Event Center 2008!

Once again, the start and finish will be at the fabulous Douglass Clubhouse and Playground, 26th St. & Douglass St., San Francisco, CA, 94114. This is a great central location but a bare-bones event center. The park, on the site of an old quarry, consists of a grassy field, a tennis court, some play equipment, and a small "clubhouse" with bathrooms. There is a drinking fountain but no high-volume spigot, so fill up on water before you come. Seating and table space is very limited. We suggest you bring a picnic blanket and possibly a large flat surface so you can do your course planning on the lawn.

You can leave stuff at the Clubhouse during the event. There will be signage behind the Clubhouse for 3 separate piles: 3-hour, 7-hour, and 16-hour. We will bring the 16-hour pile indoors. These piles of stuff will not receive constant supervision, so leave stuff at your own risk. We did not have any theft in years past.

Scroll down for info on how to get to Douglass Clubhouse and Playground.

San Francisco Course Details

Checkpoints have been distributed throughout the city of San Francisco and, in a reprise of our inaugural 2005 event, in southern Marin County. The Marin checkpoints are all in Sausalito and the Marin Headlands and comprise about 25-28% of the total available point value.

Please note that travel to Marin is optional. We have written a lot about Marin below, only because there are so many logistical details pertaining to Marin. There are plenty of checkpoints in San Francisco to keep most participants busy for many hours. Study the map and point values before deciding whether you will go to Marin, and remember that relying on ferries and buses introduces an additional element of uncertainty.

To get to and from Marin, you may take the Golden Gate Bridge or one of two available ferry services. You may also use Golden Gate Transit buses #10 and #80 SOUTHBOUND ONLY, and only as far as the toll plaza at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge. Ferries run until about 8pm. Buses run until about midnight. We will provide schedules. Participants pay their own fares on the ferry and buses.

The bridge officially closes to pedestrians between 9pm and 5am. The bridge is always open to bicycles, but cyclists must buzz to security to be let through between 9pm and 5am. There is no skating or skateboarding allowed on the bridge.

The checkpoints in the Marin Headlands are accessible by fire roads and trails. You may have to travel on foot up to 200m off-trail to get to some checkpoints. Neither the fire roads nor the trails can be ridden with a standardly-equipped road bike. Many of the trails are not open to bicycles. We have attempted to mark all of these on the map. Checkpoints have been located such that cyclists will not have to walk more than about 500m to visit any checkpoint. The rules allow cyclists to leave their bicycles at any time.

Should you wear bike shoes, road running shoes or trail running shoes? Use a road bike, a mountain bike, or some kind of hybrid? This is up to you to decide given the information here.

Golden Gate Park is closed between midnight and 5 a.m., but the main roads are open. All Golden Gate Park checkpoints are on or near the roads, so you can visit them at any time, but you may not travel off-road in the park during closing hours.

Some checkpoints may be located inside businesses which close early Saturday evening. As mentioned in the rules, all checkpoints with limited hours will be highlighted in yellow on your maps.

Duathlon Transition

Duathlon participants: bring your bikes and transition gear into the Clubhouse when you arrive (or any time before the start). If we are organized enough, you will see signs directing you where to put your stuff, depending on whether you are in the 16-hour or the 7-hour race. It's really tight in there so it's best if you can put your gear in a tub and label it with team name and race length (7hr/16hr), because it's going to be all jammed together with everyone else's transition stuff.

The 7-hour foot-to-bike transition takes place at 7:30 p.m., and the 16-hour takes place at midnight. Shortly before each transition we will try to bring the bikes outside and put them against the fence just outside the Clubhouse with someone to guard them, and also put your tubs and gear out near the bikes. If you don't see your bikes and gear against the fence when you return, ask a staff person to get them for you from the Clubhouse.

Refreshments will be available during your transition, including water, cookies, bagels, peanut butter, cream cheese, fruit, and soda pop. We will add something hot to the menu for the midnight transition.

The Clubhouse will be staffed at all times. It is a small room (about 15x20 feet) so we will always be close to your gear, and nobody other than event staff is supposed to be in there. However, we will not have anyone specifically guarding your gear, and the doors will be open a lot of the time, and the Clubhouse is in an urban park with lots of other users. So you may wish to put a lock on your bike to ensure that an aggressive thief can't ride off with it. In years past we had no problems at all with intruders or theft.

As stated in the event rules, you are allowed to come to the Clubhouse at any time, but you will not be allowed to leave on your bikes until your transition time. There is no penalty for transitioning late.

How to Get There

Public Transit

The following Muni lines may help you get to the event center. For more transit tips, visit 511 and check our Travel & Lodging link.

• 24 Divisadero – goes within two blocks of the event center and runs about every 10 minutes.
• 35 Eureka – goes within a block of the event center and runs about every 30 minutes. Ask the driver to let you off at 26th St.
• F Market & Wharves – a streetcar that will take you from Fisherman's Wharf and downtown to the Castro station at the SW end of Market Street, where you can catch the 24 or the 35. No bikes.

Driving Directions

From the south, take I-280 into San Francisco and take the San Jose Ave. exit. After about 1 mile, get in the left turn lane to bear left onto Dolores Street. Go 1/2 mile on Dolores. Turn left onto Clipper St., go 1/2 mile. When you reach Douglass St. you are just one block north of the Playground entrance; park where you can.

From the east, take the S.F./Oakland Bay Bridge and continue on 101 about 3 miles after the bridge. Take the C Chavez St. exit and go west about 1 mile. Turn right onto Dolores St. and then take your second left onto Clipper. Go 1/2 mile. When you reach Douglass St. you are just one block north of the Playground entrance; park where you can.

From the north, turn right onto Divisadero shortly after crossing the bridge. Go south 2 miles. Bear slightly left onto Castro St. and go another 1.5 miles. Park when you reach 26th St.; Douglass Playground is 2 blocks west. (This is derived from Mapquest; I have not actually driven this route.)

Parking

There is no parking lot; parking will be on the neighborhood streets. Parking will not be too hard to find, but expect to walk a few blocks. Parking is not allowed immediately in front of the park; we are reserving those spaces for other park users.