Race Day at 70.3 Tri-Cities: Timeline, Common Mistakes, and Plan B

The Day Before

Saturday afternoon is bike check-in at Columbia Point Park. Transition is on grass, old-school, no gear bags: everything stays at your bike. Three things to do Saturday night:

• Pack your transition gear compact and waterproof: it rained in 2025, and the race reports remember it well.
• Treat your goggles with anti-fog: fogging is an issue flagged multiple times at this race. Keep them dry until the start.
• Pack your morning clothes bag: flip-flops or old shoes, warm layers. You'll need them.

Race Morning: The Walk Most People Underestimate

The swim start is at Howard Amon Park, about 1.6 km on foot from transition. It's the logistical step that wrecks anyone cutting it close. The right sequence:

1. Shuttle from parking, final setup at your bike. 2. Walk to the start in flip-flops and warm layers: September mornings can sit around 9–10°C. 3. Drop your morning clothes bag at the start.

Budget 25–30 extra minutes compared to a race where the start is next to transition. Classic mistake: underestimating this walk and arriving at the start with no warm-up and out of breath.

The Swim: Fast, But With Two Traps

The swim is the highlight: point-to-point with the current in the Columbia River, voted #2 in North America by athletes. One athlete estimated about 10 minutes of help from the current. But watch two spots:

• The water entry is over slippery rocks: get in calmly, that's not where you make time.
• The first two buoys create tight zig-zag turns where swimmers pile up: start wide of the pack or be ready to handle contact. After the buoys, the current does the rest.

Water is typically around 20–21°C: generally wetsuit legal, and in 2025 several athletes went sleeveless. The official call comes on race day: bring both options if you have them.

T1, the Bike, and the Theme of the Day: Wind

In T1, remember you exit onto grass and then road. On the bike there's one rule: patience in the first 15–25 km, where most of the elevation gain is and where pack traffic pushes everyone above threshold. Then, around km 22, the Badger Mountain section: in 2025, headwind and crosswind of at least 15 knots. And remember the descents that end in 90-degree turns: brake early, always. With the 2025 rain the descents were slower: if it rains, add margin.

T2 and the Run

No carpet in transition and rough pavement in the parks: put your shoes on right away, running barefoot from the rack hurts. The half is flat (44 m of gain officially), out-and-back, with shade and crowds. First 3 km controlled, then goal pace. On course you'll find Maurten, Precision PH 1000, and Mortal Hydration: only use them if you've tested them.

Plan B: Two Forecasts, Two Races

The official range is 9–30°C. You need to show up with options for both scenarios:

• Hot (25–30°C on the run): conservative pacing, cooling at every aid station, use the shade in the parks.
• Cool and rainy (like 2025, ~23–24°C overcast): waterproof gear in transition, caution on descents, but also a chance to push the run.

Don't decide the night before based on one forecast: prep both setups and choose in the morning.

The Five Most-Cited Mistakes, in Short

1. Arriving at the swim start without flip-flops and warm layers. 2. Untreated goggles: swimming blind in what could be your fastest swim ever. 3. Burning matches in the first 25 km of the bike between the climbs and the packs. 4. Carrying speed into the descents that end in 90-degree turns. 5. Running barefoot on rough pavement in T2.

Avoid these five, and with the current at your back and a flat half marathon, this race is built to close out your season well.