I've looked at it but am not at the point of doing it solo...yet. I live down in Colorado Springs and did my open water training up at Cherry Creek this spring. Its a nice area of town and a great park. They also have an 8-hour race to go along with the 24 hour. It's on my list of to do's while I'm here in Colorado.

Sounds Awesome.... Although, I'd have give the relay a try, as the 24hrs of Tri'ing might push me a bit too far.

That's my understanding.
Could you imagine trying to put on your wetsuit at say hour 12+ ???
I think the delusion of it would be fun.....I'm so going to have a support crew.

I think I'd be down for the relay...I'll have to get thru my first IM before I become an ultra endurance athlete

Pam cooking spray.

No kidding. Once you are wet, what a job. I think you just swim as many swim laps as you can, then ride and run the rest of the day.

YES, IT IS AWESOME!! I did this race last year, although I did the 8 hour race with my best friend/ tri buddy. Our team name was "Too Fast Chicks". I'm doing it again this year with a different girlfriend and we are the team "We Beat Boys". I live in Denver so its really easy for me to get there.

Anyways, it is sooo fun I recommend it to all you crazy, sick people that LOVE to punish yourselves with tri's. It is an absolutely amazing event. And no Trisooner, you do not put your wetsuit back on. Actually unless you are complete wuss, you don't wear your wetsuit in the first place. The water is so warm it's really a joke for the people that wear them. This race has tons of amazing athletes in one place, all hanging out together all day long. And yeah, for the 24 hour race you have to "bank" as many swim legs as you can since you are not allowed to swim during dark, only bike and run. But after the first leg, you can go in any order you want. Me and my friend figured out a strategy since I am a better swimmer than her and she is a better runner than me. Its really complicated how to best figure out a strategy, but if anyone wants any help with this, I can give you some tips.
Anyways, let me know who's doing it and we can have a trifuel party afterwards!
Trisooner- my friend that I did this race with last year is doing the Pikes Peak Ascent this year. I will be there for her race support. We should meet up!

Finally, someone who speaks her mind. Other than the 59-degree CDA water, I can't see wearing a wetsuit for a 1/4 mile swim.

I'll PM you. I'm just doing the run-up. Can't wait to see how training at 500 ft elevation holds up at 14,000.

Does your total event have to equal three of each event? It seems like it should, but since you have to stop swimming early that might be difficult to plan. They list the distance world records on the site, but if you are allowed more bike legs than swim legs it suddenly becomes a lot easier to cover more distance.

Anyway, I have often thought about how cool it would be to have a race with laps of 1/8 iron distance and you can enter to do 1/8 (sprint), 1/4 (~oly), half, or full. It would make things easy for the race director since the course is so small and it would really break up the day for the long distance competitors. However I always imagined keeping it in s/b/r order, because 23 transitions would really add up in the end and I think that is a crucial part of triathlon.

That sounds like a blast. The longest I have ever run is 28.5 hours. I stayed awake for 73 hours once pacing a friend of mine in Badwater. The long stuff is awesome, just eat and pace yourself. It would definately take some strategy.

A friend did this last year. I haven't done it. But what I understood is that the idea is to finish with the highest number of combined total "triathlons." So yes, your total event needs to equal as many of all three disciplines in the end. There is some strategy involved in terms of how many swims, bikes and runs you bank and what you end up with. I think the only "triathlon" you need to do in traditional S/B/R order is the first one.

Oh, and +1 on the no wetsuit thing. The water is warm enough in CC res in August that there is no need. Plus I think (as I said, I haven't done it, I'm only going on what I remember second hand) the course is only something like 400 m in total.

If you're coming in for this event this year be aware that it is Labor Day weekend, which follows directly on the heels of the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Lodging and transportation during that time could be a bona fide cluster.

Are you serious? I've always used Pam and my wetsuit is going on two years with over 40 open water swims. In fact it was recommended from my tri coach last year.

Unfortunately...Pam will breakdown a suit. I'll refrain from posting chemical bonds and such, but Pam is an oil, albeit veggy...and you're supposed to keep all oils away from your suit....I trashed a suit like this in the days before Body Glide...(specifically the legs. They started to come apart at the seams and you could poke a hole through the neoprene quite easily.)
A sorry that your coach said it was ok...no disrespect intended, I'm sure they do a fine job, but it's not the first piece of absolutely wrong info I've heard come from a coach. Always do your own research...makes you a better athlete.

for anyone going:
http://www.insidetri.com/article/71493/so-you-want-to-be-a-professional-...
So, do you want to try it?
One unusual way to experience the pro triathlete world is through Newton 24 Hours of Triathlon August 30-31, 2008, at Cherry Creek State Park in Aurora, Colorado. This unique contest consists of continuous-loop short-course road triathlons with a 0.24-mile swim, 11.2-mile bike and 2.6-mile run. Athlete’s compete to cover the most number of laps in 24 hours in the swim-bike-run format. The winning relay team/solo in each category is the one that covers the greatest number of legs/laps in the allotted time, and if there are relay teams/solos completing the same number of laps, then the fastest team/solo on their final lap is the winner.

Event director Ian Adamson (a former professional endurance athlete with Nike) wanted to give regular folks an opportunity to experience how the other half a percent live, train and race. This event awards one female and one male athlete the honor of being Pro for a Day. Each of the Pros is chosen from amateur athletes who have entered by July 27 and are awarded the luxuries afforded true professional athletes. Each Pro for a Day wins the luxuries reserved for established factory pro athletes, such as team product, equipment, apparel and support, housed within the confines of their very own expo tent.

But the benefits do not start and end at the event. Pro for a Day will receive pre-race training and preparation through professional coaching and be outfitted with new gear and sponsored apparel. Transportation to and from the event will be covered, and during the actual race, each Pro for a Day will have a soigneur, receive massage therapy, physiological monitoring, technical/mechanical support and have the option to be shadowed by an actual “top pro in the sport.”

BTW I've never noticed any issues with using PAM I have always heard petroleum jelly is very bad but never Pam