Best. Race. Ever…read more This was the most organized, professionally run, well put on race I've ever been to! There were a few traffic issues but really, that was more poor planning on my part than anything. I did hear stories of people sitting in the parking lot for 1.5 + hours after the race, but we got right out, so it all worked great for us! If you ever get a chance to run a race put on by RAS - do it! You will not be disappointed! They were always in contact with e-mails and updates on their Facebook page. The medal, the volunteers, the post-race food, and everything was just top-notch. It was raining like crazy on the second loop of the bridge and while that makes it hard to see when you're a blind girl with glasses, the cool rain and the wind felt so good after the hot, hot weather! The volunteers were amazing! Out there yelling and cheering and ringing cowbells and giving high-fives...I've never felt so much excitement at a race ever. Of course, this is the biggest race I've ever run; the participants were limited to a max of 2,000 and I think it was pretty close to that. There were a LOT of people. There were plenty of places to park, even up front, although I think next year I will still park father out as I bet the people who got stuck were parking parked up close, and the course was closed until everyone was finished, and the time limit was two hours. So, if you're a faster runner and want to get out right after the race, park farther away, or just stay down there at the Boardwalk Inn! There were breakfast tacos, ice cream, pop, water, and fruit for afterwards. There may have been other things but that's what I saw. They also were giving out Muscle Milk and Power Bar Gels as well. The charity they help is "The Bridge Over Troubled Water": "The mission of The Bridge is to offer support, provide safety, and prevent domestic and sexual violence." They had a place set up for donations for the organization there too. This was a "bucket list" race for me, as I always saw people running the Kemah Bridge and thought how awesome that would be. After a few 5ks and a couple 10ks, I realized that if I trained, I could run the bridge too! I am so glad that I was able to cross this off my list finally and that I was involved in such an awesome race!

We went to see all the great sandcastle. WOW, they had a…read moregreat turn out. Tons and tons of people. The builder had 5 hours to build there sand sculpture. That's not long at all. There was a lot of Galveston police directing traffic, riding ATV's watch the crowd of people. (Thanks, for all you do everyday) There was plenty of port-a-potties to use(ughh, gross)but a necessity. There was also some trucks for water, snow cones and snacks. I will be adding a lot of great photos, so bare with me. So many of them are just incredible. Not sure how they build these but kudos to all! I was not able to check in on this page; even though we were there I kept getting a message that I was to far away to check in. I have been getting that a lot lately. I was able to check in on the East Beach page though. So I did. We had a great time and will probably come again.

We've been in the past years and it's been fine because it was free to go check out the sandcastles…read morebut this year it's one of the first years they had the event all gated and charged $10 for people to attend, plus $15 parking, even after 5pm when the sandcastle awards are given and it's pretty much over. The event website said it was an all weekend event, and Saturday it would run until 9pm with music and vendors, etc.... Trying to check out the sandcastles after 5pm is a hassle because most teams are packing up, there's trucks driving in and out, people loading and carrying things out. So it's not even safe for kids and families to be walking around trying to check out the sandcastles. Most people were heading out around 5pm. And yeah they had a band playing but it wasn't like a festival feel because a big majority of the people were packing up and leaving. Then the vendors were packing up too, so by 8pm a lot of the vendors were closed. The band stopped playing and they just had DJ music while people continued packing and loading up all the crates and whatever they used for the sandcastle building. So a total rip off that they charted after 5pm. NOT A FESTIVAL AFTER 5pm!! Won't be returning next year if they charge again for a "festival"!

I ran the 10K and had a fun time. It was a well organized event, and I especially liked that they…read moreeither e-mailed or texted the runners their finish time right after crossing the finish line! I thought it was going to be a pretty small race, but there were a lot more runners than I expected. The race starts near Fish Plaza and you basically run down Memorial Drive and back. You run one loop for the 5K and two for the 10K. Not the most fun route, but it seems to be a common race route for a lot of smaller Houston races for road closure logistics, etc. There is just a slight bit of incline running over the bridge, but it's a flat course otherwise (as is expected in Houston). Post-race party runs true to the name -- plenty to chocolate to go around! It was my first time actually seeing a chocolate fountain in person, and I will shamelessly admit that I was pretty giddy about it ;).

Had a great time!!! Things started on time and were very organized. Looking forward to more!read more

Let's start with a short course ride followed by giving the finishers "official PRs". Serious BS…read more Next IM allows these times to qualify for Kona championships. Serious BS!!! In multiple years they have allowed drafting. Yes, allowed. No marshals. No acceptance of video on the tollway nor from bike mounted cameras. Seriously, no DQs. Seriously, PRs for short course finish. Seriously, suckers pay to do IM events when they could enter a Full Triathlon (IM distance) that provides proper distance courses, utilizes Marshalls to ensure safety and rules being followed for half the price!. And, then there are those that need the BRAND. And, many will do a half distance, walk a ton just to buy an IM tattoo even though they never went the IM distance!

Never in a million years could I have seen myself joining the triathlon world, the community, and…read moremaking friends with some of the best athletes in the game. My journey of becoming an Ironman started in late of 2014 when I was inspired by a friend who's sister became the champion of an Ironman race in Brazil. I thought it was the coolest thing that someone could do and I wanted to be apart of it. After completing multiple Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons and two Ironman 70.3 races, I made the decision to register for the big daddy, Ironman Texas North American Championship. 140.6 miles of pain, fun, and memories. Ironman is more than just a competition, it's a journey where you test your boundaries and mental state. Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles of bike, and 26.2 marathon run. All three disciplines must be completed in under 17 hours. There are dozens of Ironman races across the globe and it's pretty badass to be able to host the North American Championship in my city every year. Triathletes train all year round for this competition, some even longer to make it to the big 140.6! I loved Ironman Texas! The entire week of Ironman was very well organized and planned. The weather conditions in 2016 were brutal. The swim was great, sunny and water temperature in Lake Woodlands was perfect. Due to weather the bike course was severely castrated and let's just say that it sucked the entire way. 15 miles before entering Transition 2 I was caught in a thunderstorm. The rain was coming down so hard and it even started to hail. All of that together felt like razor blades coming at my face. The rain was falling so hard that you could hardly see the road ahead but I was determined to continue. I did not give up. The stories I have to tell about this race, I could go on for ever. 2016 was nicknamed 'Ironman Apocalypse', and you can google that years race and see the video footage for yourself, it was insane. My favorite part of every triathlon is the run, and it's mostly because that is where I get to see my friends and family the most. All the spectators watching and cheering you on gives you that extra push. The volunteers were amazing as always and they went above and beyond for us after going through that rain. Being drenched and all I was cold, the sun was coming down and temperatures were dropping. The volunteers prepared hot chicken broth and it was exactly what I needed. After finishing this race, like many other competitors, I was relieved to run up and receive my medal. My feet were completely blistered and my shoes went from neon green to completely red and filled with blood. My body was chafing everywhere, that evenings shower sucked!! The medical tent, huge! So many medics from Memorial Herman attending to athletes and taking care of our medical needs. This race was everything I expected and more. If you ever decide to do triathlon, Ironman Texas is an amazing venue to train for. I will definitely be doing this race again.

Ok, so like all good things, the Spartan race has outgrown it's support structure. It was cool in…read more2015. The wait times were reasonable, and the service was pretty good. 2017 is a different story. If you like sitting on the road, waiting to park for 1 hour or more, if you like standing in line to pick up your race gear for another hour or so, and if you like paying $100+ to do it, this is the event for you. Houston, March 11 2017, parking at Waller isd stadium 45+ minutes. Bus ride to the event, 30+ minutes (there was a cycling race in the same area, and busses could run at 5 mph). Then when you get there, a truck is stuck on the road, and the bus driver won't let you off of the bus. That is another 25-30 minutes. So now we are in lines 40 people deep, and the computers don't work. There goes another hour. I forgot to mention that these events are located an hour or more from the actual city they reference. So now we are 3 hours invested, and we still haven't started the race. Austin, May 20 2017. You got it, an hour drive from Austin. You get to the event an hour and a half before your event, and get to sit on the highway the entire time just to park. An hour and a half after arriving, I am finally getting out of my truck to walk 30 minutes before I can register. Ok, no worries. Then you get to stand in line for another hour and a half to get my stuff. At noon, 3+ hours after I first arrived, now I'm ready to go. Did I mention that everything is located up front for the racer's convenience? Well, everything but the bag check, which is at the farthest point from the entrance as possible. At this point, I have lost any motivation to compete. I'm already too tired from standing and sitting in lines that I reserve my remaining energy for ripping off all of the bands, throwing all of the other Spartan race gear in the closest trash can, walking the 30 minutes back to my truck, driving the 1+ hours back to Austin, and swearing off Spartan races forever. In conclusion, one time is an anomaly, 2 times is a pattern. I personally will not run a race that takes longer to enter than to actually run, but to each his/her own.

Absolutely love 3 Palms Action Park! It's our family's home track and one of our favorites! There…read moreare many different tracks for all ages and skill levels, making it perfect for everyone. The park is very family-friendly and they host a variety of events throughout the year. If you're looking for a great place to ride, bring out your bikes and experience one of the best tracks in Texas!

The other reviews here are from folks who have never been anywhere else. The comment about the…read morewater truck is bulllll. They do every thing they can to make sure no is on the track before watering. Sandy yes we are near the coast. As far as the owner goes he is as hard working as they come. Awesome place and I am glad we have an awesome place to ride.

Another fantastic race put on by an amazing company, RAS (Running Alliance Sports). I knew once I…read morehad run over the Kemah bridge, I needed to run over the Galveston bridge. So, I did. Once again, this was seriously a well organized race; there had been notices and warnings of the parking issue and the fact that the parking was very limited, but they let us know there would be shuttles waiting and so we didn't even try to park at the start/finish area, although it looked like there was parking closer when we got there. We did leave early but that was more because of the issues we had in Kemah than anything. We waited about 15 minutes for the shuttles, which were down at the Target parking lot, but after we got in line there were a LOT more people behind us so I am glad we got there early (about 6:45 am). They had one full size bus and quite a few vans so things went pretty fast. They had TONS of porta potties so the wait wasn't bad, and that's a good thing. Plus they were right there in plain sight and hard to miss. The potties in Kemah were in the parking garage and I think a lot of people didn't know they were there. The race went off without a hitch; we were at the back and couldn't hear the National Anthem very well, but we heard people shushing others and eventually everyone quieted down and we could hear that. I love that people shushed the ones that were talking. We need to respect our National Anthem, and respect the people that sing it; it's a difficult song y'all. It was a great day, low 60s and cloudy and I felt great! We started out at the Galveston Daily News building and took the side street to the entrance of the causeway and then we were on. The bridge has a lot less of an incline than Kemah and it was really hard to tell you were running uphill until you hit the top and it leveled off and then wow that feels good....and easy! It was a beautiful run and I tried to run close to the edge to get a good view...lots of pelicans and birds and boats to look at. The only issue seemed to be there were a lot more walkers and I am ok with people walking; I understand, I do it too sometimes, but please watch out for people around you. Don't run around someone and then stop to walk right in front of them. Look around you; it's not that difficult!! It was still a great race for me and I thought I had a PR but my official time shows I was slower than in Kemah although my pace was faster. Oh well. I still had fun and got a GORGEOUS medal, so I am happy. They had pizza, fruit, beer, soda and Muscle Milk afterwards; hubby said they had breakfast tacos as well, but they were out by the time I was done. The pizza tasted fantastic though...I was starving! The wait for the shuttle after the race was pretty long but my hubby and step son had walked down to the car while I was running and brought it back to the start area. So we got right out with literally NO traffic. All in all it was a great race, and I love that I've run two of the three bridges in the Texas Bridge Series; the last one is the Fred Hartman Bridge but that's a half marathon and will have to wait until 2014! Look for the review next November!

Since the last review was for the 2013 race, I wanted to review for the 2014 race. This was my…read morefirst RAS race and first race in Galveston and I was thoroughly impressed. I loved the idea of running over the Galveston bridge and now every time I drive into Galveston I always think, "wow I actually ran on this bridge!". The concept was great and the execution was just shy of being just as great. The only issue was how long it took for the shuttles to take everyone over to the start line. We ended up starting quite a bit later than we were originally supposed to. Everything else went pretty smoothly; the volunteers were great, multiple port-a-potties, and beautiful medals! Cannot wait to try more RAS races and the 2015 Toughest Galveston 10K!

Aaron Palaian and the rest of the Onurleft Sports crew really know how to hold a triathlon…read more Held in Kemah, Texas, the Gateway to the Bay Triathlon includes a Saturday sprint-distance triathlon (500m swim, 12.5 mile bike, 3 mile run) and a Sunday olympic-distance triathlon (1500m swim, 40K bike, 10K run). Not only does this triathlon offer a saltwater swim leg, when a lot of triathlons in Houston and Austin only offer freshwater swims, the Gateway to the Bay Triathlon offers top placers entry into the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Once you are registered for the event, Aaron will send you a weekly newsletter with important information and updates. Plus, for me, when I needed something changed with my registration info, he personally emailed me back, telling me he updated my info. Something that I really liked about this triathlon was that there was no race to grab a prime bike spot on the racks in the transition area. Spots were assigned on the racks according to your bib number. I wasn't lucky enough to have a spot at the end of a rack, but I was lucky enough to meet the 2 people right next to me, and we all made sure to accommodate each other. For the olympic-distance swim, the organizers chartered boats (the kinds you take a seated tour of the bay on) and dropped us off at the start buoys, 1500 meters from shore. This was my first olympic triathlon and my first saltwater tri swim. It would be an understatement to say that I was nervous. And it didn't help that the organizers kept saying that if it wasn't your day, stay on the boat. My mind echoed that in my head, "stay on the boat...stay on the boat...stay on the boat..." But, seeing the sun rise over the water, watching pelicans and seagulls fly around the boat, and feeling the wind on my face relaxed me. It was beautiful out there. Buoys were about ever 1/4 mile apart, leading the athletes to the exit ramp. Two more things that I liked about this triathlon were the wetsuit strippers and the carpeted trail leading from the swim's exit ramp to the transition area (the carpet was nice on my feet). My wetsuit stripper took less than 10 seconds for something that would have taken me at least a minute. It was funny--my dad happened to be right behind the wetsuit stripper as the stripper was yanking off my wetsuit, and my dad got smacked in the face with my suit. The bike leg was mostly flat save for the up-and-down over the Kemah Bridge (146). It was steeper than I thought it was. The rest of the bike course was flat. And the organizers of the triathlon were able to get plenty of the local law enforcement to hold and direct traffic. The race officials warned us that there would be only one set of portapotties on the bike leg. Luckily, I didn't have to use it, but I could see how some others might have wanted a few more out there. By the time I got to the run, it was hot (I'm not the fastest triathlete!). There were plenty of aid stations along the route serving gels (I tried an apple cinnamon gel...it was gross), gatorade, heel (another kind of energy drink), and water. And there were a few more portapotties along the route...but, being a dude, the portapotty situation isn't as crucial, if you know what I mean. When I got to the finish line, I was given a medal, a wet, commemorative towel, a water bottle, and a finisher's shirt (along with the participant shirt). That's a whole lot of schwag for a small triathlon! Plus, there was a lot of food (pizza, bananas, pretzels, My Fit Foods was out there giving out food) and drinks (beer, water, gatorade). And there was a live band playing, too. Parking was great. The organizers secured the Kemah Boardwalk parking lots and the use of the Boardwalk garage. My parents, who came out later in the day, were still able to find parking. The only two things that I would have love happened (and, hopefully, can happen next year) are: the olympic run route going around the Kemah Boardwalk, which is something Kemah is known for. I like running around sites the host city is known for. I believe the sprinters got to run around the Boardwalk. The other thing is...well, it's kind of silly, but I like to drink chocolate milk at the end of a long race. So, if anyone from Onurleft Sports is reading this, can you get some chocolate milk for me at the finish? And thanks to all the volunteers, law enforcement, and organizers, who made this a great day for me.

I signed up for the olympic/international distance since it was the first triathlon of the season…read morein the region. Packet Pick up was at Northwest Cycling Center and they provided everyone with a cardboard box that contained bibs, numbers, a tech shirt and a participant's guide. Prerace. I woke up around 4am and got to kemah around 520am parked around 530 and arrived at transition around 545 with only 15 minutes to set up my transition before it closed around 6am. I had to race to get all my stuff to the transition area, find my spot, set up my gear in record time, run barefoot to the boat area and the race hasn't started yet. We all boarded the boat and sat on the floor waiting for it to take us to our destination. I'm on a boat, mother****er! Or at least I was until we were transported to the dropoff point and each triathlete crossed the electronic start line and jumped into the water to swim to shore in a deceptive straight line. I'm not a big fan of swimming as I felt that there were a lot of waves and a current pushing me off course and disorienting me at times so I would have to frequently sight the buoys. That and I feel like I'm drowning in the water when I swim. I remember hearing lots of people dry heaving and I was thinking that it was glad that I didn't eat any of the donuts on board the ship. The buoy were large and easily visible. There were wetsuit strippers to help me get my suit off me so I could run to the transition area on the carpet path. The bike portion was flat, smooth and didn't go over the kemah bridge. There were about two turnarounds that we had to slow down at. The headwind coming from the north was brutal but at least it turned into a tailwind that helped me go around 27mph with a high cadence as I headed back south. The run portion consisted running around a neighborhood, around the kemah boardwalk and up/down the kemah bridge twice. They had some accelerate electrolyte drink that I took a sip of and spit out. I have to buy one of those race belts that lets you carry personal fluid to avoid situations like this. I just had water at every station from that point on. The start of the run was tough since I haven't done any brick training and was focusing on just not stopping. I actually got stronger toward the later part of the run as many were fading away. Post race. They give you a medal, bottle water and various honey milk once you cross the finish line. The post race food included chicken rice bowel from my fit foods, bananas, granola bars, cookies, pizza and soda. There were tables to eat your food but the chairs were all being hoarded by different groups of people.