Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Participant Guide
11 Rules
not to break
Plus
Dan Carroll: Race Director a.k.a Digits Jack Murray: Asst. Race Director a.k.a. The Godfather
Stacy Keese: She makes us look good Drew Wolff: Bike Course Mastermind Jocko Murray: Site Manager & Chief of Security Christine Graves: Expo & Registration Sweetheart Megan Ziemer: Design Goddess Brad Miller: Event Ranch Hand Mark Lindsay: Event Craftsman Dawn Cox: The Kerrville/CC Volunteer Connection Stacy Farrugia: Volunteer Home Slice Jen Nieman: Shes got the 411 Tim Stansbury: Bike Course Grease Monkey Richelle Criswell: Old School Rookie Nick Seidel: Transition Area Boomhauer John Chung: This is the Run Course Logan Delaware: The Big Mouth Mark Berthiaume: Run Course Wisdom Doug Gillenwater: Greatest Volunteer on the Planet James Thomas: Mr. USAT License James Ballentine: Chief Bike Mechanic Kathy Murray & Cindy Keese: Staff Wellness Kirk Blanchard: Lets talk sponsorship! Jack & Adams Bicycles Staff: The Blue Crew
For more info, please visit: www.TheRookieTri.com Comments & suggestions: info@HighFiveEvents.com
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Contents
6 7 7 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 Event Schedule How to Wear a Chip Free Workouts Awards & Amenities Venue Information Upcoming Events Rules & Penalties My First Tri General Advice Equipment Check Maps
SCHEDULE Schedule
Transition Area Open Out of Town Packet Pickup at Walter E. Long Park Transition Area Closed Mandatory Pre Race Meeting Rookie Triathlon Start Awards Presentation
Please wear the swim cap provided in your race packet.
Wave Starts
8:00AM 8:04AM 8:08AM 8:12AM 8:16AM 8:20AM 8:24AM 8:28AM 8:30AM 8:32AM 8:36AM 8:40AM 8:44AM 8:48AM 8:52AM
Open Wave Veterans - Men 29 & Under Veterans - Men 30-39 Veterans - Men 40-49 Veterans - Men 50 & Over Veterans - Women 29 & Under Veterans - Women 30-39 Veterans - Women 40 & Over Relays Rookies Men 29 & Under Rookies Men 30-39 Rookies Men 40 & Over Rookies Women 29 & Under Rookies Women 30-39 Rookies Women 40 & Over
Red Flo. Green White Yellow Silver Royal Yellow Pink Purple Red Royal Silver Pink Flo. Green Purple
Relay Information
The exchange point for each leg of the relay will be at the bike rack. After the swim, the cyclist may remove the bike from the bike rack once the swimmer has arrived and the rack spot and the timing chip has been exchanged. The runner may start the run from the rack spot once the cyclist has returned and racked the bike. Each relay team member shall have an R marked on their left calf.
6 | The Rookie Tri
Bib Number
Latex Swim Cap Please wear the cap provided; it corresponds to your swim wave and serves as part of the event safety plan.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Reusable Bag
Timing Chip & Strap Chip is attached to velcro ankle strap & secured to your ankle at all times during the tri.
Safety Pins (not included in bag) May be used to secure your race number onto your shirt. They can be picked up at packet pickup.
Wristband Gets you into transition & is used to get food & beer at the after party. Yellow is for those over 21 Red is for under 21.
Venue Information
Parking is available at Walter E. Long Park for everyone arriving before 7:30 AM. Decker Lake Rd will close at 7:30 AM and there is no parking available onsite for any vehicles arriving after 7:30 AM. There is first come first serve parking along Blue Bluff Rd. south of the park if you arrive late. Spots are very limited.
THE
ROOKIE
TRIATHLON
Decker Lake Rd. and Hog Eye Rd. will be closed from 7:30 AM to 1 PM
Spectators are welcome to roam the site and cheer on their friends and family members. There are very few places that spectators will not be allowed. Please do not challenge volunteers or jump fences. The volunteers are there to help ensure the safety of the athletes. Spectators are not allowed into the transition area. Spectators are welcome to help themselves to water and PureSport from any of the coolers. Some of our partners will also be giving away free samples. Official race food and drink is for the athletes and volunteers only.
10 | The Rookie Tri
Spectator Information
Sustainable Events
It is a goal for each event that we leave the venue in a better condition than when we arrived. We recycle 90% of our waste, use green toilets, & this year our custom souvenir water bottles are biodegradable.
SwiM yeAr-rounD!
AT JCC AUSTIN
MASterS SwiM
Coach Andrea Fisher is a former national record holder, All American, NCAA Division 1 individual and team national champion, and USA National Swim Team member with over 25 years coaching experience. Together with Assistant Coach Angie Balentine, she provides a fully rounded swim program that guarantees success! 14 practice options are offered weekly, with workouts six days a week, including morning, lunch and evening sessions. The Aquatics program at the Jewish Community Center has something for everyone. Our heated, 25-yard, eightlane swimming pool is the ideal spot to beat the heat during the summer and keep in shape during the winter. for more details, pricing and registration information, visit www.shalomaustin.org/aquatics or contact Lacey Deal, Aquatics Director, at (512)735-8216 or lacey.deal@shalomaustin.org.
Want to improve your freestyle stroke and become more comfortable during swim workouts in a Masters Swim setting? Over two 90-minute sessions on consecutive Sundays, these clinics will cover stroke mechanics, equipment usage, swim drills, proper late etiquette and usage of the clock.
These swim meets are complete with blocks and timing for adults who want to compete. Choose whichever events youre interested in from a typical lineup that includes 50 free, fly, back and breast; 100 free, fly, back and breast; 100 and 200 M; 200 free and 500 free.
Upcoming Events
Theres nothing like the camaraderie and support of a womens only event. Swim, bike and run next to your peers and accomplish something wonderful together. This one-of-a-kind Texas Ski Ranch course is perfect for beginners and seasoned athletes alike. All participants receive a personalized race bib, custom finisher necklace, womens cut tech shirts, reusable event bag and custom water bottle. Not to mention the after party, stocked with food, beer, complimentary massages and more.
www.SkeeseGreetsTri.com
www.CouplesTri.com
www.JacksGenericTri.com
12 | The Rookie Tri
Upcoming Events
Imagine a world class triathlon held in the front yard of one of the most active and outgoing cities in the US. Imagine a large event with the atmosphere and intimacy of a small hometown race. Imagine biking down the most historic street in Texas. Imagine the fun. TriRock Austin brings many of the features youve only dreamed of having at an event: a $5000 prize purse that pros and age groupers are eligible to win, live music on the bike and run course, and at the finish line, free post race massage and ART, with over 20 therapists, free post race food, drink, beer, and treats, technical clothing & hats free in your packet. A multi-sport expo with over 30 vendors, with interactive games and prizes. An incredibly spectator friendly course. A challenging urban race course completely closed to traffic. Plus a finish line party you wont want to end!
www.TheAustinTri.com
For a complete list of USAT rules, please refer to the most up to date version at: usatriathlon.org/events/rules.aspx
Blocking--riding on the left side of the lane without passing anyone and interfering with other cyclists attempting to pass. Overtaken--once passed, you must immediately exit the draft zone from the rear, before attempting to pass again. Penalty: Variable time penalty
must be buckled at all times when on a bicycle. DO NOT unbuckle your chin strap unless you are off your bicycle. Penalty: Disqualification on the course; Variabletimepenaltyintransitionareaonly.
quired to follow the prescribed course and to stay within all coned lanes. Cutting the course is an obvious violation and going outside the course is a safety issue. Cyclists shall not cross a solid yellow center line for ANY reason. Cyclists must obey all applicable traffic laws at all times. Penalty: Referees discretion
sistanceotherthanthatofferedbyraceand medical officials may be used. Triathlons andduathlonsareindividualtestsoffitness. Penalty: Variable time penalty ment must be placed in the properly designated and individually assigned bike corral. The wheel of the bicycle must be down on the side of the assigned space. All participants must return their bicycles to an upright position in their designated bicycle corral. No person shall interfere with another participants equipment or impede the progress of another participant. All bar ends must be solidly plugged. No participant shall bring ANY glass containers into the transition area. Penalty: Variable time penalty
8. Headphones
Headphones, headsets, walkmans, iPods, mp3 players, or personal audio devices, etc. are not to be carried or worn at any time during the race. Penalty: Variable time penalty
lengths of clear space between you and the cyclist in front. If you move into the zone, you must pass within 15 seconds. Position--keep to the right hand side
14 | The Rookie Tri
equipment and belongings taken out onto the course must stay on the athlete the entire time. No garbage, clothing, etc. shall be thrown on the course. Penalty: Variable time penalty Continued on next page...
10.
Race numbers: All athletes are required to wear race numbers at all times during the run. Numbers must face the front and be clearly visible at all times. Numbers may not be cut or folded or altered in any way. DO NOT transfer your number to any other athlete or take a number from an athlete that is not competing.
Penalty: Variable time penalty for missing or altered number. Disqualification and one year suspension from membership in USAT for transferring a number without race director permission.
11. Wetsuits:
Each age group participant shall be permitted to wear a wetsuit without penalty in any event sanctioned by USA Triathlon up to and including a water temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water temperature is greater than 78 degrees but less than 84 degrees Fahrenheit, age group participants may wear a wetsuit at their own discretion, provided, however that participants who wears a wetsuit within such temperature range shall not be eligible for prizes or awards. Above 84 degrees, wetsuits are prohibited.
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My First Tri
by Jack Murray,
Owner of Jack & Adams Bicycles
Almost every day customers visit our shop seeking advice on participating in their first triathlon. When I have the opportunity to help someone in this situation, I share with them the story of my first tri in hopes of helping them feel more comfortable about their endeavor. It was the summer of 1994. The event was the Victoria Splash & Dash in Victoria, Texas. I had trained for a few weeks and was sure I was in peak condition for an easy victory. I was, after all, fresh off a 1600 meter run victory and bronze in the 3200 at the Texas State Championship Relays. How hard could a little tri be? I thought I knew all there was to know about swimming, biking, and running. Turns out - I knew nothing! The morning started with me loading my bike into the trunk of my mom's car and driving with her and my sister to the event one hour away. I arrived around 6 AM for an 8 AM start. This was before on-line registration, so I registered for the event that morning and picked up my packet. As people started to arrive, I noticed the differences between my rusty old mountain bike and some of their $2000 race machines. My confidence, however, was not crushed; I was still sure I could win. After racking my bike, I headed over to the pool area where everyone was warming up. As I got closer, I noticed everyone was wearing tight swimsuits and goggles. I was sure, however, that my baggy Umbro "soccer shorts" and lack of goggles was the best way to go. My plan was simple - go as fast as I could for as long as I could. They were letting swimmers go every 5 seconds and we had to snake up and down the pool for a total of 300 meters. I patiently waited in line until 5,4,3,2,1 go, I was off. I swam as fast as I could to the other side and then back again. 50 meters down 250 to go. By 150 my arms started to hurt and my eyes were stinging from the chlorine. By 200 I was kicking off the bottom every few strokes and swimming with my eyes closed, by 250 I was just trying to get out of the water alive, and without my shorts falling off. After the swim, I was sure I was still in good position to hold my own on the bike. I grab my bike out of transition and head out on to the 12 mile course. As I start to ride I realize I am not catching anyone. The rusty, old mountain bike that I borrowed from my high school track coach was not the stallion I thought it was. Riding around the block a few times for training was probably not the riding that all these people were doing. The fact that my 16 | The Rookie Tri
ride I was being passed by a 10 year old girl and her mom; it was then that I started to feel my big victory slipping away. Still I was determined to blaze through transition and light up the run. Transition to the run was probably my most memorable moment. As I speed to the transition area, volunteers are yelling at me to dismount my bike. As I go to lift my feet off the pedals, I forget that they are hooked in by cages. The combination of speed and my feet getting caught was enough to send me crashing like a bowling ball into a bike rack with about 6 bikes on it. The volunteers quickly help me up and as I throw my bike in the grass next to a picnic table (the rack was down), I remember thinking how much fun I was having. The whole day was something I had never experienced before. It took about a mile into the run before I got my legs out of bike riding mode. I had no idea how riding a bike would effect legs on the run. As I rounded the final stretch I saw all these happy people cheering for me, eating, drinking, and just having a good time. I talked to people for about an hour. I met a guy my age that had been doing triathlons for years. I met some members of the Corpus Christi tri club and was invited to their next meeting. I signed up for their monthly newsletter. In short - I was hooked. It was nothing I thought it would be. It was fun and I discovered a whole different type of people that did not exist in my 5000 person hometown. Through the years of collegiate running, duathlons, sprint tri's, half Ironman events, Ironman events, and working in the shop, my first tri memory will forever help me keep our sport in perspective. It is not about where you finish, what type of bike you have, what you do for a living, where you are from or where you are going. It is about having fun and that is it. You can have many goals in our sport without forgetting this key element. I am constantly reminded of this by some of the greatest in the sport like Michael Lovato and James Bonney. If you ask either of them why they have dedicated and built their lives around this sport, they will tell you the same.
REAL ESTATE
(You should.)
AGENT?
OYSTERTHERACE.COM
Camp Kesem
General Advice
Here is a logical progression that you may want to go through when you get to the race site:
Now that your bike is racked and you have your Give yourself an hour, even more if stuff from registration, and you can, so that you won't be rushed. if you arrived early enough, you should have plenty of time to get ready to race. If you did not pick up your packet beforehand, make sure you leave reg- Heres what to do next:
istration with: Race Number and pins, Swim Cap provided by race, bike First off, you need to do someframe number, and helmet number. thing with that race number. You have to finish the race with the numYou will need to get Body Marked. ber on the front of your body, so you Make sure you pick up your Timing can either use the pins you were Chip and Velcro strap that gets worn given to pin it to the shirt youll around the ankle. You may choose wear during the race, or you can use to pick up your timing chip after you a number belt if you have one. The number must be worn during the run. have racked your bike.
4 Afterwith you to the take your bike 2 Next, organize your gear next to body marking and gear transition area your bike. Its a good idea to have a
(the big fenced in area with the bike racks) and claim a spot of real estate for yourself. There's nothing worse than arriving with plenty of time to spare, but forgetting to rack your bike FIRST, and then ending up with little or no room to lay out your gear. You can 'rack' your bike by either hooking the seat over the top rail of the bike rack or by hooking the handlebars/ brake levers over the top rail. The choice is yours - whichever works better for you. Take a look around to see what others are doing, and then follow suit. Once your bike is racked, you can drop your gear next to it - there should be time to lay it out neatly later. You can pump your tires up beforehand, or in the transition area - the choice is up to you. Please be considerate towards your fellow participants and do not hog space in the transition area. There should be enough room for at least 6 bicycles on each rack.
towel on the ground to lie out your stuff. Make sure you have your bike shoes and running shoes laid out in the open with the laces open so they are easy to get into. Have your helmet either on the ground near your shoes or on your handlebars, with the strap undone so its easy to put on. A good idea is to have your helmet sitting upside-down with your sunglasses in the helmet. That way, you put on your sunglasses and then follow that with the helmet and its hard to forget either. Next to or underneath your running shoes you may want to place a hat for the run because the sun can get pretty hot by the end of the race. Make sure you have your water bottle(s) filled before the race as well. Continued on next page...
3 now soshould beuse any spare time 6 The best advice for any new triYou pretty organized by you can to familiarize yourself with the flow athlete is to get to the swim start early
of traffic once the race starts. Figure out where the swim finishes and where youll have to run to get your bike. Locate a fixed landmark (garbage cans may get moved) or count the number of bike racks to your bike, so that you dont get lost looking for your bike. Its like looking for a needle in a haystack if you dont have some idea where to start.
4 transition atswim,end and leave at After the you will enter the one
the other. When you return you reverse things. That is, the bike starts and finishes at the same side of the transition area, and the run goes out where the swim came in.
and do a good warm-up in the water. The swim is often the most daunting part of a triathlon and open water swimming is different than pool swimming. When you can't see the bottom and there are no lane ropes people often freak out a bit and then they have trouble swimming. Factor in any trouble navigating and you've got a long swim on your hands. Take some time to get comfortable in the water and with the fact that you can't see as well. Practice sighting the buoys so that you won't get lost. The more time you spend getting comfortable, the less time you'll spend panicking.
5warm-up run of the start do thewalk It's also a good idea to a or of run
course and finish. That way you won't get lost starting the run and you'll have some good landmarks as you near the finish line. It's always nice to know when you are nearing the finish
If you are a weak swimmer or a beginner, please stay to the back of the pack. This not only keeps you from getting clobbered, but it also helps those stronger swimmers get out of your way faster. One more point about the swim. You may see people at the race with wetsuits. You don't need to have a wetsuit to race, so don't worry if you dont have one. We will take the water temperature on race morning and let you know if wetsuits are legal. Check the USAT rule in this guide for more info. 1919 The Rookie Tri | | The Rookie Tri
Have a system that you can use at all races.It is recommended that you start with the equipment that you will use first in the race and work through to the equipment that you will use last.
1 2 3 4 5
Check your goggles, check that the strap and nose bridge are not going to break on the start line or during the swim, check that the seals have not perished. If the lens is scratched consider a new pair for racing and keep the old pair for the pool. Check your wetsuit for potential tears, check the seams are not frayed and likely to split, if so get it fixed in enough time. Also look for holes and cuts, these can be glued and stitched to prevent water entering the suit and to make the suit streamlined. Check Your Bike. There is a lot to check here so if you don't know what to do, get down to your local bike store (and try to learn). Nothing is worse than athletes arriving at the pre race inspection needing a new frame or another wheel for safety. Check your helmet, the plastic shell needs to be firmly affixed to the foam and the strap should not be frayed and needs to fit firmly. Check that there are no cracks or dents as these will likely not pass in a pre race check. Check your running shoes. Look to see that they are not worn out of alignment or that the midsole is crushed. Also check that the elastic laces or the laces and toggles are working well. Check that they are washed clean and dry.
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Maps
Swim Finish
Swim Start
Transition Area
THE ROOKIE
BIKE COURSE
Distance: 11.2 miles Terrain: Rolling hills. Course: Right on Hog Eye Rd. Right on Decker Lake Rd. Right on FM 3177 Right on Lindell Ln. Right on Blue Bluff Rd Left on Bloor Rd Right on Hwy 130 Access Rd. Right on FM 973 Right on Decker Lake Rd. Right on Blue Bluff Rd.
Maps
Transition Area
Aid stations will be stocked with water and sport drinks. There will be an aid station at the entrance to the Transition Area that may be used before the swim, and before and after the bike. There will not be any aid stations on the bike course. There will be at least 2 aid stations on the run course. It is against USA Triathlon rules to discard trash at any point on the course besides an aid station.
$94
Felt Z100
Lazer Helmet
LG Ventalator Shoe
Bottle Cage
Race Belt
Easy Laces