I'm 39 and in only marginal shape (marginally ovoid). I want five day events as a competitor. As a race organizer, I
need five days - I can't tell you how much stomach acid I produced in summertime Connecticut praying for the paltry 1.5-days of breeze needed to complete a Championship on Hobie 16s. More than a few of my events in the last decade or so lost at least one day to inclement weather conditions. Not a critical issue for a two-day regional event that can be rescheduled (e.g., 2007 JPOR), but a serious issue for a class national championship if you can't.
Honestly, I'm happy with week-long events. Three or four races a day (four to five hours from launch to return) really isn't any sort of a marathon. It is a good and honest-feeling tired that I get at the end of a six-race day (e.g., 2006 F18s). I won't argue that we are seeing alot of runaway victories at the championship level, but I have to say that the fights over 2nd (or 20th for that matter) and beyond can get extremely exciting to watch or be a part of... my most exciting races at F18s last year were the last two races on Wednesday - Tom Paoli and I were tired and sore from the 20-knot beating the day before, but pitting myself against my own limitations, the "wall," my friends... whatever, not sure what to pin it on... but those two races were amazing for me. I think we got a 20ish and an 11th - and I was walking on the moon for the rest of the day (as an aside and as Dave Mosely already pointed out, the band that night put me right
over the moon).
Keep the championships four- to five-days in length - while a five-day championship
might be a deterrent to some as you say, driving 10-20 hours for a two day championship is more of a deterrent. How many California teams would have come to Viginia in 2005 for a two or three day event? You'll wind up with regional events every year, IMO.
No flames or bashing intended - I don't get as much racing as I would like since getting married and having a kid, so even less is not an appealing proposition. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />
