Our all-volunteer team organizes a great Triathlon to fund our community service projects, including: helping over 400 kids receive an education, finding housing for families impacted by natural disasters, and improving our community. Our generous sponsors at make this all possible:
Affinity Federal Credit Union, Ameriprise Financial, Argus Technology, Embarq/Century Link, Gebhardt & Kiefer, Groendyke Associates, HealthQuest
Reiner Insurance, Shop Rite, Weichert - Eileen Wallace
Please see Our Sponsors page for a full list and to find out how you can help too.
Comments
Tri & Du Awards
Why the extreme discrepancy between the triathlon and duathlon awards? I realize this is your race and you can do whatever you want but it appears quite disrespectful to the duathlon participants that the age group winners in the tri get $100 and the age group winners in the du get a glass.
Good Feedback
We've discussed this point at length with our team, and the short answer is "we've always done it this way".
However, your point is very valid and needs to be corrected. We cannot change the 2010 awards - but will correct this for our 25th Anniversary race next year.
Please also note that the USAT (our sanctioning body) sets a cap on total awards of $5,000 (which we have reached), so a redistribution will be evaluated going forward.
Thanks for your very thorough and appreciated comment.
The Skylands Team
Safety - Course
The great staff at Spruce Run have worked together with our team to come up with a safe, fun race for 2010.
Also, we will have plenty of restroom facilities - at least twice the capacity of 2009.
Awards
We're planning on providing everyone with a good Tech shirt instead of medals/ribbons, based on all the feedback you sent.
Finisher medals
Just wanted to add, I personally thought the finisher medals were a nice touch this year... if nothing else my 4-year-old thinks it's pretty cool that Daddy got a medal. :-> The technical t-shirt was great the previous year, I still run in it all the time. I'm just there for the race and the friendship, the swag is a bonus. Thanks!
Great Race
Just two comments:
Start Time: Many athletes plan their wake-up, pre-race meal, travel, and warm-up around the start time. This is critical above all else. YOU MUST START ON TIME!
Shirts: Do away with finisher medals, waste of money. Bring back the technical tee shirts. That is your best advertisement. I wore last year's to many events and received a lot of questions about the race.
Yes to both
We hear you loud and clear.
Great Race - A Few Thoughts
First off, what a spectacular day, race, course, and attitude and support of the staff. Really enjoyed every part of it.
A few thoughts that could make the event even more successful:
1. No need for cash awards. If you must, provide a free entrance fees to next years race for the winners. This is a charity event and should go there.
2. T Shirts - leverage the design skills of one of the vendors to make these shirts really cool (and not all yellow). I know Rotary logo is yellow but blue could work well. Please give them out at registration.
Overall a fantastic effort from so many people - thanks
skylands tri
I would agree with the starting the race on time comment. I would also add that sharing the 5K portion with vehicle traffic is dangerous. Also, the race T was not a keeper. I produce two running events in Glen Ridge where the race always starts on time, the roads are shut down and the race t is a keeper. Regardless, I really like the event and I'm looking forward to next years.
skylands
thank you for a great day! what a beautiful setting with wonderful volunteers~the only comments that i have in the negative are 1)the race should start on time!! too much standing around waiting for the start~it is tiring, mentally and physically, and negatively impacts nutritional planning! 2) the post race food(while plentiful and very nice to include everyone) should be more healthful!
You Asked for Feedback
You guys specifically asked for feedback so here goes:
First of all, GREAT race. This was the first time I did Skylands and the venue, the volunteers, the food, the weather (I assume you guys specifically arranged for that weather?) -- were all terrific. The student volunteers cheering at every turn made me smile every time. I'm sure there's no way any of the competitors could even begin to appreciate all the work that goes into organizing something like this, so thanks for everything we saw, and everything that went on behind the scenes!
Now, just a couple of small things that could have been better.
- Others said this too, but I agree. Please just include the t-shirts in the goodie bags so we don't have to stand in line to pick them up. Tek shirts are nice but not necessary.
- As far as swag in general is concerned, that's incidental stuff, I don't need any more water bottles or anything like that. Just a shirt is good; if you get donations, great, but please use the rest of our money for logistics (more bathrooms!), and fundraising/charity. I don't even need a medal. Seriously. Give medals only to the folks who place in their categories. I don't know what to do with all the "finisher" medals from all the stuff I've done, they just sit in a closet and gather dust.
- For the body marking, please include AGE. I did a couple of tri's this year and all but this one marked the ages. It's really nice to be able to quickly decide "hey, she's 25, she SHOULD be ahead of me darn it!" vs. "she's in my age group, let me push it and see if I can catch her".
Again, thanks for a great race. I will definitely be back next year.
This is a Friendly Race
Dear Rotarians...you guys ran a wonderful race. What sets this apart isn't the hill (loved it), or the organization (wonderful), the lack of bathrooms (not that unusual), or the lines at bodymarking (ok...need more bodymarkers). What other race has volunteers as enthusiastic as these? (Remember, the Wellesley students aren't volunteers). And a 'comfort' wave? And holds up the race start for latecomers? You guys are just plain nice and friendly. Thanks for putting on a great race. And i look forward to having more fun next year...
Now for some more specific feedback: the cash prizes probably attract a certain quality of participant, but none of the prizes were significant enough to matter that much. Do the business case and determine if it's better spent on a scholarship...; my personal opinion on medals is that they're for more 'significant' events (marathons, half-tri's, half-marathons, etc.) and the medals (not just the ribbons) are usually customized as such...again, save the money and put it in the scholarships. Go with tek fabric for the shirts...i can remember lots of folks at different races talking about the 'great swag' at various races...and usually referring to tek shirts. As to the swag bag, there must be a local bike shop that would love to donate H2O bottles (cost <$1 each) and get their imprint out to another 400 potential customers.
Thanks again.
Paul
my first triathlon
Thank you everyone for the best day; my first triathlon ! :) I had so much fun, I will train now for next year's race. Thanks to all the volunteers cheering us on !! Thanks to the couple who played the Rocky theme on Mt. View hill !! I really enjoyed that :) What a great idea to play that inspiring music ! It couldn't have been any nicer for my 1st race ! You all are the best... esp. loved the oranges/water at the finish and the medal/t-shirt :)
Inspiration
We certainly appreciate you doing our race! Cant wait to see you next year!
Fantastic Race
Thanks for putting on such a tremendous race... please take the critical, nit-picking nitwits with a grain of salt. The event was fantastic, and anything run by volunteers should be seen as a blessing and not a place for unhappy individuals to vent.
As I said, the event was great and thank you for making the beautiful day a wonderful experience for my family.
Us too!
Thanks; we had a great time also! Our club truly enjoys hosting this event, and thanks everyone for joining in the fun.
Thanks For Putting On A Great Race!
I've read thru the other comments and wanted to leave my own suggestions:
1. 9am start time: Keep It! At this time of year its nice not to have to get up at 4am to get to a race. The later start also allows time for the sun to warm up a little and for the dew to dry.
2. Cash Awards: Keep Them! This is one of very few races that give cash awards and as such always attracts a quality field. I've done this race for the past several years and the competition is always top notch. One issue, please consider a more fair distribution between the tri and the du. Duathletes always seem to get the short end of the stick.
3. Volunteers: Awesome! Thanks to all who donate their time to help put on this great event.
4. Course: Keep the Hill if its the last thing you do! 'The Hill' is the signature feature of this race.
5. Bathrooms: Need more. 'nough said.
6. Haybales at the award ceremony: These were a great addition this year, definitely keep these.
Thanks again to everyone who helped to put on this race. Your efforts are much appreciated.
Hay?
Thanks! We really appreciate the comments, they are helping shape our discussions for how to improve in 2010.
Glad you liked the hay, the folks at Schaefer Farms in Flemington were the greatest in providing the perfect seating arrangement. Bill and team run a great family event on RT 523; be sure to check out their Fright Fest this October for some fun and the farm all-year long for great produce. Chris
curious about the t/d
I am just wondering why it is important for folks to know who is a t and who is a d?
thanks.
so if you are passed (or
so if you are passed (or passing) by someone, you will know if they are doing the Tri or the Duo (aka are they really your competition)
body marking
I'd really like to see you add the age and "T" or "D" on one calf. Nothing better than getting passed by someone 10 years older than you who started 10 minutes after you to get you refocused!!!
Great race....I agree with almost all the other comments that have been posted, so I won't waste your time....
Def need more bathroom facilities though!
T/D
Great idea! I think we'll plan on doing T/D, perhaps division and wave (unless folks want to keep this private). Heard the bathroom issue loud and clear. Thanks!
Great race!
This was my first duathlon and first time racing on a bike. I was so impressed with all the volunteers. The pierogies were delicious, the enthusiastic teenagers on the course were an absolute lift, and the "Rocky" couple on the hill was priceless. I was concerned that traffic on the bike course would be a problem but thanks to the volunteers it was not an issue at all. Please don't change the hill! It makes your course special, and it feels really amazing to accomplish that challenge. Plus, without the uphill, would we have that incredibly exhilarating downhill? :-)
I agree porta-Johns are needed. I would keep the run distances as is for the duathlon. You can't really compare the swim to the run anyway, no matter the distance, and 2 miles is awfully short for a run section. You'd also have to create a separate turn-around section for the first run, which might be a pain.
Thanks for everything!
Caitlin Borgmann
Fun
We always try to host a safe, fun event. It's hard to make everyone happy, but we do our best. Thank you for being supportive (and yes, we'll fix the bathroom problem)
Shirts, Medals & Start Time
One of my favorite things about this race IS the later (9:00am) start. I hate 7:00 am start times.
I've done this Tri more than any other (at least 6 times since 2002) and it's by far, one of the best organized & fun Tri's on the calendar.
I would like to see you go back to a more useful high-tech fabric for the shirt, though. There are many non-elite athletes that support this race, so a little less prize money could pay for the better shirts and then everybody benefits.
The extra line after the race for shirt and medal was unnecessary. I agree that for pre-registered participants, the shirt should be stuffed in the goody bag or just given out at package pick-up, and the medals could be given out right at the end.
All in all, great race & great volunteers, as always.
Sounds good
Appreciate the comments; they all help!
We will definately re-work how we distribute shirts and medals next year.
Re: Shirts and $$$ for winners. We took alot of heat on the thought of reducing the Age Group winners $$$, in favor of nicer shirts (etc) for all. We want to ensure our athletes are happy, and do the best we can for everyone - while simultaneously raising money to help the community. We cant have expensive shirts, great medals, great awards AND support the less fortunate. What should we drop for next year?
Here's what you should
Here's what you should do-enhance the shirts, forget the medals and awards, and take some money and donate it to the less fortunate in the name of winning/podium spot athlete. Have the recepient write a nice thank you to that athlete-that should be enough of an "award". Skylands is not a race for money-it's the organization of Lin-Mark, the volunteers and the entire venue plus it is the last race of the year for most of us. I bet if you took a poll you would see that more people do this race year in and year out than any other.
Several years ago I donated a wetsuit and some bike gear to a young first timer at this race. At this year's race he recognized me after all these years and showed me the bike and wetsuit-he still wears it. that meant more to me than any award or medal could have.
Great answer
Thanks, certainly sounds good to me - and I wish more folks were like you. I wonder what the consensus is of the other althetes? We took serious heat by talking about smaller cash prizes this year.
Also, I could cry when folks talk about this being organized by Lin-Mark (whom we appreciate very much).
Nobody at Rotary volunteers for credit, but our club volunteered well over 2,000 unpaid hours organizing this event (between collecting sponsors, coordinating safety plans with police and ems and the park administration, organizing and buying the food, getting permits, insurance, licenses, prizes, t-shirts, volunteers, radios, hay bales, etc).
To hear that a company (Lin-Mark) who is paid well for their excellent timing services on the day of the race is given credit for organizing the entire event, is so unfair and untrue.
Don't cry, we love you too.
Don't cry, we love you too. I saw alot of my fellow competitors specifically thanking the volunteers, especially the kids handing out the water. I made it a point of thanking the cops along the bike-without them there would be chaos.
There is a reason you are receiving so many responses-it's because y'all run a first class race and it is appreciated.
Duathlon length
You may want to consider reducing the first run of the duathlon to two miles. This would create euivalency between the time of the first run and the time of the triathlon swim. I notice this has been done in a few other races.
you might also attract more duathletes as a side benefit.
Duathlon
We received lots of positive comments about giving nice medals to the Duathlon folks; was this a good move for us - or unnecessary?
improvements
Would have liked a few porta johns also. I like a 9:00 start but you have to be promt with it. Otherwise it was my 8th Tri and I will definetly be back next year. As for "agony hill" don't ever change that. There are plenty of races that are two wheel friendly.
Thanks
Agree with your comments and we'll work on them for next year.
Thanks for doing our race, and everyone will be eager to see all our friends again next year.
Chris
body markings
This is the first time I have ever been inked while participating in a sporting event. While I like a tattoo as much as the next guy, I am wondering if the 4 of them will ever come off. I have now taken 2 showers since Sunday morning, complete with soaping and shaving, and they are still there for all the world to see. Any recommendations for getting them off?
Any other meant to do this in the future in a less permanent way?
Rubbing alcohol on a cotton
Rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball.
Standard issue for
Standard issue for triathlons. Alcohol-based baby wipes work great for me!
Re: body markings
Head to CVS or the nearest drugstore and grab a bottle of nail polish remover. And cotton balls. Worked like a charm!!
-Jen Graeff
Why wipe em off? Wear them
Why wipe em off? Wear them as a badge of pride for as long as they last!
Seriously though, they fade after a couple days even without scrubbing like crazy.
I had an AMAZING time, as
I had an AMAZING time, as usual... This is by far my favorite Tri course, especially the bike hill, and it's fun because my dad was doing the first few of the Skylands tris, so it's a family thing! I got to give him my award this year, because he's the one who definitely deserves it for being the best coach and support system ever.
But seriously, this is one of the best races ever, despite some minor problems with start time and stuff. The one suggestion I have is that you should mark whether athletes are Duathletes or Triathletes, and maybe age. It was really hard to tell who was who, and it drove my dad nuts as he tried to count people! (He loves to tell people how they're doing!)
Anyway, great race and I'll definitely be seeing you all next year, congrats on another great race!
Great idea
Thanks for the great suggestion - we can definately add this to the Body Marking - perhaps even Age Groups.
Skyline 2009
This was my first TRI but I have run many organised races, so a few comments.
1. Start time should be start time - no delays
2. Bathrooms - way too few, please add some PortaJohns
3. Award ceremony - should start as advertised
4. I sent a couple of emails - no reply in a 10 day period
But I still had fun - THANKS
Fun
Thanks for the comments - and thanks for doing our race!
Start Time - it's difficult balancing respecting those who arrived on-time with being understanding of those who arrived late. We choose to delay the start to accomodate some, thinking that the majority would be understanding of a delayed start - instead of being heavy-handed and completely ruining the hopes of the late registrants.
Award Ceremony - again this is a balance between not holding the winners too long, and giving those who are not so fast an opportunity to participate. If you have suggestions on how we can achieve both, please email!
Emails - sorry that our team of volunteers could not respond to every email. During the last few weeks, our volunteers were sometimes responding to over 30 emails/phone calls a day - in addition to doing their normal non-volunteer jobs. We'll try better next year, and see if we can get more volunteers involved.
Keep the great comments coming - they will help us improve our great event for you.
Athletes arriving late . . .
Would it make sense to start the race on time, and put Athletes who are late in one of the last waves?
Improvement checklist
First - Thanks to all volunteers - Rotary, HS students, etc. - I personally got a kick out of the guys screaming at me at the run turn...LOL...LOVE "the hill" and the Rocky lady!
* Bathrooms - this is my 3rd year doing this race and it seems it's the same issue every year. 4 toilets for 250 males? There should be an abundance of port-o-johns. No question. The organizers of the NJ State and PA Steelman seem to have a decent handle on this issue.
* Saturday packet pick up - seemed a bit disorganized this year and took too long. Why did we have to fill out forms there? Couldn't these have been completed electronically during registration (other events do this)
All that said, I LOVE this event and will be back for years to come! Please take all of this as constructive feedback!
* Start time - this is by far the latest one I participate in...Personally, I think the 7:00 AM starts are a bit too ambitious, I think a 7:30 or 7:45 first wave is optimal.
* Road closures - The amount of traffic on the runcourse was VERY distracting (and potentially dangerous). This must be a major point of improvement.
* Bike numbers - They make self-adhesive ones now. Much more efficient and reliable. This is the only event I've done in the last 2 years that doesn't have them.
* Shirts and Medals - Why weren't the T-shirts simply part of our pick up package? Did the shipment come in too late? I decided to pass on getting my medal and t-shirt because I couldn't be bothered waiting on a HUGE line after spending almost 2 hours competing. Drop medals on athletes' heads as the cross the finish line. Oh, and please look into moving away from cotton shirts - the 'breathable" ones are much nicer and will be worn more often by participants - which leads to more marketing for your event!
* Bouys - It would help if the turnaround bouy was SIGNIFICANTLY larger than the other ones. I know the color was different, but we need height! I read the comment on the pink color/orange bouy too - and while I had a yellow cap, I could only imagine what they went through!
* Body Marking - took too long.
* Giveaways - Sorry if this is nitpicking, but the "goodie bag" was bit weak this year (when compared with other events). Not even a water bottle? The bag was basically all advertisements.
Wow
Thanks for the amazing feedback; we will certainly take everything into account.
Bathrooms - we will improve the situation for next year. We will start looking for a company that can donate them, and work with the park to ensure their requirements are met. If anyone knows of a company that would be interested in helping a great charity event - please have them contact us!
Packet pickup - Unfortunately, new for this year was a Depertment of Environmental Protection (runs the parks) requirement for written signed waivers. This made things more difficult for our volunteers. We'll work at optimizing the process for next year.
Safety - this is our first concern. We're talking with the park to optimize our use of their roads, and will work to close some.
Bike Numbers - certainly!
Shirts & Medals - sorry you couldn't pick up your medal - we received many positive comments about how nice they were. We'll find a better way to distribute them next year. Perhaps now that pre-registered athletes state their shirt size in advance, we can pre-stuff the shirts in your packets.
Bouys - great advice!
Body Marking - see below.
Giveaways - as a charity raising money to help the community, finding exciting goodies is often difficult. If you can recommend appropriate sponsors - we are happy to work our hardest to give more back to our athletes.
Again, thanks for the comments - and thank you for taking part in our race!
A Lot of Fun!!!
This is my second year and I love this race!!! I always have a good time and look forward to "that hill". Of all the races I've done, the enthusiasm from the young volunteers is unmatched, it really helps you through the course and I tell everyone about it. As for suggestions, I have to agree with the previous post's on the pink swim caps being confusing and the bike bib should be a stick on. Although I think we all expect lines at the bathroom, I would suggest supplementing the park rest rooms with some porta-johns. The lines move way to slow compared to other events I have been at. Lastly I think you should go back to giving out the T-shirts at packet pick up, and hand the medals out as people cross the finish. I'd rather spend the time with fellow athletes and enjoying the after party than standing in line. Thanks to all the volunteers, you did a great job and put on an awesome event!! I'm sure it is a daunting task and you guys/gals are probably just as wiped out as I am today!!! See you next year.
Shirts & Medals
Thanks for your input!
We had alot of discussions on where to give out t-shirts and medals, and were trying to find a happy medium between delays before or after the race, and will certainly revisit this plan next year.
We did not want any lines at the finish so that everyone could get through to a drink and some fruit, and thought it best to move the medals to a table near the food tent so you could pickup yours after you had a minute to rest.
Also, we had worked hard with the park to ensure the restroom situation was better - but will do better next year to ensure a more pleasant experience.
Please keep the comments comming - it will definately help us host a better event for you next year!
Chris
I had a great time- it was
I had a great time- it was challenging, but fun.
One suggestion- it was difficult to differentiate between the hot pink buoys and swim caps. I felt like I was spotting a moving target. If you could get some different colors, I think it would be helpful.
Thanks so much!
Great
Thanks for the suggestion, will look into!
Suggestion to increase entrants
In 2006 there were 600 entrants and this year, what about 400? How about having some sort of high school/private school division so that schools could compete against each other? Annapolis and West Point tris have Academy division. NY City tri has an Ivy League division.There are a ton of teens who are swimmers, cross country runners and everyone knows how to ride a bike. Maybe give them a break on the fees but I bet you could add another 100-200 entrants. In additon, how about having some sort of competition with parents/kids. For example, I could team up with my daughter and our combined time could be compared against other parent/kid teams. Similar to husband/wife teams in the past.
Another A++ race put on by Lin-Mark. don't change a thing about the course especially the hills. Athletes who train hard are able to conquer them, those that don't have to walk.
Mitchell