Bayshore 70.4 and Sprint Triathlon: Course, Route Profile & Map

Course & Elevation

The 7am start sends you into the bay for two anticlockwise laps round the buoys, with a short run round a cone on the beach after the first. About 250 metres of pavement bring you to transition at Bayshore Avenue and Ocean Boulevard. The bike leaves Belmont Shore through a handful of traffic lights and then follows the San Gabriel River bike path to the mile-28 turnaround, the only aid station on the bike.

This is a deliberately grassroots race. The path and bike lanes stay open to the public, you share them with other cyclists, and the overpass underpasses provide the only small dips. The run is three laps along the beach with aid at transition, at the pier and at Junipero Avenue, where the lap's short rises sit. Awards go only to the top three overall.

Pacing Strategy

On a course without meaningful climbing, evenness decides the day. Swim the first lap under control: the cool March water and the beach exit after lap one cost more than they look. On the bike, hold steady power, ride the open path with your eyes up, and do not overcook the return leg if the wind swings behind you.

The real trap is fuelling. With a single aid station at mile 28 you carry drinks and food for the whole ride yourself or use the special-needs bag. Under-eat on the bike and you pay on the third run lap. Run the first lap easy and only press once you have seen the short rises at Junipero Avenue.

Training plan for Bayshore 70.4 and Sprint Triathlon: 12-week build

Expect four and a half to seven hours, almost all of it steady aerobic work below threshold. The profile is flat, so the effort resembles a long time trial followed by a half marathon.

The last two run laps decide the race. Build long brick sessions: two to three hours on the bike straight into 30 to 60 minutes at race pace. Use them to rehearse the fuelling you will have to carry yourself on race day.

In March the bay is cool and wetsuits are allowed. Get some open-water swims in a wetsuit and practise the short beach exit between laps. Because the race comes so early in the season, your winter needs longer aero-position rides already, since endurance matters more here than peak power.