Echo Triathlon Review

From biking in a few miles from the parking lot carrying all of my tri gear to carrying the bike through the transition area because of stickers, this race was a little more physical than I’d expected. But the assigned areas in the transition area, a beautiful bike ride, and a flat run help make up for it.

The Pros

1. This race is put on by triutah.com, who always put on a well-organized event.
2. Both olympic and sprint distances have bike and run out-and-back courses. Nothing kills me faster than the second loop of a race. I much prefer to only have to do things once.
3. The bike race has one good climb up the backside of the dam but the rest of it is through beautiful Echo Canyon.
4. The elevation is higher, making for a cooler race in the July heat.
5. The run is relatively flat.

The Cons

1. You have to bike in a few miles carrying all of your gear from the parking lot. I’m of the belief that the race is enough biking for one day.
2. The transition area is not paved only carpeted. To avoid stickers, you must carry your bike everywhere. Bring a flat kit just in case.
3. The one hill on the bike, it’s a doozy and it’s at the end.
4. There’s no good places to camp. Echo has a few spots but nothing really tent friendly at the transition area. A lot of people camped at the fairgrounds where there were the parking lot shuttles for spectators (cost $2 but a lot of parks charge admission). All in all, a fun course but difficult to get to.