IRONMAN California

IRONMAN came to Sacramento, today. Thousands of elite athletes planned to swim 2.4 miles down the American and Sacramento Rivers, bicycle 112 miles and run 26.2 miles through Sacramento and along the American River Parkway.

The route was to pass much of the most beautiful landscape in California, but due to a torrential storm called a bomb cyclone, the race was cancelled and the elite athletes missed seeing these beautiful places.

Local color spotter Steve Arita shares some of what they missed.

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At Sacramento’s great Land Park, Steve was surprised to find how far along the fall colors were around the park’s pond. Its gracious trees were beautiful, which combined with interesting cloud formations for fun picture taking.

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Guy West Bridge at California State University Sacramento (Sac State to locals) is a mini version of the Golden Gate Bridge, but without the International Orange paint scheme. Trees along the banks of the American River are just starting (about 40%). However, on campus the trees are moving quickly to peak. 

Steve recommends including the American River Parkway next week as a place to see cottonwood and maple Near Peak.

At Hagen Park, a large neighborhood park in Rancho Cordova beside the American River Parkway, sections upriver were beautiful with red, gold and yellow along the banks. Steve even managed to capture an egret sunbathing with what little sunlight poked through the clouds.

All this changed as the bomb cyclone exploded over Northern California. In Sacramento, the city’s record for rainfall that had stood since 1880 (5.28 inches), fell as 5.44 inches of rain also fell.

The storm was so extreme that it likely stripped fall color from areas at Peak, but these scenes in Sacramento will endure, just like IRONMAN California’s athletes.

• American River Parkway (30′) – Patchy to Near Peak (10 – 75%) Go Now.