Vineman Ironman 70.3 is a very popular half ironman taking place in the heart of Sonoma County, CA vineyards. Vineman Half typically attracts a lot of top name pro’s, and a lot of top age group talent as well.

Swim – 1.2 miles

The swim starts and ends at Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville, CA, and is an out-and-back 1 loop course. It takes place in the Russian river, with redwoods on both sides of the river making for nice scenery every time you are taking a breath. Depending on your wave start time, there may be fog/marine layer, which usually clears around 8am. Water temp is typically in the mid 70’s, and wetsuits are usually allowed. If you will be wearing a full wetsuit, make sure you are comfortable swimming in this warm of water as you may overheat. Other options include swimming without a wetsuit, a sleeveless suit, or just wearing a DeSoto T1 Bottom or Speedtube.

This race features a floating start, which means you are in the water when the gun goes off. However, just because it is a floating start, doesn’t mean you will actually be floating. The river is only about 4-5 feet deep, so there are many places throughout the swim where you can stand up if you need to.

Participants will swim upstream (east) against the current, but don’t worry – it is barely noticeable. You will swim under 2 bridges, and it is advised against standing up around these bridges as many pieces of broken glass are sitting on the bottom from the throwing of bottles from above. There is a small turn around area, and swimmers will return the same way they came. The finish line is approximately 75 meters upstream from the start coral.

Swim-to-Bike Transition

The transition area is very crowded, and getting in and out may prove to be difficult. The bikes are racked VERY close together, without a lot of spaces between racks. If you see someone with their bike trying to get out, it is very likely that there will NOT be room for two of you in the lane. Try to get to the transition area early to stake out a good spot.

Bike – 56 miles

The point-to-point bike course is beautiful, and passes by numerous vineyards through the 56 mile course.

Getting out of transition, athletes will be greeted by a short, but steep hill immediately after the mount line. Make sure you know WHERE, and HOW, you will be getting on your bike. Last year, I kept my shoes on my bike, and ran my bike to the top of the hill, and then got on my bike. There will be at least one person who is having trouble clipping into their pedals, and may swerve around and potentially cause an accident – you don’t want to be anywhere near this!

Taking a right at the top of the hill, you will then have about 5 miles of flat-to-slightly downhill terrain. Right around the 5 mile point, there will be a sharp, 90 degree right turn, with a short and steep downhill, followed by a sharp 90 degree left turn – all in a very shaded area, so be aware of other cyclists and obstacles. The next 8-10 miles are not overly difficult, but pose a different challenge. There is thick tree cover, the road is constantly turning or going up and down, and the road quality is not the best. You may want to consider not wearing sunglasses or using clear lenses so that you are more aware of any potholes or bumps that will be in the road. Once, you hit the first bike aid station, you are in the clear.

You will now enjoy around 10 miles of flats, some down hills, and a few light rollers. After that will be a right turn that leads into the first hill of the course. It is not terribly long or steep, but will definitely take the wind out of your sails. After cresting, there will be a nice long downhill, followed by right onto CA 128. Here you will find the second bike aid station, and it is exceptionally long so you can get multiple water bottles if you’d like. There will be a left up ahead, and you can now enjoy roughly 15 miles of flat roads and really crank up your speed (but not too much).

Around mile 40, you will take a right onto the much talked about Chalk Hill Road. The road quality here won’t be as nice as what you just came from, but won’t be bad either. After a few miles of winding around some vineyards, you will eventually reach THE Chalk Hill. It is not overly challenging, extremely long, or very steep, BUT it is a good hill to really keep you honest in your pacing beforehand. For those of you who live in San Diego, it is like the outside of Torrey Pines, maybe a little shorter and steeper.

After that, there will be about 5 miles of rolling terrain, and then you will get into Windsor where it is very flat all the way to the second transition area. You can also expect to notice an increase in air temperature by this point. Caution when crossing the railroad tracks a few miles before the transition area as you can flat. (I know!)

Bike-to-Run Transition

You will have to set up this transition area the day before the race. You will definitely need something cold by the time you get here so it’s recommended you at least partially freeze any bottle you plan to run with. Also, a cooler of ice water to dump on yourself to cool the core is not a bad idea and worked great for my friends and I last year.

Don’t forget where you setup your stuff as you won’t see it again until your in the race mindset. This transition area also seems to be a lot less convoluted than T1.

Run – 13.1 miles

The out and back half marathon can best be described as Hilly and Hot. It is not extremely hilly like Wildflower long course, but there aren’t many flat sections. There is minimal shade on this course, but the good news is that there are aid stations at every mile, all of which include ice.

Runners will exit transition, and have more or less 2.5 miles of flat roads to try and settle into a pace. There will be a short steep hill around mile 3, and some rollers – generally downhill – until you take a left, where you will greeted by a steep hill that can bring people to a walk. After cresting, there will be a false flat leading up to a right turn where there will be 3 rollers – all up. This can also be a tough section mentally. Once cresting, there will be a few more rollers before entering the winery. At this aid station, there will be a mist canopy to aid in cooling you down. The loop around the winery is like a figure 8, where athletes will then start their way back to the finish line.

Finish

Once finishing, definitely grab some Powerbar recovery drink, and try and find some shade … anywhere you can find it!!!