Urban Epic: Course Assessment

OA spoke to Tri-Maine race series leader Kurt Perham about the unique challenges faced by triathletes in the first edition of the Zone Urban Epic Triathlon taking place this weekend in Portland.

Earlier this week, Kurt completed a practice run of the Urban Epic course, and he told OA that the swim course could be a little challenging. At 1.2+ miles, the open water swim in Casco Bay is longer than most Olympic Distance triathlons. And while the current created by the Presumpscott River at low tide will increase speeds towards the end, it will still swim longer than the typical .93 mile Olympic Distance course. Kurt estimates that a strong swimmer will finish in the Urban Epic swim in the 25-27 minute range, compared with 20-21 for a typical shorter course. The open water, the current and the ocean chop will also make the swim more challening, especially for those that do not have their open water skills refined. Swimming straight and drafting effectively will play important roles. And newbies will have to overcome the inherent fears of swimming in the ocean. A wet suite and a Tri-Maine series cap will be mandatory attire for the cold open water swim.

Largely, however, Kurt thinks that the Urban Epic will play out similar to other international distance races, except for the inclusion of the mini-transition area. Swimmers will exit the water into a mini-transition area where they will dump their wet suits and put on a pair of running shoes. They will run up hill about 1/2 mile before entering T1 for the transition to the bike. Kurt thinks that the mini-transition might actually help get blood into the legs so that triathletes can rider harder on the bike from the get-go.

Kurt says that the bike route is quite fast except for Walnut and Fox Streets on the way out and on the way back. Walnut Street, in particular, is very steep and runs through a residential area. The rest of the ride is very fast thereafter except for the return up Fox and Walnut Streets. "That will leave a little sting in the legs after 24 miles on the bike."

From T2 the 10K run course of Urban Epic heads straight back up the Fore Street Hill towards the Eastern Prom. So it starts out tough, but Kurt says its really "pretty easy" until the 4.5 to 5.0 mile mark where there is another big hill that race organizer Tri-Maine seems to have added just to make the course more challenging. Thereafter, the Urban Epic 10K race course runs through the Red Bull arch and drops back down to the bike path and the finish line.

What's it going to take to win the inaugural edition of the Zone Urban Epic Triathlon? Kurt says, "Go real fast." And fast, he does go. He completed the Shipbuilders Triathlon in late June in 2:05, but he says not to expect a PR given the swim and the hills. He says to look for a winning time in the neighborhood of 2:10.

We'll see on Saturday...