Any tips for running/walking/plowing through the sand on your way back to the transition area after the swim? I'm usually in the third wave, and the sand between the water and the transition area is pretty soft and churned up after the first two waves (and all the spectators) have made their way through.

No magic. Start stripping off your wetsuit if you are wearing one.

Darn it, I want magic! No wetsuit, so that makes it a lot easier. I guess the question is do you try to run through the soft sand, walk it, or waste precious second trying to find a harder-packed route? In this race (a sprint), there is always about 20 yards of soft sand at the end of the swim before the chip mats, so the trudging-through-the-sand counts as part of the swim time and not T1.

Oh, you want magic: hmm, well I'm not using my magic carpet that day, want to borrow it? :) Best you can do is just plow through it as quickly as you can. Rember, everyone doing this triathlon has to deal with the same issue.

Get used to it by practising it. Hit the beach a few times for some sprint workouts. It will seem easier when you have to do it for real.

Get used to it by practising it. Hit the beach a few times for some sprint workouts. It will seem easier when you have to do it for real.

EXACTLY!!
Same goes for all the other awkward proceedures. I have practiced; running into the water, running out of water, riding while wet, changing shoes, and running in cycling shoes (150 ft or so).
All of it stuff you'll be faced with eventually - might as well be somewhat used to the feel of it.