Portions of Venice, Olympic boulevards to close for triathlon Sunday

“Rolling” street closures for Sunday’s 14th annual Herbalife Triathlon will pose challenges for motorists trying to navigate between Venice Beach and L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.

As amateur and professional athletes from 17 countries swim, bike and run in the triathlon, drivers in Venice, Mid-City and Koreatown will be forced to use freeways to bypass closed streets.

Westsiders are urged to take the 405 Freeway to get around the closure of Venice Boulevard from Pacific Avenue to Fairfax Avenue.

Drivers affected by the closure of Olympic Boulevard from Fairfax Avenue to Figueroa Street are advised to take the 10 Freeway to the 405 or to downtown ramps to go north or south.

Downtown drivers should use 1st Street or 12th Street to avoid closures.

The course’s cycling and running portions have been divided into three sectors, with streets closing and opening in waves as the competitors move from Venice toward downtown.

Closures will begin in Venice at 6:30 a.m., where streets are expected to be reopened about 9:30 a.m.

Venice Boulevard is expected to be reopened at Robertson Boulevard by about 10 a.m.

Olympic will be closed at Fairfax at 6:45 a.m. It is expected to be reopened in Koreatown about 11 a.m.

Downtown closures will begin at 6:30 a.m., with most streets reopening about 1 p.m.

As drivers fume behind the wheel, they might consider the economic benefits to the city. Race spokeswoman Jan Fambro said 250,000 people come to Los Angeles for the event. In all, she said, the total economic benefit of the race over the last 13 years, including hotel stays of visitors, has been more than $96 million. Also over the years, more than $15 million has been raised for charity, she said.

Organizers expect about 2,500 participants, including athletes from Indonesia, Ecuador, Brazil, Croatia and the Czech Republic.

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Twitter: @MarthaGroves

martha.groves@latimes.com