Newport Beach Triathlon - April 22

No, I am headed to Wildflower for a training weekend that weekend, but what I have heard:

 swim - if the tide is low it's a mud fest.  It's in the back bay, so it is really muddy at low tide.

bike - the bike I hear is surprisingly technical and hilly.  If it's in the same place, it goes around Fashion Island.

run - pancake flat.

Until last year (when it was canceled for year) I heard it was the longest running tri on teh west coast.

 Whoops, VP, that's 5k RUN at the end. 

I did the Bonelli Express last year for my first "tri" (Strawberry Fields 2006 didn't count).  This year I'm still in rehab/rebuild after Jan. surgery, so I won't be at either one.  See you later in the season, though!

Gozer, I'd wear the wetsuit if you are reasonably sure you can get it off quickly.  (At least, that's what a coach told me last year before the 400m swim at the LATriathlon)

VP, the Bonelli series bills itself as the "longest-running tri series in the world," and it shows.  Extremely well run.  Lake tends to be warm, bike is hilly, run is trail.  Park is lovely.  Transition is open, not assigned racks.  Each event gets longer, so many people race all 3 as a way to build race base, and they give overall awards in the series, too.  I think Holger Beckmann, regular Kona participant, won the series championship last year, and if I remember right, he finished the race I did by running the last 150 m hand-in-hand with a first-time racer finishing the Express (someone did, anyway, and I think it was him...).  Shows what the atmosphere is like. 

The Newport Beach Triathlon had a complete course change this year from previous years. I read about this a few times in the OC Register because Newport denied their permit last year after something like 20 straight years. I think  the bike course is much flatter now and doesn't go up and around Fashion Island. I've never raced this one but its the oldest Triathlon in the O.C. and i'm sure they're organized and have a good event.

I did Bonelli last year as my first Tri ever. The water was cold- believe me. The bike had a few grades and the run too. Not a hard course by any means though. I also raced the Olympic Distance there in October because they put on such great events. You can't go wrong doing either one of these events.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-04/28980018.jpg

Surf's up at Newport Beach today! 

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