Editor’s Note from the June issue.
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It has been long over due for us to have a Half Iron event back in Utah. Two years have passed since the last Half, TriUtah’s Echo Challenge Half came and went. TriUtah has unsuccessfully tried to keep the distance in town for several years, beginning with the Kokopelli Half. The events never had the athlete attendance needed to keep a race of its magnitude in town. Half’s require more volunteers to stand in the sun for hours on end, more roads to navigate athletes through and a lot of time, especially on race day. Some would say that there are not enough long-course-minded athletes in Utah to support the events. Maybe TriUtah was ahead of their time. At least they tried.
Fast forward to 2007 and we welcome the VikingMan and Utah Half. While not in Utah, the VikingMan is now the closest regional Half for Utahn’s to attend. Plus, if you are not a strong swimmer you know that nothing beats swimming down the fast moving current of the Snake River. Burley, Idaho is officially a triathlon town. 350 athletes signed up for the inaugural VikingMan event, forcing the race director to close registration well before race day. Burley’s Spudman Tri, a favorite for Utahn’s sold out in a day (over 1,000 athletes). VikingMan’s inaugural event went off without a hitch, and has momentum heading into 2008. I wouldn’t be surprised if they doubled their attendance next year.
The Utah Half has been looked at with some doubts. As the raced was announced last winter, many wondered if organizers had permits and/or the support of the city. And, athletes have to ask, “what makes Utah Lake safe to swim in now?” Ironman Utah and Half Ironman Utah failed due to two consecutive canceled swims in Utah Lake. As it turns out, co-race director Travis Snyder has assured TriHive that a recently built jetty will protect swimmers from the waves that caused Ironman to pack its bags in 2002.
Interestingly enough, TriUtah announced a Half Iron distance event for August of 2008. The race was announced when their 2007 triathlon schedule was unveiled this past winter. It seems race directors are noticing that Utah athletes are ready to take on new challenges. Maybe we’ve always been ready, if the venue and time was right.
Now, if all three of the Half’s stick around for 2008, we’d be approaching the saturation point. One Half is great. Two is a luxury. Three are more then enough. Recent rumors state that two more Half Iron distance events may pop up in 2008. Yes, there MAY be five Half’s in our area in 2008. When it rains it pours. Better late then never, I guess. Where was the enthusiasm to put on a Half last year? Does my bitterness show? In my ideal world, these race directors would work together and produce one amazing event, attracting a national audience. Ego and money won’t allow such a thing to happen.
Let’s hope that one of these Half’s will survive the competition, and give long course triathletes a race to look forward to year-after-year. It would be a tragedy if they end up sinking each other. VikingMan looks to be the one that could survive the flood. They’ve already beat everyone to the punch and hit a home run in its first year. Also, land lovers looking to jump up to a longer event will appreciate the Snake’s current. Can the Utah Half generate similar enthusiasm? Will we see three more Half’s in 2008? Time will tell. Just keep one going!
Alex McKinley
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