Beach to Battleship Triathlon Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

susan h.
jacksonville, FL

  (03-26-2010)

"I did it its first year. I love that course. The weather was a bit chilly, but the swim was super fast with a current that rocks. The bike left for me, a little bit to be desired as I got a bit bored, but it is a fine course for going fast until you get back into town and then the road traffic really backed up and you got some angry drivers. The run was my fave part. It was a 2 looped course, but you got to see the best part of the area and the residents were great. I love the neighbors that shared their bbq pork with me on my second loop. I should have taken a beer! And the awards river boat cruise rocked."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2008

Heather G.
Myrtle Beach, SC

  (11-13-2009)

"*note* I participated in the relay...as the marathon runner, so I really do not have much to say about the bike or swim.

However, the organization at this race was top notch, and I was VERY surprised to hear that 2009 was only the second year this event had taken place! The volunteers were fantastic. The run course is a 13.1 mile out and back....so you have to run that twice. I thought this would be a deterrant and quite boring, but it was anything BUT. Aid stations at every mile marker with a buffett of water, heed, cola, grapes, bananas, animal crackers, i could go on and on and on.

The only thing I was slightly dissapointed in was the spectators....during the day they were fantastic, and throughout my marathon. However, I returned to the finish around 11:00 to cheer in the late night Iron distance finishers....and there were maybe 20 spectators at the finish line. I guess I was expecting a huge spectacle like at a Ford sponsored Ironman. I mean, after 140.6 miles those athletes deserve fanfare! But, it was a cold evening so that may be partially to blame. Also, most of the finishing area was packed up when many of these athletes were still finishing (at least an hour before the cut off time).

Other than that, fantastic race. AWESOME shirts (one in the race bag, one at the finish line), socks, and a HUGE battleship medal. I hope to one day be back to do the whole race by myself! A+ Setup Events !"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

courtney a.
chicago, IL

  (11-10-2009)

"Very bad organization. Very boring course. Very rude Race Director, impossibly rude. Don't bother!"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Mike L.
Atlanta, GA

  (06-22-2009)

"Another excellent race put on by Bill Scott, Jeremey Davis and the fine team at Set Up Events, Inc. I would highly recommend this race for 2009. (Registration will open on Dec 1, 2008 for the 2009 Beach2Battleship.)

Race organizers billed this as a "PR race" and that was certainly the case for many, many athletes. Point-to-Point race that starts in Wrightsville Beach (NC) and finishes near downtown Wilmington (NC) at the site of the USS North Carolina battleship.

Race offers both a half and a full iron-distance events. I competed in the full iron-distance.

Swim was conveniently planned around the time for the incoming tide. This made for a terrific current albeit the water temp was a cool 67 degrees. Air temp was around the mid-40's so getting in the water was actually a relief. A little cold water shock for about the first 50 yards or so...but I didn't notice anyone getting overwhelmed or panicking from the swim. I nearly overshot the ladders at the swim exit point onto the docks and had to slightly swim upstream to grab onto the ladder. Great job by the wetsuit strippers on the docks. Distance into T1 was about 300 yards from the water exit point.

My swim time was: 55:43 with just over 7 minutes in the first transition.

Bike was likewise a great course. Relatively flat and about 80% of the roads were very smooth surface. Made for great riding conditions. I was freezing for about the first 30-35 miles. I had on arm warmers, socks, but no other outer layers other than an extra sleeveless t-shirt I put on beneath my single piece, tri-suit in the changing tent. In hindsight, I might have put on a long sleeve dri-fit shirt and some gloves to stay a little warmer. By the half-way point for the Bike Special Needs bag pick up, I was pretty well warmed up. Speaking of Special Needs Bag, I've found that putting a cooked baked potato in the bike special needs bag is a welcome piece of nutrition after 56 miles on the bike. (Thanks, Ilana Katz...Atlanta sports nutritionist! Great recommendation from her.)

My bike time was: 5:39:41 with just under 5 minutes in the second transition.

Run was challenging as I was thinking it would be as flat as the bike. However, this two-loop course presented three bridge crossings on each loop...for a total of six "hills". But the run course was well set up with aid stations at every mile point. My favorite part on the run course was going along N. Water Street in the historic section of Wilmington. Lots of great crowd support in this area. My least favorite was also this area because sections of it were cobblestone/brick roads...so the street was very uneven.

My run time was: 4:34:39.

Total time: 11 hrs, 22 min, 21 seconds

Overall a very positive experience from this first year event. Some minor areas for improvement that I'm certain Set Up Events will address. I will consider this one again next year. Great to see several folks from Atlanta come up for the race as either participants or volunteers: Kim and Pee-Wee Bramblett, Scott Bingham, Dan Turner, Rob Zittle, Pablo Piquerez, Jim and Belinda Rainey, and Jack Spartz.

Also extremely inspiring to see Kelly Bruno (Durham, NC) and Deanna Babcock (Raleigh, NC) competing in the full and half, respectively, as athletes with a disability. Thank you, Kelly and Deanna, for showing many of us the "bigger picture".

Congrats to all the finishers in both the half and full iron-distance races."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2008

Suzy H.
San Francisco, CA

  (06-10-2009)

"Anytime you compete in a first time race event, you worry about the little things - aid stations, volunteers, race course, support... but set-up events definitely know what they are doing! They put on an excellent race and I am happy to say Beach to Battleship was a great experience for my first ironman.
The swim is point to point WITH a current. I think you could literally float on your back and would end up at the finish point within the time limit. Anyone worried about swimming in an ironman/half ironman should seriously consider this race.
The bike was back-breakingly flat, which is both a blessing and a curse. For 112 miles, flat courses can definitely wear on you, but I found the course to be interesting and the roads were (for the most part) smooth and easy to navigate.
The run was a 2 loop course that mirrors the Wilmington Half Marathon course. It is a good mix of running through town, over bridges, and through a nice park. The support on the run course was excellent, and I never had a problem getting the energy/food I needed.
I would recommend this race for anyone looking for a smaller race experience (compared to any Ironman company sponsored events) and something flat and fast!
"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2008