Published April 12, 2018 01:46PM
2,500 Age-Groupers Compete at 70.3 Oceanside
The 2018 Ironman 70.3 Oceanside triathlon saw more than 2,500 athletes representing 32 countries and 47 states start the race.
The plan for 2018 was for athletes to dive in for a beach start, but based on surf forecasts race directors decided to return to the original harbor swim. Photo: Paul Phillips/Competitive Image/<a href=http://twitter.com/compimagephoto>@Compimagephoto</a>
The 2018 Ironman 70.3 Oceanside triathlon saw more than 2,500 athletes representing 32 countries and 47 states start the race.Competitors ranged in age from 18–76 years old. The event led athletes along a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run throughout Oceanside, Calif. and its surrounding areas. Athletes began their day with a swim start in the Oceanside Harbor and once out of the water, embarked upon a single-loop bike course that ventured through Camp Pendleton and San Onofre Bluffs State Park. Athletes experienced rolling hills prior to San Mateo hill followed by two more hills only to come upon a flat but windy road back to the Oceanside Harbor. The double-loop run course wound along the Oceanside Pier and then out to Oceanside’s flat beachfront path known as “The Strand,” where miles of sandy beaches provide beautiful views. The race awarded a total of 30 age-group qualifying slots for the 2018 Ironman 70.3 World Championship which will take place in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa on Sept. 1 and 2.