The IRONMAN 70.3 Santa Cruz is a long-distance triathlon known for its scenic California coastline course and laid-back "Surf City" atmosphere.

Course description

1. Swim🏊🏼‍♀️

Distance: 1.2 miles.
Course: A single clockwise loop in the ocean, starting at Santa Cruz Main Beach next to the historic Boardwalk. Athletes swim around the Santa Cruz Wharf before exiting onto Cowell's Beach.
Conditions: Water temperatures typically range from the low to mid-60s Fahrenheit, making it a wetsuit-legal race. A thick marine layer (fog) can occur, and sea lions are often spotted near the pier.

Transition: After exiting the water, athletes run approximately 75 to 100 meters on the sand and then 0.5 mile on pavement to the transition area in Depot Park.

2. Bike 🚴‍♀️

Distance: 56 miles.
Course: A scenic out-and-back course that starts from Depot Park. It takes athletes north on Highway 1, passing beautiful coastal scenery before reaching the turnaround point near Pigeon Point Lighthouse.
Elevation: The route is described as "rolling" with approximately 2,700 to 2,800 feet of elevation gain.

3. Run 🏃🏻‍♀️

Distance: 13.1 miles.

Course: A rolling out-and-back course with a single loop, primarily following the scenic West Cliff Path. The course passes Natural Bridges State Park and turns around at Wilder Ranch State Park, offering dramatic views from the ocean bluffs.
Terrain: The route includes long sections on dirt trails at Wilder Ranch, which can be uneven.
Finish Line: The run concludes with the famous finish, which is directly on Cowell's Beach, with the final 100 yards being on the sand.

Race experience, atmosphere, and scenery:

The event has a long history and is known for its relaxed, "local race" vibe, blending a chill culture with a high-end IRONMAN experience. It is a popular choice for a late-season race.
The coastal course offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and local landmarks, including the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, wharf, and West Cliff Drive.
The event attracts both seasoned and first-time triathletes.

How did it go for me?

We flew 6 days before the event. I packed my bike at home in a special bike case-luggage. I've done this many times before. With this new bike, it was my second time, but it's always a challenge. I am not a mechanic, and I do not pretend or intend to be one. I also do not enjoy this part, as some may think, because I am willing to learn and do my best with something; it means I like doing it, and that's not true - I like to be self-sufficient. 😎

The most challenging part is building the bike correctly, more than anything, because any detail is vital for safety purposes. I was planning to bring the bike to a local bike shop, but all bike shops in the area were fully booked for a whole week.

“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.”

— Roy T. Bennett

I ended up building the bike myself; it took me around 4 hours, since one part was not clicking properly. It was stressful because I wanted to ensure that the bike was fully tuned. After speaking with a helpful mechanic, I was able to fix it myself.

I noticed something unusual that had never happened before with the new carbon race wheels: water trapped inside the carbon portion of the front wheel. Usually, I wash my bike frequently with a hose, so this came as a surprise. After conducting some online research, I found that this is a common occurrence. I was optimistic about fixing these minor issues before the race, but when I tried to take my bike to the mechanic at the race venue, they were also fully booked. Ultimately, I decided to race with the bike as it was.

Furthermore, I was not entirely comfortable with the idea of not having my bike tuned by a professional mechanic. Still, I stayed focused on the things I had control over, I learned from everything, and remained optimistic. Next time, I will plan and book a professional bike tune-up before my next triathlon race, depending on the race location.

Race day morning: Alarms were set to 4:30 AM. We were staying in a nice hotel located less than 2 miles from the start.

The transition opened at 5:30 AM on Sunday for athletes to set up their gear. We arrived at 5:45, and I had no issue getting my gear set up and walking down to the beach in time to go to the toilets and be fully set to find my swim pace wave group.

🏊🏽‍♀️The Swim: 1.2 miles or 2,112 yards in the Pacific Ocean.

🌊The water was very smooth on the race morning; there were no waves at all.

🦭Before race day, I did a swim practice in the same area close to the wharf, to feel the water and the wetsuit. We could hear the seals “barking” from a distance. Santa Cruz is full of sea lions. I swam 20 minutes close to the shore; there were some big waves at that time, which was in the afternoon. The funny part is that the water was not clear, and when I came out of the water, two sea lions were very close to me, like 10–20 meters; I was shocked. I read that sea lions do not “attack” humans, but if they get scared, they can bite as a form of protection.

🚣The race organizers and volunteers did an excellent job, with many volunteers on paddleboards, kayaks, and jet skis to look out for the athletes. At no point do I think I was more than 25 yards from a lifeguard-volunteer. During the swim, I felt excellent. I took it as a warm-up; it went fast. It wasn't crowded at any point. I had a lot of space, but I did experience some arm bumps with a male swimmer. 👊

Swim Time: 28:01

Transition One (T1): After exiting the beach, there is a half-mile run/walk to transition. I don't like to run barefoot on the streets, so I left an extra running shoes closed to the sand. Everyone is different; some people are less sensitive and can run barefoot without any issues.

T1 Time: 5 min with 10 seconds

🚴‍♀️The Bike: 56 miles with 2,800 feet of elevation.

During the bike ride, I felt very comfortable. My coach, Coach Mark Olson, suggested keeping the wattage range between 160 and 170. I did average 175, and I was feeling so strong and relaxed, as if I was going around 75- 80% of my maximum effort. Compared to other long-distance experiences.

Transition two (T2): I took my time to change socks and grabbed plenty of nutrition; actually, I got more than I needed. However, for this race, I was very focused on having a good nutrition plan and following it up, as nutrition used to be one of my weaknesses.

Bike Time: 2:40:33

T2 Time: 2 minutes with 8 seconds.

🏃🏻‍♀️The Run: 13.1 Miles with 673 ft elevation on pavement and gravel/trail run.

The elevation changes and trails add to the challenge of the run, making for a memorable experience.

During the run, I also felt fresh, fast, and strong. The first 4 miles I was going and feeling more rapid than I thought I would go. At exactly mile 4, I was going below 7 minutes per mile. Subsequently, I got entangled with my shoelaces, I fell flat on the pavement, It felt so hard, on my stomach/core more than anything I couldn't move, some athletes and spectators came to help me, I spent like 2–3 minutes on the side trying to put myself together, it was excruciating, I kept jogging until I was feeling good again, getting back to my pace, then since I did not notice what happened at the first time, I got entangled again. I still can’t believe it, I fell super hard a second time on the pavement. It was one of the most painful things I have ever felt. 😅

This time, I almost cried; again, I lost around 2–3 minutes. I was frozen. I told myself, “Raquel, just keep going.” I tried quickly to fix the laces. I always use shoelaces with the Speed or Fast Lock laces, but since I had new shoes, this time I kept the laces too long, and these were not elastic (YES, I DID TRAIN with these new shoes and laces a couple of times😅). To avoid these entangling issues, I made a few quick stops to try to fix them, but I know that all these stops and issues made me slower. I am sure that if none of this had happened, I would have run a sub-1:30 or close to that.

Running Time: 1:38:07

Finish time: 4:53:56

I finished in second place, but it truly feels like first, because I know what happened and how well I handled it 🥹🎖️🏆🎉.

Nutrition: This time, I used a new, unflavored carb product with water (90 g/hr) and added some drops of concentrate minerals and a 100% natural gel every 20 min. This was a total game-changer for me; once again, I kept feeling energetic, light, and strong from start to finish.

I am thrilled, grateful, and very proud of myself. After this fantastic experience, which left me with a wealth of positive emotions, I learned a great deal and gained a lot of confidence for the future events that await me. More than ever, I am confident that with a better-planned bike maintenance strategy, utilizing my regular fast-lock laces, and adhering to the same nutrition that has worked well for me, I can achieve even better results. 🤩

IRONMAN 70.3 Santa Cruz | 2025