San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Brett M.
San Francisco, CA

  (07-12-2010)

"I've done this race quite a few times now and it has gotten better every year. The roads improved, Tri Cal brings in technology for race results, Biggest Losers tie-in.

The swim was a little slow across the field by about two minutes, but still a very calm, and cold, two laps in a protected cove in the bay. Very low tide at race start which threw the race organisers off a little and made it take a little longer to get everyone into the water as you couldn't just jump into the water as it was only 1-2 feet deep and rocky.

The bike as always was a 6 loop course. As the previous person said, many of the potholes are gone and I didn't see any of the dramatic wrecks of past years. For faster people it may take some yelling to get through the last few laps as traffic increases, and for the slower group, just remember to stay to the right of the course so you don't take out someone passing on the left.

Flat and fast run, but a little over in distance. Everyone has to go the same distance, so no biggie, just a quarter off. With a three lap course, a small amount off causes this and its well within anyone's expectations.

Many of the top AGers came out for to race this year and it made for a high intesity competition. The course is set up well for that with all the laps and being able to see everyone on the run. It was a fun atmosphere with kids manning the aid stations (doing very well at it too) and music and announcers pushing the athletes along.

Other highlights
1-possibility to get on TV for Biggest Loser
2-Free Rock Tape demo-They taped my IT Band at packet pickup
3-Marked transition spots so no fighting for space
4-Tri California so you know it is a safe and well run event"

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2010

Marlene S.
Redwood City, CA

  (07-11-2010)

"Read complete review with photos, videos and Garmin connect links here: http://www.accentfitness.net/accent-fitness/2010/07/2010-san -francisco-triathlon-treasure-island-1st-place-in-age-group- 23701.html

The Rocket of Portola valley (my bike) took on the roads of Treasure Island for the 2010 San Francisco Triathlon @ Treasure Island this morning and brought in the victory of 1st Place in Age Group.

This was the third year I participated in this race, first time was when it was held in November 2008. Last year, it was moved up early in the season to July 2009 and I had my best race ranking performance at that time. Read more about the 2009 race here.

There were some noticeable differences and improvements to the race this year.

1. More Biggest Losers! Last year, there was a small group of former Biggest Loser contestants which participated in the event. This year, there was close to 50 Biggest Losers who came out and most were doing the entire Olympic distance event. There was a production crew from NBC on site which will be producing a TV special on their participation. This was awesome to see them out there! Last Thursday, I did my packet pickup at the Sports Basement Presidio where they had the Biggest Losers come out and host a panel discussion on their journey and interest in participating in this triathlon weekend.
2. Better Roads: Yes, it was true. I definitely felt that more of the potholes and abnormalities of the roads have been fixed and improved on the island.
3. Increased time between waves: Each of the waves were separated by 15 minute intervals, as opposed to the typical 5 minutes. Although this made the wait for the women < 34 wave an hour and 15 minutes from the first wave start, I think it was well worth the wait. The bike course felt really separate out and distributed between the riders. It was not as cluttered and was easier to take the turns aggressively and not have to dodge around from the slower riders as much.

In terms of my race, the water felt a little colder than last year although there were so warm spots along the way. There was also a slight current which the organizer told us about. I think they may have contributed to the slower swim times compared to last year but i felt really strong on the swim. On the bike, there was more head wind, especially on the straight aways compared to last year but it was still pretty fast for a technical course. Everyone normally complains about this bike course lacking 'scenery' but it does require a lot of concentrate to navigate and I ended up really enjoying the bike this year. Knowing the turns and angle, I was able to push the bike and myself to new limits. On the run, nothing new or different. I feel that my efficiency in running has improved a lot compared to last season but my times are not any better. Still room for improvement!

In the end, my performance yielded 1st Place in Age Group and got to celebrate with John and our daughter. Check out the Garmin maps, photo album and video below!

Ranking: 1st Place in Age Group!

RACE TIME: 02:37:01"

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2010

Marlene S.
Redwood City, CA

  (07-13-2009)

"What a great day and great race! It started off kinda of scary as we drove up into the city, we saw clouds looming over the island. It hadn't even occurred to me that it could rain today. That would be horrible! I quickly grabbed the iPhone and checked the Weather Channel app. Luckily, no rain predicted so we were in the clear.

We arrived the transition area. It was not crowded (as expected) since this race seems to be the least popular in the Tri-California series. But it was freezing! I forget how much colder the city can be compared to our house only 20 miles to the south. I was so cold. The thought of getting into the water added to the pre-race misery. And of course the Female 34 and under wave does not start until 8:30AM, a good hour and 15 minutes after the race start. All the more time to wait.

One unique highlight of this race was that it featured a wave of 13 former Biggest Loser contestants. We attended a Meet and Greet reception with them at the Galleria Hotel on Friday night. I got to meet and chat with Suzy Hoover, Brittany Aberle and Ali Vincent. They were all so sweet and super cool. It was a delightful event.

So back to the race day, after John's wave started, I did a warm-up jog for about 10 minutes. I was able to thaw out my toes which had actually started to get numb because I was so cold. Finally, it was time to get ready and get the show on the road. My wave of pink swim cap ladies approached the swim gate. It was a floating start and with 7 minutes remaining, no one had ventured into the swim. I thought to myself, ok fine, I'll go first because I had definitely learned the hard way that you want to be acclimated to the water and get some warm-up swimming in whenever possible. To my delight, the water was actually not too cold. In fact, the air felt colder than the water..if that's possible.

I remember thinking last year how far away the buoys appeared but now, they seem totally normal distance. My swim went well. I started in the pack and by the second lap, I knew I was towards the front. I ended up with the second fastest swim time in age group as well.

Bike course went good as well. The roads were improved somewhat as compared to last year. They fixed a bunch of potholes and they paved over some bricks which were at the bottom of the one "hill" on the course. I smile about the term "hill" because after doing Wildflower and Alcatraz, this "hill" is more like a rolling flat...but I guess it's all in your perspective. :-) I am starting to feel at these triathlons that I am racing with all men because that's who is primarily around me on the bike course. I observed some of the faster men and watched their technique on the turns. I determined which turns I could stay down on the aero bars and which ones I should take on the drop bars. I also improved my ability to take the outside edge and cut back into the corner. I used to use my brakes a lot and I ended up barely using them at all by the sixth lap. I also clocked my laps on my Garmin watch to ensure that I was keep a consistent pace, which I was at around 12 minutes per lap.

Now, it was time to run. I knew I pushed it really hard on the bike and I could feel my thighs burning so I started to fear that I would bonk on the run because my legs were shot, which is exactly what happened in Alcatraz. I had planned early on that I was going to go all-out on this run and get uncomfortable and try to push my limits. And I am happy to report that I did just that and it actually worked. I was able to sustain the pace of 8:31 min/mile, which is the best I have ever done in a triathlon race. I was so motivated by the fact that I was not getting passed a million times on the run as well. Of course, they were just a lot less people as compared to other recent races, but still.. it is nice when you are not getting passed a lot. I hauled butt towards the finish line and very satisfied with my time of 2:36. I know that I did the best I could possibly do and that's all we can hope for in this sport!

Marlene's RACE TIME: 02:36:03
Age Group Place: 4th
All Females Place: 8th
Overall Place: 59th

Breakdown

•SWIM TIME: 25:54
•T1 (Transition from swim to bike): 2:03
•BIKE TIME: 1:13:57
•T2 (Transition from bike to run): 1:13
•RUN TIME: 52:56
For Fun: Check out my times from this race last year in Nov 2008!

•TOTAL TIME: 3:27:05 (25% improvement in 2009)
•SWIM TIME: 36:11 (29% improvement in 2009)

•T1 (Transition from swim to bike): 6:08

•BIKE TIME: 1:26:34 (15% improvement in 2009)
•T2 (Transition from bike to run): 2:55
•RUN TIME: 1:15:17 (31% improvement in 2009)

Check out my blog post for pictures: http://www.accentfitness.net/accent-fitness/2009/07/best-rac e-finish-ever-4th-place.html"

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2009

matt l.
Moraga, CA

  (06-28-2009)

"I like this race and will do it every year. The site is great. But I concur with other reviewers that the course seems like it could be better. The road is rough and it did seem difficult to keep up the pace with all the curves. But I would like to have seen it use more of the island as the vistas from treasure island are terrific. Similarly, the run route is uninspired. It is flat but lacks the potential view Treasure Island offers. But the site and the swim makes it worth the effort. And it is a well organized and attended Tri."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2008

bill G.
Oakland, CA

  (06-17-2009)

"Swim: warmer water but often large groups of non-stinging but gross jellyfish

Bike: Terrible roads and dangerous corners, due to looped course having fast cyclists passing slower newbie bikes on corners with loose pavement. saw many crashes.

Run: nice but not all on the scenic and frequent strong winds.

July could be a worse time of year given the fog on the bay in the summer"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2008

Gregory L.
San Francisco, CA

  (05-14-2009)

"At the time I did the race it was called the "Treasure Island Triathlon". I was living in Los Angeles at the time and thought that a quick drive to the bay area for this race might be a good idea. And this was my 4th olympic distance race ever.

Leading up to the race I had never swam in the bay before so you can imagine the kind of shock I had myself in for. I was used to swimming in a cushy 50 meter pool at school. To add insult to injury, I had read the website over before the race and it mentioned that the water temperatures were usually in the 60-65 range during November. I had never used a wetsuit before and figured I had swam comfortably in 70 degree water without one, so what's another 5 degrees colder? Stupid me.

Fast foward to race day. It was a bit of a cold and dreary November morning, and I arrive at the start line after getting dropped off by a friend. I get my transition area all setup, and walk over to the start line...without a wetsuit on. As the pre-race talks started they announced the water temperature that morning was 58 degrees. FIFTY EIGHT degrees!!! I figured I had traveled all the way up here for the race, so what the hell let's just do it. Everyone else was wearing wetsuits, and I got several strange looks as we approached the water. Then the announcer comes out and says, "hey look at the guy without the wetsuit!". I raised my hand in shame, trying to act like i knew what I was doing, jumped in the water and have never felt that cold in my entire life, haha. Finally the gun goes off and we get moving. I honestly don't remember much of the swim other than moving as fast as I could to get the hell out of the water. Before I knew it the .9 mile swim was over, tumbled out of the bay took care of T1 then off to the bike.

The bike course at the Treasure Island Triathlon is a multi loop course all on treasure island. It's an old navy base, so some of the roads were a little bit worn, but overall not too bad. It was a pretty uneventful bike, except for the fact I didn't feel any of my extremeties until about mile 20. There's a steep downhill section that comes to a pretty sharp turn which had a couple of crashes, so make sure to be careful on those.

Off to the run, the biggest thing I remember about the run was being able to feel my fingers and toes, which was glorious. Turned in a solid run time to make up for the pain of the rest of the day.

Now that I'm living in SF, I would probably do the race again, mainly cause I could sleep in my own bed the night before. But I will never swim in the bay EVER again w/o a wetsuit. The race was well organized and volunteers were great."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2006

Geoff L.
San Mateo, CA

  (05-14-2009)

"Getting a flat in the first mile of the bike doesn't help my review of this site...setting that aside, the race is just average.

The course involves a swim in which the first wave swam an additional ~200 yards cuz they went around an unneeded bouy....it didn't affect my wave (since we learned from their mistake), but my friend was affected.

The bike course was interesting..there are some fast turns involved which can be fairly precarious for newbie bikers...The course does lend itself to great spectatorship, cuz you are constantly returning to the transition area.

The run is uneventful and takes you through the ugly part of the island.

Overall..i would do it again cuz it is close and fun for family to watch. "

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2008

Brett M.
San Francisco, CA

  (05-08-2009)

"This is a fun race that was held at the end of the year until this year, 2009. Now it is in July, which should bring warmer weather, and more people to the race. I've done this race a few times, and it has always been a popular race, but the questionable weather some times was probably the reason for the move.

The swim is in a protected area on Treasure Island in the middle of the Bay. I did the Olympic, which meant two laps around a clearly marked swim course.

Next up for the bike, is a six, yes six loop road course that is flat with the exception of a quarter mile climb up and down the islands road up to the bay bridge. (it used to be three longer loops, but with the bay bridge construction, the course has changed) You can really get cranking on the road course, but take a ride on the streets and make sure you are familiar with the potholes and tree roots bulging the road. There have been some improvements made to the roads over the past few years, but since the Navy gave up on the island and handed it over, not much has been done.

The run is a three loop out and back along the water front. Great views and you get some fun people cheering you on all along the course. The finish is back right in the middle of everything and Tri-Cal does a great job announcing your finish.

This is a fun and easy to get to race for every level. Just remember you need a car to get you over the bridge to the start."

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2008