In this mini-series, I wanted to take the time to provide those of you who are not familiar with the Victoria 70.3 course a little bit of context for each leg of the race!
There's a lot going on for Race Weekend, and not everyone has the opportunity to swim, bike, and run the course before setting foot on race day, so let's Dive In for a quick Swim Preview!
The swim course is a somewhat chilly lake swim. Late May is usually still pretty cool in the water as we haven't had much sun yet. Typically, Open Water swim start up mid-May with wetsuits being a necessity for all but the most daring! This single loop course starts out shallow for the first 50m or so, with some patches of lake weeds coming up near the surface of the water (I know, ew!), but when you know to expect them, they're a whole lot less 'ick.' Near the beach, there are also a few deadheads (submerged wooden debris) so be careful as you start!
Visibility is quite low in the water, with a very murky quality. You will have a hard time seeing your hand, let alone the bottom of this lake! I personally find the murkiness to give me a little bit of a claustrophobic sense, paired with the constriction of the wetsuit and I'm working hard to maintain my focus on the work! Be ready to have low/limited visibility (see video below) in the water, and depending on your start time this weekend, sunrise for the 2024 edition is at 5:20am, so there is a decent chance you'll have a solid glare from the sun coming at you. I generally prefer a mirrored lens goggle in this lake, and definitely not a clear lens! You'll likely be sighting the giant tree/beach at Eagle Beach as you swim this direction.
After the two right turns, the return trip is nice and smooth. Sun is at your back/right, so sighting is a lot easier in this direction. The water exit arch is easy to see from the water and a good sighting point to choose.
As you get closer to the beach, you might come up[ against the might of the weeds again, but hopefully not too many. The last 50-100m is pretty shallow, depending on where you line up, try to swim all the way until you can't get a proper swim stroke in though, this will be most efficient! From here, it's up onto the beach and into your grassy transition to the bike! It's a nice sandy beach, with a very fine, soft sand (see photo Right).
To me, this course is a simple one, not much to worry about here. It's usually pretty tame water in the mornings. For an urban lake it's about as clean as it gets, be prepared for some stuffed sinuses but most of that is all the pollen floating on the surface of the water. The wildlife (fish) in the water here don't bite, and you don't have to worry about anything very large. An enjoyable start to a big day! So find some feet, and work hard on this one!
Have fun!
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