Review by Cherry Smith

This was my first Shark Attack experience that was put on by the Desert Shark Triathlon Club. A well organized race for any 1st timer or seasoned triathlete. It had all the challenges of a good race throughout the whole event and was also USAT Sanctioned.

Race morning was absolutely perfect weather as if they had ordered it for this race! It was a sunny day with no clouds in sight and I couldn't of wish for better conditions for my 1st race of the season. There were volunteers at packet pick up and security guards monitoring the transition area which was very organized and were extremely helpful. There was tons of space in transition to set up our bikes and not seem over crowded.

The swim was a 300 yard pool swim which was based on your pace time and since we were all chipped it didn't matter if you started in the 1st group or last. It was a sprint to the finish! The spectators were all around the pool so you could always hear your name and see your loved ones faces when you come up on your breathing stroke.

The bike course was scenic 11.5 mile ride through Riverton city which had all sorts of challenging hills, false flats and some major nice down hills on an out and back route. The police assistants and volunteers were extremely visual throughout the course with orange flags at almost every corner which made you feel safe the whole time.

The run took place along the Jordan River Trail on an out and back course. It took you down a small hill, but you still had to climb that same hill you just descended! After coming up the hill you can hear the crowd and loud music and the finish line which helped keep you pumped to the end.

This race has got me totally get more excited for my races this season and it was a great way to ramp it up by starting it with a Shark Attack! Thank you to all that was involved in this race and I will see you all again next year.

Review by Jen Hamilton

I love a good pool sprint. Switching up swim distances is always fun and having a spectator friendly race is a nice change of pace for the family. Thankfully, I didn't have problems with the usual pool swim traffic jam and was quickly done with the swim and onto the bike. 

The bike course was fantastic! There were enough short, steep hills to cater to the climbers and occasional flats to play to the strengths of the sprinters. There were a few dodgy spots in the road, but volunteers were positioned at each hazard or tight turn with bright flags to warn racers. There were tons of volunteers throughout the course making it easy to stay on track.

The run out of transition takes you to an immediate set of down hill switchbacks. In the back of my mind, I thought about how much it was going to stink coming back up, but it sure made for an easy transition for my legs from the bike. The run took us on a nice paved trail for a quick out and back. There were two aide stations with water and HEED and ample enthusiasm from the volunteers. I was told that the turn around point was temporarily missing causing some athletes to run 4 miles instead, but when I got there in was in tact. I would imagine, this was an issue that was quickly fixed and won't be the case next year.

Overall, I really liked this race. I love an interesting course; while the straight flat out and back bike gives you some good speed, I often find myself getting a bit bored. And even though running back up the hill was indeed serious suckage, I really enjoyed this whole course. There was a really friendly atmosphere in transition and quite a few newbies. Great race to change things up! I'm adding this race permanently to my race schedule.