Event Center 2011

This year we will start and finish at Sports Basement, on Old Mason St. across from Crissy Field in the Presidio. This location offers great access to many of the places San Francisco is famous for: Chinatown, the Marina, Fisherman's Wharf, the Cliff House, Ocean Beach, Nob Hill, the Embarcadero ... not to mention Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands.

Note that there is, or used to be, another Mason St. in San Francisco, so be sure to come to the one on this map, in the Presidio.

Registration and route planning will take place indoors. The 3-hour finish will also take place indoors. The 7-hour and 16-hour finishes will take place outdoors.

You can leave stuff at the event center during the event. There will be signage for 3 separate piles: 3-hour, 7-hour, and 16-hour. These piles of stuff will be sequestered in our event area but will not receive constant supervision, so leave stuff at your own risk. We did not have any theft in years past, but this is a new venue for us.

Parking

There is plenty of free parking in the area. Please do not use the main lot in front of (East of) Sports Basement, since the adjacent construction project has reduced the lot size, and we need to keep the remaining spaces available for other Sports Basement customers.

16-hour teams, we recommend that once you unload any gear you would like to keep at the event headquarters, you park in the back lot to the North and West of Sports Basement. Here is a map.

3-hour and 7-hour teams, there is parking about 1/4 mile away, just West of Halleck St (and the long building that borders Halleck) and adjacent to Young St, as well as in the empty lot on the East side of Halleck St and the South side of Gorgas Ave. Here is a map showing the vicinity of those two parking places.

San Francisco Course Details

Checkpoints have been distributed throughout the city of San Francisco and, in a reprise of our 2005 and 2008 events, in southern Marin County. The Marin checkpoints are all in Sausalito and the Marin Headlands and comprise about 25% of the total available point value.

Please note that travel to Marin is optional. We have written a lot about Marin below, only because there are so many logistical details pertaining to Marin. There are plenty of checkpoints in San Francisco to keep most participants busy for many hours. Study the map and point values before deciding whether you will go to Marin, and remember that relying on ferries and buses introduces an additional element of uncertainty.

The information below about busses, ferries, and foot/bike travel to Marin was updated Thursday night, June 16. Info that has changed since the 2008 info posted last month is in italics.

To get to and from Marin, you may take the Golden Gate Bridge or one of two available ferry services. You may also use Golden Gate Transit buses #10 and #80 SOUTHBOUND ONLY, and only as far as the toll plaza at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge. Ferries run until about 8pm. Buses run until about midnight. Schedules will be printed on the maps. Participants pay their own fares on the ferry and buses.

Currently, only the west walkway of the Golden Gate bridge is open to bikes and pedestrians. The bridge officially closes to pedestrians between 9pm and 5am. The bridge is always open to bicycles, but cyclists must buzz to security to be let through between 9pm and 5am. There is no skating or skateboarding allowed on the bridge.

The checkpoints in the Marin Headlands are accessible by fire roads and trails. All checkpoints are right on a trail or road; you will not have to travel off-trail in Marin. Neither the fire roads nor the trails can be ridden with a standardly-equipped road bike. Many of the trails are not open to bicycles. We have attempted to mark all of these on the map. Checkpoints have been located such that cyclists will not have to walk more than about 500m to visit any checkpoint. The rules allow cyclists to leave their bicycles at any time.

Should you wear bike shoes, road running shoes or trail running shoes? Use a road bike, a mountain bike, or some kind of hybrid? This is up to you to decide given the information here.

Golden Gate Park and McClaren Park are closed between midnight and 5 a.m., but the main roads are open. All Golden Gate Park checkpoints are on or near the roads, so you can visit them at any time, but you may not travel off-road in either park during closing hours.

Some checkpoints may be located inside businesses which close early Saturday evening. As mentioned in the rules, all checkpoints with limited hours will be highlighted in yellow on your maps.

Duathlon Transition

Duathlon participants: Bring your bikes and transition gear under the designated canopy when arrive (or any time before the start). If we are organized enough, you will see signs directing you where to put your stuff, depending on whether you are in the 16-hour or the 7-hour race. It's best if you can put your gear in a tub and label it with team name and race length (7hr/16hr).

The 7-hour foot-to-bike transition takes place at 7:30 p.m., and the 16-hour takes place at midnight. If you don't see your bikes and gear where you left them, they may have been moved; ask a staff person for assistance.

Refreshments will be available during your transition.

The event center will be staffed at all times. We will always be close to your gear; however, we will not have anyone specifically guarding your gear. So you may wish to put a lock on your bike to ensure that an aggressive thief can't ride off with it. In years past we had no problems at all with intruders or theft, but we have never used this particular venue before.

As stated in the event rules, you are allowed to return to Sports Basement at any time, but you will not be allowed to leave on your bikes until your transition time. There is no penalty for transitioning late.