09/24/2026
IMPORTANT Coastal Traverse Status/Weather Update
We have been working hard throughout the week with course alterations and contingency plans to try to still deliver the Coastal Traverse this weekend. We continue to watch the weather closely, as there is still some uncertainty with how close or far the storm will track to our coast. What is certain, is that Saturday will be windy and likely at least somewhat wet, and there has been significant erosion on our Atlantic beaches already, which will continue to worsen the next two days.
With that in mind, as of right now we are still a go for the race, with several course modifications having been made that I will describe below:
1. The paddle section has been significantly changed to remove open water sections that would expose racers to strong winds and large waves. As a result, the new paddle is shorter, with a mix of mandatory and optional checkpoints. Estimated distance for mandatory CPs only is 2.6 miles, and full distance including optional CPs is now 5.8 miles. Additionally, there is no longer a portage section in the race.
2. The non-beach trekking section is essentially the same, with a slight bit more distance having been added due to the new location of the end of the paddle/TA 1.
3. The 5 mile beach trek has been removed from the course, due to the severe beach erosion and safety concerns of the Park managers. Our workaround we have come up with is that teams will be transported by vehicle around that section; with the time spent in transit recorded and awarded as a time credit to your finish time.
4. The bike section is at this point mostly unaffected, with only one checkpoint being removed (since it was literally gone when I checked on it this morning!! 😬)
These changes have removed the most significant wind-exposed areas of our original course, and will hopefully make for a safer and more enjoyable experience for all of you. We will still be keeping the course time at 12 hours, so with the shortened distance I am sure our faster teams will finish a comfortable bit under that time cap. For our newer and mid-pack teams, the shorter distance will give you more of a chance to experience more of the optional checkpoints.
**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:** We have not completely ruled out the possibility of having to reschedule or cancel the race. One of our primary park managers will be meeting tomorrow to evaluate our course changes and the latest weather forecast, and if they decide to not allow the event to proceed, we will have no choice but to cancel. I will likely not know this for certain until tomorrow, but the instant I hear something definitive I will both e-mail the participants and post it to our page. If the forecast worsens significantly overnight, then this could potentially cause a reschedule/cancel as well.
Thank you for your patience, and hopefully the weather will take a turn for the better and we will still get to have a great weekend of racing!!!
