's Staging Area

First time Racing at Newport Dunes, what a fantastic location and triathlon. this year it also served as the IronBruin. The UCLA Triathlon home race. The sheltered bay water was just like a small lake : flat calm and ideal for newer swimmers , no current or surf zone or undertow fun to negotiate like in ocean swims. The Race Director Thom let out the swimmers with a few starting every 5 seconds . This spaced out the athletes in the water right away and is the better way to ensure a safe swim. I started at the back. There was less contact with other swimmers on the course . It felt really safe with dozen of lifeguards looking after us. The race date in November might make you think it would be cold but in SoCal the sea water temperature is still a comfortable 63F. The transition and bike course was well marked with a completely closed course and no intersections to negotiate. No Cars = much safer for bikes.
The course is pancake flat so i got her done likety split and had freshish legs left for the 10k run which for the Olympic was 2 lap around the lake. Plenty of well stocked water stations . 1 every mile. Ran at a better pace than at Lake Perris. Stayed after and mingled with the friendly & funny Cal Tri volunteers and watched other finishers come in , Had an amazing burger at the BackBay Bistro. Checking Results i was happy i had completed the race in under 3 hours which for me was a stretch goal. Best swag was my name printed on the souvenir jersey & magnetic medal . Can’t wait to have another go at Newport and knocking out some minutes off my time

Really enjoyed it, weather stayed overcast and cool until the run which was bonus. i pre rode course at the clinic so we saw the corners that needed to be respected , pavement conditions , climbs and u turns before race day. Liked it so much i upped from Sprint to Olympic so i could ride the lake loop twice. Arrived early , no lines for packet pickup or bathrooms. Found a good Rack spot and my teammates racked with me. The swim was beautiful , water clear with lots of live fish spotted during my warmup , Water temp was a very pleasant mid 65F, the rolling swim start made the swim start a lot more civilized , i was able to start with my friends . the lake was well staffed with lots of lifeguards. The run from the beach to transition was longish , Had a great time on the bike and with the two out and backs near the park entrance I could see who i was closing in on and who was right behind me. The Run was a straight forward out and back on a paved path to the dam with a well stocked gel/ water station . Terrific early bird Pricing value at $75 for the Olympic. Got a cool magnetic medal and Race shirt had my name on it. Also scored a Polar insulated bottle. Great unique Race course inside all inside the State Park, Beautiful Lake Swim . Fast flat bike course with a very moderate grade climb. The Sprint is perfect for beginners. Would seriously consider camping there for the next race. Would be better if a food truck or 2 or some warm food option was there at the finish.