Fort Pond is regularly tested for blue green algae. We have been working on an alternative plan if we were to have an algae issue this year. We are working with Concerned Citizens of Montauk who partners with Stonybrook University to test the water weekly and if needed daily leading up to the race.
The back up plan is as follows: The swim will begin at Navy Beach which is 2 miles from Fort Pond. We will have 2 transition areas...the original one at Fort Pond and one at Navy Beach. We will have the swim at Navy Beach. Athletes can either ride their bikes to Navy Beach or they can drop off their bikes and items at the Navy Beach Transition Area and then park in town near the race site and then we will have a shuttle to take you to the swim start. There is limited parking at Navy Beach.
After the swim, athletes will ride on the same bike course as planned, you would just be turning onto Edgemere from Industrial rather than onto Edgemere from from the main transition area. You are turning onto the bike course at the .7 mile mark from the original course, but you will be riding 1.7 miles to get there, so all bike courses will be 1 mile longer. After you bike, you will go to the second main transition area where you will have your running gear and continue on the same run course as originally planned. We will then have all your items back at the main transition area for you when you finish the race.
We cannot predict the weather, but with the cooler weather the blue-green algae levels decrease. Last year we had high temperatures leading up to race week which increased the growth of the bloom.
Here is a map of where the swim would take place if we needed to move the location.
