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Helvellyn Triathlon Briefing Notes.
Jenkins Field ~ Glenridding ~ Cumbria
Sunday 2nd September 2012 ~ 8.30am Start.
31/08/12 – CAR PARKING. As
stated in the notes below please do not park in the Steamer Car Park
at the Pier. This car park is owned by the Steamer Company who are supportive
of our event but after a very difficult summer would appreciate it if
their customers were able to park in their car park. It is also a request
from Eden District Council who grant us the licence to use the transition
field. Use the free parking provided at the playing field. ten minutes
walk from the transition field.
Welcome to the ninth Helvellyn Triathlon.
Please take some time to study the contents of these briefing notes
this is an unusual triathlon with additional regulations (all very necessary).
It is my intention to keep the pre-race briefing on the day as short
as possible dealing with matters arising and other variables, such as
the weather.
Registration: Will be in the marquee on the transition
next to the steamer pier. Registration will be from 3.00 – 7.00
pm on Saturday 1st. For those that have informed me that it is not possible
to register on Saturday, and other emergencies, then registration will
be available from 7.00 – 7.45 am on the Sunday morning. There
is definitely no car parking at the Glenridding Hotel for our purposes,
strictly reserved for residents. Please observe this. If you have not
registered by 7.00pm on Saturday 5th and you have not pre-arranged to
register on Sunday morning your place may be sold to one of the reserves.
Race Licence: If you are a BTA licence holder you
must produce this at registration or you will have to pay an extra £4
for the issue of a day licence. If you forget your licence, don’t
bother arguing just bring £4. If you are not a BTA member and
have paid the extra £4 in your entry fee you will be issued with
a BTA day licence at registration.
Chip Timing: You will be issued with a timing chip
and ankle strap at registration. This is the only means of timing. If
you don’t wear this around your ankle for the entire race you
will not be recorded in the results. As soon as you cross the finish
your chip will be removed, if you do not complete the race please return
the chip and strap or your will be invoiced £10 each for replacement.
Car Parking: There is a free race car parking on the
Patterdale Sports Club field a 10 minute walk away. It will be signed,
but follow the main road out of Glenridding towards Patterdale, the
car park is just along the first lane on the right. Once there you can
come and go all day as you please. There is definitely no car parking
at the venue. Please do not park in the Pier car park or in the car
park in Glenridding. We will fill these up very quickly for the entire
day and upset everyone. It will also cost £6.
Transition Area: You will be issued with a plastic
bike tag at registration. This must be displayed on your bike before
you take it into transition, I suggest attaching it to your saddle rail
or rear break cable casing. Your bike number will be checked against
your race number before you are allowed to take your bike out of transition
after the race. As everyone will have a run bag with them transition
will be more cluttered than normal. Please bring only what you need
for the race. NO BOXES or similar space consuming receptacles, you can
get all you need in a plastic bag. Bike racking
is on Sunday morning only.
Toilet Facilities: There are public toilets adjacent
to the transition field entrance. There are more public toilets in the
village centre about a 2 min. walk away. There will also be Portaloos
in the transition field. Please do not use the Pier Café or Glenridding
Hotel toilets prior to the race start. There are no changing facilities.
Pre-race briefing: This will be 8.00am Sunday morning
on the transition field. Attendance is mandatory.
Swim: The swim will be in three separate waves. You
will be issued with a swim cap at registration. Wave allocation will
be based on currently held swim times. I will not be changing these
now. There are a few who did not declare a swim time on their entry.
I will contact you if I do not have a time.
The start will be in separate waves based on your estimated time. Because
of the numbers in some categories it is not possible to base the waves
on category. You will be issued with a swim cap of a colour specific
to your wave.
The start will be in the water just off the beach to the next to transition.
There is plenty of room. Your cooperation at the start is essential.
Please do not be selfish and do a last bit of warm up in front of the
start line and force the rest to wait for you. The course will follow
an anti-clockwise route. When you near the end and pass the steamer
pier continue to the last buoy which you must pass to the right of before
heading to the shore.
Water Safety: There will be rescue craft and canoes
as you swim. If you get into difficulty raise an arm to attract one
of the craft. If it’s a canoe that comes to assist you just hold
on to the front or rear as directed. One of the rescue craft will then
come to you and take you out of the water. I doubt the water will be
hot. My advice is to get into the water in good time, get your head
under and get used to the cold. The first steamer is due to leave the
pier at 9.45am. Swim hats are provided, but if you want to wear more
than one please wear the one provided on the top. In the event of extreme
water conditions the swim may be shortened or cancelled for safety reasons.
Cycle Section 38 miles: You may mount your bike once
you are out of the transition field and on the Pier Road. You must have
your helmet fastened before removing your bike from the racking (2 minute
penalty). A working rear cycle lamp is
compulsory.
Safety Notes: All of the cycle section apart from Kirkstone Rd from
the Ambleside boundary to the top of the pass is on open roads. Traffic
could be heavy in places particularly along the A66 and on the approach
to Ambleside. Your safety is your responsibility. Marshals cannot stop
traffic for you; they are there purely to indicate the route. As you
approach Ambleside there may be standing traffic. If it is safe to do
so it will not be considered dangerous cycling for the purpose of the
race to pass standing traffic. The descent of the Kirkstone Pass starts
almost immediately you get onto the A592. It is steep and very twisty.
There are Lakeland granite dry stonewalls either side. This is a long
race. You may save a second or two by stretching your bike handling
abilities to the limit, but you will be taking a massive risk. Don’t
do it.
Dangerous cycling will result in disqualification, if you are lucky.
Please take time before you leave home to ensure that your bike is in
good mechanical condition. Particularly brakes and tyres. Spot checks
will be made on bikes in transition. You will have to rectify any deficiencies
found.
Run 9 miles: Although this is a fell run it takes
place under British Triathlon rules which requires all competitors
to cover the same route (fell runners please note). The National
Park also insist that we stick to the main paths, this is to prevent
further erosion and protect the landscape for future use. Therefore,
no following the old path along the wall on the initial climb onto Birkhouse
Moor and no straightening out the Zig-Zag path on the decent. Any short
cutting will result in DQ.
In the event of very poor weather conditions the run route may be
changed for safety reasons.
Run Bag: If you leave the bike/run transition without
a bag containing full body clothing, map of the run route, compass,
whistle and food you will be disqualified. Marshals will randomly check
bags in transition prior to the race start, at the summit and at the
finish. You must allow them to do this or you will be DQed. If you are
checked on the route your number will be noted and time delay deducted.
There are no drinks stations on the run route; you would be very foolish
not to take a drink with you.
Kit List for run section. The run section is 90% on
rough track and goes onto the highest fells in the country. Fell running
shoes are recommended. For reasons of safety you must take with you
on the run some form of bag containing full body cover, foil survival
blanket, whistle, compass and ability to use it if necessary and suitable
map of the route. There are no feed stations on the run so you must
also take sufficient food and hydration with you. THIS IS FAR FROM AN
ORDINARY TRIATHLON RUN ROUTE. This has not been included as some form
of handicap; two people were killed in one week on Helvellyn in 2008.
The temperature on the top could well be close to freezing and it will
probably be in cloud and raining. If you break your ankle in those conditions
you will very quickly become dangerously cold as well as suffering natural
shock reaction. You need something that has the capability of keeping
you reasonably warm in such an eventuality. You must decide what.Full
body cover means clothing that will fully cover your body and potentially
save your live if you break your ankle 3000′ up the mountain in heavy
rain, high winds, near zero temperatures, poor visibility and a two
hour wait for a rescue team. A wet lycra trisuit wont do it.
You must satisfy yourself that your footwear has a decent outsole,
the more rigid the better. I would also suggest you take plasters with
you and as soon as you get a hint of your feet rubbing, stop, put a
plaster on and save a lot of time and pain later on.
This race takes place in one of the most beautiful and environmentally
sensitive areas of the country. I know that almost all of you will already
be aware of that and would not dream of dropping gel wrappers etc on
the route. Last year everyone was brilliant and hardly any litter was
found anywhere, including the car park. For those that don’t think
this is important you will be disqualified if caught dropping any litter
on any of the route. If you see a competitor discarding litter please
report it to an official. Tuck any litter in the leg of your shorts,
you won’t know it’s there. Depositing litter is also a criminal
offence.
Presentation: Will be as soon as the results are
sorted. Target time is 3.00pm. It will take place on the field near
the marquee.
If you do intend picnicking or barbeeing on the field please make sure
you don’t damage the grass and I know you will take all rubbish
away with you. I have signed documents with the council promising to
pay for any damage caused and site clearance.
Triathlon Rules: If this is your first triathlon,
and for quite a few it is, there are a couple of rules you must be aware
of.
• Drafting on the bike – You cannot take pace of another
rider.. If you are passed you must drop back from the overtaking rider
at least 7m. You are of course then allowed to get your place back,
but if you can’t quite make it you must go back to the 7m position.
• Transition – No cycling in transition. There will be a mount/dismount
mark on the road outside the transition field. Your helmet must be securely
fastened to your head before you move your bike from the racking and
it must stay like that until it is replaced there after the cycle section.
• Other Rules – can be found on the BT website www.britishtriathlon.org
Hopefully this document gives you most of the information you need.
If not mail me [email protected] But please remember that there are
over 700 of you and one of me. Answers will be brief.
Finally. If you don’t have Quadrophenia type sideburns and you haven’t
recently won an Olympic TT Gold Medal you will need at the very least
39 x 25 on the bike or be prepared for a bit of walking.
Good luck……………………………..…………………..Rob
Wilkins
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