There are three races going on the Open Age Group (Classic/Non-drafting) race. There are also Collegiate and Draft-Legal races going on earlier that morning.

The good news for the "Classic" race is you can sleep in! The waves this year are 11:30 am Age Group Males 39 and under, 11:50 am Age Group Males 40+, 12:15 pm All Age Group Females and Relay Teams. Registration and parking was fairly smooth and plentiful. The slight complication is transition area closes at 10:45am. This means if you plan on riding the course beforehand you're not actually going to be "warm" from the bike warm up by the time the race starts. Nevertheless I suggest setting up your transition and then rolling out at 10:25am for a look at the course to be back just in time before you get kicked out. I would actually recommend bringing a second pair of running shoes to do a run warm up in after the transition area closes. Also, it's quite a long walk to the swim start (especially if it's raining like it was last year) and you could use the old sneaks to do that and discard them at the swim start. The Draft-Legal races are at 8am (Mens) and 8:15am (Women) and are less busy.

The Swim (600m)

The water will be cold, it's just a question of how cold. You can check the current water temp here. I recommend long sleeved wetsuit, thermal if possible, and a neoprene cap to wear under your swimming cap to keep the heat in. Booties are legal in triathlon and they make them specific for swimming but for such a short swim and the importance of the transition I'm not sure that trying to pry them off with frozen hands is worth it.

You're not allowed to swim in the area before the event but you do get about 15 mins before your wave to swim around behind the start line. Also, it's a deep water start. You line up between a buoy and the pier.

Tactically, you want to get around the first buoy pretty quick for the left hander then it's a straight shot to the swim exit. The buoys can be a little hard to spot as they are sometimes hidden by the boats, but you can't go too wrong because there's a bank on your right and boats on your left. The best line is to hug the piers and boats to the left. Then you want to get out at the nearest corner of the pontoon. No point swimming further to get out. There's a long-ish run to T1 but would still recommend going bare feet than messing around with shoes or flip flops at the exit (which you're allowed to do). Some of our athletes have used Crocs with success to make the longish run to T1.

T1 is a pretty straight forward and easy to navigate parking lot situation. It's a short race which means the transitions are key so practice doing it the fastest way.

The Bike (20K)

Dead flat. There can be some wind on the out and back section. The road surface is generally OK but as mentioned I recommend riding a lap before the race just to get to know any bumps or holes. There are some speed bumps on the in and out sections which you need to be careful of. They aren't steep but I nearly threw myself off the first one one year being a bit too aggressive on the aerobars.

The course can get a little congested, especially for the later waves, so if you're a faster rider be prepared to be "communicative" so people stay on the right, or stay to the right if you're getting passed. The far end hairpin especially can be tricky with athletes slowing down to turn. Another complication is the 4 laps you have to do. You'd be surprised how confused you can get. A good way to double check to keep track is to have distance on your watch and when you get to about 18-19K you know it's time to turn right and head back to transition. Also get to know the entry back to T2 and pick a landmark where you're going to start getting your feet out of your shoes.

The Run (5K)

T2 is easy and then you're out on the run. Again, completely flat but can be windy. It's out and back so you'll have a pretty good idea where you are in the race. Again, it can get a little congested on the bike path so keep your head up. Just make sure you know the last half mile to time your glorious sprint finish!

Results and Prizes

Prices have gone up to $120 but that's just how much a race costs these days! The prized Treeathlon socks are probably the most prized article of the race! The last two years it's taken a while for presentations to actually take place. I've won Specialized bar tape two years for winning my age group. Very handy and more valuable than a plastic medal...