Sunday Course Information
TRANSITION AREA
The Transition Area for the race is located in a grass field a short run from the Grande Hills Lake you will be swimming in. The grass will be cut and the operations team does our best to make sure all ant hills are dead and inactive. Transition opens race morning at 6:00am and closes promptly at 7:15am. There will be bike check available on Saturday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm, but it is not mandatory.
When you check your bike into the transition area, your bike number must be on your bike. After the race, only you, the athlete, can remove your bike from the transition area. We will be matching your bike number to your ankle band number upon exiting transition after the race. Only registered athletes with an ankle band will be allowed in the transition area. Make sure your handle bars have bar-end plugs before checking into the transition area race morning.
On race day, bikes cannot be removed from the transition area until the last cyclist completes the bike portion of the race and is out on the run course. All participants must wear a bike helmet at any time they are seated on their bike. You will get body marked on race morning outside of the transition area. After 11:30am the race site is broken down and transition is no longer secure. Please be courteous and remove your trash as you exit transition post-race.
SWIM COURSE
This year we will utilize a rolling swim start instead of mass wave starts. Swimmers will be asked to self seed themselves by anticipated swim finish time or average 100 meter pace time. Faster swimmers will be seeded in the front and slower swimmers will be seeded in the back. All swimmers MUST cross the timing mat that will be located at water’s edge to begin the race. Swimmers will enter the water one swimmer every 3 seconds. The first swimmer will go at 7:30am when the cannon is shot and the last swimmer should enter the water before 7:50am. We think this change will make a safer and more enjoyable swim for all of our participants.
USA Triathlon Wetsuits rules:
4.4 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 wear a wetsuit within this temperature range shall not be eligible for prizes or awards. Age group participants shall not wear wetsuits in water temperatures equal to or greater than 84 degrees Fahrenheit. The wetsuit policy for elite athletes shall be determined by the USAT Athletes Advisory Council. The AAC has set the wetsuit maximum temperature for elite athletes at 68 degrees for swim distances less than 3000 meters and 71.6 degrees for distances of 3000 meters or greater.
Any swimmer wearing a wetsuit with a thickness measured in any part greater than 5 millimeters shall be disqualified.
BIKE COURSE
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The bike course is an 18 mile out and back with some 90 degree turns, please be cautious of gravel at all turns. Cyclists exit the back entrance of Grande Hills Estates and turn right onto HWY 1083 about 2 miles into the course. After another 2 miles, cyclists turn right onto HWY 40 and continue just before the intersection with HWY 21. All participants will make a 180 degree turn around and return on the same route back. There is no bike bottle exchange or water stations on the bike course.
RUN COURSE
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The run course is a 4 mile out and back that follows Churchill Downs Drive to Fairgrounds Blvd. The course is hilly and features two (2) aid stations with water and electrolyte fluids. Please be respectful of the neighborhood and utilize trash cans.
COURSE CUT OFF INFORMATION
Race times are restricted to limit our impact on local roads. Participants will not be able to continue in the race after the times listed below. No race services including medical, aid stations or traffic control are available after the cut off times.
Swim Cut Off – 8:40am
T-1 Exit Cut Off (Begin the bike leg) – 8:45am
Bike Finish Cut Off – 10:15am
T-2 Exit Cut Off (Begin the run leg) – 10:20am
Run Finish – 11:30am
The finish line remains open until 11:30am (assuming a 7:30am start). Participants must cross the finish line by 11:30am in order to be considered “official finishers.” The course is opened to traffic on a rolling schedule as participants make their way to the finish. In order to ensure safety, a Sweep Vehicle follows the race route to pick-up participants who are unable to maintain paces required to make the cut off times. Participants are required to board the Sweep Vehicle when so instructed by Race Officials. For your safety, the Police Department does not allow participants to continue once the course has been re-opened to traffic. Keep in mind that race services, including water stations and medical aid, will be discontinued once the Sweep Vehicle comes through.
