70.3 Ohio Race Day, Hour by Hour: From the Ferry Jump to the Finish Line

The Two Days Before

Get to Sandusky with time to spare. In the days leading up: packet pickup, bike check-in (verify the times in the Athlete Guide—they're not published on the pages we checked for 2027), and a walk-through of transition at the Paper District Marina. Two race-specific tasks:

• Study the run course map: two out-and-back loops downtown, with a somewhat maze-like layout between the out and the back. Knowing it cold prevents mental lapses on lap two.
• If you haven't already, the bike course is on Rouvy: review it to lock in the key points of the 90 km.

Pack two mental envelopes for the swim: wetsuit and race kit. The water averages 26°C and wetsuit legality isn't guaranteed; in 2024 it was legal by a hair (75.7°F against a 76.1°F cutoff). The call comes in the morning: you need both options ready and training swims done in both setups.

Race Morning: Transition, Bathrooms, Ferry

In 2024 transition opened at 5:00. Designated parking is nearly a mile away: arrive early, walk calmly. In transition: tight racks, handlebar to handlebar, so keep your setup tidy and memorize your bike's spot. For bathrooms, the race reports agree: lines in transition are long—use the porta-potties near the ferry instead.

Then boarding. The start is this race's signature feature: a self-seeded rolling start with a feet-first jump off the Kelleys Island ferry, ramp lowered to water level, in Sandusky Bay. From transition to the start point it's about a 150-yard walk, near the Jackson Street Pier.

Mistake Number One: Starting a Race That's Already Started

The ferry jump is fun but unusual: no classic in-water warm-up. You jump in and you're instantly at race pace, in crowded water. Race reports flag traffic and contact. Countermeasures: honest seeding (don't line up at the front if you can't hold the pace), clear goggles for visibility, a controlled first 200 meters, then find clean water and build your rhythm. The bay is sheltered, generally calm with light chop: good conditions—unless you ruin them yourself with an oxygen-debt start.

Mistakes Two and Three: Watts and the First Run Loop

The course is fast and tempts you to overdo it twice. On the bike: 90 km of flat, 250 m of elevation gain, no climb that forces you to back off. Hold the power target you set beforehand, even in any headwind sections. On the run: the first loop, with the downtown crowds and fresh legs, is a trap. Mid-July heat (average high 27°C, high heat indices in past editions) punishes anyone who goes out hot. Negative split, ice and water at every aid station (one per mile), white run cap, spectator sprinklers.

Plan B, Three Scenarios

1. Non-wetsuit swim. If the water is over the cutoff on race morning, no drama: you've swum without a wetsuit in training—add 1-3 minutes to your estimate and start more controlled. 2. Mechanical issue. It's the most common problem in race reports. Prevention: a full brake and drivetrain check before check-in. In the race: a flat kit you've practiced with at least once, and watch out for sections with roads open to traffic (6:30-13:00). 3. Hotter day than expected. Cut your run pace by 10-15 seconds per km from the gun, double your cooling, finish the race. A missed PB can be retried; heat failure can't.

One Last Thing

Official cutoff times aren't published on the pages we checked: verify them in the Athlete Guide and build your margins accordingly. Then enjoy the jump: not many races start like this.