Melissa V.  10/4/09

This was a great race and my first Tri of this distance. I had a great time.

    Robert S.  9/26/09

I did this race a couple years ago. The race is under new ownership since I raced so things may be different.

This is perhaps one of the best venues for a race. Swim around the Santa Cruz wharf. I'll never forget taking a breath and seeing a huge seal swimming right next to me. The bike couse takes you up Hwy 1 to Davenport and is for the most part fast and flat. The run is along west cliff and beautiful.

My only grip with this race is both of the times I participated there were issues with marking the course and organization. Though maybe the directors are just embracing the Santa Cruz vibe.

In all I recommend giving this race a try sometime.

    Lauren S.  9/21/09

Perfect weather! Overcast and warm.
Check in was disorganized, seperate line for schwag bag, then shirt, then cap, then timing chips. Check in also closed at 3, which seems early.
Transition area opened at 6, first come, first serve, not assigned racks. Narrow run in/run out entrances. Good security entering/leaving transtion before and after. They made sure your body marked number matched your bike number.
Swim- out around the pier, some seaweed, lots of fish smell all to the sound of barking sea lions. I enjoyed it, but it was pretty smelly, and on the return, no buoys caused everyone to fan out along the shore.
Bike- out and back along the coast, flat with some rollers, no big climbs! One aid station at turnaround with Hammer Gel and water bottles. Course pretty straight, but no lane or cones to buffer cars.
Run- out and back along coast, very scenic, even saw dolphins! two aid stations, one at mile 2/4 with gatorade and water, one at turnaround with water.
Finish good for spectators. For a touch of class, the event had tuxedo'd servers serving cupts of straberries, bananas, and oranges. Results posted same day on web site!

    Marie S.  4/30/09

The Sentinel aka Santa Cruz Triathlon is how I end my racing season every year. As a Santa Cruz County local this race is always so much fun because all your friends come to race and spectate and you compete on the same course that you've been training on all year.

Some would say this race isn't too hard, but I find Olympic distance races the most challenging triathlon distance because it is a full out 2 1/2-3 hour sprint in high gear. Sprints are over in an hour and half and full ironmans you are supposed to go slow - well, at least I go slow!

Sentinel is a tough one because it is a true open water, freezing cold ocean swim around the Santa Cruz Wharf. The water is so so so cold even with a full wetsuit, it is a fast swim - everyone is hauling, and the sea lions can be startling at times. It is a beach start and exit and sometimes there can be waves, so try to time your entry/exit accordingly. You exit on the beach, then have to run up a short hill to transition. I recommend running this hill because you can pass a lot of people who are walking. There is a baby pool at the top to wash off your feet but be careful, lots of people stack... it is slippery!

The bike is another fast out and back towards Davenport. This race always hands out cool water bottles so in years past I won't take any personal bottles with me and at the turn around, only 12.5 miles in I grab three. So greedy, but they are cool! Usually the wind isn't too bad if you get out there early enough, so you roar back down Highway 1 to transition at the Wharf. One time the volunteers mixed up the re-entry for the bike to T2 and the bike leaders were directed the wrong way through the finish chute. They were none too happy.

Run is along West Cliff towards Natural Bridges. One year the volunteers put the turn around in the wrong place and we ran an extra half mile. That sucked. Can you tell this isn't the most organized event? Here's a comment: If it is warm out the smell of the bird poop on the rocks can be a little overwhelming. But then again, I have been accused of having an overly sensitive sense of smell. The run is rather quick. I've done some of my best 10K times on this course.

Finish is okay, nothing too spectacular. They usually serve trail mix, powdered donuts (YUM!), strawberries, bagel and cream cheese wedges, and some sports drinks. It is served communally, which grosses me out. I wish they'd hand it to me rather than encourage us to dig our sweaty hands into the food. Again, can you tell I am picky?! One more thing, the race director/management changed hands recently so maybe the race will be more organized this year. Even if it isn't, check it out.