AS WE transition from the summer to fall race scenes, let's take a look back at recent developments and at some of what's ahead on the roads of New Hampshire:

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NO MORE MOOSEMAN: The Mooseman Triathlon, a two-day event that featured half-iron and Olympic-distance races, will no longer be held in Bristol. No official reason for cancelling this event has been given other than the race organizers had reached a point of wanting to move on to other ventures.

Mooseman is currently owned by the World Triathlon Corporation, a triathlon management company that organizes major triathlons all over the world. WTC took over ownership of Mooseman a few years ago, buying it from Keith Jordan, a New Hampshire triathlete who started Mooseman, the Timberman Triathlon Festival, Black Fly Triathlon Festival, and Big Lake Half Marathon. This year marked the third year that Mooseman fell under the WTC umbrella.

Mooseman was a major event on the New England triathlon schedule. Many of the region's top triathletes, and some of the best in the country, have made their way to Newfound Lake in Bristol for this event. From its start in the mid-2000s to the present, it was an event that drew close to 1,500 athletes each year.

The cancellation of Mooseman serves as a reminder of how difficult it is to put on a triathlon. Between the swim, bike and run logistics, a lot of resources have to be called upon, especially public services such as police and fire details. The longer the race, the more the resources (a half-iron triathlon includes a 56-mile bike ride). It is easy to understand that individuals, or groups, get to a point when they say it is no longer worth the energy. That appears to be the case with Mooseman.

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FAST ... BUT NOT FAST ENOUGH: On Aug. 9, Abiyot Warku won the Cigna/Elliot Corporate 5K, in Manchester, in 14 minutes 7 seconds. If history is any indication, no other runner will come close to matching that time at a 2012 New Hampshire 5K in a USA Track and Field course-eligible race. The significance of including “at a USA Track Field course-eligible race” is that Cigna/Elliot continually stands alone as the only New Hampshire 5K with any hopes of seeing a nationally recognized course record. The current New Hampshire 5K record is held by Alene Reta, who finished second at this year's Cigna/Elliot 5K. In 2009, Reta won the Cigna/Elliot 5K in 13:53, only the second time in the history of the race that the winner broke 14 minutes.

For those who follow the New Hampshire running scene, the 14-minute barrier hangs out there as something special. It was a big moment in the Granite State when Joseph Mwai broke the tape at Cigna in 13:55, the first sub-14-minute 5K in state history. It took six years for Reta to become the second runner to break 14:00 on New Hampshire soil, and every year the spotlight is on the front of the pack to see if it will happen again.

To do that, a runner must average 4:30 per mile for 3.1 miles. It's interesting to stand at the finish line and listen to how such a race unfolds. This year, two runners took control of the race early and were on pace for a sub-14. But the last mile of the race includes the only significant hill, when the runners turn off Canal Street and run up Merrimack Street to the finish at Veteran's Memorial Park. More often than not, the sub-14 pace is lost on that hill, and 2012 was no exception. Yes, Warku deserves tremendous credit for winning the race in a lightning-fast time, but if only he had run eight seconds faster ...

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NEW HALF MARATHONS: According to national statistics, the half marathon (13.1-miles) is the fastest growing road race distance in terms of participation. The New Hampshire road race scene reflects the national scene. In the past few years, a number of new half marathons have appeared, and many of them quickly moved to the top of the list among the state's biggest events.

A couple of new half marathons now join the party. This weekend the Applecrest Half Marathon makes its debut in Hampton Falls. Applecrest is another race directed by LOCO Running, the race management company based out of Newmarket. LOCO Running already manages many of the large New Hampshire half marathons, and the hope is Applecrest will be another one of its major events.

On Sept. 9, the Heads Up Half Marathon will take place in Concord. The event is a fundraiser for the Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire. For more information go to www.bianh.org/headsup.

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RUNNING SHORTS: A big race takes place on Monday, Labor Day. It's the St. Charle's Children's Home 5K, and it takes place at Pease Tradeport in Portsmouth ... Looking back at some of the more recent results in the Granite State: Sam Wood and Abby Gosling, two of the Lakes Region's top runners, won the 35th annual Gilford Old Home Day 5K ... Speaking of top runners, a Massachusetts legend (and former Londonderry resident), Dave Dunham, returned to New Hampshire and won the Epsom Old Home Days race. Dunham, 48, has won a race every year since his mid-teens. Many of those wins have been on New Hampshire soil.

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Andy Schachat's column appears every other week in the New Hampshire Sunday News. Email him at schachat44@gmail.com.