Ironman Schedule and Traffic Pattern

The Foster Grant Ironman 70.3 World Championship is Saturday, with 1800 competitors traversing Clearwater, Largo, Safety Harbor and East Lake.

The race will begin and end at Pier 60, beginning at 6:45 am and lasting about 7.5 hours. There will be a 1.2 mile swim on Clearwater Beach followed by a 56 mile bike course on the Memorial Causeway Bridge, Drew St, Countryside Blvd, McMullen-Booth Rd, East Lake Rd, Bayside Bridge, Roosevelt Blvd, Belcher Rd and Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. It will be capped off with a 13.1 mile run through Clearwater Beach, downtown Clearwater, and Harbor Oaks.

The swim can be watched from Pier 60, and the bike and run can be best veiwed from the courthouse and the causeway. Parking in downtown Clearwater is recommended, there will be shuttles available for spectators.

Police will be present to help drivers at traffic signals along the route. At intersections without signals, bikes have the right of way on the course.

Starting 3 a.m. Saturday, drivers won't be permitted south of the Clearwater Beach roundabout. People needing access to and from the south Clearwater Beach will need to use the Belleair Causeway. There will also be delays at the following intersections, most will be blocked during the race.

• Coronado Dr at the roundabout, 3 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• MLK Jr. Ave and Court St, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Drew St and Keene Rd, 7:15 to 9:30 a.m.

• Drew St and Belcher Rd, 7:15 to 10 a.m.

• Countryside Blvd and SR 580, 7:15 to 9:45 a.m.

• McMullen-Booth and Curlew roads, 7:30 to 11:15 a.m.

• McMullen-Booth and Keystone roads, 8 to 11 a.m.

• McMullen-Booth and Enterprise roads, 8:15 to 11:30 a.m.

• McMullen-Booth Rd and Drew St, 8:30 to 11:45 a.m.

• McMullen-Booth Rd and Roosevelt Blvd, 8:30 a.m. to noon.

• East Bay Dr and Belcher Rd, 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

• Belcher and Belleair roads, 8:45 to 12:15 p.m.

• Belcher Rd and Gulf-to-Bay Blvd, 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• Gulf-to-Bay Blvd to Clearwater Beach, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• Medians along East Lake Rd between Tampa Rd and Trinity Blvd will be closed.

Triathalon Cancelled

The Morton Plant Mease triathalon scheduled for this morning has been cancelled due to weather. Participants will be emailed details about rescheduling.

Morton Plant Mease Triathalon

The Morton Plant Mease Triathlon on July 13 will include a 1/3 mile open water swim in the Gulf, a 13-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run ending in Sand Key Park. The race begins at 7 a.m. at Sand Key Park. To register, visit www.mpmf.org/triathlon/home.asp. $4,000 will be divided among the top finishers. Everyone who finishes the race will receive custom medals and custom plaques will be awarded to the top five finishers in each category.

Triathalon Scheduled For September

The 2008 Sand Key Triathalon will be held on September 21. The event will kick off at Sand Key Park. The event includes a 1/3 mile swim, 11 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run through Clearwater Beach. Visit www.sandkeytriathalon for more information.