The packet pick up was at Nottingham’s Restaurant. There were no vendors. They allow you pick up on race day which is nice too. I did the sprint and am so glad I didn’t do the Olympic because the altitude was definitely a factor for me. For the swim, instead of taking 3 strokes and 1 breath, I had to swim 1 stroke and 1 breath because I wasn’t used to the altitude. Also, Big Bear Lake has lake weeds that grab at you. It felt like an obstacle course swimming in that lake. The bike course is just beautiful!!! This is one of the best bike course around. You bike around Big Bear Lake and it’s just gorgeous. This was the best part of the race. I heard the Olympic bike course is much harder because there’s a big climb. The run is around residential homes and not as scenic. The post race was just some bananas and oranges. I don’t think I will do this race again because the altitude made everything so much harder and I didn’t like swimming in the lake.
