The Black Bear Triathlon is an incredible accomplishment for anyone who crosses that Finish line.

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1 2015 ATHLETE GUIDE

2 The Black Bear Triathlon is an incredible accomplishment for anyone who crosses that Finish line. While your cursing the chilly waters, or screaming down the iconic hills, or sprinting along the waterfront, for just one moment take it all in, really take it all in because this is a beautiful course and you are one of the proud, the lucky who can say you Dared the Bear. Get back to the reason you started triathlon in the first place for the challenge. You might not have your best time on your watch but you ll have had the time of your life! Thank you for always racing with CGI our brand is one that is built on athlete loyalty because we know that without you, without your enthusiasm there is no race. Thank A Volunteer! Thank You! The Team at CGI Racing

3 RACE WEEKEND Saturday Packet Pickup Beltzville State Park 2950 Pohopoco Dr, Lehighton, PA :00 am 4:00 pm Open Water Swim Practice 10:00 am 4:00 pm Designated Area Only Pre Race Meeting 3:00 pm Sunday Parking and Transition Opens for Athletes 5:45 am Race Day Packet Pickup 6:00 am 7:00 am Practice Swim (designated area only) 6:30 am 7:45 am Pre Race Meeting at Swim Start 7:15 am Race Start Sprint 7:30 Olympic 7:45 Half 8:00 am Sprint Awards Ceremony 10:00 am Olympic Awards Ceremony 12:30 pm Half Awards Ceremony 2:30 pm WHAT S IN YOUR BAG? Run Bib Timing Chip Swim Cap Technical Shirt Bike Bib and Helmet Number Wrist band which must be worn to go in and out of transition

4 Athlete Check In No one but YOU can pick up your packet per USAT rules. Items Needed at Check In: A. PHOTO ID You cannot race without a photo id. B. USAT Card this is only for USAT annual members. DIRECTIONS are online under EVENT INFO/PARKING DIRECTIONS Race Site - GPS: Beltzville State Park, Lehighton Pennsylvania 2950 Pohopoco Drive Lehighton, Pa PARKING Police will direct you into one of two lots within the Park. Please follow their direction, move safely and timely. PLEASE DO NOT PARK OR DROP OFF ATHLETES ON THE ROAD INTO THE PARK this is very dangerous. TRANSITION: You must be in transition and set up prior to 7:05 regardless of what time your wave starts. If you arrive after 7:05 you will not be permitted to race. For safety reasons during the race, you are not permitted to ride your bike in or out of the Transition area. There will be clearly marked mount and dismount lines on at bike exit/enter. Please watch out for other athletes as you move through the Transition area and follow the instructions of race officials and volunteers.

5 SWIM START WAVES SPRINT WAVE 1 7:30 AM SILVER ELITES/ALL SPRINT MEN WAVE 2 7:34 AM RED ALL SPRINT WOMEN OLYMPIC WAVE 3 7:44 AM YELLOW ELITES/MEN 39 & UNDER WAVE 4 7:48 AM WHITE MEN 40 & OVER/CLYDESDALES WAVE 5 7:52 AM LT BLUE WOMEN 39 & UNDER/ATHENA S WAVE 6 7:56 AM ORANGE WOMEN 40 & OVER HALF WAVE 7 8:06 AM PURPLE ELITES/ALL HALF IRON MEN WAVE 8 8:10 AM PINK ALL WOMEN/ ALL AQUAVELO

6 SWIM COURSE SUMMARY Below 78.0 degrees wetsuit legal degrees degrees - An athlete may wear a wetsuit but will be ineligible for awards and national ranking consideration degrees or higher - the use of wetsuits is strictly prohibited. Water temperature is historically below 72 degrees. SWIM COURSE Swim courses are one loop. The sprint course is 750 meters and the Olympic course is 1500 meters. Half Iron is 1.2 miles. Turns will be marked by buoys of a different color than the other buoys. Athletes may rest by holding onto buoys and/or kayaks but must make a consistent effort to complete the swim (in the opinion of water safety personnel). CURRENT WATER TEMPERATURE: 71 Degrees NOTE: The water temp is taken :30 prior to the start of the race and that is the official water temp.

7 BIKE COURSE SUMMARY Please instruct your family/ friends/ fans not to drive on the bike course to cheer you on. This is dangerous and adds to the course traffic. The Sprint and Olympic bike courses are one loop through the scenic mountains of the Poconos. The Half Iron bike course is basically the same as Olympic but done two times. There will be two No Passing Zones, each about 100 yards long. They will be coned off bike only lanes when entering and exiting the park. Do Not Attempt To Pass In These Zones. Courses are open to traffic, please ride to the right to allow fellow competitors to pass and to allow vehicular traffic to progress. This is a No Drafting Race and rules will be enforced by USAT Race officials. Traffic controls will be maintained by Pennsylvania State Police, Park Rangers, Local Police, Fire-Police and Radio Communications organization. The course is a challenging and often hilly one. You may hit incredibly fast speeds on some of the descents. Athletes need to be in control of their bike at all times and are cautioned to stay out of the aero bars during these descents. Please slow down to turn and ALWAYS stay on your side of the road!

8 RUN COURSE This course will take place on a combination of paved and hard packed trails. The trails will take the athletes over the Beltzville Dam (by special permission of the Army Corps of Engineers) offering a panoramic view of the Park and Reservoir. The Olympic and Half Iron courses bring you back through the Finish Area past your friends and family at about mile 3. The last 1/2 mile is a very spectator friendly finish! There will be timing mats at the turnaround to ensure each athlete completes the entire run course. RACE TIME LIMITS ARE POSTED ON THE COURSE PAGE. POST RACE Enjoy the post race food, music and the great outdoors. Concessions, showers and indoor bathrooms are available at the Beach. Teams are permitted to grill, picnic, enjoy the park amenities.

9 DROPPING OUT If you drop out of the race, it is IMPERATIVE that you notify a race official at the finish line or information booth. If you cannot find a race official PLEASE inform a CGI Racing staff person at the Information Tent located in the Main Event Area. MEDICAL TREATMENT Please be sure to share your bib number with your family and friends. HIPPA laws do not allow us to give out athlete information other than a bib number. PROTESTS All protests of penalties assessed for rules infractions by USAT officials must be filed with the USAT Head Official within 60 minutes after the penalty report is posted. Judgment calls (e.g., drafting) are not eligible for protest. DIRECTIONS GPS location: Beltzville State Park 2950 Pohopoco Drive Lehighton, Pa Please follow the CGI RACING Event Parking signs to assure parking in the appropriate lots. NOTE: There is only one entrance into the park. Traffic gets very backed up between 6:30-7:00 we STRONGLY suggest you arrive prior to 6:30 am.

10 A Message from the Head Referee 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. Ride on the right side of your lane. Keep three bike lengths between you 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, at least 3 bikes to the rear of the person who passed you, 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 officials 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. Officials 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. Overtaken - failing to drop back three bike lengths after being passed and before re-passing. Drafting following a leading cyclist closer than three bike lengths and failing to pass 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 helmet and chinstrap rule apply before, during, and after the event. The chinstrap rule is the easiest to follow, but some folks always seem to forget that s a DQ. 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.

11 MEDICAL INFORMATION & COVERAGE/USAT ATHLETE EXCESS MEDICAL POLICY The athlete excess medical coverage protects each participant for the day of the event at USAT sanctioned races, camps and clinics. When athletes purchase a USAT annual license or one day permit, a portion of those fees cover the cost to provide them with excess medical insurance. This coverage only extends to their participation in an USA Triathlon sanctioned event and is only available after the injured party has filed with any primary insurance policies. A deductible does apply for this excess coverage. If an athlete is injured while participating in a USA Triathlon sanctioned event the following steps must be followed: 1. Race Director completes an incident report form. The race director is obligated to report the incident to USA Triathlon. No medical claim can be filed with insurance until this report is completed. You can find the incident report form by ing sanction@usatriathlon.org for a copy of the form. The signed document should be returned to USAT immediately. 2. Athletes must file with their primary healthcare provider (i.e. United Healthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, traveler s insurance, etc.). 3. Athlete completes a medical claim form. For serious incidents or for athletes requesting coverage, either the race director or USAT can provide them with a medical claim form. The medical claim form along with all explanation of benefit documents should be sent directly from the athlete to the insurance company as indicated on the claim form. Please sanction@usatriathlon.org for a copy of the form. 4. Athletes will pay a deductible. All athletes using USA Triathlon insurance will pay anywhere from $250 (two-hundred and fifty U.S. dollars) to $1,000 (one thousand U.S. dollars) out of pocket and possibly more for uncovered expenses. 5. Coverage limitations. Be advised that coverage may not apply to each and every claim. Additionally, coverage only extends to participants that have purchased an USA Triathlon annual license or one-day permit and were injured through participation in an USA Triathlon sanctioned event. Please questions to Event Services or call the group benefits department at and ask for Sean Lankie.

12 MEDICAL INFORMATION & COVERAGE Continued Please be advised that all medical expenses incurred are the sole responsibility of the athlete, not CGI Racing. USAT provides secondary coverage via USAT annual membership or the purchase of one day event insurance. By participating in this race, you understand and acknowledge the physical and mental rigors associated with triathlon, duathlon, or other multi-sport events, and realize that running, bicycling, swimming and other portions of such Events are inherently dangerous and represent an extreme test of a person s physical and mental limits. You understand that participation involves risks and dangers which include, without limitation, the potential for serious bodily injury, permanent disability, paralysis and death; loss or damage to property; exposure to extreme conditions and circumstances; accidents, illness, contact or collision with other participants, spectators, vehicles or other natural or manmade objects; dangers arising from adverse weather conditions; imperfect course conditions; water, road and surface hazards; equipment failure; inadequate safety measures; participants of varying skill levels; situations beyond the immediate control of the Event Organizers; and other undefined harm or damage which may not be readily foreseeable, and other presently unknown risks and dangers ( Risks ). You understand that these Risks may be caused in whole or in part by your own actions or inactions, the actions or inactions of others participating in the Event, or the acts, inaction or negligence of the Event Organizers. Please ask for medical assistance if you have any inkling that you might need help. Medical personnel will evaluate you, and will do All they can to keep you in the race. They will withdraw you only if you require transportation, IV fluids or if medical personnel feel that your continued participation will result in serious harm or death. Medical personnel have final authority to remove a participant from the race if the participant is judged to be incapable of continuing the race without risk of serious injury or death.

13 SPECTATOR INFO The course is great for spectators! It is easiest to move around on foot. The ideal viewing locations are all located right within the park. You can line the water to view the swim portion then walk over to the Bike in and out then walk just a short distance to the run course where participants will pass by you twice. You don t even have to move to see them finish! SPECTATORS - PLEASE FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES SO WE CAN HAVE A SAFE, FUN EVENT Parking Please do not park along the course. There is sufficient parking in the Park. Please do not follow your athlete in your car on the race course this can be very dangerous. Timing is everything Triathlon can be a difficult sport to keep track of a loved one. Be sure to ask you athlete in advance what time they think they will be on each leg of the course and the best time to catch a glimpse of them! It makes your spectating much more fun. THINGS YOU SHOULD ASK YOUR ATHLETE PRIOR TO RACE DAY: 1. WHAT IS YOUR BIB NUMBER? We cannot give out any athlete information other than bib number should there be a medical situation. 2. What are your estimated finish times for each leg of the race? This course is an above average difficulty level your times may be longer than anticipated.

14 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How do I edit my entry after I have registered? Please s.negro@cgiracing.com with your entry revision and we will update. I have entered the race but I am not listed on the entry list? your confirmation to info@cgiracing.com and we will confirm your entry. What is the minimum age to participate in a CGI Racing Triathlon? 13 Can I get a refund? We are sorry but there are no refunds, transfers or deferrals at this time. Can I sell or give my bib to someone else? Absolutely no transferring or selling your bib number to another person is permitted. Can someone other than myself pick up my packet? No. Per USAT rules only you can pick up your packet with photo id. What do I do if my race results are incorrect or missing? Please info@cgiracing.com and we will have our timing company revise your results. My wave doesn't start for a while after the race start can I just show up right before I am supposed to go in the water? Absolutely not. The transition area closes at 7:05 and all athletes must be in and set up prior to this time. If you show up after 7:05 (or near) you will not be permitted to race.

15 COURSE MAPS Course Maps are available for download from the race website; Swim Courses Bike Courses Run Courses Still have questions? us at