2026 Stanford Treeathlon Triathlon Race Course Preview

2026 version is in a completely new location a few miles north of the previous editions with no overlap of the course previously used. We took a look.

There are three races going on the Open Age Group (Classic/Non-drafting) race. There are also Collegiate and Draft-Legal races going on earlier that morning.

The good news for the "Classic" race is you can sleep in! The waves this year are 11:40 am Age Group Males 39 and under, 11:50 am Age Group Males 40+, 12:00 pm All Age Group Females and Relay Teams. Packet pick up has been fairly smooth the day of in the past although they encourage you to go to Sports Basement the day before. The parking situation this year requires you to ride your bike 1.7 miles into the race area so get yourself a good transitions backpack if you don't have one. The other slight complication is transition area closes at 10:45am. This means if you plan on riding the course beforehand you're not actually going to be "warm" from the bike warm up by the time the race starts. Nevertheless I suggest setting up your transition and then rolling out at 10:25am for a look at the course to be back just in time before you get kicked out. The Draft-Legal races are at 8:30am (Mens) and 8:40am (Women) and are less busy.

The Swim (750m)

It was a calm morning in the fairly protected area the swim will be held. There's plenty of room for the full 750m and there were no obvious visibility challenges. The water will be cold, it's just a question of how cold. You can check the current water temp here. I recommend long sleeved wetsuit, thermal if possible, and a neoprene cap to wear under your swimming cap to keep the heat in. Booties (swim socks) are legal in triathlon and they make them specific for swimming. Despite the importance of a fast transition I would strongly consider them or Crocs for this race due to the long stairs trail to transition. Gloves are also legal for this race.

It's a deep water start but you will get out on some stairs which you need to be careful on not to slip on the submerged ones. They may put down some matting but swim socks with a bit of grip on the bottom may be helpful here too.

Overlooking swim course

T1

Let's take this from the water exit. After getting up 4 or 5 steps out of the water you cross a bike path and go immediately up a long flight of stairs. They are a nice spacing to run up but there are many. If you are cold I'd leave your wetsuit zipped up until you get to the top to warm up. The transition area will be long and skinny by the looks of it. Looks like a small area for the bikes involved but I guess it will be made to work by extending it along the path. To be seen. Put your bike as close to the bike exit as you can to avoid wheeling your bike through traffic.

Transition Area

Bike Exit end of transition area

Stairs leading up to T1

The Bike (20K) (4 laps)

Aside the hill to transition it's very flat with a slight raise over the bridge. Road surface is a little bumpy but no pothole type hazards and a much better surface than last year. Look like the distance will be almost spot on 20K. The north side of J Hart Drive (two lanes) will be completely closed to traffic with the other side open to traffic. It will be great for the drafting race but congestion will remain an issue for the non-drafting races with only one traffic lane available. Although it's likely an improvement on last year as there does seem like more road and in better condition.

You will again have to be conscious about counting the 4 laps you have to do. You'd be surprised how confused you can get. A good way to double check to keep track is to have distance on your watch/bike computer. If you're planning a flying dismount you'll also have to think about when to get your feet out of your shoes with a hill right up to the dismount line. I think you could probably do it on the hill as it's not too steep but that's a call you'll have to make based on experience.

The Run (5K)

Nice fast scenic run course mostly on paved bike path. Out of transition it's a dirt path descent onto the shoreline bike path and a hill sprint finish.

If you need to rent or buy wetsuits or accessories our team ship will be at the race venue but contact us in advance. Rental details here.