Thunder+In+The+Valley+Athlete+Guide+2019

Crossroads Events Thunder In The Valley Saturday May 11th – 2019 Athlete Guide Twitter: @XRoadsEvents Facebook: CrossroadsEventManagement Crossroads Events May 11th marks the 34th anniversary of the Thunder in the Valley triathlon This triathlon is one of the oldest races in the state of Indiana and we are happy to be producing it for you again! The following pages are a detailed description of the 2019 schedule and course Please read through everything carefully so you are fully prepared for race day and we’ll see you May 11th! Page 1 – Schedule Page 2 – Friday Clinic with the race director, 1st packet pickup, and pre-race welcome Page 3 – Race Gear Instructions Page 4 – Team and Individual Rules (USAT Sanctioned Event rules) Page 5 – Saturday Morning Instructions, 2nd packet pickup Page 6 - Swim Page 7 – Bike Page 8 - Run Twitter: @XRoadsEvents Facebook: CrossroadsEventManagement Crossroads Events 2019 Tentative Schedule Friday May 10th • 4 – 8 PM - 1st Packet Pickup @ the Hawthorn Park Beach – 6067 East Old Maple Ave Terre Haute, IN • 5 – 6 PM Pre-race clinic with the race director at the Hawthorn Park Beach • 6:00 PM – Pre-event welcome, speech, and course overview at the beach Saturday May 11th • • • • • • • • • • • 6:00 - 7:30 AM – 2nd Packet Pickup, Chip Pickup, @ Dogwood Shelter 6:00 AM Transition Opens 7:30 – 7:59 AM – Swim Practice 7:45 AM – Transition Closes for all athletes 7:50 AM Pre-Race Instructions @ Beach Shelter 8:00 AM Elite Olympic Swim Start 8:01 AM Olympic time trial start for all other Olympic Athletes (1 every 3 seconds) 9:00 AM Elite Sprint Start 9:01 AM Sprint time trial start for all other Sprint Athletes (1 every 3 seconds) 10:30 AM Post-race Lunch @ Dogwood Shelter 11:00 AM Awards Begin @ Beach House Shelter o Sprint Athletes Awards will be given out 1st o Olympic Athletes Awards will be given out 2nd Twitter: @XRoadsEvents Facebook: CrossroadsEventManagement Crossroads Events Friday Clinic We will begin the event weekend with a triathlon clinic with the race director at the race venue Participants should gather at Hawthorn Park’s beach at 5 PM The race director will go over many race tips for your best performance during each of the 3 sections of the triathlon as well as a transition clinic for how to have your fastest transition possible Friday Evening The 1st packet pickup will be located at the Hawthorn Park Beach from 4 – 8 PM Be sure to bring a photo ID and your USAT card if you are a USAT member If you do not have a photo ID you will not be allowed to pick up your packet If you answered that you are a USAT member on online registration but do not bring your USAT card you will be required to purchase a 1-day USAT license for $15 If you answered that you were not a USAT member on online registration then you have already purchased your 1-day license Starting at 6 PM at the Hawthorn Park Beach we will be having our Pre-race welcome speech Please plan to arrive early since we planned to have a packed room for this event I will 1st quickly go over the schedule of events for race day and will run over each portion of the race and answer any questions Twitter: @XRoadsEvents Facebook: CrossroadsEventManagement Crossroads Events Race Day Gear in Packet You will find the following important gear in your race packet - Swim Cap – This cap must be worn during the swim portion of the race The following race cap colors will be assigned to you o Red Caps – Elite Swimmers (Olympic and Sprint Distance) o Orange / Yellow Caps – Olympic and Sprint Time Trial Start Athletes - Custom bib# - This bib# must be worn during the run portion of the event on the front of your body It is not required during the bike portion of the event Twitter: @XRoadsEvents Facebook: CrossroadsEventManagement Crossroads Events Team Rules If you are competing as a team you must follow these exact rules The swimmer must be body marked not another member of the team You must exchange your timing chip within the transition area No member can start their portion of the event without their teammate tagging them and handing off their timing chip Rules Everyone Must Follow You must wear your swim cap throughout the swim portion of the event You must wear a helmet whenever you are on your bicycle This means while warming up or within the park It is for your safety if you do not comply this is grounds for disqualification No drafting on the bike portion of the race Our course marshals which are spread out throughout the course will be looking for drafting You are subject to a 5 minute penalty for your 1st violation You will be disqualified for your second You are not allowed to ride your bike in the transition area It is grounds for disqualification You cannot mount your bike until you leave transition and you reach the mount/dismount line When you return from the bike you must dismount before this line and walk/run your bike into transition You must wear your bib# during the run portion of the event Wetsuits may be worn if the water temperature is under 78 degrees which we predict it will Water temperatures vary in Hawthorn Lake every year but it is usually 68 – 76 degrees However if the water temperature rises above 78 degrees you will not be eligible for awards if you wear your wetsuit Twitter: @XRoadsEvents Facebook: CrossroadsEventManagement Crossroads Events Saturday Morning Before the Race Please plan to arrive early at Hawthorn Park, located just behind Rose Hulman Institute of Technology The address is 6067 East Old Maple Avenue When you enter the park proceed to your right until you see a large parking lot and various other parking locations The second opportunity for packet pickup is the morning of race day from 6 – 7:30 AM also at the Dogwood Shelter You will pick up your timing chip and be body marked at the Dogwood Shelter Transition opens at 6:00 AM and is on a 1st come 1st serve basis so feel free to pick your spot Bike racks should hold 6 bikes per rack so please do not over clutter a rack there will be plenty of racks available Remove all nonessential bags from transition You should only have the equipment needed to ride and run within the transition area Transition Area As stated before transition is open at 6:00 AM and closes at 7:45 Please note the bike mount and dismount lines You will not be allowed to mount your bike until you completely cross the mount line after exiting transition You must also dismount your bike upon the return of the bike segment of the race before the dismount line Penalties will be assessed for any violations Please note where the bike exit/entrance is and where the swim entrance/run exit is This will prevent confusion during the race Twitter: @XRoadsEvents Facebook: CrossroadsEventManagement Crossroads Events Swim The swim course will be open for practice from 7:30 – 7:59 AM if you would like to warm up in the water At 7:50 AM we will give the last minute race instructions The Olympic Elite swim wave will start in the water chest deep right at 8:00 AM All other Olympic swimmers will line up according to their race number and will enter the swim course 2 at a time approximately every 5 seconds beginning at 8:01 AM The 1500 meter swim is a 2 lap course and features a rectangular clockwise layout You will have 4 buoys outlining the course on the way out You will take a right hand turn at the end of the lake swim a short section and then take another right hand turn with 4 more buoys guiding you back to the swim exit This year you will not exit the swim before heading back in for a 2nd lap You will stay in the water and will turn around at the last buoy before the exit to start your 2nd lap The Sprint athletes will begin their 1 lap 750 meter swim as soon as the last Olympic Swimmer finishes their swim We expect to start the Sprint race at 8:45 a.m The Elite swimmers will start chest deep in the water and then the rest of the athletes will start 1 at a time after the elites have entered the water After the swim exit you will run out of the beach area and up to the transition area Enter at the top of the transition area and head to your bike rack (careful to remember where you placed it) You must have your helmet strapped before you exit transition and mount your bike Run to the mount line and then mount your bike From there on you are free to ride For teams the swimmer must run to transition and exchange the chip with the waiting biker If you prefer to run from the beach area with shoes or sandals you can leave a pair near the swim exit for the run up Only athletes will be allowed into transition once the race begins, so no outside assistance can be gained However cheering from friends and family is highly encouraged! If you need assistance during the swim please raise your hand Kayakers will be patrolling the swim looking to provide assistance if needed You must grasp Twitter: @XRoadsEvents Facebook: CrossroadsEventManagement Crossroads Events the kayak by the front or rear handle, not the side which could tip the kayaker over Bike The Olympic bike course is 40k or about 24.8 miles and the Sprint bike course is 20k or 12.4 miles Both bike will use the exact same course the only difference would be that the Sprint cyclists will turn around at 6.2 miles and the Olympic cyclists will turn around at 12.4 miles The bike begins at the mount line at the end of transition and exits the park going east on Old Maple You will proceed through the 1st intersection to Old Maple and Chamberlain You will then turn right onto Chamberlain road Proceed on Chamberlain through the intersection of Chamberlain and 40 Police will stop traffic, but you cannot be too careful so please be sure to look both ways After crossing 40 you proceed south to highway 42 Make the left hand turn on 42 and follow it all the way to the half way point to turn around to return back to the park The sprint turn around will be marked with a large cone in the middle of the road, a volunteer, and signs stating that this is the Sprint Bike Turnaround The Olympic turnaround will be marked the exact same way except that the signs will read that this is the Olympic Bike turn around There is now a round about on 42 Please use extreme caution when you proceed through the roundabout to continue on 42 Also please be aware that there is a bump where the road meets the overpass that crosses over I-70 please use caution at this location of the bike Please view the course maps on our webpage for a more in depth reference of the course The course is open to traffic so always ride to the right side of the road and be careful to look for cars and other cyclist This is a non-drafting race so you must remain 3 bike lengths behind other cyclist unless passing a rider Please follow all safety precautions and rules to make the race fair for everyone Upon returning to the mount line in the park, dismount your bike, run it to the same location you started from and rack it for the run portion of the race Twitter: @XRoadsEvents Facebook: CrossroadsEventManagement Crossroads Events Run The run exit is the same location as the swim-in You will run out the exit and turn left to exit the park following the marked run course that guides you to the Heritage Trail You will make a right onto the trail and follow it all the way to the turn around Sprint athletes will turn around much shorter than the Olympic athletes and their turn around will be marked with a large cone, volunteer, and signs From there you will return down the trail back to the park The Olympic athletes will proceed further down the trail to their turn around point They also will not proceed directly back into Hawthorn park Olympic athletes will pass the park where they exited onto the Heritage trail and will proceed down the trail until they come to a second turn around point After they turn around at this point they will proceed back to the area where you exited from Hawthorn Park and you will re-enter the park You will then proceed back on the paved path within Hawthorn park until you are guided onto a hard packed dirt trail that takes you around the lake At the end of the dirt trail you will take a right turn and head to the finish line just in front of the Beach House near where you started the swim There will be a total of 3 aid stations on the Olympic run and 1 aid station on the Sprint run that will have water, Gatorade, and Pepsi courtesy of our sponsor Pepsi Refreshment Services Finisher medals will be provided Lunch will be served after 10:30 for all participants Awards will begin at 11 for the overall winners followed shortly afterwards by age-groups awards Awards are 3 deep per age group along with team, Clydesdales and Athena's Transition will remain open until noon to retrieve your gear Twitter: @XRoadsEvents Facebook: CrossroadsEventManagement