Do you think they're pushing the sprint distance assuming ITU will eventually make the Olympic event a sprint?

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

Without seeing even generalities of a course, this all speculation.
Swim will be flat water. ITU seems to like these in the harbor swims, I don't.
Not sure where they would find a legit hill near the LB harbor; a few ramps, but no legit hills.
San Pedro would be better suited to that.

Also not the biggest fan of governing body is putting on events other than national or international championships. Puts them in competition with other promoters.

Going over the bridge may be a hill, not sure it qualifies as legit. It's basically the same course as the LB triathlon, and thus I bet Jack Caress is involved, he of screwing over Brooklyn Triathlon, Newport Beach triathlon, and Los Angeles (Torrance) triathlon fame.... He claims ownership of LA triathlon so wonder what he does with Long Beach triathlon in the same venue.

Looked into it as it's near home, $115 for a sprint......

No I think they are pushing sprint to get more people involved as they can make the event for the ITU either distance and that won't matter for the AG event that will likely be tied to it. The key to an successful ITU event is getting 3000 people to sign up and do the attached AG races that are done either before/after the pro race. And to have a bunch of people show up for a "festival" type feel, not just a race. That's how the Euro races do it, bring out a bunch of beer and food carts and you can likely win fans over. But I think to start fundraising and advocating for the olympics they are simply starting the process now.

If I can remember, I believe 2012 WTS San Diego was done on a Friday...i remember watching the telecast and some guy was literally bbq'ing in his back yard like right beside the runners, I think he had no clue it was even going on...or atleast looked that way. Dan I think has the financial figures but hosting a WTS event was a very expensive experiment if I remember correctly.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Silly me, found the course.
Statement stands, no legit hills.

I've heard 2 different ideas. One area of LB apparently can contain a hill, but then I also heard they likely won't use that area, so wasn't sure which area they'll do.

Of course this is speculation, and 10 years out. Just USAT being very proactive in their olympic development experience.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

They already have the course map up, and it's lightly traveled so easily closed. My quick strava'ing of it nets 158 feet of gain in 6 miles. As noted it's the existing LB Tri course.

Only hill nearby would be the Vincent Thomas Bridge, and they ain't closing that down.

No legit hill plays completely into USA especially the men's favor in terms of where our strengths are within itu development athletes. Of course this is 10 years out, but a course like this is very much a Yoko like course which means it'll totally turn into a run race after 50 man hand holding bike ride. Of course we have 10 years of hopefully more development but if the *current* pathway is even remotely similiar, the college runners likely turned triathletes will have a good experience on this type of course vs a Rio style course where the more "complete" triathlete would be favored.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

On the plus side, I actually think it's a good WTS -type course and could well support that type of race, unlike the joke of the most recent LA Tri course which was an abortion (although it had a very legit hill)

VT has been closed down twice a year for about the last 10 years.
Tour de Cure diabetes ride has closed it WB on a Sunday morning in April/May. Though that has ended.
Bridge run on Labor Day morning, think they only close one direction as well.

Neither affect commute or truckinguch.

It could be done.

Not if they're thinking of turning it into a 3 day event like some WTS events. And caress would have to pay for it, That *definitely* ain't happening

Well someone hinted at this the other day (Ian maybe?). But this is one incredibly uninspiring course location. I see a parking lot for boats, a parking lot for cars, high rise condos, a bridge with like 10 entrance ramps, and one of the busiest commercial ports in the world (Paul and Phil said so). I mean I grant you that these are all stereotypes that I already had of LA, so in that way this course is perfectly representative of the area. But there are also inspiring locales, such as Malibu, Santa Monica, most of Orange County. I am on board with the sustainability concept. This course seems to only aim to minimize impacts but fails to provide an exciting product. In this way I fear that this race will struggle to last the full decade until the Games.

*snort*… you joke about Caress, but that could happen -- this disgraceful RD ending up with this one. It makes me ill...

Maybe they'll use the old Mazda Orange County Performing Arts Triathlon course?

I remember that one well ...

Shared a portion of the '84 Olympic Road Race course won by Alexi Grewal. Swim in Lake Mission Viejo (1.5km) 8-lap bike course (40km) with one or two u-turns, a couple decent hills and turns, and a 6-loop run course (10km). Tons of spectators. Network television. Mazda Miata plus some cash for the male and female winner.

It was a truly awesome tri venue (for the pro race).

Or has the OC 'hood outgrown tri? (I don't make it to the OC, much)

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Jimmy
http://www.Riccitello.com

The OC Tri is still going, in fact, it's coming up in a couple weeks.
That would be an ideal location with the lake swim, and the hills in the area would make the bike and run course much more interesting.

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TEAM F3 Undurance

I don't usually do the twitter but went and checked out USAT feed, I think the reference that it will be the LA Triathlon is really that it will be (they think) the Olympic course in 2028

Long Beach is one of the only places I'll swim in So Cal...the shallow water seems to be the warmest in the summer...everywhere else I'm a brutal wimp. But now that I'm wetsuit swimming I guess let's go anywhere. This could be fun.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

I was at the press conference this morning. And here's what I know (image of course below)

#1 - the race director will be Brian D'Amico. I asked about this specifically. Brian is the Events Director for USAT so he's the RD for AG Nationals, Youth & Junior Nationals, Collegiate Nats, etc. etc. etc. The intention is that this thing will start out as an age group race and then progressively scale up to be an ITU World Cup and then a WTS and then - very likely in August of 2023, the "Test Event" - unless a year or two WTS's allows it to just switch on over to an Olympic Games Course. I also think that Brian and his team will be over-laid by ITU's RDs and Technical Delegates and things might get tweaked a bit as it moves forward to it's iterations.

#2 - there's no hill. The course is flat. The overpass (Queens Way on the map) that takes you to the u-turn in front of the Queen Mary is not a legit hill. Legit hills are what we saw in Athens, Rio, very recently in Bermuda. There is no legit hill on this course, it's flat

#3 - the run from the waters edge to transition (as shown in the course below) it's long: 300+m with ~180m of that in sand (carpeted blue for ITU for sure - but still).

#4 - the majority of this course has been used as a US Pro Championship back in 2006. Hunter Kemper and Sarah Haskins won it that year. This was a points race for Beijing - Pottsy was 2nd, Matty Reed 3rd. Sara McLarty was 2nd for the women and a Canadian 3rd. I saw that live too and what I remember most is the mount line was at the bottom of short, steep road out of the transition area (beach parking lot). The first few athletes really struggled to mount and get up the hill and a few smarter ones ran 100m past the line and mounted at the top of the hill.

#5 - it's not possible for surf to hit this swim. There is a long break-wall well outside this area and it protects all the shoreline stuff here: Terminal Island, Queen Mary, it's a huge port.

#6 - the age group race (Legacy Triathlon) is on July 20, 2019. It's $105 via Active. Limited to 750 participants.

#7 - the CEO of LA2024 is a dude named Gene Sykes. He's a triathlete!!! He did Ironman Hawaii in 1982 - the year there was a spring and a fall race in Kona and he did the Fall event. He's raced a ton and looks fit now as well. It's nice to have a triathlete at the helm of LA2024

#8 - remember, we'll have two triathlons in LA2024; the standard distance and MTR - Mixed Team Relay.



Here's the course:

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Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

I was hoping to get your insight. I was talking to Jossi who lives on or near the course and she mentioned some hills on the roads she was hoping the course would be on. I guess it's going to be a total Yokohoma style bike.

Thx for the detailed response!

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Ironically, Jossi's dad was at the presser today.

18 months ago, then USAT CEO Rob Urbach called me and said: "I'm coming to LA for Christmas with my kids. I want to see your dream course for the Olympic Triathlon in LA and we'll ride or run it together".

I know what "dream course" means - anything I wanted!!! So I mapped a two loop swim right beside the Santa Monica Pier - it had a wee bit of surf. I envisioned spectators and camera operators looking down upon the swim from pier. I had the transition area in the parking lot at the base of the pier and then the bike course went north on a closed Pacific Coast Highway (dream course), it turn up the California Incline - a legit hill and then rolled along Ocean Ave with Palms in the back ground (very Gold Coast Australia), then some technical descents, turns (Pacific, Bicknell, and then up past the tony Shutters Hotel- for the locals reading here). It was 8 laps of 5k that required SKILLS! The run was flat on the beach......pretty.....simple.

I sent him a killer presentation. Rob and his kids got stuck in weather and never made the flight to LA. Didn't matter. Santa Monica is over-run and, as I understand it, won't take on anything more than beach volleyball for the Games. They never would have permitted course - but a guy's gotta dream.

Ian

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Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

So 2020 and 2028 will be pancake flat. That's pretty disappointing.

Gotta hope the French do us good, but don't see many opportunities for a significant hill close to the Scene river in downtown Paris ;-(
Going up Champs Elysee doesn't qualify as a hill.

I live in Long Beach, Work downtown and did the Long Beach Tri about 6 Years ago. I swam in that water once and haven't been back in it since. There is no surf due to the breakwater that was built to protect the container ships (mostly oil) that hang out in Alamitos Bay weighting to off load. There will not be any surf until the breakwater is removed and that is not in the near future due to the amount of $$$$$ needed. The water is browner than brown. The run from the swim to T1 is LONG, the parking lot where T1 would most likely be is crap. Shoreline Dr is concrete and where the LB Grandprix takes place will always be in great shape for that reason. There is no hill only the Queensway bridge, which for pros won't even require them to get out of the saddle.

It's a good course for spectating but boring for an athlete.

I remember doing the LB Tri 6 or 7 years ago and recalling that as the water got shallower it got smellier. Also recall the little hill out of T1. People seem excited about it but likely passing

Guys complaining about lack of hill on sprint course lol. People are on tri bikes not road bikes. Let people shoot for PR splits... If usat can go and certify that damn distances this should be easy to do