Triathlon to affect Wilmington traffic Saturday

IRONMAN 70.3 North Carolina is looking at great racing weather -- a rare occurrence in recent years -- for its event this Saturday around Southeastern North Carolina.

A full race will affect traffic in different parts of Wilmington in the morning and afternoon.

Competitors start the day at 7 a.m. in Wrightsville Beach with a 1.2-mile swim that ends at Seapath Marina. They will cross over Causeway Drive to Wrightsville Beach Park and get their bicycles for the ride portion. That 56-mile course goes out Eastwood Road to Martin Luther King Boulevard to US 421 North before turning around near Currie in Pender County and returning to the city via the Isabel Holmes Bridge.

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Traffic control will begin at 6 a.m., and traffic patterns will return to normal as the last bike passes each checkpoint. All intersections of westbound Eastwood Road and westbound MLK Boulevard, except Market Street and College Road, will be closed in this period.

Cyclists and cars will be sharing the roadway, with dedicated lanes for both.

Athletes will transition to the run in north Wilmington. The run course of 13.1 miles will go along Front Street to Greenfield Street, most of the way around Greenfield Lake before returning the same way.

Several roads in the city will be closed, and other intersections delayed as runners cross. Expect closures and delays through 4:30 p.m.

-- Southbound Front Street between Third and Greenfield streets.

-- Brunswick Street between Front and Nutt streets.

-- Red Cross Street between Front and Water streets.

-- Nutt Street between Brunswick and the Convention Center parking deck.

-- Greenfield Street between Front and Fifth streets.

-- US 76 to US 421 North. Traffic will be detoured to the second exit ramp eastbound off the Memorial Bridge, then back onto the ramp and over to 421.

-- The inner lane of Lake Shore Drive, from Fifth Street to Amphitheater Drive. All vehicle traffic will travel counterclockwise around Greenfield Lake. No left turns will be allowed at intersections at the lake.

All major intersections will be controlled by law enforcement. For more information and maps, go to Ironman.com/northcarolina70.3 under the "Spectators" tab.