If you haven’t heard of Triple-T, you are missing out on something great. To call it “Grassroots” is an understatement. This “race” is actually four races. In three days. You might call it a triathlon stage race.

The format goes like this:

-Friday night: Sprint race

-Saturday morning: Olympic distance #1

-Saturday afternoon: Olympic distance #2

-Sunday morning: Half-iron

You do them all, and the cumulative time of all the races determines your finishing place. There is also an option to do only the half, for those without the {cough} cojones to try for the full event. The total mileage is almost identical to an Ironman, at about 140 miles. Note that the two Olympic races are actually slightly long, with run distances of 6.55 miles (the same course gets doubled for the Sunday race of 13.1 miles). All races feature a time-trial start, in groups of two or three participants.

There is a 2-person team option for Triple-T, which allows drafting on the bike (between only the two team members).

This was my first year at the event, and I dare say it was the most fun I’ve had at a triathlon. It is worth noting that – not only is it crazy to do four races in three days – but that all of these courses are incredibly difficult. The hills are relentless, and you should not expect PR times.

Please enjoy the following video recap and photos.

All on-the-bike video was taken with a Go Pro Hero 3 Silver, mounted between the aerobars (instructions on how to make the custom mount are linked at the bottom of this page). Off-the-bike video was taken with a Nikon D3100.

The American Triple T is put on by Shannon Kurek and HFP Racing. It takes place in beautiful Shawnee State Park.

The second Olympic distance race is in a mixed-up-order – bike, swim, run. Yes, that means that you must put your wetsuit on a sweaty body. The water was in the low-70’s, and I opted for a BlueSeventy swim skin instead of a wetsuit for this race (and was happy with the decision). This photo is of the time trial start:

Racers use the same run course for all four events.

The heartbreaker of the event was a camera malfunction that ended up losing a spectacular crash. During the first Olympic distance race, there is a particularly tight 180-degree hairpin turn that is known for crashes (despite warnings on the race website, in transition, and on the course). Another participant passed me going down this hill, and was about 75 yards ahead leading in to this turn. In the distance, I saw the trademark left-right shimmy of a locked up rear wheel, followed quickly by a full front flip into the woods. I slowed to a crawl as I approached to ask if he was okay, and was thankfully greeted by a laughing man standing up in the weeds. When going over my video footage that night, I was crushed to find out that my camera decided to turn itself off well before that corner (it had started the day with a full battery and empty memory card). My only record of the event is this photo of the ruined rear tire:

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Music used with permission of Stephen Bennett (and can be found on iTunes for purchase)

All photos and video © Greg Kopecky / slowtwitch.com