The Courses
THE OLYMPIC COURSE
1.5K swim 40K bike 10K run
This exciting course will travel through some of the most historic and picturesque sections of Philadelphia. The start/finish area and the transition area will be located just off of Martin Luther King Drive, near the base of Black Road – it is a beautiful part of Fairmount Park, complete with statues, trees and grassy fields.
SWIM
The 1.5K swim will be a point-to-point course, with athletes entering the water from the dock at the St. Joe’s Boathouse on Kelly Drive. Athletes will swim downstream, staying to the left of the island and heading under the second opening at the Columbia Bridge. The swim will conclude with a right hand turn to the swim exit which will be right in the belly of the transition area.
BIKE
After exiting the transition area, athletes will start the two loop, 40k bike course through Fairmount Park. Each loop of the bike course includes a portion of the COMMERCE USPRO CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIP and combines the flat & fast Martin Luther King Drive and Kelly Drives with four several short technical climbs and descents, including Lemon Hill.
RUN
After exiting the transition area, athletes will head north on the Martin Luther King Drive (towards Falls Bridge) and reach a turnaround roughly one mile from the run start. They will then run south on Martin Luther King Drive back towards transition. When reaching transition (after approx. 2 miles of running), athletes will loop behind transition on the grass before rejoining Martin Luther King Drive. They will then head to the front of the Art Museum, one of the City's most famous landmarks, where they will turnaround and head back on Martin Luther King Drive for a photo finish, a short distance from the transition area. Roughly 4/10 of one mile will be on grass. The course will be extremely well-marked for directions.
OLYMPIC COURSE MAPS
PDF course maps are available by clicking the button of the map below.
OLYMPIC TRANSITION AREA
For information about the transition area, click here for a PDF.
THE SPRINT TRIATHLON COURSE
.9K swim 24K bike 5K run
The Sprint course will take place almost entirely on the Martin Luther King Drive section of Fairmount Park. It will include many pieces of the popular Olympic course. Like the Olympic Triathlon, its start/finish area and the transition area will be located just off Martin Luther King Drive, near the base of Black Road.
SWIM
The .9K swim will be a loop that will start and finish at the transition area. The current in the River is negligible this time of the year. The finish will be an exit right into the belly of the transition area.
BIKE
After exiting the transition area, athletes will start the two loop bike course all in Fairmount Park. Each loop will contain some fast and flat sections on Martin Luther King Drive as well as some modest technical and hilly portions on both sides of the river.
RUN
The 5K run will be an out and back on Martin Luther King Drive with a photo finish just a short distance from the transition area.
SPRINT COURSE MAPS
PDF course maps for the Sprint Course are available by clicking the button of the map below.
SPRINT TRANSITION AREA
For information about the transition area, click here for a PDF.
