Date:
TBA, but aiming for Saturday 9/1/12
7:30am
Where:
Bayou Black Recreation Center
3688 Southdown Mandalay Dr.
Houma, LA 70360
The Swim (150 meters):
The swim portion of the race is first. It consists of a 150 meter swim of any desired stroke, in a staggered fashion. This means that one person will start every 5 seconds. Each participant will swim one length of the pool in each lane. This is seeded according to the times entered on the registration form. We use the time that you give on your registration form and arrange participants from fastest to slowest. This helps with the flow of the swim portion by allowing swimmers of similar ability to swim together. We assign race numbers according to your position by time (fastest swimmer is 001, slowest is 200). So, please make sure you list your time on your registration form for more accurate seeding. If you are unsure of your swim time please try to find a 25 meter pool to time yourself. Some guidelines are listed in the section of this website titled "Info for New Triathletes".
The Bike (10 miles):
The bike portion runs north along Southdown Mandalay Dr. You will ride 5 miles out to just before the Blanchard Bridge and then turn around to return to the transition area, for a total of 10 miles. Please be aware that the turn around at the 5 mile point is a fairly sharp u-turn on the road so please slow down as you approach it! This road has some gentle curves as it parallels Bayou Black. There are many large, old oak trees along the course providing periods of shade and allowing for a more enjoyable ride, especially for the novice racer! There are no water stations along this portion, so please make sure you have water either on your bike or at your transition site. Helmets are required for this section of the race. There is no separate fat tire division in this race.
The Run (3 miles):
The run is the final segment of the race. As you leave from your transition area, you will run south along Southdown Mandalay Dr. Again, you will get to enjoy the scenery of Bayou Black and periods of shade provided by the century old oaks and other trees. The run is a 1.5 mile loop returning back to the Bayou Black Recreation Center for the finish! There are 2 water stations on the run portion.
Relay Teams:
If you don't think you're ready to do this alone, do it as a team with friends or family! Relay teams can be formed with 2 or 3 members. This can be coed, all male, or all female. This is a great way for kids/teens to participate. A relay team makes it a little more fun as you can work together and have each person do what they are best at. All relay team exchanges between legs MUST occur in the transition area by their team's bike set-up. It is at this point that you will hand off the timing chip from one participant to the next. Failure to follow this rule may result in disqualification from the race.
Awards:
Awards will be given to the first overall individual finisher in the male and female categories.
We also give awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in each age group (male & female individual competitors)
The 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place relay teams in adult and youth categories will be given a medal for each participant. The youth relay category is new this year and will be for teams in which the average age of participants is 18 or under.
- The award ceremony will begin sometime between 10:00 & 10:30. This allows for the person who is seeded last for the swim to have approximately 2 hours to complete the race. We hope to be able to have all competitors finished with the race before beginning the awards ceremony, however, we have to have some limitations on how long we will be able to wait!
Post Race Party:
Food, drinks, and music will be provided after the race, so stay around and relax for a while. Let the kids play at the park, sit under some shelter as you visit with others, or enjoy the sunshine and dance away to the music!
Race Day Time Line:
6:00 - 7:00 am - race day packet pick up and body marking
6:50 - 7:10 - Pool will be available for swim warm-ups
7:15 - MANDATORY meeting on the pool deck for ALL participants
7:30 - Start of the race
around 10:00 or 10:30 - we will begin awards ceremony
All activities should be completed by 11:00, but feel free to hang around as long as you like!
Bike route map
Run Route map