Dam 09 Triathlon Race Reviews
Average Attendee Reviews
Most Helpful Review
Great Race for ALL Levels
The Dam 09 Triathlon is an exceptional race experience, perfect for athletes of all levels, whether you're new to the sport or a seasoned competitor looking to fine-tune your skills. This super sprint race is organized by a seasoned race director who is not only an amazing human being but also deeply committed to ensuring a top-notch experience for every participant. The course is designed to be both fun and fast, starting with a swim in a lane pool. One crucial tip—be honest with your swim time when seeding yourself, as it makes the experience smoother for everyone. The bike course consists of three fast loops with some turns, so be cautious and enjoy the ride and riders of all levels. The run is an out-and-back route that can get a bit hot in parts, but don’t worry—there’s water and electrolytes waiting for you at the halfway point to keep you going strong. Overall, the Dam 09 Triathlon is a fantastic opportunity to dive into the sport or sharpen your triathlon skills. With a well-organized event, a supportive atmosphere, and a challenging yet rewarding course, this race comes highly recommended for anyone looking for a great triathlon experience!
Dam 09 Triathlon
All Dam 09 Triathlon Reviews
I wouldn’t do it again
I was very disappointed in the race compared to the amount of money I paid. The swim wasn’t organized at all, it seemed like it would be based on time and more of an announcement would have been made prior to the swim. I didn’t like that at the finish you had to get your own water. I figured water could have been set out. The food that was provided for the money wasn’t much. The email said “breakfast†which i assumed would be more than a sausage wrap, orange slice and half a banana.
has attended 1 times
5/10 found this review helpful.
Individual competitor
Every year I have done this event it has always be well run/organized. Love the distances and it is a lot of fun !
has attended 5+ times
2/2 found this review helpful.
Participant
Well organized, competitive, and fun. I suggest that the awards be upgrade to reflect the achievements of the athletes. Safety became an issue when participants were confronted with trucks and cars on the same course.
has attended 1 times
1/1 found this review helpful.
Wonderful Volunteers!
This is my second Triathlon and I enjoyed myself so much I am happy to keep training and improving my time to try it again. I thought all the volunteers and participants were positive, friendly and encouraging. I noticed that for the second half of the run it was mostly in the shade as the temperature was rising and that was appreciated.
has attended 1 times
1/1 found this review helpful.
LMT
This was my first triathlon. I appreciate everyone that was out there because they all encouraged me to keep going. I finished last but I finished and next year I have a goal to beat.
has attended 0 times
2/2 found this review helpful.
Ret
I have done this event 15+ times. The Dam 09 is a damn fine event. Always has been. The venue is super, the support is great, and Air Force volunteers are especially helpful. Roger and Lisa never fail to put on a great event! Looking forward to at least 10 more. (I'm 78.) .
has attended 5+ times
2/2 found this review helpful.
Great Intro to Sprint Triathlons
This was an amazing race if you're also looking to get started in this sport. I would highly recommend this even to new and returning triathletes!
has attended 1 times
1/1 found this review helpful.
Larry
Always a fun race. Well organized, runs smoothly. Good food, drinks and fun after the race.
has attended 3 times
1/1 found this review helpful.
Great Race for casual triathletes
Great Race ..very organized, great food and drink at finish line. It is a good race for the casual triathlete...the pool swim is not crowded with swimmers on top of you. I wish the bike course could be something other than loops or rough road, but I can appreciate the course layout to control the amount of security you need. Run course is good.
Participant
Lisa and Roger Soler put on a great triathlon!! The course is exciting and challenging for both beginners and experienced triathletes. It is well organized, and the food, especially the spicy sausages wrapped in tortillas, are exceptional. I would highly recommend participating in this event since it is local and is the oldest triathlon of its kind in the San Antonio metropolitan area. Plus, the awards, consisting of the "sapo" (frog) logo on the coffee mugs are unique and original.
has attended 5+ times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Best race 2020!!
Thank you for putting on a terrific race!! Felt totally safe!
Beautiful scenery
Well organized race. The neighborhood scenery is really beautiful. Really enjoyed this race! Plan to do it next year and hopefully annually---enjoyed it that much!
has attended 1 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Great event in unusual circumstances
You gotta hand it to Roger and Lisa. This year has been crazy, and there was no clue whether the race would *actually* happen a week out from race day. Nonetheless, the race was extremely well organized under the new protocols, and everything was safe, fun, and smooth! I really enjoyed the course as well and would sign back up for this event in a heartbeat.
Great Race
Under the circumstances of Covid, I thought this was an outstanding race. Everyone followed protocol and had a great time. Will definently be here again next year.
has attended 1 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Enjoyable race
As a first-timer at a triathlon, I was grateful for the hostess' timely response to my email about my questions/concerns prior to the race. I got a friend to use my reference link to sign up and was refunded $10 for doing so. That was nice to save a little cash. The transition area was we'll put together and having the bike rack space assigned was fine. There were plenty of volunteers to answer questions about the course and to direct people. This event also ran smoothly using COVID-19 protocols. Social distancing and masks were encouraged before and after the race. Food, water, and Gatorade provided after the race was a nice gesture. Although the bike course was slightly rough with some imperfections in the road or sharp turns, it was a great challenge and I hope to do this event again in the future.
has attended 1 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
first race since the shutdown
Good on you for doing all you could to get this race off the ground. The staff was fantastic and energetic. the course was fine. I really commend the staff on making it happen despite all the COVID barriers. If I had to make a suggestion, it would be to make it a reverse sprint...run, bike, swim. that is how they do triathlons in west Texas and it works great. This way you can all start at once.
has attended 1 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Great Race for Everyone!
So excited to race this year. This race was very very well organized! I’m truly impressed. The course was great. I love hills and it had the perfect amount. Volunteers were all very helpful and friendly. Assigned transition spot by your race number was nice. Guess I didn’t need to get there so early! Lol Quality t-shirt. You get a mug for placing. I’ll definitely be back for this one!
has attended 1 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Fun and competitive
Hats off to the staff who made the "pandemic" year a success. Felt safe and yes we did things a little differently, but it was run as well as any event I've competed in, including IM. This is a hidden gem in the sprint tri world. Willing to travel to SA again for this event.
has attended 2 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Ms.
Soler's Sports did an absolutely outstanding job in organizing this triathlon & ensuring that the participants' safety came first. The event was incredibly fun. Planning on becoming a regular!
has attended 1 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Great race!
This was my first DAM09 Tri, hopefully it will not be my last. Lisa and her crew were great! The course was challenging but amazing. Even the police officers directing traffic were encouraging.
has attended 1 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
engineer
This is a one hour blast. The pool was great as usual. The bike is a challenge with the big down hill. The run has a great little pop at the end. Organized and friendly.
has attended 5+ times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Delightful Dam ‘09
The race venue, organizers and volunteers were great. All of the participants had enough room to set up. The food and beverage were wonderful. I would have liked the ride course swept on the back side, the gravel was on a left hand curve and very slippery. Otherwise I would love to do it agein
has attended 2 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Great 1st time race.
Always enjoy this race. Fun to do a short race.
has attended 3 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Fun race with a couple of comments
The setting for the race is great with the Alamo Heights area being moderately hilly with plenty of trees. A couple of suggestions: (1) Double the number of port-a-potties (4 is not enough for 300 people). (2) Extend the length of the bike route to 12.5 mil and the run to 3.1 mi if possible. (3) There is a spot on the bike course on a corner where there is sand (and therefore very slippery on a turn). This should have been mentioned pre-race. Overall however, the tri was well organized and a lot of fun. I plan on participating next year.
has attended 1 times
1/1 found this review helpful.
Great Race
Great Race - I think I never got my referall discount though
has attended 1 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Fix the swim
Something needs to be done to enforce seeding in the swim start. Swimmers that had no business being in the water in the first 100 were clogging up the lanes and those of us behind them had our swim times suffer. I do appreciate that this race gives even the most untrained athlete a chance to complete a triathlon, but it's unfair to those of us who race to compete.
has attended 2 times
2/2 found this review helpful.
Dam Tri
Once of my favorite local races. Always see friendly faces and well run.
has attended 5+ times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Dam '09 Tri!
Another well done race at Dam '09! I've done this race 10 times now and I'll keep coming back!!
has attended 5+ times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Fun Event
My first time participating in this event. It was well put together, and well run. My only complaint as well as others probably have noted is that 4 port-a-potties is about 15 to few. Apparently this has been an issue for several years. Other then that, great event, and I'll probably return
has attended 1 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Another Fun Race
Love the Race course. The bike is challenging enough with the hills on the course and the 3 loops to complete the bike course. And the post race party is awesome. It allows you to meet other participants while enjoying the post-race food.
has attended 5+ times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Fun and Fast
The pool swim was a lot smoother than I expected though people really didn't seem to seed themselves very well. The bike course was safe, well-marked, and surprisingly shaded, if it is a bit short. The run doesn't have a ton going for it but isn't that's why it's last anyways lol. Great community, great intro to triathlon, very kind organizers.
has attended 1 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Fun Race but Disappointed
The organizers and website all say no aero bars or Ebikes. This is not enforced at all, there are aero bars and Ebikes everywhere! Also the swim was pretty bad. I had people seeded infront of me swimming so slow I got stuck.
has attended 1 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Response from the Race Director
Hi Will,
Sorry to hear that you were disappointed with the event. The policy is no CLIP ON aero bars, which, to my knowledge, there were none and there definitely weren't any electric bikes!
Awesome Event
As a first time participant, I was a bit nervous about not knowing what to do, but the emails before the event and volunteers at the event really made it easy and exciting! The bike and run routes were well marked and the after-party so much fun! God willing, I will do this event every year & encourage others to try it too! Thanks to the race management team, the sponsors, and all participants for a safe, challenging, and memorable experience!!!
has attended 1 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Response from the Race Director
Thanks Lois. Congratulations on your first triathlon! You are a TRIATHLETE!
Great Race for ALL Levels
The Dam 09 Triathlon is an exceptional race experience, perfect for athletes of all levels, whether you're new to the sport or a seasoned competitor looking to fine-tune your skills. This super sprint race is organized by a seasoned race director who is not only an amazing human being but also deeply committed to ensuring a top-notch experience for every participant. The course is designed to be both fun and fast, starting with a swim in a lane pool. One crucial tip—be honest with your swim time when seeding yourself, as it makes the experience smoother for everyone. The bike course consists of three fast loops with some turns, so be cautious and enjoy the ride and riders of all levels. The run is an out-and-back route that can get a bit hot in parts, but don’t worry—there’s water and electrolytes waiting for you at the halfway point to keep you going strong. Overall, the Dam 09 Triathlon is a fantastic opportunity to dive into the sport or sharpen your triathlon skills. With a well-organized event, a supportive atmosphere, and a challenging yet rewarding course, this race comes highly recommended for anyone looking for a great triathlon experience!
has attended 4 times
0/0 found this review helpful.
Response from the Race Director
Thanks Amy. Being honest with their estimated swim times is SUPER IMPORTANT!! Hope to see you again next year!
Dam 09 Triathlon Review Details
The Dam 09 Triathlon reviews contained on this site do not neccessarily reflect the opinions of Race Entry or our affiliates. We have methods in place to indicate when a review came from a verified attendee. A review without our "verified attendee" seal may have still come from a real attendee, but we were not able to verify it. Look for Dam 09 Triathlon verified attendee reviews that contain this symbol at the bottom of the review:
