May 4, 2021
Racing is back! And that means we are back to course previews and race recaps!
I had a race simulation (thank you Coach Kayla) so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to ride the bike course for Patriot Half Iron and check out part of the run course.
When it isn’t possible to ride the course, I strongly encourage a lot of map study! See if there is a video of the course on YouTube!
It was about a 2-hour drive. Close enough to make it a really good training day trip, and far enough away that I need to get a hotel reservation for the night before the race.
The racecourse is beautiful! Mostly FLAT and FAST. Technically speaking, it’s pretty easy to navigate. Mostly right-hand turns, no sharp corners or turnarounds. The biggest thing it has to a screaming downhill is around mile 7….smooth pavement and a wide shoulder. Great place to tuck in and fly! Shortly after that you turn onto Long Point Road and go over 1 of 2 causeways on the bike route. A few people fishing and I stopped to grab a video! So pretty!
At mile 12 you turn onto Marion Rd. The roads are narrow and not nearly as smooth….also very pitchy with some little rollers. The hills are short, so get up out of your saddle and just keep the momentum once you crest, watching out for potholes! You will cover this part on the second loop as well!
The repeated east side of the route also has two sets of railroad tracks to ride over. They are pretty flush to the pavement, so just be aware of them. I don’t remember hearing anything about them, so I’m pretty sure it isn’t an active railroad line.
This repeated part of the course has a couple of longer more gradual climbs between Mary’s Pond and Hartley Hill. The climbs weren’t too bad…but they are surrounded by open fields, so any wind will make it a challenge.
After finishing the second loop, it’s mostly a straight shot back to Camp Cathedral. You get a few little up hills in the last 5 miles, starting at Snipatuit Rd…not bad, but never appreciated at the end of a long ride!
Overall, a great course. A little bit of everything…water, woods, and fields. Watch out for the potholes on the back roads and take advantage of the many opportunities to get in aero/drops and go fast!
I only planned on running after the ride for about 45 minutes. Its starts along a little service road by the camp, and almost as soon as it gets out on the main road, you cross and turn onto Rounsevell Drive. Mostly a nice gentle downhill…great opportunity to get your legs under you and get into a groove. Be patient and don’t go out too fast! Once I got to the two-mile mark, I backtracked a mile, stopping to take a couple of pictures.
From looking at the map, the middle part includes a pretty little causeway and a couple of what could be nasty little uphills….so don’t burn all of your matches in the first few miles! But no worries…what goes up, must come down! Oh…it’s also worth noting that your run on the hills of Snipatuit Rd also!
After backtracking and taking a shortcut, I made my way back to the official route at mile 10.5 with the last couple of little climbs. If it were a stand-alone 13.1, the climbs wouldn’t even be worth mentioning. At the end of a 70.3, they are a little more noticeable!
I would have loved to have checked out the water. However, the no trespassing signs warned me to keep my distance!
Are you racing Patriot 70.3 this year? Or have you before? If you are going to be there on June 19th, make sure you find me and say hello!
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