Race Day, Hour by Hour: Timeline, Common Mistakes, and Backup Plans

Two Days Out: The Decisions

This race is won (or wrecked) before Sunday. Friday: bib pickup (in 2026 it opened at 2 p.m., check the 2027 schedule) and parking passes, handed out first come, first served. Saturday: bike check-in at T1 at Whiskeytown Lake between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., with limited parking at Oak Bottom — unload, drop off, head out.

Saturday is also when you make the three key decisions:

1. Wetsuit or not. The official cutoff is 24.5°C. In 2026, in August, the water was around 25.6°C: wetsuit optional with a separate start for those wearing one. In May the water could be colder: check the reading right before race day, but decide your strategy ahead of time and bring both options, tested in training. 2. Feet in T1. The swim exit in 2026 was onto parking lot asphalt with no carpet. Scout the swim exit-to-T1 route the day before and figure out how to protect your feet within the rules. 3. The descent. If you haven't already, drive the first few kilometers of the bike course and memorize the sharp left-hand turn at the bottom of the fastest descent, where there were crashes in 2026.

Race Morning: Timeline

• 2:00-2:30 a.m. — wake up. Tried-and-tested breakfast, no experiments.
• 3:00-4:00 a.m. — shuttle. Shuttles from the Redding Civic Auditorium to T1 start at 3:00; the last one leaves at 5:45. Take one of the first: the buffer is your insurance.
• In T1: tire pressure, chain in the right gear to start (remember: you start on a descent, not a climb), bottle mounted, shoes ready. One last check of the drivetrain: in 2026, dropped chains and flats were not uncommon.
• Pre-start: short warm-up, wetsuit decision confirmed based on the announced water temperature, then line up in the correct wave (wetsuit swimmers start separately if the water is over the limit).

Common Mistakes

• Banking on the last shuttle. At 5:45 you have zero margin for anything. One delay and your race is over before it starts.
• Attacking the descent cold. The first 11-24 km of the bike are steep and twisty. The seconds gained there aren't worth the risk at the left-hand turn flagged in race reports.
• Getting fooled by your bike split. With nearly 1,000 ft of net elevation loss, you'll roll into T2 fast. That's not a green light to go all-out on the run.
• Ignoring the heat because "it's May." The 31-35°C data comes from the August 2026 edition, and May could be milder, but there's no history to go on: prepare for heat, use ice and water at every aid station starting with the first one.

Backup Plans

• Flat or dropped chain: full kit, tested beforehand. Stop safely off the racing line, especially on the descent section.
• Cold water in May and no wetsuit with you: bring your wetsuit to Redding anyway, even if you don't plan to use it. It costs nothing, and saving your swim leg could be worth a lot.
• Hotter-than-expected run: switch to the conservative plan. Ice in your cap, water on the back of your neck and wrists at every aid station, ice baths if available like in 2026, and heart rate as your only reference.
• Blowing up on the second run lap: the two-lap format gives you reference points every few kilometers. Break it down, walk the aid stations if you need to, get going again. The finish at the Sundial Bridge, with the crowd mentioned in race reports, is waiting for you either way.

What to Do Today

Write out your personal timeline on paper: wake-up, shuttle, T1 setup, start time. Then write down your three backup plans. Race day isn't for deciding: it's for executing.