So this race comes with bad news and good news but should keep one thing in mind... this is the very first year of this race, so naturally some kinks are going to occur.

The major kink for this race came before the race even started, everyone was encouraged to use the bus transports from the finish line to the start line and that’s what most people did. The problem...they didn’t have enough buses going around. So with nearly 20 minutes before the start of the race, there was still nearly 700 runners waiting for buses! Because of this the race had to be delayed by 17 minutes and those 700 runners literally had to get off the bus and go straight to the starting line. No warmup, no bathroom time, no stretching. Just get off the bus after standing I. Line for a bus for over an hour and go run a race. Because of this, I personally ran one of my slower times.

There really wasn’t a race expo, which for the number of runners, would have been nice. There were over 2500 runners of very high level competition.

But the good is, the course itself was fantastic. It was flat and downhill with no uphill outside of the first half mile. The announcers were very enthusiastic and the food was great. The medals were amazing with some moving parts to them.

As the race progressed the finishing area did get congested which results in long bathroom and food lines in the sun, but it was manageable.

There wasn’t much swag for race that wasn’t cheap, but this half is part of a series that if you do the full later on in the year you get a special medal. So I am excited to see this.

All in all, it was a well run race considering it was the first year. This is definitely going to be an annual event that will draw thousands of runners due to how fast it is.

They just need to get the bus situation figured out:-)

No other triathlon compares to this. Keep in mind I do this race each year as part of a relay team. Still, the quality of this race is undeniable.

From the fantastic expo, to the amazing location, this race is great and very well organized. Even first time athletes would have no issues navigating through this race.

This is also the most populated race so be prepared to meet lots of new people. And the scenery is fantastic. I have ran both the international relay and the sprint relay distances and both are flat, fast and right on the water!

The training seminars are worth attending and even requir d which I love! And the race expo is huge with tons of new vendors each year. I like that they take safety so seriously as they had to reduce the international running distance this year due to the heat!

The medals are some of the best in the country and can be compared to ragnar race medals in terms of size and quality.
I highly recommend this race to any athlete!