general information



This is a gorgeous and challenging Olympic distance Triathlon; a 1.5 K swim, 40 K bike and 10 K run along San Pablo Bay, County of Marin, City of San Rafael and China Camp State Park. Please pay attention to the fact there will be other traffic on the roads, and please be aware that city, county and state vehicles will be throughout the course doing their civic duty, and not just rooting you on. Professional and Elite athletes will begin and compete together in the first wave Age groups: 19 and under 20 - 24 25 - 29 30 - 34 35 - 39 40 - 44 45 - 49 50 - 54 55 - 59 60 - 64 65 - 69 70 and over Overall Teams: Male Relay Female Relay Coed Relay Packet Pickup: Mandatory race packet pick up will be available Friday and Saturday, October 24 and 25. Friday, October 24, 11 am to 6 pm, at Toyota Marin, 445 East Francisco Blvd in San Rafael (between 580 and the Central San Rafael exit) Saturday, October 25, 10 am to 5 pm, at McNears Beach Park in San Rafael. Awards and Prizes: Special awards will be given to the top three winners of each age division and relay division. The Marin County Triathlon will offer a $10,000.00 prize purse in the professional division. This will be donated to their charity of choice, in the name of and by the first place winner of the male and female division, to be split equally, $5,000.00 each. The top three fundraisers for each of our charities will also receive very special awards in addition to the incentive awards already being offered. All participants will receive a unique commemorative Marin County Triathlon 2008 inaugural keepsake. The Marin County Triathlon hosts the California Triathlon Club Cup, which awaits the winner of the top Triathlon Club. The club with the most points earned by averaged attendance and results by age group, gets to keep the coveted trophy till next year! Local Resources: Marin County Parks and Open Space California State Parks City of San Rafael Lodging and Restaurants: Larkspur Hotels and Restaurants are offering a special MCT rate during race weekend in Marin County. Parking: Parking is very limited at McNears Beach Park. We have arranged for various ways to park at the event, however, all at a cost. Those are listed on the registration page. Other options are parking lots a few miles away, from which you can bike in or use our shuttles, which we will be providing at no additional charge. There is also plenty of free on-street parking on both sides of Point San Pedro Road, from one mile after the Central San Rafael exit, to within one half mile of McNears Beach Park. Photography: Sherreme Gurtler is a Marin based freelance photographer. She specializes in cycling and travel themed photography. She participated in her first triathlon in 2003 and was hooked! She is very excited to have the opportunity to cover this epic event. You can view her work at www.slgphotography.com. 50% of all profits will be donated to the charity. Refund Policy: Due to the fact that this event is for our charities, there will be no refunds or transfers allowed. Please be certain at the time of signing up, that you can complete the event. Results: After the event your results will be posted here. Schedule: Mandatory race packet pick up will be available Friday and Saturday, October 24 and 25. Friday, October 24, 11 am to 6 pm, at Toyota Marin, 445 East Francisco Blvd in San Rafael (between 580 and the Central San Rafael exit) Saturday, October 25, 10 am to 5 pm, at McNears Beach Park in San Rafael. On Saturday at the park, we are fortunate to have a list of wonderful speakers to share their insight with you. Beginning with race course navigation tips from Neil Fraser of Tri More Fitness, we will have very informative seminars during the day including a ChiRunning talk with Hazel Wood, Marvin Zauderer will explain the mental preparation needed for the triathlete, Brian Edwards on cross training and the edge for the triathlete, a panel discussion headed by Duane Franks of Trifiniti with elite and professional athletes and some very interesting stories from three amazing women: elite (and soon to be professional) Mary Miller of Boulder, CO (course record holder for Wildflower), local favorite Leanda Cave (two time consecutive winner Escape from Alcatraz) and recent US Olympic alternate, Chicago Triathlon winner and Los Angeles Triathlon winner, Becky Lavelle. USAT: This is a USAT sanctioned event. If you are not a member of USAT, you will need to pay a one day registration fee of $10 when you pick up your race packet. SUSTAINABILITY: We are trying for Zero Waste, Carbon Neutral. In our efforts to make the world a better place to live now, and for the future, we have implemented steps to reduce the environmental impact in the presentation of our event. The following steps are being strictly adhered to by the Marin County Triathlon: All power will be generated by solar energy. On site recycling will be utilized to the maximum effort. All apparel (sold and in race bags) will be 100% organic cotton. All paper products will be post-consumer recycled. All utensils and cookware will be corn-based compostable. Toilet tissue, soaps, paper towels, etc will be biodegradable. Our shuttle buses will be powered by biodeisel. We will not use regular plastic bottles of drinking water. Post event meals will be only natural and/or organic. Coffees, teas and other beverages served will only be organic and fair trade. Our race packets will not be the typical plastic bags. Our goals are to minimize the waste and carbon footprint generated by our event. Please check back on this page as we update further actions to occur.					Bike Check: On Saturday, October 25, we will have a courtesy bike check at our Green Village Expo on the great lawn at McNears Beach Park. Bike checks will not be available on race day. The bike check is provided free of charge by our sponsors. It is not a substitute for necessary maintenance that may be required to prepare your bike for safety. Clinics: The Marin County Triathlon will be hosting a few pre event clinics to be sure your experience at the event will be fun and rewarding. The clinics will cover all of your race day questions and will make your Marin County Triathlon faster and safer. Besides those held on Saturday, October 25 at McNears Beach Park, stay tuned as we announce other clinics in the months leading up to race day weekend. Please visit our Training Page to learn more about structured training programs from our partners, Trifiniti, Tri More Fitness, Pac West Fitness and Moms in Motion. These highly regarded coaches and training companies train the beginner to advanced levels. Clubs: All organized, and not so organized clubs are welcome at our event. Triathlon clubs are a great way to get team support and meet new friends. The Golden Gate Triathlon Club, San Francisco Triathlon Club and Tri Club Marin are a few of our locally based clubs. The Marin County Triathlon is the host event for the California Triathlon Club Cup. Based on averaged attendance and results by age group, this coveted trophy stays with the winning club till the following year’s event. Talk about bragging rights! Directions: McNears Beach County Park is located on the southwest shore of San Pablo Bay, about three miles from downtown San Rafael, Marin County. The park is easily reached from Highway 101, a forty-minute drive north from San Francisco by way of the Golden Gate Bridge. From Highway 101, take the Central San Rafael exit and go east on Second Street (which becomes San Pedro Road) to Cantera Way. Very Important: On race day, parking will be very limited. Advanced reserved parking is available with your registration and is advised. Please visit our Parking Page to learn what is and what is not available. FAQs: How many participants will be doing this event? We expect over 650 athletes to participate in this event. Marin County is well known for its beauty and is an outdoors destination. The Marin County Triathlon will be an amazing event to be a part of. What if I can only do one or two segments of a triathlon? You can sign up with our training partners to learn and be trained to do the entire event or grab a friend or two and register as a relay team! May I sign up and/or pick up my race bag on race day? "NO." There will be no sign ups or race bag pick up on race day. You must register on line before October 19 and must pick up your mandatory race packet either on Friday, 10/24 at Toyota Marin (11 am to 6 pm) or Saturday, October 25 (10 am to 5 pm) at McNears Beach Park. May I register my friend? No. Each participant must register himself or herself. There is a waiver that must be read and agreed to by each individual participant. What kind of goodies do I get? Each participant will receive a very special commemorative keepsake at the finish. On Friday or Saturday prior to the event you will pick up your race bag which will include some pretty cool stuff. At the Green Village Expo, enjoy a post race organic meal, receive a massage and just kick back on acres of green grass. There are a few fun surprises along the way, but the best goodie you get is to know that this is a sustainable event, and all of the net proceeds will only go to our selected charities. Do I need a wetsuit? Though not mandatory, we strongly suggest one. Average water temperature will be only about 57 degrees, and that, my friend, is chilly. What time does the event start? We have scheduled the Marin County Triathlon to begin at 8:00 am. Please plan on being at the park by 6:30 am at the latest, because the roads around and into the park will be closing and for the lack of nearby parking. You will also want to allow plenty of time to set up your transition spot and get race ready. Oh yes, there will be some early morning surprises and you won't want to miss announcer Sean English’s introduction. Will we be using timing chips? Yes. Participants in the Marin County Triathlon will be timed using state of the art Timing Chips that allows for precise times. The chip will be issued to you as part of the pre-race packet. You are responsible for returning it at and after the event. Can my family and friends come out to watch? Of course! This will be a very friendly spectator event. Sorry, though, no pets allowed. If you have any further questions, please contact us via email at the Contact Us Page.