Build your Ohio Fall Challenge plan
Your coach opens with the Ohio Fall Challenge set for September 26, 2027, asks about your week and your fitness, then writes every session of your Olympic-distance triathlon plan. Free, and you can start as a guest. About 48 weeks to go.
Start your Ohio Fall Challenge plan- Formats
- Olympic, Sprint, Super Sprint (Mini)
- Sport
- Triathlon
- Taper starts
- September 17, 2027
Ohio Fall Challenge distances
- Olympic 0.9 mi swim, 25.5 mi bike, 6.2 mi run
- Sprint 0.5 mi swim, 13 mi bike, 3.1 mi run
- Super Sprint (Mini) 0.1 mi swim, 7 mi bike, 2 mi run
Course
The Ohio Fall Challenge course
For 2027 HFP Racing moves the Ohio Fall Challenge to Buck Creek State Park in Springfield, after the 2026 edition was its final year at Deer Creek. Buck Creek is a 4,016 acre park built around C.
Read the full course notes
J. Brown Reservoir, a 2,120 acre flood-control lake, set in glacial moraines of low gravel and sand hills at about 1,020 feet. The 2026 edition offered a Super Sprint (Mini) of 250 yards, 7 miles and 2 miles, a Sprint of 750 m, 21 km and 5 km, and an Olympic of 1500 m, 41 km and 10 km, plus duathlon, aquabike and relays. HFP has not yet published the 2027 Buck Creek course maps, so check the race page for the swim, bike and run routes as the date gets closer. All events are USA Triathlon sanctioned, and there is no race-day registration.
- Formats
- Olympic, Sprint, Super Sprint (Mini)
- Race-day conditions
- Springfield in September averages a high of 78 °F and a low of 53 °F, and late September runs a little cooler as the month heads towards October's 65 °F highs, so race morning is usually crisp and pleasant. September brings about 3.3 inches of rain and comfortable humidity, with an average dew point near 54 °F. Bring a warm layer for setup in transition, and check the water temperature announcement, since USA Triathlon rules set wetsuit use by the morning reading.
What to train for
Build all three sports steadily, with a weekly open-water swim once the lakes warm up so sighting and starts feel natural before September.
The Springfield area is mostly gently rolling, so ride 1 to 2 hours with some short climbs and practice holding a steady effort on the aero bars.
Add brick sessions every week or two, running 10 to 20 minutes straight off the bike to get your legs used to the change. Olympic racers should build to swims of 1500 m, rides of 25 to 30 miles and runs of 6 to 7 miles, and Sprint and Mini athletes can scale those down with the same rhythm.
Sample week
A sample Ohio Fall Challenge training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Swim, 45 min: drills and technique
- Tuesday Key session
- Bike, 1 h with threshold intervals
- Wednesday
- Swim, 45 min: steady intervals at race effort
- Easy run, 40 min
- Thursday Key session
- Run, 40 min with tempo segments
- Friday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Saturday Key session
- Long ride, 1 h 30 min, then a 20 min run off the bike
- Sunday
- Long run, 1 h easy
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Ohio Fall Challenge
Start the taper seven to ten days before race day. Trim the volume in all three sports, keep short race-pace efforts in each, and do one last short brick so running off the bike still feels familiar. With the race on September 26, 2027, your taper starts around September 17, 2027.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a Olympic-distance triathlon season for the Ohio Fall Challenge Triathlon, Duathlon & Aquabike on September 26, 2027. I train about [hours] hours a week, [days] days a week.
Ohio Fall Challenge training questions
How long should I train for the Ohio Fall Challenge?
Most athletes give a Olympic-distance triathlon twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The coach counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
What is the Ohio Fall Challenge course like?
For 2027 HFP Racing moves the Ohio Fall Challenge to Buck Creek State Park in Springfield, after the 2026 edition was its final year at Deer Creek.
How cold is the water at the Ohio Fall Challenge?
Springfield in September averages a high of 78 °F and a low of 53 °F, and late September runs a little cooler as the month heads towards October's 65 °F highs, so race morning is usually crisp and pleasant. September brings about 3.3 inches of rain and comfortable humidity, with an average dew point near 54 °F. Bring a warm layer for setup in transition, and check the water temperature announcement, since USA Triathlon rules set wetsuit use by the morning reading.
When should I start tapering for the Ohio Fall Challenge?
Start the taper seven to ten days before race day. Trim the volume in all three sports, keep short race-pace efforts in each, and do one last short brick so running off the bike still feels familiar. With the race on September 26, 2027, your taper starts around September 17, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Ohio Fall Challenge training plan?
Start as a guest and save a free account later. Your coach writes your Olympic-distance triathlon plan and adapts it every week as you log your training. No card.