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.
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