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Challenge Weymouth
So Challenge has moved from Henley to Weymouth for 2014.
The swim is in the bay: easier than Tenby.
The bike involves some lovely scenery.
The run is bound to be flat, there's plenty of sea front promenade.
Entries are now open, £310 early bird.
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Comments
You in then Blisters ? I thought you were looking at doing IMWales ?
I have the same problem I have when it was at Henley, just doesn't excite me and with 24 other IM distance races in the UK now to choose from I'm happy to part with the money if the race grabs me and this one doesn't
2014 is very date-critical for me.
I haven't yet got confirmations of the banned weekends. Nice, Zurich, both out. Outlaw, out. IMW 50/50. At this rate I'll be stuck with Cotswold 113 and 226.
Blisters - well that kind of picks events for you then.
its a pain tp get to weymouth......bit like bournemouth is
Not for me Seren, there's a ferry from St. Malo in Brittany to Weymouth.
On the basis that I really enjoyed Henley I'm going to have a play at Weymouth. Already thinking that as it will then be two different Challenge races over two years 2015 will need to be something different (possibly in either Bolton or Tenby!)
Weymouth doesn't do it for me for some reason
Oh good Cheggers, then I won't be a lone Pirate sailing my own tiny little ship! But I'm only doing the half, I'm not allowed to do the full distance any more since I got a hip replacement, my surgeon's even not really happy with me running more than 10km.
I'd love to have a go at this but not next year. Maybe one day in the future. And Weymouth is not always a flat calm swim BTW.
But if you want a taste of racing there, have a pop at a couple of Bustinskin events. Mark puts on a good show even if he is a sadistic bastard. Swims are uphill, I swear.
I'd like to get down to support
Just been over to the website. Flat is mentioned a lot. Swim off Preston beach will be sweet and around 17-18 degrees IMO. Unless the weather is shit. With T1 in Lodmoor country park, not sure how they will get a flat fast bike as most ways out of the bay are up. But coming back into the bay is epic, truly epic fast stuff. I think the front is about 5K long so with a 4 lap run leg and a couple of small detours, it's doable.
IM Race is September. Egdon Easy in May is a nice fast 10K to see how the area "runs out" and takes in Preston Beach, Lodmoor nature reserve and surrounds etc.
Plenty of camping a few miles away in Osmington/Owermoigne area. Weymouth has one of the best beaches in the country for kids and families and the entertainment is second to none.
Roads for riding are generally not bad at all with some fast stuff and glorious views/ascents/descents etc.
And perhaps best of all is that you can train a lot of it in advance.
Wonder if Bustinskin will get away with playing the Jaws theme tune at the start of the swim....?
Dustboy, the sea swim is a part of the attraction. Henley this year was my first iron distance race and consequently came with a bit of trepidation. The sea swim at Weymouth carries a similar level of trepidation for me. I'd like it to be calm but if it isn't then I'm in the same boat (actually I won't be in a boat at all!) as everyone else and we all have to cope with whatever we get!
I've cycled around the Dorset area a little in the past. I don't remember it as flat.
We stayed in Weymouth for a week this year - none of the rides were flat or fast and I don't recall the road surfaces as any better than anywhere else in the UK I've ridden. Mind you it can't be as bad as the Bustinskin HIM, I still haven't made it up that hill on Portland without a stop.
I guess there should be plenty of cheap accommodation but if the Olympic sailing was anything to go by I wouldn't expect a warm welcome from the locals.
A bustinskin Aquathlon remains the only time I have been a tad scaredy cat swimming in the sea at Weymouth. I killed the first 400M in shade under 6 minutes and thought I was a swim God. Then I tried to come back.
When you are swimming close to flat out and can see the bottom 12 feet below moving away from you in the current, the first thought is how funny it is. 5 minutes later when you haven't moved forwards at all, you start to worry a little, then you think, "Shit, I am going to France now". Then you learn swim technique in five seconds flat. Think I took about 14 minutes to get back or something. Last or last but one out of the water, Mark pissed himself laughing as usual and I got serious abuse over the tannoy.
And that was sheltered Bowleaze Cove.
The hill up to Portland is no worse than a moderate Surrey hill but it looks hard. I haven't done it but I think there is a cheeky little number out Abbotsbury way.
I'd still feel a lot safer swimming at Weymouth than I would many other OW venues
I think it may depend on which road you use to climb it Dustboy!
Obviously, the zigzag is the wimps option then? That's the only way I know.
There's the main road that the cars use and the one that Mark makes you ride up!
£310? Do you get accommo with that too? Is that really the price?
Jesus, i'm so glad i'm just a runner. Seriously, why so pricey?
Safety cover, road closures, security, medical cover, insurance etc etc etc.
It's much, much cheaper, and less faff, to just run.
Do the half, it's much cheaper!
lots of safety cover for the swim......I would expect full closed roads for that price.......and you get a shiny medal
Any guesses as to bike course yet? Closed roads will be tough to achieve. If T1 is Lodmoor, I would guess out to Preston and up to Poxwell then up towards A35/Swanage/Wareham/Dorchester and back in to Weymouth. That's about as flat as I can envisage it.
I don't think you're going to get fully closed roads whatever the price.
Cheers for the responses. Christ I thought about £150 max (expensive marathon x 3). Obviously well out of the loop, having only done one sprint tri 6 years ago!!
Yeah, they are pricey but a lot of sprint tris are up at £75 or so. Though most club ones a fair bit less. I suppose there is a fee to be paid for road closures/marshalling for 112 miles? And for Outlaw I guess they have to hire the whole of Holmpierrepoint? That includes a mile and a half long rowing lake
I think for over £300 i would want fully closed roads.........
thats one of the best thing about ironman races like wales.being able to cycle along knowing that there will be no caravan coming in the other direction.........
Outlaw was ok with partial road closures but the traffic in places really did annoy me and then the riders would be forced to bunch up as well
I'm guessing it will be closed roads - that was the main objection about Henley was the roads being closed. Wouldn't seem to make much sense to move somewhere else if its on open roads - may as well have stayed in Henley!