Ironman Oceanside 70.3

RACE REPORT by Jim Peplow

After more than two years it was nice to finally get back to racing. The last race I had actually done was IM Santa Cruz 70.3 in September 2019. Shortly after that COVID shut everything down and it wasn't until I jumped into the cold Pacific Ocean water to begin this race that the long wait was finally over. The long wait between races wasn't for a lack of trying. I had signed up to do the IM Lubbock 70.3 in June 2020. After the world was shut down in March 2020 this little race in northwest Texas held hope of being the first IM back. However, three days before the race it was canceled. One of the deferral options was to IM Oceanside 70.3 in April 2021. Since that race usually sells out quickly and I had been wanting to do it that was a no brainer. That race eventually got pushed back to October 2021.

During that time I signed up for three additional races, none of which I was able to do. Two (Rage Las Vegas and Black Butte) were canceled; and the other (IM Oregon 70.3) I had to W/D for family medical reasons.

In preparation for this race I scoped out the best lodging accommodations available and found the Mission Pacific Hotel. It was a new hotel right in the center of the IM action. Looking out our front door was the IM Village, while standing on the balcony overlooked the IM run course and finish line. The balcony also afforded wonderful views of the Pacific Ocean, the Oceanside Pier, and the house from the movie “Top Gun” which was relocated into the courtyard of the hotel.

The weather for race day was absolutely perfect. Morning temperature was great for the swim. Overcast skies kept the sun from getting too hot on the bike, while the light breeze was refreshing. The sun broke through for the run, but with views of the Pacific almost the entire course it felt great. With our great weather I was thinking of all my friends who had tried to do the inaugural IM California just six days earlier. The winds and rain were so bad that they had to cancel that race at the last minute, even after people had already shown up at the start line.

There was a new swim course, although since this was the first time I had done this race everything was new to me. The old course was entirely in the harbor, while this new course took us out through the waves into the ocean then circled around and finished in the harbor. To get used to the waves I did a pre-race swim, which was pretty interesting as there are a lot of surfers out on the water. After picking out a careful route to avoid the surfers, once you get past the breakwater there is nobody else out that far. On race day after some initial efforts to get through the breaking waves it was a pretty smooth swim for the remainder.

After a quick change in T1 the bike course routed through Camp Pendleton. Almost the entire ride is in Camp Pendleton so there was very little traffic. It was a beautiful ride, with some steep hills. Since it is in a restricted area no one is allowed to ride on the course other than during the actual race. We even had to wear our number belt on the bike (which is something you never do in triathlons) to gain access into the area.

The run consisted of two loops, much of it along the Strand (a paved road along the beach). Plenty of spectators and support along the way. The finish line and the post race activities were at the foot of the pier, right across from our hotel.

It was a very enjoyable experience and I would highly recommend doing this race.