Sea to Summit

 

Sea to Summit is not your traditional triathlon. This is an amazing day: combining the elements of a long-distance triathlon with the challenges of an adventure race. This largely self-supported event consists of a 1.2-mile swim, a 95-mile bike ride, and a strenuous 5.5-mile run/climb up the tallest mountain in the Northeast U.S. The 2025 race starts at 5:30 am, Saturday July 26 in the coastal village of South Berwick, Maine and ends atop Mt. Washington within the White Mountains of New Hampshire. You'll be ready for that post-race dinner!

We must place strict qualification restrictions to be sure all athletes finish safely during daylight.

For age group athletes, required is the completion of either:

   -  a 140.6 (“Ironman”) triathlon in 13:49 or less 

  -  or a 70.3 distance triathlon in 5:59 or less

Additionally, all age-group athletes must have ranked in the top 60% of their age group in their qualifying race. Your qualifying race must have been held after Jan. 1, 2019. Athletes who qualified for the Ironman World Championships (140.6 or 70.3) during the same period are accepted no matter their finish rank at those races.

For long triathlons of slightly different distances, calculate your finishing time against these standards. 

The race directors may allow entries for athletes who have completed other recent races of similar difficulty if they are convinced the athlete likely has excellent swim proficiency as well as the ability to reach the checkpoints before the cut-off times (see below).

Athletes must be 18 years of age or older.

Each competitor must designate a support person (porter) who is in good health and will be present throughout the race including; packet pickup, at the race start, drive the course (although not behind or alongside the athlete) to the base of Mt. Washington, take away his/her racer’s bike at T2, meet the athlete at the top of the mountain (accessible by toll road) and chauffeur the athlete away from the post-race party. This is an absolutely mandatory requirement.

Each competitor and support person must attend the virtual pre-race meeting early in race week. Additional questions can be addressed at packet pick-up at the Spring Hill Recreation Center, South Berwick, Maine on Friday, July 25 from 4 to 6 pm. There is no day-of-race packet pick-up. The porter will, like the racer, receive a race shirt, bike bottle and entry to the post-race party and dinner.

Two-person or three-person teams allowed, however there will be only one award category for relay teams. All team members receive T-shirt, swag bag, finisher’s medal and a ticket to the after-party.

The designated swimmer for the relay team needs to have completed either…

- an Ironman-distance swim in 1:29 or less
- a 70.3-distance swim in :44 or less
- an Olympic (1.5k, 0.9 miles) distance swim in :34 or less
Completed after Jan 1, 2019

The designated cyclist needs to have completed either…

- the bike leg of a 140.6 (“Ironman”) triathlon in 7:29 or less
- the bike leg of a 70.3 distance triathlon in 3:29 or less
- a results-published century ride in less than 6:19
Completed after Jan 1, 2019

The designated runner needs to have completed either…

- a marathon in 4:45 or less
- a half-marathon in 2:15 or less
Completed after Jan 1, 2019

Contact the race director regarding accomplishments at other, less traditional endurance events.

During the race, one non-active team member will serve as the designated porter. All team members must be present at packet pickup and the event’s start and finish.

125 athletes. Please note the event has sold out quickly in past years.

This is an adventure triathlon and — for most competitors — a personal journey. While the race organization does provide lifeguards support meeting USAT standards, as well as professional mountaineering guides stationed at various points on Mt. Washington, in addition to medical staff, you and your porter/support crew are largely responsible for your well-being during the race. You must follow all rules of the road and have done the pre-race planning so as to not get lost!

Please note: water temperature for the swim segment is expected to be slightly below or slightly above USA Triathlon's wetsuit-allowable limit of 78 degrees. If the temperature is above 78, athletes who wear wetsuits will not be eligible for age group awards.

With a 5:30 am start, all athletes must finish the swim by 6:30 to be allowed to continue as an official racer. Other cut-offs: conclusion of bike at Wild Cat Ski Lodge: 1 pm; arrival at Hermit Lake mid-mountain: 2:30pm; arrival at summit: 4:30pm. Under no circumstances will the athlete be allowed to proceed as an official racer if they miss a cutoff time. Should they proceed, they will be considered to have left the event, with no further assumption of responsibility by the event organizers. All vehicles are ordered off the mountain by toll road staff at 6 pm, and it’s a long walk down.

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