Changes to cycling course send triathletes pedaling through Tomball.
Township being good neighbor, unlikely to see economic benefit, officials say
Jason Jacob had many places to be Saturday. His wife was competing in her first Ironman triathlon, while two of their sons were in the Tomball Little League playoffs.
For at least a few min- utes, Jacob could be at both events at once.
A last-minute change to the course brought the Ironman North American Championship Texas into Tomball for the first time, including a stretch along the fence line of the city’s baseball fields. So Jacob and others found spots where they could keep one eye on their children and another on their multitasking athletes.
“It worked out good for everyone,” he said while waiting for his wife, Dana, to pass the ballfields on her bicycle.
The quirk was fortunate because the event almost didn’t happen at all. Race
organizers were close to canceling it last month because of logistical issues with the bike route.
The competition began with a 2.4-mile open water swim in Lake Woodlands and ended with a 26.2-mile run along The Woodlands Waterway. In between was a 94-mile ride that initially wasn’t supposed to go through Tomball, an old farm town turned growing suburb with some 11,000 residents.
The bike course was redrawn in a hurry after a Montgomery County commissioner refused to let the race go through his precinct, as it had before. Commissioner Charlie Riley said he rejected the organizers’ proposed route because of safety concerns involving road construction in the rapidly growing area.
In years past, the course made one loop through the Sam Houston National Forest, rolling farmland and far-flung subdivisions north and west of The Woodlands. The scenic ride was popular among competitors.
Unable to use Riley’s precinct, organizers moved the route into areas south of the township — a decision that avoided the race’s possible cancellation but dramatically altered the ride’s character from mostly rural to urban.
‘A surprise’
The new course entered Tomball via Hufsmith Kuykendahl Road at mile 64 and made an elaborate 15-mile figure-eight, of sorts, through the town before exiting northbound on FM 2978.
At times, competitors had to dodge cars and trucks on twolane roads. Some motorists pulled over to allow them to pass safely. And police officers managed intersections to keep vehicles and cyclists moving through as quickly as possible.
Nearby, the Tomball Farmers Market and Little League went about their Saturday business without any problems.
People sat outside Jane and John Dough Bakery for breakfast gyros and coffee, as usual.
But Mel’s Country Cafe, which typically draws big crowds on Saturdays for its burgers and chicken fried steak, had only a few customers for lunch. The bike route passed in front of the restaurant until about 2 p.m.
“At least we’re getting busy now,” executive chef and owner Jeff Henry said after the last competitor passed by. He added that the nearby railroad can be more disruptive to his business than the race, which he described as well-organized.
Tomball leaders had mixed feelings about the city being part of the race. It was included on the route with about two weeks left before the event, leaving little time for them to notify residents of the potential traffic delays or to plan cheering sections along the route.
The addition of Tomball “was a surprise, but we’re going to make the best of it,” said Bruce Hillegeist, president of the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce.
‘I’ve got chills’
Mayor Gretchen Fagan said it’s unlikely that the city will see any direct economic impact from the event. But the race is an important moneymaker for the region, generating an estimated $15 million, so city officials decided to participate to be a good neighbor, she said.
Whether the city would do it again, Fagan said, “I don’t know yet. Ask me Sunday morning.”
Even if the race doesn’t return, Tomball resident Lew Mologne said he is hopeful that exposing the evolving city to the race will inspire changes, such as more paths for runners and cyclists.
“We love the thought of it coming through here,” said Mologne, whose brother Tim, a doctor from Wisconsin, was competing in the race. “Hopefully, it will encourage a healthier lifestyle.”
Mologne watched the race near where the Jacob family and friends waited to see Dana, a swimming coach and mother of three in her first Ironman.
As she rode along East Hufsmith Street and into view about 11:30 a.m., the group — many of them wearing fluorescent yellow T-shirts with her name on them — began to cheer. She smiled and blew kisses from her bike.
After Dana passed, one of her friends turned to a boy and said, “I’ve got chills.”
Inclement weather
Later in the day, hundreds of participants took shelter during early evening storms but were allowed to resume soon after.
“Athletes have been and are continuing to be stopped at timing mats and directed to the nearest safe shelters (including the library, parking garages, etc.). As athletes cross the timing mats, their race time will be stopped until we are able to restart the race. The original finish-line cut-off time of 11 p.m. will be extended accordingly,” race organizers said Saturday evening.