HITS race phone call

[reginaphalange72]

Here's a random for you - this morning I got a phone call from Mark Wilson himself (the race director for HITS).  He was calling to see if there was any particular reason why I signed up for the HITS Hague race last year but not this year (I moved 1800 miles away).  He was really nice.

I hope they're not struggling for numbers!  I really enjoyed their race last year.  They've always been SUPER helpful and very athlete-focused, so I'm hoping this is just them trying to get more feedback so they can continue to improve and appeal to more athletes.  It's a huge challenge since they're up against WTC and the IM brand.

Anybody else had this happen?

[Susie]

I've never done a HITS race, but I know a number of people in my club who did the Hague race last year and aren't this year. Combination of having had a bunch of people in our club doing IMLP last year (and Hague HITS as a tune up race) and not this year, and also the elevation profile at Hague just isn't appealing to a lot of people. I know a couple who did Hague last year and are joining us at Patriot next weekend instead because they want to PR.

I admit I've been a little skeptical of the idea of a promotor putting on so many distances in one weekend successfully. Sprint all the way through 140.6? Does it get lonely doing a 140.6 (or even a 70.3) at a relatively small race like that?

[reginaphalange72]

That's exactly what I did last year. I did IMLP with the HITS Hague 70.3 as my tune up race. The elevation profile on the bike was BRUTAL, but it was a fun day and I thought they put on a great race. If I were still living there, I would happily do it again. I felt like it actually was a good tune up for IMLP BECAUSE of that brutal bike.

I didn't feel lonely out on the course, but I'm used to small races, and don't mind being spread out a bit. It's rather peaceful. But if someone doesn't like being spread out, they might go a little batty when things get quiet.

A tri club friend of mine did the full there last year and had a great day, but that was even quieter. I think I might not mind doing one of their fulls now that I've done a few, but I would hesitate to do it for my first. Part of the fun and thrill is the spectacle and energy of it all - the crowd, the showiness, the excitement.

Overall, I really like HITS. I hope they keep at it. I think the idea of doing all the distances is neat. They just need that critical mass, and I don't think they're quite there yet. It's hard to pull people away from WTC and the IM brand, but these guys are very athlete-focused, and really want to make sure everyone has a great day. Mark himself was standing there congratulating every single athlete as they came out of the water with a high five or a handshake, and at the pre-race meeting, he was open to any suggestions of things that athletes wanted for race day, and was happy to make sure they were implemented. I was impressed.