Triathlon weekend: Expect delays, temporary road closures

St. Anthony’s Triathlon weekend is upon us, and although the sun-and-fun event is all about motion, residents should remember that there’ll be plenty of stopping, too. Not for the triathletes, but for vehicular traffic: There’ll be numerous temporary downtown road closures Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Approximately 3,500 athletes are participating in the 35^th annual triathlon, a fiercely competitive affair that combines running, swimming (in open water) and biking. They come from the far corners of the globe to vie for cash prizes up to $10,000 – and bragging rights.

It’s a 1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run, and triathletes take it very, very seriously.

Of course, it’s good for the local economy as well – all those competitors and their families have to stay somewhere, and eat in St. Pete restaurants.

Triathlon manager Susan Daniels hopes everyone will take that into consideration. “We are grateful for the patience of residents who live near our course,” Daniels said in a statement.

“While we understand that the annual weekend race may be a temporary inconvenience, we hope that local residents will come out and support the athletes as they make their way along the course.”

If you can’t do that, triathlon officials say, you might want to plan on alternate routes if you live in the bayshore area.

The Meek & Mighty race, which includes children as young as 7, starts at approximately 7 a.m. Saturday at North Shore Pool.

The St. Anthony’s Triathlon itself takes place Sunday, in the vicinity of North Shore Park, 1201 North Shore Drive NE. Official start time is 6:50 a.m.; things should begin returning to normal by 9.

All details on the triathlons, including Friday night’s kickoff concert in Vinoy Park, and the weekend-long Fitness Expo in Straub Park, are available here.

Here’s the official rundown on the temporary street closures:

• Brightwaters Boulevard, which will be closed between Snell Isle Boulevard and the turnaround in the 1900 block of Brightwaters
• Bayshore Drive, which will be closed between Seventh Avenue North and Fifth Avenue South
• North Shore Drive NE and Coffee Pot Boulevard, which will be closed between Seventh and 22nd Avenues North
• Fifth Avenue South (Dali Boulevard), which will be closed from First to Fourth Streets
• Pinellas Point Drive, will be closed (drivers will be allowed to cross when safe to do so)

Some roads that will be subject to intermittent closures and delays include:

• First Avenue South between 28th and First streets South
• Fourth Street South between 18th Avenue S and Pinellas Point Drive
• Portions of First, Third, Fourth and Sixth Streets South between First Avenue South and Pinellas Point Drive
• Snell Isle Bridge, will have limited vehicle traffic allowed