The location, course etc was great. Lake Chelan is warm enough so you really don't need a wetsuit, the water is clear, so you can see if you're about to get kicked in the face, and the grass in the transition area cleans your feet nicely. The bike has some rolling hills, but not bad (but not "pancake flat" as the marketing materials suggest). The run course is also nice because there is a change of scenery and you won't get bored, but there are also some hills that I wasn't expecting. The drink stations were well-placed and adequate.

Two things bother me: 1) When you try to call the office, no one ever answers and the message says that "all calls are returned within 12-24 hours" and well, they aren't. I called almost every day for about 2 weeks when I needed my registration to a different day. I e-mailed too, but didn't get a response until about 5 days before my actual event.
2) They still haven't posted the times for the July 10th event. Times for the event on the 9th were posted by the next day, and I heard one of the guys at the registration table mention that they were going to try to have times posted by 6PM that night. It is now 7/14, and nothing is posted. I would think that I'm not the only one who is eager to see my times. And yes, I've tried to call, but that still isn't working :) Heck, its not the end of the world, just a little frustrating.

I've done this race twice (my first and my next). It's a great way to get started! Everyone was really nice and I could definitely see progess on the organizational side during my second year here. While there has been progress, there are still a few items that need help. The bike and run courses changed at the last minute, which also changed the transition zones. The website was full of contradictions, so I wasn't sure what to expect until I got there. Also, the bike distance changed. That felt like a big deal to me and made me stress out before the event. I was expecting 12 miles and ended up getting somewhere between 12.5 and 13 miles. Not a big change, but it was unexpected and the website said 12 miles, so it was frustrating.
Overall, I think the spirit of this race is awesome and it should continue. Some extra attention on organizational details would be much appreciated!