Spudman Lottery (and your opinions on lotteries)
5318
Member
1999 days
kylie posted 45 weeks ago.
I usually prefer to know what I have coming up... but it depends on how far from race day the drawing is held and how good the race is :)
Miles of Life --- Powered by MarkyV
3890
Member
1723 days
Anton posted 45 weeks ago.
Kona is the only lottery I'd sign up for. It's the only way I'll ever be able to go there. Lotteries for other races are a "no" for me. There are so many good to great races that don't require a lottery. I wouldn't plan a season around the hope of getting in something...i'd just do what I'm doing and if I get in , adjust accordingly.
"If e wishes to sweem in dangerous waters, oo are we to deny im?
-Chef Skinner
http://antonspath.blogspot.com
101
Member
809 days
callco posted 45 weeks ago.
Chunky,
My take: It ain't worth it. The Spudman was fun. The course is scenic, the river is a cool novelty, and the cheering section is big. But it ain't "lottery" fun. Here are the top ten reasons to avoid the Spudman:
10) Drafting is the norm.
9) Hotels in Burley are almost non existent.
8) The drive to Burley sucks.
7) The packet pick up line is awful.
6) The T-Shirt is lame.
5) The current of the river ain't all it's cracked up to be.
4) Having two transition areas is painful. (You pretty much have to setup T1 the day before, and you probably don't see your bike again until you get out of the water.)
3) The crowd is huge. It's hard to get around.
2) The traffic is awful. Squeezing that many cars into a riverside park area is mayhem.
1) Registration is stressful. Now with a lottery system it's just that much worse.
This year I'm going to just say no to the Spudman. I hear they have a great race at Scofield about the same time as Spudman. I may try that one.
1037
Member
767 days
ChunkyB posted 45 weeks ago.
I'm convinced. I'm thinking I'll do Cache Valley again (oly) and maybe a sprint.
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
195
Member
808 days
Captain Mal posted 45 weeks ago.
I think we're a no on Spudman too. I was planning on Cache Valley, but the boys' Shark Attack triathlon is the same day. I am thinking of doing BAM on Carl's birthday and then Scofield on Amy's. Dinoland is on your birthday, but I don't really want to go all the way up to Vernal. We'll definitely have to go to at least one together. If you want to do Scofield in July for your Oly, you could do the sprint shark attack while the boys do their kids one in June. I'll cheer you on.
"Faster would be better!" -Captain Mal, Serenity-
195
Member
808 days
Captain Mal posted 45 weeks ago.
I think we're a no on Spudman too. I was planning on Cache Valley, but the boys' Shark Attack triathlon is the same day. I am thinking of doing BAM on Carl's birthday and then Scofield on Amy's. Dinoland is on your birthday, but I don't really want to go all the way up to Vernal. We'll definitely have to go to at least one together. If you want to do Scofield in July for your Oly, you could do the sprint shark attack while the boys do their kids one in June. I'll cheer you on.
"Faster would be better!" -Captain Mal, Serenity-
101
Member
809 days
callco posted 45 weeks ago.
It would be fun to see you at Cache Valley. That was my favorite race of '08. I'm hopin' to do it again. Unfortunately, the wife is not pleased with me doing a race on the weekend of our anniversary. I may not be able to pull it off again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Many of you will remember the fiasco that was Spudman registration last year. It looks like they'll be going to a lottery system this year. This is from an email I just received.
"The Spudman Registration is going to a LOTTERY SYSTEM. Registration
for the race will be open from January 5th, 12 Noon, through April
15th. There will be $5.00 non-refundable charge to put your name in
the "hat". The credit card you use to register will only be charged if
your name or team is selected on April 16th."
So, it got me thinking. What does everyone think about lotteries? Is it worth it to plan your season around a race you might not get in to, or do you prefer to just go with a sure thing? I realize that for most ironpersons you don't really have a choice. But what do you all think?
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice