Lake
Placid Worlds Qualifier Updates #3 & #4
Yes, the rush for race day is coming. With that is the final push to get information in your hands so that you can begin focusing on the event. There are hundreds of people who are beginning to tie the puzzle together. As always, we appreciate all the patience you can show the staff and volunteers in Lake Placid who will be working to make this a great race on your behalf.
In an attempt to balance the “rush” that can come with the packet pick-up process, we are proposing something fairly novel for the sport – recommended registration times. Our proposal will help you from having to stand in long lines, easy access to expo booth vendors, the chance to attend race meetings without having to stand up for the hour it will take to learn about the race and the opportunity for you to rub elbows with others in your age group you might otherwise not see until race day. If you can’t make the specified time, we certainly understand, but at least try and slide into the following time slots:
Noon 55+ men and women
2pm 40-54 men and women
4pm 30-39 men and women, PC’s and Clydesdales
6pm 16-29 men and women
You will notice that each group has informally been assigned a time that coincides with each of the race meetings done throughout the day. Other activities for Friday are:
Noon – 8pm Registration and EXPO (Holiday Inn Resort)
5-8pm Mandatory Bike Check-in (transition at Olympic Oval)
5pm-7pm Pre-Race Dinner (buy your tickets at registration if you have yet to do so) located at Holiday Inn Resort)
Tickets for the dinner will be sold during the day.
Saturday:
5:00am Transition will open
6:50am Transition will close
7:00am First wave start
4:30pm Awards Dinner (Holiday Inn Resort)
6pm Awards Ceremony (Holiday Inn Resort)
Tickets for the dinner will be sold during the day.
There will be organized swimming each morning at the lake. Any other swimming performed in this open body of water will be done at your own risk. The actual swim course is going to be laid out starting at noon on Thursday. There is a pool in town where you will be allowed to swim for a nominal fee.
It is critical that all athletes bring their USAT annual membership cards with them to the site or purchase one at registration. A representative from the national office will be there to walk you through this process. All athletes must be annual members of USAT to compete in this event.
Drive the bike and run courses before race day. There is nothing better than knowing where you are going before the day of competition. All the maps you will need can be found on the event site of 208.249.120.226/triathlon. The courses have been laser measured so true performances will be turned in on race day.
We don’t recommend anyone trying to do the swim without a wetsuit. Either buy or rent one before race day. There will be some local shops in attendance AND one of our sponsors Xterra Wetsuits there to help you slip into some very nice and comfortable. Seal sightings need to be the theme of the day with the combination of water and air temperature we are subject to find.
All of you should have received the email stating bike check-in WILL now take place on Friday, from 5-8 pm. This means that you will need to leave your bike, with race wheels, in transition over night. They WILL NOT be allowed out of transition race morning. You will be allowed to bring pumps, bike helmet, timing chip, swim cap, water bottles and other items needed for the race in the morning. Trainers will be allowed to be used for warm-up in the transition zone but MUST be removed from inside the transition area by 6:45am.
The last worlds we went to in Cancun in 1995 saw blistering temperatures and
very high humidity but more fun than almost any other site attended. The 2002 version of the event is sure to be
the same. The course will be a 1.5km
swim in the calm and crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea. The bike will be a two loop forty kilometer
segment on Kukulcan Blvd and the new city streets of Cancun – two lanes going
one way at all times. The 10km run is IAAF certified and very flat and
fast. The finish will be right in front
of the start and transition area. If
interested in additional information on this race, go to www.cancuntriathlon.com.
Many athletes will earn the right to go to Cancun for worlds. In update #1 we wrote about how to confirm your spot. Here is a little bit more information about the travel program in case you do qualify.
Although not mandatory but highly encouraged, USAT will be working with an agency to book airfare, housing and transportation for the U.S. Team based out of St. Louis, Missouri. They have put together a great package and will take much of the hassle out of preparing for such an demanding trip. The travel package is ready now for your perusal. Go to www.goglobalsports.com.
Here is the final update before the big event on Saturday. We hope all of you are ready to toe the line with some of the best in the nation. I have reviewed the start list and my collection of surveys and it appears that we might have one of the most competitive events in the Northeast, if not the entire U.S., thus far this season. Sorry women aged 30-34, you get my vote as the deepest age group for quality. I won’t though say which one I believe will be the easiest to qualify!!
The weather forecast is looking good. We should see 70’s for highs and little to no rain. With that being said, come prepared for all sorts of conditions!! The water is heating up but shouldn’t be much over 65 degrees. Bring the wetsuit and thermal cap just in case. You will be allowed to “test” the water on Thursday and Friday to gauge what will be needed. With the swim course set up around noon on Friday, you should be able to get a good feel for the entire swim layout.
The mandatory race meetings will be covering much of what you need to know about the event. Try and make one if you can so that you can ask all the questions necessary to know exactly what you need to do come race day. We ask that you try and drive each course first so that you can visualize what we mean when we say, “hilly section”, steep ascent, speeds of 45 miles will be seen”, etc.
The courses will be GPS measured so what you race will be accurate. This seldom happens in events these days. There will be upwards of 10 officials patrolling the event including Charlie Crawford. Can you ask for anything better than a fair race. Now, athletes, you need to do your job to police yourselves. Mechanics will be present at the expo and at the transition area for your use. Be courteous and tip them if they do a good job for you. This can only mean good things about our athletes and sport when gestures like this are done.
Many times people run around registration areas looking for the “right” person to ask about what is happening with things. There are some key people to find on Friday if things go awry. This year’s event director is Jackie Hathery. You might recognize her by her accent – she is Canadian. She is the woman we will be talking with about all matters relating to the event. Hopefully you won’t need to speak with her but if you do, we will be sure to point her out to you. The timers and registration gurus will be Lakeshore Athletics out of Chicago. Any issues relating to these two areas will have you working with Catherine Vergina. For some of you, the need to register for USAT will be of great importance. The person running this desk will be Kristin Sullivan, a full time employee with USAT who is my right hand woman in the Team USA program. Steve Locke, Exec. Director of USAT (who will serve as the MC for the awards program) and Ray Plotecia, President of USAT will also be there stepping in to help when and where needed. If you have opinions on issues within the sport, these two guys are your one stop shopping tandem. There will be many other volunteers helping to make this event something great. We thank all of them in advance for the great service they do for this sport.
At registration, make sure you pick up and read the 40-page program. In this will be great information on the event, qualifying for Team USA, historical data on world medalists and general worlds info for 2002. There will be a few changes to this document – the run course and transition flow will be a tad bit different than what you will see here. Check out the wall maps when you arrive and make changes to the program so that you drive or run the right courses and understand how the flow in the transition is going to work.
Those who have not gotten quality t-shirts for entering events will be pleased to hear that this year’s will be unlike any other – you will receive a very nice mock turtle courtesy of Dry Release. The logo has been updated and is certainly colorful and active. There will also be many expo vendors in attendance on Friday so be certain to speak with each of them about what you like and dislike about their respective products or better yet buy what they have for sale. The support they offer us is certainly key to what we do in this sport.
Awards are going to be given ten deep in all age groups but juniors where we are only going three deep per gender. We encourage all of you to stay after and participate in this great ceremony. Slots will also be handed out to worlds, a must for anyone wanting to go to Cancun. For those not attending, it will cost $10 to have the award shipped to you so if you are not going to be able to attend, have a friend pick up the hardware for you.
If you have yet to complete the survey on yourself, please do so immediately. Do not send to the national office after Thursday. I won’t receive it in time (I leave on Tuesday but can get faxes through Thursday). If you want, please drop it by the USAT table for me to pick-up on Friday sometime. I can’t guarantee everyone that I will be introducing you before the event (which we will do with a few in each age group) but I will do my best to remember one little thing about you as you move through the race or cross the finish line (assuming we don’t have huge groups of finishers crossing at the same time). That is my goal anyway. If you don’t submit it back to us, there won’t be much of anything to say about you so please do what you can now to ensure you don’t go completely unnoticed. This also goes for all past Team USA members (and you know who you are!!).
Be well and travel safe.
Tim Yount