Race Review | Washington Tri Cities 70.3 Ironman
I don't give away my stoke points easily.
But this race earned them fair 'n square.
From the incredible desert landscapes to the loudest crowds, dreamy course and yes...downriver swim, this race isn't one to miss.
The Washington Tri Cities 70.3 is new to the scene, but to no surprise has already won "Best Run of The Year." You're about to see why.
First things first: you swim downriver. This shaved over 30 seconds/100m off for me: an astronomical amount. The water is warm and murky, but no complaints from me. Tip: head to the centre of the river for maximal current. Nearing the end, you have to break the current and make a tight right turn. It was a hustle. You come into a sandy bay, making it the nicest transition to land I've ever had. It's a quick sprint up to T1.
This is the first time in a race I've thought, "Some hills would've been nice." This course is flat, something my Okanagan self isn't all that familiar with. A few punchy hills, crazy headwinds and some fast descents. Very very easy course.
The run was dreamy. You run alongside the river, then through a park and a residential neighbourhood that set up their own aid-station! Kids were cheering, speakers were playing, folks stood with hoses at the end of the driveway. It was by far the best race atmosphere I've ever experienced.
My top recommendations:
Book accommodation quick. This is a tiny town with limited options (there's nothing to do here) and try to get walking-distance to the race. If not, the shuttles are a phenomenal resource, but because you aren't allowed bikes on them, we ended up walking 2KMs back to our car at the end. (Similar experience in Victoria). You can always send someone on the shuttle to grab the car and drive it over - if you're more patient than me.
Eat a lot on the bike. A super flat run made me quite speedy, which also makes me less inclined to fuel. I anticipated this and supercharged my fuelling on the bike (being so flat, it's very easy to do).
Prepare to only see family once. There are other courses (Calgary, for example) that I found much more spectator-friendly. Bigger spaces, loops, intersecting roads. But Tri Cities had none of that. I only saw Jack during transition, as there wasn't good spots for him to even bike down for a good ol' run cheer.
Hands down, the best race of 2025.