Hale Triathlon Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

ted v.
needham, MA

  (09-17-2009)

"This is a great race for a great cause. Held at the Hale Reservation in Westwood, MA the race is put on by an all volunteer crew headed up by the executive director of the Hale Reservation. This year, 2009, was the second year that I did this race, and is also my second tri. I'm a runner, mainly and was looking for something to break up the routine and this fits the bill. It's a great way to end the summer and a fun test.

Probably one of the best things about this is that it's pretty low-key, not too many super intense folks, it's a got a fun, friendly mellow vibe. It's still competitive and people go all out, but it's really pretty chill. One of the things that helps that, I think are the weekly training sessions that start in August and run right up to the week of the race with a full run through.

The training sessions and the short distance bring out a bunch of folks, race day participation was 160 which is up from 2008. Don't let the short distance fool you though it's a fairly punishing little course, and lots of folks who come out to try a tri get more than they bargained for, but is it fun.

Signup is a breeze, it's online. The race is well organized, number pickup is simple and the staging area is well set up, if a bit crowded. There are timing mats prior to water entry to register your entrance in the race and then timing is done by starting groups from a specific time. There are more mats at each transition: water to stage to bike exit to bike reentry to stage to run-exit to finish. Well done

The swim is not hard from a distance perspective but the pond is a good old fashioned NE pond with lots of tannins in it and so it's sort of murky and hard to see other participants. Lots of us thought that the swim was a bit longer this year than last. The lengths are my biggest gripe -- not that I mind swimming further, it's just nice from a fitness perspective to gauge year to year and if the distance is off it can be frustrating.

I'd say the bike is the crown jewel of this race (though the run is great too). It's a 5.3 mile grind. There is a great mix of wooded single track, fire roads and even some pavement and gravel roads. It climbs brutally in the first mile or so up a very steep road and then keeps climbing for another couple of hundred yards. You can drop the hammer down the back side but you back into wooded trail very quickly. There are many ups and downs along the rest of the course and the trail is rocky, and rooty. There is one old road filed with rocks that stick up and beg to knock you off your bike, and there is a rock garden near the end, that even after three training rides, I still couldn't find a good line (I need to go back out and practice some more... I'm bound and determined). Bike is my weakest I think though I did fine on my time -- placing in the top fifth. I was sort of surprised, and attribute it to adrenaline. There is room to pass on the course but there are also sections where you can't. There are more than few short, sharp rocky climbs that knock folks off their bikes and then it's a domino effect -- you push it up and hop on. The course was quite muddy in spots and that just made it that much more fun.

The run is listed at 2.3 miles, though I heard that it was lengthened to 2.5 -- which makes sense given my time. Right off the bike you're running up a hill and climbing for a couple hundred yards. It's tough on rubbery bike legs and you need to gut it out. There are multiple climbs on the course, a quick jaunt through an orchard (we spooked a deer there during training) and then more wooded trails, lots of single track and even some wooden bridges over mud holes. Great running course, challenging and tough. Not as muddy as the bike trail ut as rooty and rocky -- you need to watch your step.

All in all, I love this race. I'd like some accuracy on the distances, but the people who run it are great, the course is tough and fun and challenging. It's got a great vibe. Parking is easy and well run. Number pickup is a breeze. The bathrooms are camp bathrooms, no porta johns and that's sort of nice. It supports a good cause. If you're in Westwood, MA next September, looking for an off-road tri, come on out!"

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2009