Pat Griskus Sprint Triathlon Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

alan m.
Branford, CT

  (08-19-2009)

"What you need to know:

Swim: Lake swim. The water is flat, the swim is an out and back, but a unique format. Men swim on one side, women on the other. You go out on the outside and meet on the inside.

Transition: Run up from the swim, grab you bike, come back and grab your shoes. The transition area is a parking lot. A lack of numbers on the racks makes everything interesting.

BIke: Rocket down some hills. Crawl up some hills. Head back to transition.

Run: Go out of the park. Run hard downhill. Run even harder up those same hills.

You would think this couldn't possibly be a great race. It's on a Wednesday night, which has to be the weirdest night of the week to race. It's in a part of Connecticut that's only easy to get to if you already live there.

You'd be wrong, this is a great race.

The swim- The lake is warm and flat. While the swim course should be perfectly straight, it isn't always because the buoys drift. Men swim on one side, women on the other, which is certainly an interesting twist and probably a great idea. You swim outside the buoys and come back in inside them. The course is easy to sight, and fast because the water is so flat.

The bike: You have got to want to work on this course. You turn out of the park and start screaming down a nice steady decline. If you aren't flying here you're recovering, and wasting the course.

You then hook a right, and more mostly downhill work. There are two technical/semi-technical turns on the downhill. Don't let them throw you.

Then you climb. And you really climb. These are hard hills. You will have to be ready for them or it will kill your time and ruin you for the run. But the hills are short and easily overcome.

Then you hit some rollers.

The you get one last giant of a hill that you have to really push to get over. there's usually a good number of spectators here. After you crest it's all downhill into the park.

The run is an out an back. You got out of the park and run on a mostly flat, than turn right onto a side road.

You run downhill- really downhill. Run like hell, because you won't get that time back.

After you run around the cone you get some basically flat running.

Then you have to climb and boy, is it a climb. Like the bike, if you aren't ready for this it will zap you and kill your time, but it's easily climbed.

Then it's a quick jaunt back to the park, hook a left, and run down to the finish line, where you get a rose.

The post race food includes veggie burgers (or the meaty kind if you are so inclined) and beer is on tap (charges may apply).

The raffle is tremendous with prizes that include bike frames and thule car racks, timex watches. And you can sit in the latest BMWs on display.

This is an awesome, family friendly race (ride the rides in the amusement park until 8PM !), with great food and enthusiastic volunteers and a responsive race director.

The race also draws a very competitive field.

Add this race to your schedule- you'll be glad you did."

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2009