Hey, Lynne,

I have done the Lake Zurich Triathlon (LZT) for the past three years. This year it was cancelled for road construction, which is what pushed me to do Pleasant Prairie (PP) instead. Accenture is huge. I love to go down to the expo, and to cheer at the race, but as a participant (which I've never been), it looks uncomfortably huge, to me. Comparison points:

Expo: Accenture has a great one. LZT: nothin'

Swim: Accenture--huge amt of people trying to swim in potential cold water of Monroe harbor. LZT--clean, warm lake, start and end on small sandy beaches.

Numbers: Accenture--largest in the world. LZT--about 1,000 people

Transition area: See above.

Run to transition area: Accenture--long, on cement. LZT--not so long, on sand/grass/cement.

Bike: A--LSD. Fun, yet hot if it's a hot day. LZT--rolling, beautiful country side.

Run: A--cool run around the museums, down LSD and back. LZT--run through the neighborhood and up around Lake Zurich.

Finish line: A--Phenomenal, exciting, emotional, triumphant. LZT--small town America, friendly, individual attention if you need it.

The main things that have kept me from Accenture are the not great swim, long distance to the transition, and the packedness of the transition area. I'd say anticipate a very narrow transition space, and create a way to remember where you are so you can find your stuff in T1 & 2. Just set your mind to deal with the swim and the run up to transition. And then: Have a great time!

A friend had done PP before, and recommended it highly. I might've done it before if it weren't just a week after LZT. Do look into LZT next year. It is such a nice, friendly tri. So far it's only Olympic distance, but they've been talking about adding a sprint.