Sign this petition if you ever wanted a solid excuse to visit central Oregon
They want your name, email & zip code. They need 2000 signatures - not sure if it makes a difference if you're in-state or not. Might even help to be out of state, who knows?
Please sign if you'd like to see this race happen, thx
While I live in Oregon, and
While I live in Oregon, and I love Oregon with all my heart, I just don't see this happening. We don't have any lakes in Central Oregon that have the necessary infrastructure for an event of this magnitude. Our lakes are generally in the middle of forest, not surrounded by hotels and cities. Races like the Pacific Crest involve two transition areas, parking on a loooonnggggg dusty gravel road, to get to the lakeshore, and no hotels within dozens of miles. Getting 2500 competitors plus thousands of spectators to that location would be nigh-on impossible. Other lakes nearby may have a resort or two (Odell, or Diamond Lake for instance) but they would hold hundreds at most, not thousands.
The only place I could seriously see an Ironman in Oregon would be in the Gorge, with the swim in the Columbia River. Unfortunately, the wind there makes it a potentially dangerous proposition. I have done triathlons in The Dalles on days with winds gusting to 30 - 40 mph. Huge whitecaps in the river, I think you'd end up with a scenario like the ill-fated original Ironman Utah with someone drowning on the swim, if they didn't have people blown off the bike course.
Yep, we have a beautiful state. In part, that's because it's not filled with hotels and resorts. Every time I visit Lake Tahoe, I breathe a silent prayer of thanks for Waldo Lake - equally beautiful, even clearer, and surrounded by wilderness, not casinos.
That is a thoughtful
That is a thoughtful response. I had not considered that perspective.
Nice thought though,
Nice thought though, tri-ac.
Otoh, I live in a town, Vernon, a major airport 30 minutes away, with thousands of hotel rooms & restaurant seats, that routinely handle masses of visitors for the annual Slo-Pitch Funtastic Tournament, and Hockey & Curling events, as well as World Cup X-Country Events, has a splendid lake that seldom sees wind, adjacent to a highway that has a 75 mile stretch through beautiful scenery and has only one traffic light / no stop signs, and minimal traffic on a Sunday morning.
We have used it for a Sprint tri for the last three years.
IMC is August 26th but 115kms away. The rest of the summer is nearly free: Oliver Half-iron mid-June and Osoyoos Desert Half-Iron in July - that's the competition.
The swimstart is at the beach centre opposite. Bike route goes due east, top right.
Would anybody like to organize an IM here?
Please?
PoC