Active City Spotlight: A Triathletes Guide to San Diego

To this day, San Diego remains the best city on Earth to be a triathlete. The running routes are great. Cycling routes can feature coastline and mountains. Swimming can be in calm bays, choppy oceans or Olympic-sized pools. The weather almost always cooperates. Triathletes—thousands of them—surround you.

The city's love with triathlon is really just a microcosm of its love of being outside and being active in general. The mild temperatures make going outside a must. A run at the beach, a bike ride through the county's mountains or a swim in the ocean is an everyday occurrence.

Places to Go

Outside of the aforementioned running and cycling options, there's no better place to get an open water swim in then at La Jolla Cove. Buoys are aligned every quarter mile out from the cove so you know exactly how far you're going. Lifeguards are watching most of the day, and there are usually other swimmers out and about so you're not too isolated.

More than that, though, swimming La Jolla Cove is the chance to enjoy San Diego at its most beautiful. Since La Jolla Cove is a protected ecological park, no boats are allowed anywhere near you. It's not uncommon to see colorful fish underneath you or sea turtles nearby as you swim. Seals often perch on rocks adjacent to the cove and are barking as you arrive back from your workout.

If there is a bucket list for swimmers, La Jolla Cove should be on it.

Other places to swim:

• Coronado: Glorietta Bay is tucked away into a calm area just off the shore of Coronado, with the San Diego skyline and the San Diego-Coronado Bridge in your sightline.

Races to Remember

That funky, unique multi-sport event that was dubbed a "triathlon" back in 1974? Well, it's still going strong today.

The Mission Bay Triathlon is approaching its 40th anniversary. It is perhaps San Diego's most popular sprint triathlon, taking a swim in Mission Bay, a bike ride around the bay and onto Fiesta Island, and a run in the Ski Beach area.

With the cool October weather, San Diego is the perfect place to sign up for a triathlon. It's hard to beat the race that started it all.

Other races include:

• The Ironman 70.3 California takes place in nearby Oceanside, and the March race is a popular choice due to predictable weather, the beautiful ocean views and the 1.2-mile swim in the calm waters of Oceanside Harbor.
• The San Diego International Triathlon in June is an Olympic-distance tri near downtown San Diego, with the bike route going to Cabrillo National Monument at the end of Point Loma.
• The Solana Beach Triathlon is a great sprint tri north of San Diego. Try out an ocean swim before cycling and running through the charming coastal town.

Stores to Check Out

Nytro Multisport, 940 S. Coast Highway in Encinitas, has developed a solid reputation among the many triathletes in San Diego. It offers gear, apparel and more for all three disciplines of triathlon (as well as the fourth leg, nutrition).

In addition to purchasing, you can also rent bikes and other gear.

Nytro is one of the top multi-sport stores in the top multi-sport market out there, so they're doing something right.

Other stores to check out:

• B&L Bike and Sports (211 N. Highway 101 in Solana Beach)
• De Soto Triathlon Company (7584 Trade Street)

One Last Tip

If a 140.6-mile race is your thing, look elsewhere. The closest Ironman races are Ironman Arizona and Ironman Lake Tahoe. The full Vineman is in Northern California's wine country, a day's drive away.

More: Pools Abound for the Traveling Swimmer

Search for a triathlon in San Diego.