Yes, Iron Girl isn't as beginner friendly as Jersey Girl. There is no denying that. But in Iron Girls defense, they don't advertise their triathlon as "beginner friendly".
The swim at Jersey Girl is 300 yards in the ocean and they allow the use of swim noodles. They provide a lot of lifeguard support as well as swim angels. If your new to triathlon and feeling nervous, anxious or plain old scared, you can request a swim angel to motivate and guide you through the swim course. Jersey Girl also modifies the direction of the swim course so that your swimming with the current, not against it. Jersey Girl has bicycle mechanics before the race begins as well as on the bicycle course. Just in case you get a flat and need someone to fix it.
Iron Girl does not provide all of the "extras" that Jersey Girl provides, this is very true. The swim at Iron Girl is 1/3 of a mile long, in the bay. They do not change the direction of the swim course to work with the current. The direction is what the direction is. They do provide a lot of lifeguard support, but there are no "swim angels" in the water to help you through the swim. Swim noodles are not allowed. Iron Girl provided pre-race bicycle mechanics, but as far as I could tell, there were no mechanics on the bike course to change flat tires. If you get a flat tire, you better know how to change it yourself.
But does this mean that one race is "better" than the other? Well, that's a tough one to answer. I think it comes down to what type of race YOU are looking for. Do you need/want a race that is very beginner friendly, or do you want a race that's a bit more competitive? Only you know the answer to that.
A couple of months before the event, Jersey Girl offered free ocean swim practices at the location where Jersey Girl would be held. While the swim practices were absolutely fantastic, they were pointless if you didn't show up and take advantage of them! No one is going to come to your house and beg you to go to open water swim practices. Its completely up to you to make the effort.
And let's not forget that you'll need various equipment and gear to get you through the day. The financial investment in gear can certainly bring you to your knees. I don't even want to go there. Between the cost of equipment, race fees, gas and wear and tear on my car, I spent a small fortune. But as someone said "this is triathlon". And my bitching about how much everything costs is going to be saved for another post at a later date.
So if your looking for a beginner-friendly, all female race, give Jersey Girl Triathlon a try. It really is a great race that is meticulously organized. In fact, it's such a beginner-friendly race that I'm considering allowing my daughter to do it next year. As long as she agrees to train for it. I think it would be a good first triathlon experience for her, where as Iron Girl would be too challenging; mainly because of the swim distance.
But if your looking for a female friendly race that's a bit more competitive and self-reliant, definitely give Iron Girl a try. I found it to be a well-organized race that has a bit of a triathlon edge to it, especially in the arena of competition. IMO, the swim is what separates these two races the most.
Or, you can do like I did and try both races. But whatever you do, please take time to practice and prepare for the event. No matter how easy or difficult an event is, it all comes down to respecting the race!
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