To get a glimpse of an actual triathlon, Jeff and I made plans to drive down to Bonelli Park to watch the sprint tri they had this morning.
Two tips:
1. Plan ahead – look at the event flyer and a map of the location so you are familiar with where you are going.
2. Give yourself time – You’ll need it, especially if the event is being held in a different location than you thought (see #1) and if there is construction going on.
Jeff and I thought if we left at 7am we would have enough time to get there, park and walk into the park (versus paying the $10 to park).
We made it to Bonelli Park around 7:30am and walked in. While we were walking in we noticed there were NO cars, a sure sign we were not in the right place.
About the time we walked up to the lake, we both noticed at the same time that the buoys that were set up for the swimmers were…ACROSS THE LAKE. Ugh, we had entered on the wrong side and would never make it in time for the swim and the bike transition.
We debated walking around the lake and catching what we could. We also debated walking back to the car and driving to the other side of the park and thought that was a better idea.
We we drove around to the other side and the entrance was already closed (it was 8:05am and the race had already started) and parking along the street was full.
FAIL. With no other options, we turned around and came home. We are going to try to find another local tri to spectate and this time, plan better!
