IRONMAN: Super Seal, San Diego, CA March 17, 2019

The Ironman SuperSeal Triathlon takes place in the beautiful city of Coronado, CA. This is in San Diego, CA, yes where Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 news team works. They didn’t cover the race that day. This is my summary of the event along with my tips and tricks for anyone who is interested in doing the race or has already completed it but may want some new insights.

This is an Olympic distance course which means a 1500 meter swim followed by a 40k (25mi) bike and finishes with a 10k(6.2 mi) run. First let’s discuss the accommodations, registration and check-in process.

Accommodations:

I stayed at the Loews Coronado Bay Hotel. Us your USA Triathlon membership code for the best rate. The hotel is less than a mile walking distance from the start and finish of the race. This makes it extremely convenient in the morning and enables you extra sleep if needed. I’m all about efficiency and convenience when traveling for a race and the less I have to worry about the better. They have great restaurants, a gym, pool and outdoor fire pits overlooking the swim portion.

Registration:

Be sure to have proof of your current USAT membership, it’s required to get your bib. This is a smaller event so its a breeze to get your chip and bib but that also means less experienced volunteers, so be patient.

Walk from the hotel along the bike path to the Ironman tents. Grab your race packet, listen to the required meeting and that’s it. There is no bike or bag drop the day before, this is all done the morning of.

Race Morning:

A little different than some races. You setup up your bike and run transistors first thing. Come down in your wetsuit along with your bike and everything you’ll need for race day in hand. There is no designated spot for your bike, you simply pick a spot and set up everything for the day. Once you are all setup walk through the tunnel and over to the beach where you will wait for about 1hr until the race starts. It will be a little cold out, somewhere int he 50’s so you might need something to cover your feet or head.

The Swim:

A 1,500-meter swim in the Silver Strand State Beach Bay. The swim will be a calm bay swim. The water will be cold. For my race, it was in the high 50’s, so not too bad (I’ve been in much colder). I recommend a wetsuit. It’s a rolling start, 3 swimmers every 3 seconds. You will run into the bay from the shore. It’s one long swim out followed by to buoys as you turn and swim back in. The water was very salty, so you may want some extra water at the transition to rise out and hydrate. The sun will be rising directly facing you so the first half the swim was blinding as you look up to find the buoys. I recommend dark lenses to help with this.

T1:

Once out of the water you have to run through the tunnel to the bike transition. The terrain is sand, then concrete then gravel. I got lot’s of sand and rocks on my feet. There is no easy way to take your wetsuit off cleanly. I recommend having a large towel handy to sit down on so you can stay clean. Also, have an extra water bottle just to clean your feet off.

The Bike:

The bike course is a flat and fast 40K bike course that will consist of two loops on Hwy 75. You ride along the coastline with great views of the bay on one side and the Pacific ocean on the other. It’s a pretty fast course with no major inclines at all. A great ride for beginners. That being said, the bike is my slowest portion. I felt weak and slow on the bike that day. There are three turns, one at about mile 9, 21 (same turn) and mile 15. There is a bit of a long walk once you have to dismount to get to transition 2 which is the same area as transition 1.

T2:

Same rocky, sandy road. It’s a tight fit so many bikes and gear are right on top of each other. Once you dismount and get back to your location (you have to remember because there are no numbered spots) it’s an easy change from bike shoes to running shoes. Grab your bib, ideally attached to a belt with your fuel and you’re on your way through the tunnel again. Toilets are just after you pass the sensor to exit T2.

The Run:

I really enjoyed this run. The run course is a 10K course on a dirt trail and will be composed of two loops. So you get out of the tunnel and back to the beach where the first 1-2 miles is a dirt trail along the bay, kinda cool. Then it pivots to pavement for the next 2 miles and you do this one more time. It’s very flat and fast. I made up a lot of ground on the run. The sun was out, so be sure to have a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. I crossed the finish line in just under 3hrs (not my best but a fun start to the season). The medal is really cool and honors the Navy Seals who this event helps support.

I heard a guy during registration saying he’s “so happy the weather is going to be nice and that I’ve been checking it for a month, stressing out about race day…” . Look, you can’t control the weather and If it rained that day was he not going to race? There are a lot of things to stress about on race day, don’t let the weather be one of them. You can it check so that you are better prepared but let it stress you. I hope this makes your next race a little easier and helps to eliminate any added stress or concerns. I hope to see you out there. My next race is Ironman St.George in Utah May 4th. Look for my blog after I conquer it! “Stay Hard”