Race Review: 2004 Ripon Medical Center Triathlon

The 5th annual Ripon Medical Center triathlon was held on August 7, 2004. I used the race as a final tune-up for the Accenture Chicago tri later in August. The race offers both short and long courses, with the long course approximating an Olympic-distance race with a 1K swim, 43K bike and 10K run.

Somewhat unique among tri formats, Ripon offers a point-to-point race. Since you don't finish where you start, two transition areas are needed. First you drive to Dodge Memorial Park on the southwest shore of Green Lake and set up T1. Then you head over to the Ripon College campus, set up T2 and board a shuttle bus back to the swim start. I lived in terror that I'd leave something at T1 that I needed in T2 or vice-versa. It all turned out OK but was an additional complication at 5:30 A.M., bleary-eyed that I was.

The swim is an out and back in Green Lake, one of Wisconsin's largest and deepest inland lakes. Despite the August date, wetsuits were definitely preferred.

Race literature descibes the bike course as "hilly." That's a bit like describing Genghis Khan as a mean person; it's certainly true but a bit of an understatement. In fact, it might have been 'ol Genghis himself that painted a yellow smiley face on the road in the middle of the longest and most painful climb. Overall, the course was well-controlled, smooth and clearly marked. The long downhill coming into Markesan was particularly fun (hopefully speed limit signs don't apply to racers.)

The run's first loop takes advantage of Ripon College's wetland and prairie restoration trail. This 4ft wide gravel path begins with a long, steep uphill then returns back down to the campus. Within sight of the finish line, the long course's second loop sends racers out once more; this loop winds through the campus itself and the town of Ripon before returning to the finish line near the 2nd transition area.

Ripon Medical Center and the town of Ripon do a nice job organizing and managing the race. Green Lake is perfect for the swim while the area's roads and paths offer challenging and scenic venues for the bike and run. The relatively small number of participants gives the race a nice, local, family feeling.

This was my first Olympic distance tri. My time was nothing spectacular - 2:53 or so. Most importantly though, I finished and gained some confidence that I wouldn't end up face-down on some Chicago sidewalk later in the month. I enjoyed Ripon but probably won't return in 2005 as I'm planning to do the Steelhead half-Ironman race on the same weekend.

Here's a link to the 2005 race info.