Welcome to the second email update on the upcoming world’s qualifier. You will receive one more later this week and one final reminder email next week then…it is race weekend.
Many athletes have asked about the wave start order that will be in place. It is:
Wave St
Time Age Group
1. 7:00 17-24 Men
2. 7:02 17-24 Women
3. 7:04 Physically Challenged
4. 7:06 Women 50+ and Men 60+
5. 7:30 Clyesdale/Athena
6. 7:45 Men 35-39
7. 8:00 Men 30-34
8. 8:05 Women 35-39
9. 8:20 Men 25-29
10. 8:25 Women 40-44
11. 8:30 Women 45-49
12. 8:40 Men 45-49
13. 8:50 Men 50-59
14. 8:55 Women 25-29
15. 9:00 Women 30-34
16. 9:15 Men 40-44
At the present time, the event has 500 registered athletes. We are expecting another 100 or so more to register for the event. In the recent edition of USA Triathlon Times there was an application for the event. Please remind all your friends who are looking for a great race with super competition and a .97 factor for the rankings to boot, to attend.
Many of you have asked about housing for the event. All those who are still looking, should call the Lake Placid Essex County CVB at 800-447-5224 option 3.
There will be a smattering of race meetings on Friday at the host hotel (The Holiday Inn Lake Placid Resort). It will be very important for everyone to attend at least one of them since there will be not only a lot of detail explained at each but also some very good question and answer sessions. Each meeting will include a short piece on qualifying for worlds so don’t miss out on the chance to earn a spot for tropical Cancun (if you are not interested in a world’s spot, then you will be excused from the meeting early!!).
In addition to a fun pasta party, there will also be an eventful awards ceremony the evening of the event (at the Holiday Inn). Please make every attempt to make it to this occasion so that you not only get to revel in the fun atmosphere but also get to see the award winners, handle Team USA issues and stay afterwards to hang out with friends from all around the country. Awards will be given ten deep for those five-year age groups from 20-85 with juniors and Clydesdales/Athenas/PC’s three deep since this event is not a qualifier for these categories.
There has been a lot of talk about the water temperature of Mirror Lake
and rightfully so if you know the history of the region. We have been told by the race director of
the event that she was in it for an hour the other day and it was fine. We believe it is in the low to mid
60’s. Bring the wetsuit and the thermal
cap (a limited supply will be available from some area shops). The ambient air temperature is expected to be
on the rise over the next seven days, which should help to elevate the temperature
of the water. Charlie Crawford, Head
Referee for the event, will post the actual water temp in the registration area
on Friday.
Slots will go seven deep in this event except in those age groups where
the defending world champion takes the slot (the reward for winning
worlds). These age groups are:
Male:
45-49
50-54
70-74
75-79
Female:
30-34
35-39
45-49
65-69
70-74
We will pass down slots to fifteenth in each age group. Any unused
slots will revert back to Nationals in Coeur d’ Alene, site of the first
qualifier for worlds held this past September. If there are athletes who are
competing in this event who earned slots at nationals last year, we will go
that many slots beyond fifteenth. This way, athletes don’t get penalized for
these athletes’s participation (i.e., three already qualified athletes are
competing in your age group and are eligible for slots; we will pass down to 18th
place in this situation).
By the way, the run course has changed slightly from what appeared last
week on the website. The new run course will be posted on the site
shortly. Please dispose of any old
copies of the map that you have in your possession.
We ask that all of you go to the
Lake Placid website (208.249.120.226/triathlon) and look for your name in
the list of registrants. If either your first or last name is misspelled,
please bring it to the attention of the registration people on Friday.
Kristin Sullivan, Steve Locke and Tim Yount will be gone from the office after Tuesday of next week to attend the event. If you have any issues that arise, you can contact the USOC in Lake Placid to leave a message (518-523-2600) for them or contact someone at the national office (719-597-9090) who will forward the question(s) to each at the site if necessary.
A Message from the Head Referee to
all age-group competitors…
Most triathletes come to races with only a rudimentary understanding of the rules of the sport. Indeed, few have ever read through the Competitive Rules in its entirety.
In order
to minimize misunderstandings on race day, I hope you will take the time to
read the following summary of Position Violations, which you probably know as
the drafting rules.
I have reduced the Position Rules to the following concepts, which everyone can remember:
Ride on the right side of your lane.
Keep three bike lengths between yourself and the cyclist in front of you.
Pass on the left of the cyclist in front, never on the right.
Complete your pass within 15 seconds.
If passed, you must drop completely out of the zone, to the
rear, before attempting to re-pass.
Remember you are racing in a USA Triathlon sanctioned event and there are trained referees on the course to ensure fairness in the competition. There will be NO WARNINGS if you commit a foul during competition. Triathlon is an individual event and you must take personal responsibility to understand the rules and avoid penalties. At the end of the race all citations by the marshals are reviewed by the Head Referee who then decides if a penalty should be assessed. The Head Referee’s ruling is final in the case of Position Violations and there are no protests or appeals of Position penalties. Marshals commonly cite the following violations:
Illegal Position or Blocking – riding on the left side of the lane without passing.
Illegal Pass – passing on the right, or failing to drop back three bike lengths before re-passing.
Drafting – following a leading cyclist closer than three bike lengths and
failing to pass or exit the draft zone within 15 seconds.
Though Position Violations carry a time penalty for each
occurrence, if you are cited for three violations, you will be
disqualified.
Always have your chinstrap securely fastened! The chinstrap rule is the easiest to follow, but some folks always seem to forget – that’s a DQ! Always have your handlebar ends securely plugged. An unplugged bar can puncture the body and lacerate internal organs.
Remember to treat other athletes, volunteers, and officials with courtesy and consideration. Failure to do so is called Unsportsmanlike Conduct and you will be disqualified.
All that
being said, I hope you have a great race, lots of fun, and achieve all your
goals! For more views of the rules in full, go to www.usatriathlon.org
Look for
the next update by end of day Friday.
Tim Yount
Deputy
Director
P.S. Be certain to complete the announcer’s survey that appears on the
website, 208.249.120.226/triathlon
or email me to send you a copy. I can’t guarantee every person that their name
will be introduced before the event but I can assure you that your name will
NOT be called in the pre-race introductions or talked about during the event if
you don’t complete it.
Thanks.