If you asked people in Morro Bay what they thought of the Ironman Triathlon last May, you’d hear good things from some, while others would say it was bad for business and residents. Now, the city has some ideas to improve the event for next year.
“We were all empty. It was one of our worst, especially for a Saturday, worst day of business,” said Francine Esposito, Hwy 41 Antique Emporium owner.
The City of Morro Bay welcomed 2,000 athletes and 6,500 spectators for the first Ironman Triathlon this past May. The event resulted in several road closures in and around the city.
Francine Esposito, who owns Hwy 41 Antique Emporium, was not happy that the road closures affected her business.
“If you’re blocking the highways and people can’t get off the highways or get on the highways and they’re made to bypass this side of town and that side of town, and it went all the way to almost Cayucos. You had people directing traffic and they would not let people get off any of the exits. That was the main problem,” Esposito said.
But Tony Carignan, who owns Daisy’s Organic Coffee and Tea along the Embarcadero, says not only was it his first day of business but it also was his busiest day yet.
“We were slammed. It was a great day. One of the busiest days that we’ve had since we opened. The starting line was right in front of our coffee shop and the turnaround point for the swimmers was right here in front of the coffee shop as well. It was really busy, this whole area, it was nonstop,” Carignan said.
On Wednesday, the city council received a staff report that included several recommendations for improving future Ironman events. One of those recommendations, which the city council has already approved, will move the triathlon to Sunday instead of Saturday so businesses can get the most out of the increase in visitors over the whole weekend.
Other recommendations include the more efficient clearing of roadways after each race section, improving equipment pick up after race day, increasing notifications to residents as early as March and increasing volunteers for the event.
“We love the events. We love having people and tourists visit. That’s our bread and butter and we welcome everything. But they have to do it without changing the main flavor and availability of the businesses into the town,” Esposito said.
The City of Morro Bay will host two more Ironman triathlons on Sunday, May 19 of next year and Sunday, May 18 in 2025 which is under their current contract.
