Shawnee Mission Triathlon Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Jamie M.
Wichita, KS

  (08-03-2009)

"This race is without a doubt one of the highlights of my race calendar--of many race calendars in this area. For many athletes in Kansas and Missouri, this is a peak race. It's large and much more competitive than many of the triathlons in this area. It's great for first-timers, but also gives us all the ability to push ourselves a little harder against competition that will rise to the occasion.

Unfortunately, this year it was rained out. A huge storm (really huge; I had the weather map pulled up on my Blackberry) rolled through the northeastern part of Kansas. It stretched from Topeka to Kansas City. Go ahead and look it up on a map. I'll wait.

It's a long way, huh? So you can imagine how massive the storm front was. And the race directors handled the situation with great acumen. They began by delaying the start by half an hour to see what the storm might do. After the half hour was passed and the forecast looked no better, they again delayed the start, but stated that everyone could return to the parking area (about a mile from transition) with all of their gear; the race directors would make an announcement either way both at the parking lot and at the transition area.

The smart ones headed back to their cars with gear in tow. Those of us a little more thick-headed decided to wait it out, just in case.

The storm hit hard. Lightning and thunder close enough to scare me (and I've lived through my share of shocking storms). Wind gusting to 30-40 MPH. Torrential rain. The race was definitely off.

The race is held in Shawnee Mission Park, a very popular local spot in the Kansas City area that every year seems to have a problem with overpopulations of deer. Because the race course runs along the main road through the park, Johnson County Department of Parks and Recreation is generous enough to shut down the entire park every year for this event. But this is such a hassle to do that re-scheduling the race would not be possible. And since most of the entry fee money is already spent by the day of the race, they couldn't offer a refund.

Instead, they sent a letter to every participant offering a discount off next year's entry fee, or off other upcoming local races. This is less than ideal, of course, but I think a fair and workable solution. Again, I think the race organizers handled the situation as well as could be expected; in the end, we can't control the weather.

Still, it's sad to have missed one of the best races in the area. I still, every now and then, think of a particular point on the run course, or the many hills that the bike course offers with great excitement. Then I remember--Oh yeah. I don't get to do that this year.

For a more complete run-down of the course and race itself, you can check out my previous reviews of this same race."

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2009