Tri for the Cure Denver
Denver, CO
Official Website : http://www.triforthecure-denver.com/
Date : August 10, 2008
Race Type : Triathlon and Multisport
Race Distance : Sprint: Swim 750 Meter (1/2 Mile), Bike18.3K (11.4 Miles), Run 5K (3.1 Miles)
Race Description: Cherry Creek State Park and resevoir
1 Reviews for Tri for the Cure Denver
I did this race in 2008, and it is a very large women-only sprint triathlon. The swim is terrific - Cherry Creek Reservoir has some kind of solar water filtration system to keep it algae-free. By August, the water is in the mid-60s.
The bike ride is nice - lots of small rolling hills around a park, and you can see the mountains in the distance.
The run is not so nice - it is a run up to the top of the levee wall, then across the levee, then back down. There is no shade whatsoever. The only good thing is that you can see all your friends while you run back and forth along the levee.
The best part of the race is the organization. The waves are done in reverse order by age - so for those of you, like me, who have always been last in every race because it's deemed by all race organizers that women over 40 like to run when it's hot, you'll enjoy watching all the 20-year-olds suffering in the hot sun two hours after you've finished your race. A bit sadistic? Probably, but after all the races where I've been the one in the back, it's nice to be up front for a change.
The race shirt was awesome - a technical racer-back shirt that I've worn a lot. The package pickup was crazy - hundreds of women packed into the sports store, but it was fun and quick too.
It is fun to watch the cancer survivors go out in the same wave - they were very excited. The only problem is that this race allows people who cannot swim to participate - they have angels with noodles who swim with them. During the race, I went to stroke with my right arm, and I encountered a body...but as I pulled my hand back, the body sank. I stopped and helped the woman back up to the surface, but it was really frightening. I told the race organizers about it after the race, and I think they might put the non-swimmers in their own wave now. I'm not sure.
August in Denver can be very warm - it was 85 degrees at 10 AM the day I did the race. So make sure you're used to high temperatures, particularly if you're not used to high altitude (Denver is over 5,000 feet). And if you're not used to high altitude - wear three layers of sun screen! I'm not kidding - the sun is intense at high altitude, and it's painful to see all the sunburns at the triathlons out here.