FAQ
We've pulled together the most frequently asked questions about our events and we hope that you find the information you need here. However, if you haven't found what you're looking for, don't hesitate to send us an email and we'll do our best to help:
Do I have to have a special racing bike?
No! Any bike is allowed, as long as it is roadworthy and safe. You can ride whatever you are comfortable on, whether it be a mountain bike, a shopper, a dropped handlebar road bike or a fancy time trial bike. One year, a competitor used a Reading ReadyBike (although sadly these are no longer available)! However, you do have to bring your own bike - we are unable to provide bicycles.
Do I need a cycling helmet?
Yes. This is for your safety and is a rule of British Triathlon. No helmet, no ride.
Are there toilets or changing facilities at the venue?
There is one toilet available for use at the Green Park Conference Centre. We would respectfully ask that participants respect our host venue and maintain the facilities as you would wish to find them.
There are also toilets very close by at McDonald's, and the car park is just next to transition so you should be able to leave any additional layers in your car at the last minute.
What is the age limit for GO TRI Reading at Green Park?
The lower age limit for our events is 15 years. This is a BTF regulation because the cycle portion of the event is on roads open to traffic.
Will I get a medal?
The ethos of GO TRI is to facilitate participation rather than competition. In order to be able to provide an accessible event with such a low entry fee, we have to keep our costs down, and also to reduce unnecessary waste, we therefore do not provide finisher medals routinely. However, we have listened to your requests, and we know that a medal is a popular memento for some people, so we are now able to offer participants to choose to pay a little extra on their entry fee to receive a medal, from the July event.
However, we hope that the promise of homebaked cake and the satisfaction of finishing your first multisport event is a good incentive to take part!
Will I get "split" times?
"Split" times are the times of the individual portions of a multisport event i.e. first run, cycle, and last run. Again in line with our emphasis on accessibility (and therefore low cost), we do not provide electronic chip timing or split times. As we are a small scale event, we do not have the volunteer capacity to take manual split times. You are very welcome to use a sports watch to log the times of your individual disciplines. We do time every event and will provide a manual stopwatch recorded finish time.
Do I have to wear a wetsuit?
Wetsuits are compulsory for the open water swim section of our triathlon. This is a safety stipulation of Green Park. You can wear a "shortie" wetsuit if you prefer.
In addition, for your safety foot protection is required. The lake contains fresh water mussels which can be exceptionally sharp and cause significant injuries, therefore you must wear water shoes, old trainers or similar for the swim portion of the triathlon.
Is there a cut-off time?
No! GO TRI is for everyone, no matter your ability or level of experience. You do not need to worry about how long you think the event will take you - there is no cut-off time and the team will be there for the last finisher.
Are there nuts in your cakes?!
We usually don't put nuts in our cakes. However, they are baked in a private kitchen that contains nuts and so cannot be guaranteed nut-free (or in fact any allergen-free). Please do get in touch with us in advance if you are taking part and have a nut allergy, so we can ensure that we don't bake with nuts that month.