Midwest Mayhem 2010

Had the opportunity to race the Midwest Mayhem at Lone Star Lake this past weekend and wanted to make some comments about the event.  As most who have been involved in the Kansas City tri-community are aware the Race Director for this event (KLM) has over the years developed a reputation for poor athlete service and races that left a lot to be desired.  Because I had seen firsthand and heard from others of the incidences, I have cautioned my coached athletes and others against doing events hosted by KLM. Therefore some eyebrows were raised when I mentioned that I was going to do Midwest Mayhem this year.

So what did I find?  This will come as a surprise to many but I found the race was actually pretty well run.  From responding to an athlete's pre-race questions to having a nice Oakley-branded t-shirt to having multiple locations for packet pickup, the pre-race routine was very appropriate.  

As for race day, though I was expecting the worst, I was pleasantly surprised.  Some of what I discovered was:

A well laid out, fair course - the course was well signed and there were plenty of police and volunteers on the bike and run courses.  I don't know how anyone could have gotten lost and didn't hear of any.

Enough aid stations - lots of drinks available before the start and after finishing.  No aid stations on the bike but with a 25 mile ride that isn't expected or necessary.  There were 5 well stocked and manned aid stations along the 6 mile run course.  Since it was a hot day I hit every one and found cold water and gatorade every time, along with GU at the turn around.

Volunteers to help out as required - I saw plenty of volunteers available to help with parking, body-marking, traffic control, aid stations etc.

Did the race have all the trappings of Ironman Kansas 70.3 or the KC Triathlon?  Certainly not.  Are there things that if I was the RD, I would do differently? Sure.  Couple examples include having timing mats at both the bike and run turnarounds or someone taking down race numbers as athletes go by.  I would figure out a way to make sure the distances are exactly Olympic: 1.5k swim, 40k bike and 10k run, rather than "near Olympic" (but maybe that's just my Canadian background coming through because when I was part of the Race Committee putting together the KC Triathlon I heard from a number of people that "exact distances don't really matter").  I would also have more control of the transition area to keep non-athletes out of it.  Are those things that would make a good race better?  Absolutely.  Are they critical to having a safe, fun, well run race?  Not necessarily.

So, is Midwest Mayhem ever going to be as big and popular as it could be?  Probably not.

Will it suddenly start to sell out every year like the Shawnee Mission Tri?  Not likely.

Will I be pushing my athletes to add it to their calendars as next summer's big "A" race?  No.

Does the RD deserve the reputation he has?  Yes... but I see improvements.

Is Midwest Mayhem a viable, safe, supported race that provides a mid-summer option instead of traveling to Iowa or elsewhere?  Yes, I believe it does.

EC Camp Summary

Been a few days since I drove back from Boulder, got busy with regular life again but still wanted to post something about the last two days of the Camp.  Day 6 started very early as the crew was scheduled to meet in Idaho Springs just off I-70 by 6:45a (its an hour's drive from Boulder).  From there we began the longest, highest bike climb you can do in North America - 28 miles and nearly 7000' up to the top of Mt. Evans.  Although the climb was certainly not as steep as others we had done it presented its own challenges as the temperatures dropped and the winds picked up as we ascended.  Additionally the thin air above the tree-line made me and others feel light-headed.  The struggle was certainly worth the views once we summited though we didn't spend long at the top as it was cool and windy.  Descending back to the half-way point at Echo Lake was all about holding on and dealing with the rough roads.  From there the last 14 miles down was a blast, fast cornering and high speeds!  The evening's entertainment/meal was appropriately held at the Nepalese Sherpa Restaurant in Boulder where we had the opportunity to listen to former pro cyclist and co-founder of trainingpeaks.com Dirk Friel speak about some of what he has learned about coaching pro cyclists; very informative.

Day 7 - "the Big Finish" started with meeting at the Boulder Reservoir for another OWS though this time it was a larger public event, the Boulder Bare Bones Swim.  Had a chance to run into Chrissie W (again) as well as see Dave Scott.  Options for the race were 1 and 2 miles, most of the EC crew chose the 2 while I wisely decided 1 mile would be plenty.  After that we loaded up and hit the road for the last ride of the week, the same loop we had done Monday only in reverse order - to Lyons, up through Raymond onto the Peak to Peak, down through Ward (stopped for a taste of the world-famous Ward Spring Water) then back to the Reservoir.  Some campers chose to keep the day a bit flatter with an straight out and back to Lyons.  We ran into  the first rain of the week during the descent but nothing to dampen the enjoyment of the ride.  Getting back most campers set off on a short transition run.  After a couple hours to pack up and get changed we all met at the Rio Grande Restaurant to try their margaritas and have dinner.  In my case I didn't stay too long as Arch had a flight to catch and I was anxious to start the long drive home to Kansas City.  Made it home Sunday morning around 7:30a after an uneventful drive.

In summary, although it took a lot to organize things beforehand and placed a heavy burden on my wife and family while I was away for a whole week, I have to say the Camp was totally worth it.  I rode more miles and climbed more feet that I have in a long time, I met some great new people and got to reconnect with others.  I also learned so many things that will make me a better athlete and coach.  Huge thank-you to Gordo, Justin, Alan, Chuckie, Marilyn and their support crew and spouses for making the Camp such a wonderful experience once again.  I highly recommend any athlete (and especially USAT coaches) consider attending next summer's Camp starting June 19th.