open water swimming in a bunch.

benji2006

I took AKW's advice and attended the training session yesterday - it really was excellent and probably the best 30 euro I will spend on triathlon-related stuff this year. The simulated swim starts were an eye-opener and I am glad I won't be experiencing it for a first time on race day.

Just a few notes for any other newbies or people who haven't raced Lough Cutra before:

SWIM:
Everyone remarked that the water was not as cold as they expected and we must have been in for at least 20 mins in total. The entry point is a bit stony but not too bad. The start point for the races is a fair bit off-shore and you will not be able to stand up, but it is v. easy to float on your back with the wetsuits (for those of us that need to conserve our swimming energies :-) For the 800m swim, it looks like you swim approx 300m towards the island, turn at a bouy and then 500m back (300m plus an extra 200m more to the exit point). There are mats in the water at the exit point, but they were extremely slippery yesterday - from photos it looks like they may put in rails here on race day to help people get out of the water.


T1;
There is a bit of a run (200m maybe), mainly on grass lawn, from the swim exit to the bikes. From the bikes, there is a significant uphill run on grass to get to the mount point. The mount and dismount points have been separated this year to reduce confusion. There is a slight uphill at the start of the bike, so getting cleats in and getting going can be tricky.

BIKE:
The first 1k of the bike is on the entrance lane from the castle to the front gate. The lane is only one car width, and is used for both starting and finishing the bike course with cones down the middle, so I assume it gets quite hectic. I think racing is allowed on this section, but assume overtaking will be hazardous. There are 2 speed bumps, not very obvious at all, a cattle grid that has been filled in (more or less) and a dip in the road just at the exit onto the main road. There is no way to avoid these apart from slowing down. The bike route is on the website so won't say too much about that - turn left onto the old Limerick road and then turn off pretty soon towards Scarrif. Most of the middle section is on quite narrow back roads, with fair to poor surfaces. There is a smallish climb that starts before a 90 degree left-hand turn so be prepared. The descent is a lot sharper than you would expect and the surface is atrocious on the left-hand side of the road - this could be very dangerous if raining and faster riders from later waves are overtaking. The route is a bit long - 21.5k for the loop on the road so for the olympic/plus it will be 1k + 21.5k + 21.5k + 1k so approx 45k in total.


RUN:
Starts on a lawn but quite quickly uphill onto a single-width trail for a bit - can imagine some argy-bargy here with faster runners from later waves/races as there really is only room for one person at a time. We didn't get to do the full 4k/5k route but the first half seemed more like cross-country running, and that was on a dry day. The second half of the loop is on lanes, and through the courtyard. If doing 2 or 3 laps, there is a fast downhill on very rough cobbles followed by lawn beside the castle before starting again on the level. The finish is in front of the castle on gravel so will miss the dangerous cobbles this time.



The setting itself is fabulous, and should be very enjoyable if the weather is any ways nice - but as said before on this thread, do not expect to set your best time on this course - it really isn't built for speed, particularly the run.

iAcesHigh

Great post, thx for heads-up. Now I'm getting nervous :P

benji2006

I see the wave details have been released - only one wave for the Prendergast Sprint Plus (800,40k,8k) and approx 130+ entries. The start should be fun...I am guessing a lot of newbies like myself may have gone with the Sprint Plus just to get the longer swim done.


Also water temperature as measured last Sat was 14.9c so not too bad.

Ceepo

benji2006 wrote: »

Also water temperature as measured last Sat was 14.9c so not too bad.

Not for a minute do I believe that the water temp was that high.

SucCes09

For the Gauntlet course (half IM distance) - I heard from a couple of folks on the training day that the cycle was closer to 100km - is that correct?

sconhome

SucCes09 wrote: »

For the Gauntlet course (half IM distance) - I heard from a couple of folks on the training day that the cycle was closer to 100km - is that correct?

IIRC it's 94k but if you cut the corners on the racing line you can get it under 93

rodneyr1981

Did the bike today. Honest course. Worst over by the 50km. Make sure everything on bike well tightened. If using tie straps change for heavy duty. Straps on my bottle holder broke with all the rattling. Also lake measured at 9.8deg yesterday

mossym

rodneyr1981 wrote: »

Did the bike today. Honest course. Worst over by the 50km. Make sure everything on bike well tightened. If using tie straps change for heavy duty. Straps on my bottle holder broke with all the rattling. Also lake measured at 9.8deg yesterday

they'll claim it at 14 next week. did last year, it wasn't even close.

least that gives it a chance of going ahead

rodneyr1981

mossym wrote: »

they'll claim it at 14 next week. did last year, it wasn't even close.

least that gives it a chance of going ahead

To be honest that part of lake is sheltered so no fear of cancellation etc. Just a case of having right clothing for bike.

mossym

rodneyr1981 wrote: »

To be honest that part of lake is sheltered so no fear of cancellation etc. Just a case of having right clothing for bike.

There must have been some amount of peeing in the vicinity of the thermometer last year to get 14:)

looking at the weather now i'm considering the new tri line from deadliest catch

iAcesHigh

So, since this is my first triathlon in Ireland and I've never done tri with this low temperatures could you lend me few advices. Do you guys, after a swim, just take off wet-suits and do the bike in standard tri-suit or do you put on extra (bike) shirt or maybe a jacket? Do you just put on biking shoes or add covers? What about a run, do you just run in tri-suit, use extra shirt or something third? What about socks - use them on tri this early in a season?

I have all the equipment and I'm used to it for trainings but up until now I have just used tri-suits in race. For the swim I have wet-suit + prepared neoprene extra cap + little bigger goggles...

RacoonQueen

I don't think neoprene caps are allowed?

Most will just wear trisuit for bike and run. Depends on air temps/weather really...and distance you're doing. Some doing the half might opt for a light jacket/arm warmers etc

sconhome

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I don't think neoprene caps are allowed?

Most will just wear trisuit for bike and run. Depends on air temps/weather really...and distance you're doing. Some doing the half might opt for a light jacket/arm warmers etc

Absolutely no problem with neoprene hats. Perfectly legal.

Gloves and booties are a no no though.

Dilbert75

AKW wrote: »

Gloves and booties are a no no though.

Do you know if that applies to the junior races too?

iAcesHigh

don't see why neoprene cap wouldn't be allowed but thx for escalating, will ask at the spot. I think I'll bring some extras but probably just use tri-suit since I'm doing sprint plus. I think I'll put on socks, just tri-suit on run and for bike maybe add a jacket but let's see how I feel about it in the morning...

sconhome

iAcesHigh wrote: »

don't see why neoprene cap wouldn't be allowed but thx for escalating, will ask at the spot. I think I'll bring some extras but probably just use tri-suit since I'm doing sprint plus. I think I'll put on socks, just tri-suit on run and for bike maybe add a jacket but let's see how I feel about it in the morning...

Just to be clear neoprene hats are allowed. There is no restriction on them in triathlon.

Kurt_Godel

AKW wrote: »

Just to be clear neoprene hats are allowed. There is no restriction on them in triathlon.

And lots were in evidence today! Not that they were needed, you don't notice the cold once you get moving. Great place for a swim! And its about the best organised Tri I've yet seen, they really know how to put on a good event(s).

Ceepo

Kurt_Godel wrote: »

And lots were in evidence today! Not that they were needed, you don't notice the cold once you get moving. Great place for a swim! And its about the best organised Tri I've yet seen, they really know how to put on a good event(s).

While I would agree with you for the most part I would have to say that the transition area was probably the worse organised that I have ever seen. Wave 4 had no bike rack and had to leave them against the railings and also there was a lot of bike just left on the ground along the slope.

Again another issue I seen was only I prize per AG in all AG category. I know that this would not bother some people but it's a bug bearer for me for the simple reason as a high % of the field will neve have any hope of ever getting into the top 3 overall and it would give other people that take part something to aim for.

Great run course all the same 😉