Simon Williams's Staging Area

Stunning scenery on all three races (Nevada Half, Carnelian Bay Half and the Emerald Bay half). Lots of great swag (bags, t-shirts) and great daily email communication from race director Les. The aid stations were a little sporadic on Friday and Saturday’s race but well stocked and enthusiastically manned. For Sunday’s Emerald Bay half there was even a wine station!

It was an amazing event but, for me at least, the toll of three consecutive days of running led to diminishing performance. I’ll still be back next year!

I did the full Ironman in May and decided to give the 70.3 a try. I love this area and the local support but the increase in the number of athletes from 1800 in May for the 140.6 to 2800 in July for the 70.3 caused some challenges.

The registration process was super simple in the Courtyard Square, the location of “Ironman Village” for the duration of the weekend. The athlete briefings were also held there.

The swim was in Lake Sonoma, some 40 minutes away, so the Friday bike drop off was a bit of a trek but there was a transportation company that would take your bike there and rack it for $40. We just headed up at 7am on Friday morning to check out the lake, have a warm-up swim and be ready for T1 opening at 10am. I’m glad we did because it was crazy busy there from 10 onwards as we were leaving. Then it was back to downtown Santa Rosa to drop off the run bag and hit the movie theater next to T2 for the afternoon.

On race morning the shuttles leave the transit area starting at 4:15am and I’m glad I got one of the early ones as I heard some complaints later that people were waiting for a long time for the shuttles to make the roundtrip. The swim was ultimately cancelled due to the fog/visibility but people were still arriving on the shuttles at the time that we would have entered the water.

With no swim (which was the right call in the conditions) the decision was made to just start the bike leg with a TT start, 5 athletes at a time in numerical order. I was bib # 3171 so I finally got going around 9am, some 4 hours after arriving at T1.

The bike starts with a ride across the bridge and then a fast descent where some caution is required and there was a nasty looking crash at the bottom of the hill and another on the 90 degree bend a few hundred yards further on. The ride is through some beautiful wine country scenery but some of the road conditions are pretty rough, enough to warrant some velcro on the bottom of my bottles to prevent them departing the bike. I found this the hard way during some test rides so was prepared on race day. The roads were rough and there were lots of bikes with flat tires on the side of the road. Part of the course had been repaved since May and it was heavenly.

The course control was excellent and the police did a great job to keep us moving through intersections but there were so many bikes on the course that it was really difficult not to start drafting. The constant passing took a little toll on my legs that I paid for later, along with the added heat from starting later.

The aid stations were well situated and well stocked and there were a few small but steep hills to climb with some even better downhill sections following them.

T2 was in downtown Santa Rosa and the crowds were fantastic on the entry, exit and during the run. The run is 2 loops along the creek trail so there is some monotony involved but it was nice and shaded on one side and hot on the other. In May the course was one way along a section of the creek but in the 70.6 there was much more two-way traffic, which made little sense given the number of athletes on the course. It was challenging to try and pass someone when someone else coming the other way had the same idea. Following the structure of the 140.6 course would have made more sense, with two-way traffic only on the wider parts of the trail.

The run also had well situated and stocked aid stations and some great volunteers that kept everyone’s morale up.

The finish was awesome, and a big relief, with a run down the chute in the main square. The post-race food was the same excellent paella they had in May but this time there was also a free beer from nearby brewery Lagunitas.

Great location, organization and local support.

This was my first Ironman experience so I was not sure what to expect. I found the location of Santa Rosa to be excellent and the locals were extremely supportive and there’s a great selection of places to eat and drink.

The registration process was super simple in the Courtyard Square, the location of “Ironman Village” for the duration of the weekend. The athlete briefings were also held there.

The swim was in Lake Sonoma, some 40 minutes away, so the Friday bike drop off was a bit of a trek but there was a transportation company that would take your bike there and rack it for $40. We just headed up at 7am on Friday morning to check out the lake, have a warm-up swim and be ready for T1 opening at 10am. I’m glad we did because it was getting pretty busy there from 10 onwards. Then it was back to downtown Santa Rosa to drop off the run bag.

On race morning the shuttles leave the transit area starting at 4:15am and I’m glad I got one of the early ones as I heard some complaints later that people were waiting for a long time for the shuttles to make the roundtrip.

The swim was well organized and I really liked the staggered start with 5 athletes entering the water every 5 seconds. With some 1800 competitors there I did not feel crowded at all. The run back up the boat ramp was the second challenge of the day and the wetsuit strippers did a great job – as did all the volunteers, all weekend.

The bike starts with a ride across the bridge and then a fast descent where some caution is required. The ride is through some beautiful wine country scenery but some of the road conditions are pretty rough, enough to warrant some velcro on the bottom of my bottles to prevent them departing the bike. I found this the hard way during some test rides so was prepared on race day. The roads were rough and led to a number of flat tires and lots of complaints. This seems like a common issue in Sonoma County so I’m not sure that there’s much that WTC can do about it.

The aid stations were well situated and well stocked and there were a few small but steep hills to climb with some even better downhill sections following them.

T2 was in downtown Santa Rosa and the crowds were fantastic on the entry, exit and during the run. The run is 3 loops along the creek trail so there is some monotony involved but it was nice and shaded in the afternoon heat. As the darkness came it was pitch black in some parts but very flat on the gravel sections with no surprise holes etc. The run also had well situated and stocked aid stations and some great volunteers that kept everyone’s morale up.

The finish was awesome, and a big relief, with a run down the chute in the main square. The post race paella was pretty good but the pizza had been sitting out a few hours too long. I guess I just need to get there earlier!

All in all a fantastic event for a complete beginner. Great location, organization and local support.

This run requires parking some distance away and taking a shuttle. The lines were pretty long when we arrived but the line moved quickly. The run is really scenic on wooden pathways across the marshes before becoming asphalt along the shoreline. It’s an undulating track with no too steep of a climb and the Brazen after party and food was great.

I couldn’t have picked a better location for my first half marathon. Monterey is beautiful and the run along the coast helped take my mind off the distance.

There’s so much to see and do in Monterey that it’s the idea location for a family visit and the course is relatively flat and very beginner friendly.

The aid stations were well located and well stocked and it was hard not to keep stopping to admire the scenery.

From the check-in process to the finish line it was a very well run event and the ceramic otter medal was awesome.