Tri an Mhi (half)

Ceepo

Just seen the this on facebook.
Very sad to hear this race is not going ahead again. Imo it was one of the best races on the calendar very well organised race on a tough but honest course with no hiding places.
It will be a loss to the Triathlon calander
Sorry can't link from my phone

RacoonQueen

Ah really? This was one of my planned races for next year.

woody1

same here,was planning on doing it too, thats a pity

The Davestator

Great race and a pity.

Thats Tri an Mhi and the half in Athlone not happening. - Two races I was planning to do.

peter kern

https://www.facebook.com/Tri-An-Mhi-117271440235/?fref=ts

v sad to see this go.

Ceepo wrote: »

Just seen the this on facebook.
Very sad to hear this race is not going ahead again. Imo it was one of the best races on the calendar very well organised race on a tough but honest course with no hiding places.
It will be a loss to the Triathlon calander
Sorry can't link from my phone

Claude Burgundy

peter kern wrote: »

https://www.facebook.com/Tri-An-Mhi-117271440235/?fref=ts

v sad to see this go.

Facebook blocked, can someone post the actual text ( please )

Sad news, always heard great reports and it was on 2016 schedule:(

viperlogic

As race director for Tri an Mhi CXIII Middle Distance Triathlon for the past five years, this years event in my opinion, was our most successful yet. Having introduced the event to the Irish triathlon community back in 2011, our club developed the race into an event that was eagerly anticipated by many triathletes across the country looking for a testing and fair assessment of how they fared against the wider triathlon community. Each year without exception, worthy champions were uncovered and on behalf of Tri an Mhi, I thank everyone that participated and for putting your faith in our race, all 938 of you!

Regretfully, our club have decided that next year’s CXIII Middle Distance Triathlon will not now go ahead. There are a few reasons behind our decision, but needless to say you will be always welcome to return to Collinstown to take part in future races. Our club are delighted to have been in a position to host CXIII for five years but as with most things in life, sometimes a good thing just comes to an end. We had a blast, we hope you did too!

Thank you to our race sponsors Base2Race, Amphibia Sports, An Garda Siochana, Meath Civil Defence, Meath River Rescue, Dunboyne Scouts, Race day volunteers, Meath and Westmeath County Councils and the local communities around Lough Lene for enabling us to give you a race each year.

Once again, thank you for choosing our race and well done on crossing the finish beside the Lough Lene shoreline. I wish you all the best for the next season.

Yours in sport,

Pearse Fahy
Tri an Mhi CXIII Race Director

Pmaldini

Ceepo wrote: »

Just seen the this on facebook.
Very sad to hear this race is not going ahead again. Imo it was one of the best races on the calendar very well organised race on a tough but honest course with no hiding places.
It will be a loss to the Triathlon calander
Sorry can't link from my phone

Sorry to hear that, it was a great race, i have done it twice and had it on the radar for this year, hopefully they can find a way to get it going again some day.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Need to find a new HIM.

Claude Burgundy

Treasure Chilly Skeleton wrote: »

Need to find a new HIM.

Its either Curta or Athy really. Swinford is gone as well and did someone say Athlone ?

So Curta, Athy, Galway, 70.3 Dublin, Lost Sheep, Groom sport...........any others ?

MojoMaker

Pearse, why is it not going ahead? You haven't mentioned that in your statement.

Mr Tango

Pity. Had this in the plan as well. Other suggestions love mites to lough Cutra then. It's a bit pricey!!

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Mr Tango wrote: »

Pity. Had this in the plan as well. Other suggestions love mites to lough Cutra then. It's a bit pricey!!

Challenge Galway half?

lizanne83

Such a shame, was hoping to do it next year. Did Lost Sheep as my first half this year & loved the distance. Challenge Galway is 2 days before Kilkee so that's ruled out (no chanace of missing HOTW!) What's the Lough Cutra half course like? Might be too early /cold.

rooneyjm

What about the Tri An Mhi Duathlons in Trim, are they returning?

anfearruaaris

Hello lads/ladies - thank you for the generous words of support for our race and for supporting our race over the past few years. It boils down to having two commercial middle distance races and ours in the one month.
We are sandwiched between two of them. Lough Cutra have been awarded National Series and then we have Challenge Galway a week later. Lost Sheep got the National Championships. We applied for both on time back in the summer and when the series and championships were announced and we didn't get either, we focused on putting on another good race. Since mid September, we have been waiting for TI to have our race included on the 2016 calendar in order to get our promotion up and running. I contacted them and asked why it was not included and they said they were busy getting ready for the TI awards and that the calendar would be filled out over the next while. Up until Sunday we still were not on the calendar. All we wanted was a fair crack in a relatively small middle distance market. For me, I have done Lost Sheep a few times now and it is a brilliant race. I love that it is a club organised event and that the location is possibly the best in the country! I’m really delighted that they have the Championships. They also have a terrific calendar position, but for us with three races in one month. It boiled down to numbers and we couldn't take the risk . It could quite easily have gone pear shaped with maybe 120 or so entries.. We have some terrific memories, I really enjoyed it. So that’s the reason behind our decision.

EC1000

Sorry to hear that Pearse. I enjoyed "racing" it the year I took part. Also enjoyed assisting with the refereeing part in later years. Hope you get back up and running soon.

RJM85

Pity. Did this for the first time last year. Brilliant race - well organised, great course etc. I was hoping to come back and improve on last year

bryangiggsy

anfearruaaris wrote: »

Hello lads/ladies - thank you for the generous words of support for our race and for supporting our race over the past few years. It boils down to having two commercial middle distance races and ours in the one month.
We are sandwiched between two of them. Lough Cutra have been awarded National Series and then we have Challenge Galway a week later. Lost Sheep got the National Championships. We applied for both on time back in the summer and when the series and championships were announced and we didn't get either, we focused on putting on another good race. Since mid September, we have been waiting for TI to have our race included on the 2016 calendar in order to get our promotion up and running. I contacted them and asked why it was not included and they said they were busy getting ready for the TI awards and that the calendar would be filled out over the next while. Up until Sunday we still were not on the calendar. All we wanted was a fair crack in a relatively small middle distance market. For me, I have done Lost Sheep a few times now and it is a brilliant race. I love that it is a club organised event and that the location is possibly the best in the country! I’m really delighted that they have the Championships. They also have a terrific calendar position, but for us with three races in one month. It boiled down to numbers and we couldn't take the risk . It could quite easily have gone pear shaped with maybe 120 or so entries.. We have some terrific memories, I really enjoyed it. So that’s the reason behind our decision.

sorry Pearse but im not letting you away with it that easy. I think you guys have a great thing going in Collinstown with the location course etc. Its a challenging HIM and only 1 of 2 HIM's in Leinster. You have already built the brand....5 years and counting Louth Cutra and challenge Galway are West coast races and are also twice as expensive and you said yourself are commercial races. Tri an Mhi half is a club HIM like Lost Sheep and up there with it. It also slots perfectly into the calendar for people doing IM in July/August.
TI are renowned for dragging their heels re anything. The National Series is not a necessity in my opinion in that i dont know many athletes who sign up for HIM's for NS points. Yes it helps but is not a sink or swim option.
WE opted out of NS in Clogherhead for a few for years and still got the same numbers.
If there are ohter reason behind the decision than fair enough but the reasons given above are not reason enough. My 2 cents.

Mr Tony Stark

Really sad to hear this, I did it last year and thought it was fantastic. I was really looking forward to this year now knowing the route.

I will be the first to book it if it comes back.

BTH

This was also on my radar for next year. Did this in the early years and hoping to go back ahead of a late summer IM instead of doing a commercial race.

tunney

Just cause no one else has said it, and fully expecting to be savaged now as when I was when I said this a few years ago but....... does May/now early June work for a swim in such a cold lake?

Was the damage done to the race the few times the distances were changed and/or the reports of "oh my god it was so cold"?
That put me off doing it to be honest. Is it simply a case of no demand for as many HIMs as there are on the calendar and numbers dropped off in the less popular ones. Were the NS and NC being viewed as a potentially life saver for a race that lacked appeal?

Roll on the personal abuse like last time............

RJM85

tunney wrote: »

Just cause no one else has said it, and fully expecting to be savaged now as when I was when I said this a few years ago but....... does May/now early June work for a swim in such a cold lake?

Was the damage done to the race the few times the distances were changed and/or the reports of "oh my god it was so cold"?
That put me off doing it to be honest. Is it simply a case of no demand for as many HIMs as there are on the calendar and numbers dropped off in the less popular ones. Were the NS and NC being viewed as a potentially life saver for a race that lacked appeal?

Roll on the personal abuse like last time............

I don't know about previous years, but the swim this year was positively balmy.

tunney

tunney wrote: »

Just cause no one else has said it, and fully expecting to be savaged now as when I was when I said this a few years ago but....... does May/now early June work for a swim in such a cold lake?

Was the damage done to the race the few times the distances were changed and/or the reports of "oh my god it was so cold"?
That put me off doing it to be honest. Is it simply a case of no demand for as many HIMs as there are on the calendar and numbers dropped off in the less popular ones. Were the NS and NC being viewed as a potentially life saver for a race that lacked appeal?

Roll on the personal abuse like last time............

First race report I found

https://amphkingwest.wordpress.com/2013/05/19/tri-an-mhi-cxiii-irish-middle-distance-national-championships/

Less convinced that NS and NC were the deciding factors......

BTH

tunney wrote: »

Just cause no one else has said it, and fully expecting to be savaged now as when I was when I said this a few years ago but....... does May/now early June work for a swim in such a cold lake?

Was the damage done to the race the few times the distances were changed and/or the reports of "oh my god it was so cold"?
That put me off doing it to be honest. Is it simply a case of no demand for as many HIMs as there are on the calendar and numbers dropped off in the less popular ones. Were the NS and NC being viewed as a potentially life saver for a race that lacked appeal?

Roll on the personal abuse like last time............

Water temperature issues when the race ran in mid May yes, but any water temp issues in June can't really be legislated for. Mid May there has to be some expectation of cold water but June *should* be fine for a 1900m swim to go ahead.

The year I did the race the swim was 1900m but was a two loop swim instead of one loop. It was cold, and some people struggled because of that, including a few who saw the back of an ambulance. I would argue that the majority of these people went into the race fearing the cold water and likely facing their first OW swim of the year, and hence were not properly prepared for the race (that includes some experience triathletes). I have poor circulation and very low levels of body fat but the cold didnt bother me because I was focused on racing, not on the cold water. And I had 3/4 OW swims done already that year.

I would hate to think that this race is leaving the schedule because athletes didn't properly prepare themselves for a 1900m swim in mid May and the conditions they were likely to face on the day.

EC1000

tunney wrote: »

Just cause no one else has said it, and fully expecting to be savaged now as when I was when I said this a few years ago but....... does May/now early June work for a swim in such a cold lake?

Was the damage done to the race the few times the distances were changed and/or the reports of "oh my god it was so cold"?
That put me off doing it to be honest. Is it simply a case of no demand for as many HIMs as there are on the calendar and numbers dropped off in the less popular ones. Were the NS and NC being viewed as a potentially life saver for a race that lacked appeal?

Roll on the personal abuse like last time............

Perhaps that might be an issue if the race was struggling for numbers. Afaik it sold out each year?

tunney

EC1000 wrote: »

Perhaps that might be an issue if the race was struggling for numbers. Afaik it sold out each year?

Didn't know that, was of course just idle speculation.

They could of course just gotten tired of organising a race.
Alot of work, probably little thanks, no financial reward, who would blame them.

sconhome

BTH wrote: »

I would hate to think that this race is leaving the schedule because athletes didn't properly prepare themselves for a 1900m swim in mid May and the conditions they were likely to face on the day.

Seeing as that was my race report linked above. That year was less about athlete preparation and more about contingencies on the day.

Unlike you I've no issue with body fat (bar too much of it) so I'm well ready for cold water.

It's sad to see something that is important to a club and local sport development getting the cold shoulder from the organisation tasked with developing or sport nationally - but there may be a side to that we don't know about.

We've said it before it seems to be the commercially viable races which garner most support as these are the ones that will grow in numbers capacity wise and subsequently 'grow' with the sport. I know Lough Cutra has plenty of room and financial ability to grow and grow their festival idea for a weekend of racing.

End of the day it is sad to see both Tri an Mhi and Swinford middle distance races disappearing off the calendar but maybe they both will be back some day later in the season.

MojoMaker

hadn't done the half yet but raced the sprint there and loved the location. Had pencilled this race into the plan for next year so disappointed now - any chance it can still be saved if TI came around?

peter kern

well people like you that want soft races can do 70.3 dublin there is races for atheltes that dont cry if the water is a bit cold and races for poser ;-)


seriously of course no race appeal to everybody but really the only reason why this race could not be popular is because people want to draft and want a razzma tazz races (and for this we do have dublin 70.3 ) anybody that lives in or around dublin and just wants a good race where you leave your house at 8 and be back at 5pm should really not need more its a great race to expose weaknesses.

tunney wrote: »

Just cause no one else has said it, and fully expecting to be savaged now as when I was when I said this a few years ago but....... does May/now early June work for a swim in such a cold lake?

Was the damage done to the race the few times the distances were changed and/or the reports of "oh my god it was so cold"?
That put me off doing it to be honest. Is it simply a case of no demand for as many HIMs as there are on the calendar and numbers dropped off in the less popular ones. Were the NS and NC being viewed as a potentially life saver for a race that lacked appeal?

Roll on the personal abuse like last time............

Mr Tango

BTH wrote: »

Water temperature issues when the race ran in mid May yes, but any water temp issues in June can't really be legislated for. Mid May there has to be some expectation of cold water but June *should* be fine for a 1900m swim to go ahead.

The year I did the race the swim was 1900m but was a two loop swim instead of one loop. It was cold, and some people struggled because of that, including a few who saw the back of an ambulance. I would argue that the majority of these people went into the race fearing the cold water and likely facing their first OW swim of the year, and hence were not properly prepared for the race (that includes some experience triathletes). I have poor circulation and very low levels of body fat but the cold didnt bother me because I was focused on racing, not on the cold water. And I had 3/4 OW swims done already that year.

I would hate to think that this race is leaving the schedule because athletes didn't properly prepare themselves for a 1900m swim in mid May and the conditions they were likely to face on the day.

I did it that year to. People were hoping for swim to be cancelled. It was Baltic but once the gun went you just get on with it. I was first out of the water and lapped a few people. Doubt today it would have been run but it was still a good race. First time I wore a winter jacket and gloves on the bike!!! It was sunny tho.

NeedsTraining

In my opinion this is a big loss to the racing calendar.

Its also sad to see our governing body ignoring a club race like this.
Tri an Mhi have always put on a good race. Yes, they have been hampered by cold weather on a couple of occasions, but they moved the race to mid June to mitigate against this.

Always well organised by a good club. It had a local feel to it, was well marshalled and a good buzz around the finish line.

Hopefully we'll see it back on the calendar, if not for next year, then 2017.

Well done Pearse and Co.

rooneyjm

bryangiggsy wrote: »

sorry Pearse but im not letting you away with it that easy. I think you guys have a great thing going in Collinstown with the location course etc. Its a challenging HIM and only 1 of 2 HIM's in Leinster. You have already built the brand....5 years and counting Louth Cutra and challenge Galway are West coast races and are also twice as expensive and you said yourself are commercial races. Tri an Mhi half is a club HIM like Lost Sheep and up there with it. It also slots perfectly into the calendar for people doing IM in July/August.
TI are renowned for dragging their heels re anything. The National Series is not a necessity in my opinion in that i dont know many athletes who sign up for HIM's for NS points. Yes it helps but is not a sink or swim option.
WE opted out of NS in Clogherhead for a few for years and still got the same numbers.
If there are ohter reason behind the decision than fair enough but the reasons given above are not reason enough. My 2 cents.

Would have to second this. Tri an Mhi at the start of June is ideal for anyone doing Dublin 70.3 and could be marketed as such. Also C.K. sold out last year and was really well supported the day before Dublin 70.3

bryangiggsy

BTH wrote:

The year I did the race the swim was 1900m but was a two loop swim instead of one loop. It was cold, and some people struggled because of that, including a few who saw the back of an ambulance. I would argue that the majority of these people went into the race fearing the cold water and likely facing their first OW swim of the year, and hence were not properly prepared for the race (that includes some experience triathletes). I have poor circulation and very low levels of body fat but the cold didnt bother me because I was focused on racing, not on the cold water. And I had 3/4 OW swims done already that year.

We are all agreed it's a cracking location for a half. If Tri an Mhi want to step away from it maybe another club might be willing to step in to save the Collingstown HIM. Eugene 3d have been looking for a race location for a while now. Would they perhaps be interested in running a Half from there?

rooneyjm

bryangiggsy wrote: »

We are all agreed it's a cracking location for a half. If Tri an Mhi want to step away from it maybe another club might be willing to step in to save the Collingstown HIM. Eugene 3d have been looking for a race location for a while now. Would they perhaps be interested in running a Half from there?

Do they have a new race in May? There is a new race on the calendar, "North Dublin Triathlon" linked to the 3D website

BTH

rooneyjm wrote: »

Do they have a new race in May? There is a new race on the calendar, "North Dublin Triathlon" linked to the 3D website

bryangiggsy wrote: »

We are all agreed it's a cracking location for a half. If Tri an Mhi want to step away from it maybe another club might be willing to step in to save the Collingstown HIM. Eugene 3d have been looking for a race location for a while now. Would they perhaps be interested in running a Half from there?

Living 10k west of Galway city centre I'm a little out of the 3D tri loop these days

If they've a new race in the offing that's probably going to be enough for them for next year anyway.

Kurt_Godel

rooneyjm wrote: »

Do they have a new race in May? There is a new race on the calendar, "North Dublin Triathlon" linked to the 3D website

Hope this isn't stealing anyones thunder, but its been up on the NAC calendar for a while... 22nd May 2016

http://www.nationalaquaticcentre.ie/NAC_events.php

RacoonQueen

FWIW to Tri an Mhi, I would say there are a lot of athletes who would have chosen Tri an Mhi BECAUSE it is a club run race.
The expense involved in travelling and overnight stays for Lough Cutra and Challenge Galway are negatives for those races as well as them being commercial.
Be Athy double for me then, most likely...though in honesty, not overly keen on supporting Athy.

rooneyjm

Kurt_Godel wrote: »

Hope this isn't stealing anyones thunder, but its been up on the NAC calendar for a while... 22nd May 2016

http://www.nationalaquaticcentre.ie/NAC_events.php

Looks like it's on the same day as Carlow but pool based so great for beginners or the soft lads as Peter puts it. See you all there so.

BTH

MOD HAT: Please, no more discussion of any other race in this thread, if you want to discuss another race please start a new thread on that

BTH

Please keep this thread to discussions on the loss of this race to the triathlon calendar and the disgrace that is TI supporting and promoting commercial races and not giving club run races an equal crack at whip. Where does more of their money come from? Commercial races or club members??

trainerman

RacoonQueen wrote: »

FWIW to Tri an Mhi, I would say there are a lot of athletes who would have chosen Tri an Mhi BECAUSE it is a club run race.
The expense involved in travelling and overnight stays for Lough Cutra and Challenge Galway are negatives for those races as well as them being commercial.
Be Athy double for me then, most likely...though in honesty, not overly keen on supporting Athy.

Have to agree with this and with what Peter said earlier - its a great location that is easily accessible for a wide range of people as a day trip race without the cost of accommodation etc. It's also better value than most, very well set up, marshaled & communication and information with/from the Pierce & the organisers is first class. Also a great, fair & challenging course! Very disappointed to see it go - was definitely on the list for 2016.

sconhome

BTH wrote: »

Where does more of their money come from? Commercial races or club members??

You really need an answer to that?

tunney

BTH wrote: »

Please keep this thread to discussions on the loss of this race to the triathlon calendar and the disgrace that is TI supporting and promoting commercial races and not giving club run races an equal crack at whip. Where does more of their money come from? Commercial races or club members??

Mixing mod authority with personal opinion here.

There are two sides to every story and then the truth.
While I am no longer a huge fan of TI, Tri an Mhi have historically been less than stellar with the timeliness and accuracy of their communications.

Exactly how was Tri an Mhi not given a fair crack of the whip?

BTH

tunney wrote: »

Mixing mod authority with personal opinion here.

Absolutely not, hence I made two separate posts, one as Mod and one as personal opinion. But I wouldnt expect you to do anything less than to try and find an argument that isnt there.

tunney wrote: »

There are two sides to every story and then the truth.
While I am no longer a huge fan of TI, Tri an Mhi have historically been less than stellar with the timeliness and accuracy of their communications.

Exactly how was Tri an Mhi not given a fair crack of the whip?

Commercial races come in, say "We're taking this date" and TI say yeah no problem, we'll give you all the TI officials you need. Popular club run race looks for date on the TI calendar and looks to be added to said calendar so they can start promoting their race as an affordable alternative to the commercial races, but TI drags their heels so the commercial races can fill their pockets first. Is that a fair crack of the whip. And I dont doubt that there are other reasons for this race not being on the 2016 calendar.

Somebody above commending Tri an Mhi for their excellent communications. Have you ever done one of their races or are you going by hear-say??

catweazle

BTH wrote: »

Commercial races come in, say "We're taking this date" and TI say yeah no problem, we'll give you all the TI officials you need. Popular club run race looks for date on the TI calendar and looks to be added to said calendar so they can start promoting their race as an affordable alternative to the commercial races, but TI drags their heels so the commercial races can fill their pockets first. Is that a fair crack of the whip. And I dont doubt that there are other reasons for this race not being on the 2016 calendar.?

I always used to hate how Athlone and Athy could start offering early bird prices literally the day after their race for the following year leaving most of the club races waiting to hear back from the their TI overlords about when they can get a date in their calendar.

sconhome

Unfortunately this is becoming a bickering fight about TI.

No reflection on Tri an Mhi in this comment, however there is absolutely nothing stopping any club race from stepping forward and saying "thanks for a great attendance, next years event is opening tomorrow, same time, same place in 12 months."

Club races need to take a commercial approach or they are going to go through no fault of commercial races or TI. They need to step up their game. Make their own entry portal. Tell TI we are racing that day, we are a club and we want sanction.

No different to a commercial race in that approach.

Communication is important. My hearsay that Tunney is 'quoting' is fact. The comms on that particular day were brutal, not just my opinion. End of.

All other comms were excellent but that very often is down to the sponsors pushing the message to ensure they get a return on their investment.

There is a lot of work making a race a success. Clubs have to take a commercial approach to keep and retain sponsors and to grow the sport for themselves. Nobody can sit back on laurels anymore.

tunney

catweazle wrote: »

I always used to hate how Athlone and Athy could start offering early bird prices literally the day after their race for the following year leaving most of the club races waiting to hear back from the their TI overlords about when they can get a date in their calendar.

You have heard of a "fait accompli"?
or
"Its easier to ask for forgiveness than permission"?

triboy

tunney wrote: »

Mixing mod authority with personal opinion here.

Agree with u Tunney. Was a bit surprised when I saw it to be honest.

pgibbo

triboy wrote: »

Agree with u Tunney. Was a bit surprised when I saw it to be honest.

As BTH stated, he used 2 different posts. One to keep the thread on track and a seperate one to offer his opinion on the subject. Is he not allowed to have a personal opinion?. Let's just keep the topic on subject and stop derailing with comments like this and about new races, etc.

peter kern

well said
at the same time given that there is so few races left around dublin i struggle to see why the cheapest half ironman race on the calender ( and even if its not on the calender) would have to advertise when all the time we have threads that race entry fees are too high?

re the importance of a race calender
at least what we see in this thread many people, including myself had already planned on doing the race without it being on the calender as it is an established race.

I would love to see them sending out a message to their ex particpants with a final line
reply to this email if you want to race 2016.
then they would have a very good idea of real interest in the race.

Me thinks canecelling the race has been fantastic promotion to make people want to enter the race ;-)
we could start a boards poll who would do the race to give them some encouragement.

AKW wrote: »

Unfortunately this is becoming a bickering fight about TI.

No reflection on Tri an Mhi in this comment, however there is absolutely nothing stopping any club race from stepping forward and saying "thanks for a great attendance, next years event is opening tomorrow, same time, same place in 12 months."

Club races need to take a commercial approach or they are going to go through no fault of commercial races or TI. They need to step up their game. Make their own entry portal. Tell TI we are racing that day, we are a club and we want sanction.

No different to a commercial race in that approach.

Communication is important. My hearsay that Tunney is 'quoting' is fact. The comms on that particular day were brutal, not just my opinion. End of.

All other comms were excellent but that very often is down to the sponsors pushing the message to ensure they get a return on their investment.

There is a lot of work making a race a success. Clubs have to take a commercial approach to keep and retain sponsors and to grow the sport for themselves. Nobody can sit back on laurels anymore.