GENERAL
Q. Where is Campus Hills? A. CLICK HERE. Q. Who’s in charge here? A. Any one in a blue Revenge of the Doom shirt!
Q. How long will this take? A. Probably about two hours. Q. Where does it end? A. In the picnic shelter behind the Campus Hills Pool. Q. Where’s the best place to stand? A. You can get some really sweet photos from the observation deck over the pool. From that point it’s probably a good idea to hang around the Campus Hills parking lot. That’s where you will maximize your triathlete watching action. Q. Is this a real triathlon? A. Yes. Your triathlete will be completing a super sprint distance triathlon and is a real endurance athlete for considering this event. Q. What happens if someone gets hurt? A. A lifeguard will be present for the swim. If anyone, including yourself, is hurt or sick please call 911 without hesitation. Q. Where can non-participants get a t-shirt? A. They can join the next triathlon. Q. Will there be water available or should I bring some? A. Water will be available at T1/T2, the bike turn around and the finish for the athletes. It’s important to stay hydrated so you may want to bring more water. Please do not litter on the race course. Each water station will have a recycling bin. Spectators, please bring your own refreshments. Q. Did you get permits approved with the city? A. No. I mean....sure. As this is an unsupported event (no police, no road closings) it is not necessary. (Plus, it’s more grueling and doom-like if it’s guerilla style.) Q. What will the weather be like? A. I have no idea. It’s summer in North Carolina! Make sure to bring clothes that keep you comfortable. A sweatshirt at the finish line might not be a bad idea. Once you stop moving your body heat will start to drop. Q. Is there a rain date? A. The first event is in the pool so we’re already going to be wet. Barring natural disasters the race will continue in the rain. Q. What should I bring to the potluck? A. Bring a cooler or bring something stable. It won’t be hot but we don’t want everyone to get food poisoning after completing an endurance event. That would be gross. Beyond that, just bring something you like to eat for breakfast. Q. When does it start? A. You will need to be at Campus Hills by 7am.
PRE RACE
Q. I just got here. What do I do? A. You should check in with the volunteers at the table and pick up your race number. They will let you know what heat you will start with. Check in will end at 7:15am. If you aren’t checked in by then you can’t race! Q. I’m checked in. What should I be doing? A. You should be getting ready and setting up your transitions. Find one of the wooden posts on the transition area, or set up your bike on the sidewalk if you have a kick stand. Around your bike you should have a bag where you can drop your swim stuff, any clothes or shoes you need to change into, a towel to dry off after the swim (remember it may be chilly), a water bottle, your bike helmet, and anything else you’ll need for a smooth transition. Sometimes it helps to carry all of your stuff in a bucket so you can sit on the bucket while you change your shoes. Q. What is going to happen to all this stuff when I am at the post race brunch? A. Volunteers will be with your bike at all times during the race but you will need to lock up your bike after you finish. Q. What about race numbers? A. Please bring something to affix your race number to you and your bike. We will have duct tape available but you may want to use something else.
SWIM
Q. How long is the swim? A. Five out and back laps or 10 lengths of the pool. Q. Do I have to swim in a certain style? A. No. Q. Can I use a kick board? A. Yes. Q. When do I get in the pool? A. Volunteers will call your race number when you need to be on deck. When someone gets out of the pool you should immediately get in the lane. Time is very tight for this part of the race. Once in the lane you can get used to the water until a Volunteer comes over to start your time. Please let the Volunteers know if you need to be in a lane with a ladder or a ramp or have any other special needs. Two people will be in each lane unless you request something different. Q. When do I start? A. Start whenever you are ready. The volunteer will write down your time once you begin. Q. What happens when I get out of the pool? A. When you get out of the pool you will turn right and head out the door that the volunteer has opened for you. You will be in T1. Make sure to bring all of your belongings with you because you may not be allowed back in the pool area. Q. What should I wear? A. Since most of us are beginning triathletes there is no need to wear a tri suit. Most of us wore bathing suits with sports bras underneath for the first GToD. It’s not as bad as it sounds. If you have a tri suit you may wear it. Also, if you want to take some time to change in the locker room that’s fine too. Everyone has different goals for this race and everyone will have a different technique but just make sure you are comfortable and you’ve done a dry run with your clothes. Or a wet run...I guess...Chafing is not fun. T1 Q. What happens in transition 1? A. In T1 you can change clothes, put on your helmet and get ready for the bike portion. You can take as long as you need but the “clock” is running. Q. When can I get on my bike? A. You are not allowed on your bike in the transition area for crowd control reasons. No spectators are allowed in the transition area during the race. A volunteer will be reminding you when and when not to be in your bike. You can get on your bike once you hit the pavement.
BIKE
Q. Where is the bike route? A. Take a right out of the Campus Hills parking lot and bike down until you see the ATT on your right (about .5 mile). Follow the ATT down to Martin Luther King where volunteers will mark you so we know you made it all the way there. Then turn around and come back! Q. Is the course labeled? Will volunteers tell me when to turn? No and yes. The bike course is pretty simple so it is not labeled. At any point where the ATT gives you a choice of left or right a volunteer will be there to tell you which way to go. Q. Are there any rules I should know about for the bike ride? A. Per professional rules you may not be less than two bike lengths away from the bike in front of you. You must wear a helmet the entire time you are on your bike. Q. Will the ride be on a closed course? Will roads be closed? A. Roads will not be closed and will have Saturday morning traffic. DO NOT cross a street without stopping and looking. No, volunteers will not be stopping traffic for you. Remember that this is an endurance event and not a race so don’t take unnecessary risks. We will have cones out on the route between Campus Hills and the ATT. Q. Can I ride my bike on the sidewalk? A. While it is generally not encouraged you can ride on the sidewalk if it makes you feel more comfortable. You will not be disqualified. Q. How bad are the hills? A. A heckuva lot better than last year. For all intents and purposes this course is flat. T2 Q. What happens at T2? A. At T2 you will need to dismount your bike at the gravel and bring it back to your transition area. You do not need to lock up your bike, volunteers will be there to watch it. Once you’ve changed and had some water you can start your run. You do not need to bring your race bag. Don’t forget to check in and check out with the volunteers if you’d like to know your transition times. RUN
Q. How long is the run? A. 1.5 miles....but it’ll feel a lot longer. Q. Can I walk? A. By all means. Many people are planning to walk. You’ll still be a triathlete. Q. Where is the run? A. A picture is worth a thousand
words...Go see the route section. We’ll have it marked for you but basically you’ll run out of Campus Hills, turn right on Alston on the sidewalk, turn right into a church parking lot and follow it around go back by Campus Hills and turn left on Sherman Ave and then run back to Campus Hills, through the parking lot and to the picnic shelter. Huzzah! POST RACE
Q. What do we do when we’re done? A. Someone will be there to write down your time. Get some water, collect your t-shirt from the check in booth and cheer on the next wave! Once everyone is in you can go lock up your bike and nom on some food! Q. Will you post pictures and race times? A. Yes, I will post all of the data and photos as soon as I can after the race. Q. Are we going to do this again?! :) A. Yup. Plan on one for May 2010!!!! |
