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A comprehensive guide to racing Ironman 70.3 Oregon.
*This is a review of Ironman 70.3 Oregon based on my experience in the 2023 race.
Pre Travel:
Travelling from Toronto, Ontario to Salem, Oregon usually involves taking a flight to Portland and then either renting a car or using a car service. However, we decided to turn our race experience into an exciting road trip. Instead of flying directly to Oregon, we opted for a domestic flight to Calgary to visit family, and from there, we borrowed a car for the scenic drive to Oregon.
To ensure a smooth cross-border journey with a borrowed car, we obtained a notarized letter that legally allowed us to bring the vehicle across the border. This way, we had a few extra days to spend quality time with our family in Calgary surrounding the road trip to Oregon.
Additionally, we took the time to familiarize ourselves with the traffic laws of the states we would be passing through on our route to Oregon. Being aware of local regulations ensured a safe and hassle-free trip.
It is also important to take note of the risk level for your travel destination. The Reccomendation for USA from the Canadian Travel Advisory was: Take normal security precautions. Sometimes there are regional advisories based on natural disasters.
The Race
Venue: Salem, Oregon
Photos by Nabeel Chirathodi before Ironman 70.3 Oregon
Expo and Transition Set Up: The expo was set up beside transition at Riverfront City Park. There was some free on site parking available but it was limited. There was additional parking at a paid lot or around the city.
The registration process was efficiently managed, ensuring a fast and organized experience for participants. The Ironman Village showcased sponsored vendors, a well-equipped bike shop, and various free product samples from a few of their sponsors. Additionally, the Ironman store offered a large selection of Ironman branded merchandise and affiliated products, such as gels and recovery boots.
For age group athletes, bike check-in at the transition area was mandatory the day before the race. The transition area was exceptionally well-managed, with a dedicated team of volunteers and clear, well-labeled racks for bikes. The process was straightforward and contributed to the overall sense of organization and efficiency.
On race day, the transition area opened promptly at 5:00 am, with staggered start times of 6:15 for Pro Men, 6:20 for Pro Women, and 6:30 for AG Wave 1. Unfortunately, the lines for the washrooms in the transition area were quite lengthy, leading to a time-consuming process.
Race Day Hint: Scout out the Port-A Potty options the day before the race. While the toilets in Transition had a huge line, the toilets near the finish had no line during transition set up/before the race.
After setting up your transition area, you proceeded to the walk down to the swim start. As it was a point-to-point swim, the walk to the start was quite long.
Race Day Hint: Plan at least 20 minutes for your walk.
The area leading to the swim start was secured by security personnel, allowing only athletes to pass through. More washrooms were available near the swim start, and helpful volunteers were present to collect your pre-race bag of essentials and transport it back to the transition area for you to access after the race.
Race Day Hint: Pack shoes for your walk down to the swim start.
Overall, the expo and transition set up was a great experience, offering both convenience and access to essential products and services.
Unique Feature: The swim was a 'point to point' swim. This meant that you had to walk 15-20 minutes to the swim start from transition.
Swim:
The swim was very straightforward. From the shore you swim out to a turn buoy and then swim with the current until the end of the swim where you turn and swim into the finish. If you start in the early waves you may experience difficulty sighting since you are swimming into the sun.
Race Day Hint: Prepare to be swimming into the sun by wearing tinted/open water specific goggles.
The swim offers a rolling start for the AG race based on a self seeded time.
Unique Feature: This swim is downstream with a strong current. At some points in the swim the current was up to 12mph/19km to help propel you to a fast swim split.
The swim exit was a dock which was clearly marked and had volunteers ready to help you climb the ramp out of the water. Immediately after you exit the water you are climbing up a steep ramp/hill to make your way into T1. The run into T1 is fairly long and lined with spectators.
T1: Transition was located in a grass field in Riverfront City Park. It was large and bike racks were clearly marked. It was a straightforward transition with enterance and exit located at opposite ends. There is a bit of a run to the bike mount line which was a little bumpy, but the mount line is very clearly marked. Bike: The first and last part of the ride is in town with poor road quality, but you quickly exit town and spend the rest of your ride on rural roads with better quality pavement.
Elevation: This course is rolling, my GPS showed 398meters/1305 feet of climbing with the majority of this being in the first and last 30 km.
The bike course was an 'out and back' course which meant two way traffic, so it was essential to stay on the correct side of the road. There were a few narrow technical turns that were brief 'no aero bar zones' and three aid stations offering bottles on the course.
It's essential to highlight the six train track crossings (three on the way out and three on the way back), with track conditions progressively becoming rougher the farther away you were from town or transition. Exercising caution at each of these crossings was crucial. Thankfully, the LOC took proactive measures to collaborate with the appropriate authorities, ensuring that no trains would pass through during the race. Even in the unlikely event of a train somehow managing to make it onto the course, a reliable backup system with timing mats on either side of the tracks was in place to ensure accurate adjustments to participants' times.
While the course wasn't entirely closed to local traffic, the LOC implemented diligent monitoring and control to minimize disruptions. Though closed courses are safer, the roads were generally well-managed, but I did experienced one instance where a stream of 3-4 cars ahead of me necessitated a brief slowdown and braking to avoid a collision and/or drafting. It's important to remember that drafting off vehicles is illegal.
T2: This race featured a single transition area, simplifying the logistics for participants with both T1 and T2 conveniently located at the same spot. You enter T2 from the same place you exited with your bike and leave for your run at the opposite end of transition (the same place you entered transition after your swim).
Run:
The run course is two loops in mostly shade. You leave T2 and run over a bridge towards the swim start where you follow a *mostly* shaded path for the majority of the run. It is a little bit rolling but there are no major hills.
Elevation: My GPS showed that there was a total of 71 meters/233 feet of climbing on this run course. There were no major hills but some rolling parts.
The aid stations were regular with access to nutrition at least 4x per loop. The aid stations were equipped with Gatorade Endurance, Water, Ice, Redbull, Coke, Mautren Gels, pretzils, and orange slices. One of the aid stations had two way traffic and it did get crowded.
The entire course was pavement and it was great quality. Anywhere that was not safe/a risk of poor footing was clearly blocked off.
Nutrition:
There were three aid stations with bottles of Water and Gatorade Endurance on the bike and four aid stations per loop on the run, with each run aid station offering Water, Gatorade Endurance, Maurten Gel 100 (with and without caffeine), Coke, Redbull, and an assortment of snacks (pretzels, orange slices, bananas).
Miscellaneous:
While this race's one-loop bike course and closed run course limited opportunities for family, friends, and spectators to view athletes directly, it did offer several benefits that contributed to an overall comfortable and enjoyable experience for spectators.
There was ample shade and food trucks/vendors for spectators to access food and comfort. My husband was a spectator for me for this race and found that seating was limited and reccomends that other spectators like him bring a lawn chair, adequate hydration, sunscreen, and sun coverings (like hats). He also mentioned that most places in the city were closed/limited on race day (Sunday's) and reccomends bringing anything you would need for the day with you if you are not local/don't have access to your accomodations.
Overall Rating: A This race was really well organized received almost a perfect score from the scoring guide. The one area for improvement would be more toilets in transition!! *Note I did not dock marks for road quality since it was only entering and exiting transition that had poor road quality(this seemed unavoidable). The majority of the course was great.
Pre Race Training and Accomodation:
Salem, being a small city, offers limited hotel and accommodation options locally. Having access to a vehicle proves advantageous, as it opens up more opportunities for training venues, accommodation choices, and access to necessary mechanical or medical services during your stay.
Race Hint: Book accomodations early if you can since there are minimal local options!
I found that access to hotels was minimal and the hotels available were expensive. We stayed outside of Salem in order to find affordable accomodations.
Training was accessible with Riverfront City Park open for cycling and running prior to the race. It also looks like there is a pool in Salem that offered day passes which I've linked here.
Salem also had access to both medical and mechanical (bike) facilities.
Overall rating: D
This is a great area for triathlon and received full points for both Training and Miscellaneous categories, however I found that accomodation options were both limited for the size of the event and expensive (the race weekend markup was extreme) losing all points for accomodation.
Post Race Sightseeing
Salem was a really cool place, and the race organizers did a great job of welcoming us into the community as tourists by providing information on Travel Salem, a dining and parking guide, and information (and a discount) to a local Art Fair and Festival.
Fun Fact: Salem is the Capital of Oregon.
According to the Travel Salem guide provided: Oregon's oldest winery is located in Salem, every Saturday in the summer you can visit Salem Saturday Market with more than 150 vendors, you can take a Salem Public Art Walking Tour with the Travel Salem Guide to view street murals and/or art galleries, and you can view many different museums including but not limited to Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health or Forest History Center. The Travel Salem guide provided a lot of valuable information for your trip including 'pooch friendly places' and can enhance your experience as a tourist.
Fun Fact: The Ironman 70.3 Oregon event was during the Salem Art Fair & Festival and we were provided with a 'Super Saturday Ironman Special' with 50% off for Participants, Family, Friends and supporters.
Triathlons in Oregon
For most of these races the closest (International) airport is in Portland. Other Airports include Eugene Airport or Roberts Field-Redmond Municipal Airport.
Best In The West Triathlon Festival: Fun Fact: This entire event is a festival with many races of different distances including a beer mile relay!
Where To Stay:
For your accommodation needs during the race, the Official Race Hotels, Holiday Inn Salem and Best Western Mill Creek Inn, provided convenient and comfortable options for participants. Additionally, Camp Taloali offered a unique experience with cabins and trailer/tent options for those seeking a more rustic stay.
If you were open to exploring other possibilities, there were unofficial options available too. Staying in nearby areas like Keizer or Woodburn presented alternative choices, offering a slightly different atmosphere while still being relatively close to the race venue.
As for our own choice, we opted for a hotel in Portland due to a fantastic voucher for a significantly discounted stay. While it saved us money, it did require a bit more travel time and inconvenience. However, the overall experience was rewarding, and it allowed us to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of Portland during our stay.
Tips and Tricks
Plan your nutrition in advance, including if you are going to be using aid stations. If you are using aid stations make sure you look out for litter zones and/or prep yourself for the bottle pick ups.
Bring a flat changing kit (and/or a flat patching kit).
If possible, bring your own pump race morning. There are some available in transition but there can be lines to use them.
Give yourself extra time race morning since there is often long lines for toilets.
If you plan on using aid stations during the bike practice grabbing bottles during your ride(s)/training.
Race Specific
There were both free and paid parking available near the race. Make a parking plan for race day and try to factor in the course and road closures. Some parking venues will mean you will be unable to leave until everyone is off certain portions of the course.
Bring extra shoes to use to walk to the swim start.
Your swim may be directly into the sun, so prepare by wearing tinted/open water specific goggles.
Prepare for a rolling course and a few challenging hills.
If you have a support crew/specators we reccomend bringing a lawn chair and sun protection.
Cost
The local currency here is USD. It is easy to access cash, but your bank may charge you a fee and credit cards are widely accepted. Tipping is common practice here with average tips ranging from 15-20%.
Oregon is a great place to have a rental car. We were lucky and had a chance to borrow a car, so our cost was only gas. We paid $210 CAD for gas for our entire road trip and race experience. A quick rental car search showed that if you were to rent a car for race weekend you could expect to spend at least $500 CAD.
Accomodations: In general accomodations were expensive and limited. The race hotels were a few hundred dollars CAD per night on average. We stayed in Portland because we had a gift voucher to cover the majority of our hotel cost. Food: Meals on average were $15-25 USD per person ($20-33 CAD per person). This varies greatly depending on where you go to eat.
Parking Fees: There was some free parking available on site but it filled up fast. We paid $10 USD on Saturday and $20 USD on Sunday to park at a business located beside the event.
Entry Fee: I was entered in the Womens Pro division which has a one day event fee of $250 USD or $330.89 CAD (at the time of writing this) plus a one day insurance fee of $22 CAD. Professional athletes also have the option of paying $1200 USD annually and entering as many Ironman events as they choose. For this race (in 2023) if you are entering in the Age-Group division the entry cost around $399USD or $528 CAD . There are often 'early bird' price options for this event so this cost can be variable.
Expo Fees: There was no fee to enter the expo but there was a lot of apparel/equipment for sale. It is often sold at a markup/Ironman Premium. There were a couple of free samples provided by sponsors of the event.
Please note that this post was written from my perspective and experiences. Your experiences may vary. Please read the Canadian travel advisory (or your own countries travel advisory) prior to travel.