ATHLETE INFORMATION GUIDE 2016 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS Event Overview. 3 USAT Competitive Rules. 4 Event Schedule. 7 Registration and Packet Pickup. 8 Transition... 9 Body Marking. 9 Timing Chips and Race Timing 9 Course Descriptions and Information Swim Course. 11 Bike Course 13 Run Course 14 Getting Around Town Where to Park 15 Where to Stay 16 Sponsors... 17 Parking Pass. 18 2
Welcome to TRI SANTA CRUZ TM. This is the 10 th anniversary of this race series and it seems to grow each year. At Finish Line Productions our philosophy is to create the kind of race that allows us to maintain a level of personal involvement with our athletes, while creating a premium event. Our entire staff and race crew is committed to making your race day a great event that you will remember, whether it s your first or fiftieth race. We do our best to answer all your questions both before and during the event. As you read this guide if you find things that are missing or you think should be there please let us know so we can add it on the next update. EVENT OVERVIEW The race series consists of the following events Sprint Distance Triathlon Sprint Distance Aquabike International Distance Triathlon (aka Olympic Distance) International Distance Aquabike Relay teams for both distances Dip and Dash Aquathlon #2 and a Sprint Distance Aquathlon These races are sanctioned events through USA Triathlon. All applicable USAT Competitive Rules will be enforced before, during and after the event while you are present at the race venue. Please take the time to review the section on most frequently violated rules. It is your responsibility as an athlete to know the rules. 3
MOST COMMONLY VIOLATED COMPETITIVE RULES Helmets No modifications may be made to the helmet. Helmets must be worn as they were purchased. If the helmet came with a cloth cover, the cover must be on the helmet when competing. Helmets must be worn at all times while on your bike. This means before, during, and after the event. All helmets must have a valid CPSC sticker permanently affixed by the manufacturer to the inside of the helmet. Penalty: Disqualification Unsportsmanlike-Like Conduct Foul, harsh, argumentative or abusive language or other unsportsmanlike conduct directed at race officials, USA Triathlon officials, volunteers, spectators or fellow athletes is forbidden. Penalty: Disqualification Chin Straps Chin straps must be buckled at all times when on a bicycle. DO NOT unbuckle your chin strap unless you are off your bicycle. Penalty: Disqualification on the course; Variable time penalty in transition area only. Outside Assistance No assistance other than that offered by race and medical officials may be used. Triathlons are individual tests of fitness. You may not receive food, clothing, or assistance pacing along the course from someone who is not associated with the race. You may run with another competitor. Headphones, ipods, etc. will be considered illegal equipment or outside assistance, at the discretion of the head referee. Penalty: Variable time penalty Transition Area All equipment must be placed in the properly designated and individually assigned bike corral. The wheel of the bicycle must be down on the side of the assigned space. All participants must return their bicycles to an upright position in their designated bicycle corral. No person shall interfere with another participant s equipment or impede the progress of another participant. All bar ends must be solidly plugged. No participant shall bring ANY glass containers into the transition area. Penalty: Variable time penalty 4
Drafting Postion- Blocking Drafting - You must keep at least three bike lengths of clear space between you and the cyclist in front. If you move into the zone, you must pass within 15 seconds. Position--keep to the right hand side of the lane of travel unless passing. You may not ride on the left beside the yellow lane. The exception to this is an identified road hazard or pothole. Blocking--riding on the left side of the lane without passing anyone and interfering with other cyclists attempting to pass. Overtaken--once passed, you must immediately exit the draft zone from the rear, before attempting to pass again. Penalty: Variable time penalty Course All competitors are required to follow the prescribed course and to stay within all coned lanes. Cutting the course is an obvious violation and going outside the course is a safety issue. Cyclists shall not cross a solid yellow center line for ANY reason. Cyclists must obey all applicable traffic laws at all times. Penalty: Referee's discretion Please note that in the Tri Santa Cruz Races ALL cyclists shall not cross the yellow line at any time on the course unless instructed by course marshals as necessary to follow course directions or to avoid safety hazards. Any passing or crossing over the yellow line will result in a disqualification, at the discretion of the Race Director and Head Referee. Headphones Headphones, headsets, walkmans, ipods, mp3 players, etc. are not to be carried or worn at any or on any segment of the race. Penalty: Variable time penalty Please note that any use of headsets or ipods on the bicycle portion of the course will result in disqualification. Race numbers All athletes are required to wear race numbers at all times during the bike and run. Numbers must face the front and be clearly visible at all times. Numbers may not be cut or folded or altered in any way. DO NOT transfer your number to any other athlete or take a number from an athlete that is not competing. Penalty: Variable time penalty for missing or altered number, Disqualification and one year suspension from membership in USAT for transferring a number without race director permission. 5
Abandonment All personal equipment and belongings taken out onto the course must stay on the athlete the entire time. No garbage, clothing, etc. shall be thrown on the course. No clothing or equipment will be handed off to a spectator. Penalty: Variable time penalty Traffic Rules Traffic rules must be obeyed at all times. No crossing lanes into oncoming traffic lanes to pass. No crossing double yellow line at any time. Obey all directions provided by course monitors and uniformed officers. Penalty: Disqualification at the discretion of race director Wetsuits Each age group participant shall be permitted to wear a wetsuit without penalty in any event sanctioned by USA Triathlon up to and including a water temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water temperature is greater than 78 degrees but less than 84 degrees Fahrenheit, age group participants may wear a wetsuit at their own discretion, provided, however that participants who wears a wetsuit within such temperature range shall not be eligible for prizes or awards. Above 84 degrees, wetsuits are prohibited. Ha Ha no worries here!!! The water temperature will be in the high fifties or low sixties wetsuits are definitely encouraged. Variable Time Penalties All races in this series will have short/intermediate penalties applied. Distance Category 1st Offense 2nd Offense 3rd Offense Short or Sprint 2:00 Minutes 4:00 Minutes Disqualification Intermediate 2:00 Minutes 4:00 Minutes Disqualification Long 4:00 Minutes 8:00 Minutes Disqualification For a complete list of USAT Competitive rules please refer to http://www.usatriahlon.org 6
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES Friday, August 12, 2016 3:00 pm -7:00pm Registration and Packet Pickup Saturday, August 13, 2016 10:00 am 5:00 pm Registration and Packet Pick-Up Sunday, August 14, 2016 6:00 AM Registration and Packet Pick-Up SportsBasement Sunnyvale, CA Spokesman Bicycles 231 Cathcart Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831-429-6062 Depot Park 119 Center Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060 7:30 AM Paratriathlete Meeting on the beach Cowell Beach 7:45 AM Paratriathlete Start Cowell Beach 7:50 AM Mandatory Athlete Meeting at the swim start Cowell Beach 8:00 AM First Wave Start* Cowell Beach 9:0) AM Last Wave Start* Cowell Beach 8:00 am 12:00 pm Expo Booths Open Depot Park 11:30am 12:00 noon Awards Ceremony Depot Park Wave start times are and order are subject to change. Check for the latest information at packet pick-up and on the race website at the following link: http://www.finishlineproduction.com/events/triathlon/trisantacruz/tscwavestart s.html Note on the schedule published on the website that ALL Aquathlon distances will start together. 7
REGISTRATION AND PACKET PICK-UP Things to bring to Packet Pick-Up Photo ID USAT Annual Member Card If you are not a USAT Annual Member you will need to purchase a one-day license for $15. If you mailed your registration this amount is NOT included in your race registration. We will have one-day license forms available for you to complete. This must be paid by check or cash. If you registered online your USAT annual membership will have been verified or you will have paid for your one-day USAT license. We will have the downloads to verify this payment and the signature on the waiver. If you did not sign the waiver you will be asked to sign an additional waiver. You can also purchase an annual membership at packet pickup for $50. You can pay for this with a credit card. If you are a USAT annual member and forget your card you have three options: Go home and get it Go online and get a copy to print out Pay the $15 and save the receipt. It can be used as a discount on your next annual membership. You will receive the following once your registration has been verified: Wristband This wristband is your ticket to enter transition. You will not be able to enter transition without this wristband. You should not remove it until after you have removed your gear from transition at the end of the race. Swim Cap color coded to your group or gender start. Timing Chip must be worn on your left ankle to receive your time and splits. We recommend that you wear the strap on your LEFT ankle to avoid any chance of the Velcro straps getting caught in your bicycle chain ring. Bike and Helmet Numbers You will have a number for your bike. Please place this over the top tube. Put the helmet number on the front of your helmet. Race Number Bib you must wear this number on the bike and the run, either on your shirt or on a race belt. You can attach it to your shirt or tri-suit and wear it under your wetsuit, the water won t hurt it. You ll receive a finisher s medal at the finish line when you complete the race. 8
BODY MARKING In your race packet you will find two sheets of race tattoos. Those numbers should be applied to your left arm and your left thigh. Follow the directions on the tattoos for application. We will provide water bottles and sponges in transition to help apply on race day if you don t get them on at home the night before. You will also find volunteers doing body marking around transition. We will also provide some large sharpies if you want to do your own body marking. TRANSITION Transition will not be open prior to the published time. Do not ask us to let you in early. There will be vehicles and loading/unloading going on in transition. You will be allowed access in plenty of time for your race. Bike racks will be numbered. You will need to rack with your number, organized by gender and age group for each race. Please respect the space of others around you and do not take up more than your required space. There will be some special racks set aside with signs for pro/elite athletes and special groups/teams or paratriathletes needing extra space for wheelchairs. Your registration wristband is your entry ticket to transition. You will not be able to enter transition without it, nor will you be permitted to remove your gear at the end of the race without your wristband. Family, friends and non-athletes will not be permitted into transition to talk to you or help you. They will need to remain outside the fenced area. At the end of the race you may hand your gear out the gate to them, but the security guards will not permit non-athletes to enter transition to assist you. RACE TIMING and TIMING CHIPS USAT only requires that we capture and report a finish time on each athlete. We make every attempt to capture all split and transition times on each athlete. However, sometimes athletes miss the antenna mats or jump over them creating missed times or splits. We make every attempt to provide an accurate split time for each athlete so if you are missing times please let us know and we will search backup files for any missing times. You must wear your chip to receive a time. If you forget your timing chip or lose it during the race then you won t receive any race times, and may not receive a final time if we cannot validate your time. Make sure your timing chip strap is firmly attached. 9
If your chip strap does not fit your ankle please check in with the timing trailer located in transition and ask for a different strap. We have Velcro straps to replace the neoprene straps and strap extensions. The timing chip is your responsibility once you pick it up at registration. It is not disposable, and you must return it at the finish line. If you lose the chip you may be expected to pay for a replacement chip (Cost = $30). If you lose your timing chip during the swim see the volunteers at the swim in mat or go immediately to the timing trailer on return to transition and you will be given a new timing chip. The timing chips/systems we use are manufactured by Winning Time SRL in Italy. They are the only timing company in the United States that has received the EPA s certification as a GREEN timing solution. The RFID chips are embedded in post-consumer recycled plastic, and the chips themselves are used hundreds of thousands of times, thereby avoided costly e-waste disposal. A NOTE ON AGE GROUPS DETERMINATION Why on earth would this be in the timing section? Because this is the place where 90% of the timing errors occur. Your age under USA Triathlon rules is your age on December 31 of the race year, not the date of the race. Example: John Doe s birthday is on October 1 and he is 29 years old on race day. His USAT age is actually 30. That means he is in the 30 34 age group, not the 25 29 age group. Pay attention to the age group you are assigned at registration in order to assure correct results and ranking. 10
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS AND INFORMATION Swim Course Map PLEASE READ THE SWIM START DESCRIPTION ON THE WEB SITE. http://www.finishlineproduction.com/events/triathlon/trisantacruz/tscwavestart s.html We are not doing traditional age/gender swim starts this year. The starts are a modified time trial start based on your estimated swim time regardless of age or gender. There is a swim information document on the web page. Please download and read that document. It will clarify all the information about the swim start process. There will be an entry corral at the start of the swim. You will enter the corral over the timing mat to register your corral start. A volunteer will ask you your race number as a double check for the start time. Swim waves will start on the beach. Athletes will run into the water when the gun sounds. This is not an in-the-water start except for paratriathletes. The swim course for the international distance triathlon, aquabike and the aquathlon is two loops. On exiting the water you will be directed around a buoy and directly back into the water. Swim at a diagonal back to the first buoy and continue around the swim course to the exit. 11
The swim course for the sprint distance triathlon, aquabike and aquathlon is only one loop. Once you exit the water you will proceed directly up the beach and through the parking lot adjacent to the beach and then into transition at Depot Park. Depot Park and Transition are a block down the street. You may leave a pair of flip flops or shoes to protect your feet on the way to transition. It is the athlete s responsibility to find their own footwear at the end of the swim. One easy way to make sure you have your own shoes is to buy a cheap pair of flip flops and write your name/race number on the top with permanent marker. 12
Bike Course Map The bike course is an out and back loop along West Cliff Drive with a U-turn at one end and a loop around the block at the other end to get your back onto West Cliff Drive. Turn by turn directions: Exit transition up onto the trestle to the corner of Bay and West Cliff (in front of the Dream Inn). Right on Bay Street Left on Laguna Left on Santa Cruz Right on West Cliff Right on Swanton Drive U-Turn at Delaware St. Left on West Cliff Drive Left at Bay Street to complete your bike loops (4 for International, 2 for sprint. 13
Run Course Maps International and Sprint Distances There will be two water stations, providing three opportunities for water on the 10K run course. There will be one water station at the 5K turnaround for the sprint course and another aid station at the 10K turnaround for the Olympic course. 14
GETTING AROUND TOWN Where to Park There is a paid parking lot behind the soccer field at Depot Park. The problem with this lot is that the meters don t start until 9:00am. So don t park there unless you have a family member available to go over and pay for a ticket in the meter box. There will be a number of reserved spaces in this lot for sponsor and vendor parking. Please do not park in the spots designated for sponsors. The best place to park is along West Cliff Drive (by the run course), and ride your bike down into transition at Depot Park. All of the spaces along West Cliff are free and unlimited during the day. By parking along West Cliff you can guarantee that cars will not be trying to access the water-side lane while you are riding, and it provides another location for your family and friends to view the race. If you park on West Cliff Drive you will need to pay attention to this information: You will find a parking permit on the last page of this document. You must show this permit at the foot of Beach Street at the road closed barricade to the security guard in order to get access to West Cliff Drive. Once you park this permit needs to be prominently displayed in your back window. If the police officers do not see this permit on display you will get your car towed! Do not park in any of the spots along the street directly in front of any houses or apartments or where you see a barricade on the sidewalk with a no parking sign. Only use the spots on the water side of the street facing the ocean. Do not park in any of the neighborhood areas that have signs saying it is a Permit Area Only. Your parking permit is ONLY good along West Cliff Drive. Roads will be open at 11:00 am at which time you will be able to leave your parking spot. There is metered parking along Center Street, parking at the Boardwalk, and in the neighborhoods behind the Bay and Laguna Intersections. Do not park in any private or permit only zones, or areas marked with no parking signs. Santa Cruz had a number of lots available for parking and they can be found at this site: http://www.downtownsantacruz.com/parking.php 15
Where to Stay There are several motels within walking distance to the race venue. The closest locations are: Ocean Pacific Lodge located immediately across the street from transition. Bay Front Inn located right behind the Ocean Pacific Lodge Howard Johnson located on the bike course as you leave transition Dream Inn, Sea and Sand, Seaway Inn, Howard Johnsons all near the intersection of West Cliff and Bay Avenue. For a complete list of available lodging and rates check out this site: http://www.explorer1.com/santacruz/motels.htm 16
SPONSORS Our sponsors and vendors are important to us. We would ask that you patronize their businesses as much as possible and thank them for taking the time to support our event. This list below is a partial list of sponsors, as we are adding new companies on an ongoing basis. The Spokesman Bicycles Running Revolution Shared Adventures Xterra Wetsuits and Boards Rudy Project Sports Basement Dr. Richard Robinson, DDS Adventure Sports Journal National Holistic Institute 17
TRI SANTA CRUZ AUTHORIZED ATHLETE PARKING PERMIT 18