Hundreds of athletes will come together in a few weeks to compete in the Morro Bay Triathlon.
The annual event has been taking place for 14 years, attracting racers from all over the region and with different sports backgrounds.
"If you have ever wanted to try out multi-sports and you felt like you couldn’t do it or you couldn’t swim or you couldn’t run, there’s an option here," said Jon Harmse, Morro Bay Triathlon Race Director.
The triathlon is composed of three sections: swimming or kayaking, running and biking.
The race brings in more than 700 racers, and with 70% of them being from out of town, the event has an economic impact on the community during what is considered a slower season.
“As far as economic development, it really helps our hotels in kind of a shoulder season, early winter. Also, our restaurants and our coffee shops, you know, the racers really love to fuel up before the race and our restaurants really see a benefit from that," said Michael Wambolt, Visit Morro Bay Executive Director.
Along with getting sponsors on board, the early stages of planning for the race also consist of planning safety measures. Harmse said they have lifeguards and Harbor Patrol monitoring the water race, while at the bike portion, they work with Caltrans to make sure intersections are flashing red, and California Highway Patrol officers are on site along Highway 1.
"The great thing about this course is that because we have this ridge right here, we can see the entire course and so we have spotters out on the edge here that can like spot people that are having issues,” Harmse said.
The organizers also coordinate with San Luis Obispo Ambulance to have paramedics present at the finish line to assist people if needed.
Non-racers can also join in on the event, as there will be food vendors and a beer garden in the basketball courts at Coleman Park.
Registration will stay open up until the race, but in order to get a t-shirt, the deadline is this Sunday, October 12. Pricing for the race starts at just over $200.
They also offer pre-race clinics to prepare racers for the course. That information can be found here.
To register and for general event information, visit morrobaytri.com.
