Where HOT?

OK, I was going to talk about the race course and format today, but the location would determine a good part of this, so I’ll do this next week.

One of the main concerns I had with building this event was where to hold it? I mean, what permitting bodies will allow night swimming? Early inquiries yielded disappointing results, in fact as the County Sheriff’s department said, the county commissioner might come back with “maybe”, “no” or “hell no” on our permit request.

I wanted a location close to home (Boulder, CO that is) and with a nice quiet body of water, safe roads, good views of the mountains and with ready access to transport, stores, accommodation, ... not too much to ask?

My short list of locations near Boulder included Lake Dillon, Chatfield Reservoir, Aurora Reservoir, Cherry Creek State Park, Horsetooth Reservoir, Carter Lake and Boulder Reservoir, within 90 minutes drive from Denver International Airport. Eventually I settled on Boulder Reservoir for 2006, mainly because of it's proximity to my house and the fact that it is already permitted for the Boulder Triathlon Series with sprint, international and long course races.

Working with the reservoir staff and police bodies was pleasant and surprisingly easy. I had anticipated we would have problems getting the permits, based on hearsay from within the tri community, but this was not the case. Our priorities for safety and a world class race experience for he athletes were well received by everyone involved and everyone worked together exceptionally well.

Boulder Reservoir is also home to 5430 Sports Boulder Triathlon Series, and our event was a nice compliment to the series, with their races in June, July and August and ours in September. Race sites really don’t get much better, with a quiet, enclosed swim and run, and smooth roads with a shoulder. Actually the bike course would prove an interesting challenge, mainly because of a dirt sectoin and the use of highway 119, but more about that later.

What HOT?

Most people do a double take when I tell them I am producing 24 Hours of Triathlon. Triathletes and other endurance athlete’s get it right away, but Dick and Jane Weekend Warrior (not the Jim Cary Dick & Jane type, although he would be a blast to have on course) get a quizzical look and raise one eyebrow asking for details. My original idea was to hold an Olympic distance tri with endlessly repeated swim-bike-run legs, the relay team / solos with the most number of accumulated legs the winners. Seems simple yes? Actually, no.

As we started developing the race rules and format, I found out that to be certified by USA Tritahlon (for insurance requirements and credibility), to get permitting AND to have a fun, rewarding, challenging, doable race format was, well challenging.

Swimming and riding at night poses some unusual hurdles. For example, bike lights are required by law, and of course for safety. The swim has to be extremely well lit and we needed to somehow keep track of swimmers in the gollom. I imagined a bunch of green chem lights bobbing around in circles like a school of swimmers with frinkin lasers on their heads.

The idea of night swimming became academic once we started getting permit approvals and working with the police. We also faced some interesting challenges with the bike course, both of which I’ll discuss later.

HOT evolution

What do you do when you retire at 42? I mean, really. At my age, most people aren’t ready to spend the rest of their days watching sunsets in Florida. …… I have a strong drive to stay busy, very busy. Racing is like this, going non-stop as fast as we can, and this becomes embedded after 30+ years of competition.

I want to stay connected to the sport, get back to my roots, stay fit, and bring the opportunity of athleticism to everyone. I really do mean everyone. In this years race we had professional triathletes, runners, bikers, swimmers and first timer any-sport athletes.

24 Hours of Triathlon combines my passion for the three sports of swim-bike-run, the ultra-endurance and camaraderie of adventure racing and the festival atmosphere of 24 hour mountain bike and running races.

It took a while to decide how to combine each passion into a new and unique format that would appeal to a wide range of participants. My ideal was to come up with a sport that was part competition, part party and a celebration of athleticism. It had to work equally well for the serious competitor looking for the next challenge beyond IronMan and for weekend warriors who wanted to play and socialize with their buddies.

After much discussion with my mate Danny Suter, we came up with 24 Hours of Adventure, which morphed into 24 Hours of Endurance and finally 24 Hours of Triathlon. The idea had arrived.

HOT motivation

I was enjoying a hot cup of tea one cool spring morning in Boulder in 2005, and thought “Enough!” Enough taking from sport, it’s high time I give back. I’ve been a selfish athlete over my competitive career. As a professional adventure racer since 1996, I have reaped the benefits of sponsorship, endorsements, equipment, travel and prize money; things most people only dream about. Now I’m facing retirement at the grand old age of 42, I’m feeling the pressure of my sporting karma.

The motivation behind 24 Hours of Triathlon stems from my passion for multi-sport, which began with my first race at the Nepean Triathalon (note the Australian Spelling) in 1984. This year also saw my first experience with adventure racing at the University of Sydney Canoe Club Quadrathlon (swim-bike-kayak-run) and overnight racing at the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic, a 70 mile kayak race that starts the evening of the first full moon each October.

There are many ways to give back, and after several years mulling over the idea, I decided that to create a completely new race. This ended up being 24 Hours of Triathlon.

Why 24 HOT?

The Hawaiian IronMan started in 1978 with only 15 people (incidentally, it was won by a guy from Colorado, Gordon Haller.) When word got out about what they were doing, most thought they were crazy. In 1981 when Julie Moss was captured by ABC Sports crawling across the finish line, EVERYONE thought IronMan Triathletes were crazy. Millions of people have now competed in IronMan races and NO one thinks they’re crazy.

So what next? There’s the UltraMan. Even by today’s standards, this is pretty out there. Expedition adventure racing like the Eco-Challenge and Primal Quest, another type of race on the fringe. But what captures the challenge of these races, the spirit of competition, the variety of sports, the fun of a festival, the camaraderie of working in a team and appeals to weekend warriors and professional athletes alike? 24 hours running and mountain bike races are close. Team triathlons are close. Adventure racing has some of the elements. No single event has captured it all.

Until now. 24 Hours of Triathlon (24 HOT) does it all. OK, it doesn’t do the laundry, or pick up the kids from school, but once you have your shirts neatly folded and a baby sitter lined up, you can launch into 24 HOT and have an experience you never dreamed of. This is an epiphanal race. Everyone can finish and no one leaves without a wonderful, lingering taste in their mouth. It’s something to savor and an event that grows with age. Retrospective enjoyment if you will.

Truth be told, I come from a background of extreme ultra endurance multi-sport racing, which is fun in it’s own way, but dang expensive and ridiculously time consuming. For most mortals the idea of completing a single expedition adventure race is a BIG deal. In fact people spend small fortunes getting to a race, and then most don’t complete the course. It’s such a shame. This is why HOT and I will share how it all started next time.