Relatively easy Sprint in a location made for Tri. USAT is making good progress refining and optimizing this race for the 2023 Olympics. They're doing a great job. The only … MORE
Relatively easy Sprint in a location made for Tri. USAT is making good progress refining and optimizing this race for the 2023 Olympics. They’re doing a great job. The only noteworthy area needing improvement is the transition. Logistics and safety require USAT to keep the transition closed until the last racer leaves the area. If you are fast, it will be a long wait before you can leave……
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Fun, Fun, Fun
Relatively easy Sprint in a location made for Tri. USAT is making good progress refining and optimizing this race for the 2023 Olympics. They're doing a great job. The only … MORE
Relatively easy Sprint in a location made for Tri. USAT is making good progress refining and optimizing this race for the 2023 Olympics. They’re doing a great job. The only noteworthy area needing improvement is the transition. Logistics and safety require USAT to keep the transition closed until the last racer leaves the area. If you are fast, it will be a long wait before you can leave……
Best Intro to Triathlon
This is a hometown race and was my first triathlon. It was better than I could have hoped for and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to try a … MORE
This is a hometown race and was my first triathlon. It was better than I could have hoped for and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to try a triathlon for the first time.
The swim takes place at Alamitos Bay. Because of the breakwater surrounding Long Beach, the waves are small and nearly non-existent. As someone who was anxious about open water swimming, this was a big plus. The buoys were huge and easy to sight. I was 2nd to last in my age group, but this was the fastest I have ever swam. The 1 negative is that T1 is kind of far away compared to other triathlons (or so I’m told).
The bike course was 2 loops, mostly on Ocean Blvd through downtown LB. I was weary about doing loops, but the intensity was so high that I had a blast. I should probably mention that the swim start was delayed about 30 minutes because they were rearranging the bike course. It was worth it. As a local, I knew some of the lanes on the road were in bad condition, but the lanes that the course took place on were all good condition. I PR’d the 20k bike course.
Lastly, the run took place on the LB beach running path, which was open to the public. I thought this would be inconvenient, but it was no issue at all and the crowd was pretty great. There was plenty of water stops along the way that also offered gels. I PR’d my 5k.
I crossed the finish line and volunteers handed me a cold, wet towel, water, and lunch. The medal was pretty cool. It doubles as a bottle opener. Besides that, race swag included a USA triathlon bag packed with samples and goodies and a race shirt. Oh also, plenty of photographers all over the course. Race pictures were great, but I do wish there’d be more than just 1 photographer along the bike course.
This is honestly one of the best produced events I have attended. I immediately signed up for the following year. It also convinced me to sign up for further triathlons.
The Best Sprint on the West coast
USAT really puts on a high quality event. Their experience in triathlon race production was evident at this event. The registration process was very efficient. There were on-site USAT staff … MORE
USAT really puts on a high quality event. Their experience in triathlon race production was evident at this event. The registration process was very efficient. There were on-site USAT staff personally assisting athletes with any and all issues. They were extremely professional and catered to the athletes needs with a great attitude. The SWAG was top rate (a tech tee) I am proud to sport from 2XU!. There was a full menu hot breakfast served to athletes prior to the start of the event. The OJ tasted fresh squeezed (likely not, but was a great facsimile). The course was safe and fast. The 1/4 mile run to T1 from the beach was fully carpeted! No need to contend with cars on the bike. We had the entire 2-3 lane road. The run along the beach was beautiful. It was along a shared bike/pedestrian path, however the pedestrians were nicely separated from the participants. Great photos along with a “healthy” post race food menu (no pizza, sandwiches or chips) made this an awesome event. It was also nice it was a combined event with the para-triathlon world championships. I’ve already signed up for next years event!