Schedule Difficulties

Our favorite race of '06 was the Madeira Beach Mad Dog Sprint Tri - what a good time! Nice course, out and back run half on the beach, gorgeous day in the sun, but what really made it was the BEER TRUCK! There was also a band, under a tent, with all the vendors - just a class act all around. I was on my schedule as a must do event for '07 - and then the Mad Dogs released the date for '07 - May 20th. May 20th!

Well, May 20th also happens to fall on my "A" race - the Florida 70.3 - which in my mind is still an "A" race and must do event. My darling wife, however, is of a different mind. Unfortunately, our friends who race with us will be on vacation in Mexico in May, and would not be able to do the race with us this year, so it looks like the 70.3 is a go - if I can scrounge up the $200 before the registration closes....

It's shaping up to be a big race. I like to keep tabs on the Clydesdales, of course, and there are currently 28 signed up for the 40+ group. I'll have to do a pre-race rundown of the top competitors based on prior performances - after the registration closes, I'll start working on that. Off the top of my head, a couple of guys - Larry Witt and John Cornish - are signed up and can usually bring it.

I'm really not happy about missing the Mad Dog Tri this year - I hope that next year they can work it out with Madeira Beach to schedule a day that doesn't conflict with a big race on the same day. That has to be hugely difficult for any RD, and I don't blame him for what is completely out of his control. (I wrote to the president of the Mad Dogs, Tim Hudson, who was nice enough to write me back and explain how the town could only let them schedule a race for that weekend this year...) I hope they have a good turnout this year again, and continue to put on a fantastic race.

Bummer