OMAHA TRIATHLON ATHLETE GUIDE SUNDAY JULY 18, 2021 Race Start Time is 6:00 A.M. STANDING BEAR LAKE AND RECREATION AREA NOTICE: The Omaha Triathlon has been moved to Standing Bear from Cunningham LaKe due to construction delays. Plan on 2022 for a return to LaKe “C” for years to come. Entrance at 138th and Fort Street. Welcome to the 12TH Annual Omaha Triathlon! Thank you for joining the 2021 event! Up front, I want to communicate the race plans as it relates to providing the safest event possible. For those who have participated in the Omaha Triathlon in the past, thank you for being a loyal participant! If you’re a new participant, welcome! We truly hope you’ll enjoy your first Omaha Triathlon experience. It’s important to start by reviewing this guide. It’ll help educate you on what to expect during your first Omaha Triathlon and help you get mentally focused for your start on Sunday! So, let’s get this party started! To begin, let’s go over the schedule of events. The best way for me to get back to everyone is by email at [email protected]. I check Facebook at often as possible, but email me. I promise to respond in a reasonable timely manner. Packet Pickup and Race Briefings: Packet Pickup times and locations are on the schedule below. Please pick up your packet prior to race day. There are NO Mandatory Race Briefings. If you a newer triathlete and need some additional information and questions answered, please see me at the race venue on Friday during the day or Saturday afternoon. EVENT SCHEDULE: OPEN WATER SWIM: (Thursday July 15th at 6pm) We have scheduled a Special Open Water Swim at Standing Bear Lake and Recreation Area on Thursday, July 15. Check in between 5 and 5:45 p.m. Swim starts at 6 p.m. 1500m and 750m course. We recommend coming the practice swim to be familiar with the swim course and be race ready for Sunday. Andy Vasquez, an elite triathlete and winner of the Omaha Triathlon several times will be present to provide any swimming tips and also is hosting a post Open Water Swim ride on the bike course. Please register online in advance at https://runsignup.com/Race/NE/Omaha/OpenWaterSwims You may register in person at the swim for $30 (day of fee) with a USA Triathlon current membership. We will have all the necessary water support for safe swim. PACKET PICK UP and Bike Drop Off Schedule (not Mandatory but recommended) Saturday, July 17 @ Standing Bear Lake and Recreation Area 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Venue located near swim start and transition area. You may leave your bike overnight (optional). Security will be on-hand overnight. USA Triathlon does have insurance coverage on the policy as well. Do not leave any other equipment overnight. **Registration for those wishing to participate after the on-line registration closes in person. Must show current USA Triathlon membership card or pay the per event fee of $15 as well as the current registration fee. Saturday, July 17, 2021 Omaha Kids Triathlon starts at 8:30 a.m. Please consider volunteering for this youth event to help with our younger multi-sport athletes. Please email us if volunteering at [email protected] or [email protected]. Volunteers should arrive around 7 a.m. If you have kids between 6 and 14 years, we welcome them to participate too. We expect about 100 youth to participate in this year’s Omaha Kids Triathlon, Sunday, July 18, 2021 ParKing: NO PARKING IN THE PARK NEAR THE RACE VENUE FOR PARTICIPANTS. THERE IS PARKING AT OTHER ENTRANCES TO STANDING BEAR. HOWEVER, BE AWARE THAT UNTIL THE BIKE COURSE IS OPEN BY POLICE, IT WILL BE SLOW LEAVING. PARKING IS AVAILABLE AT BUFFET MIDDLE SCHOOL AND NEARBY RESIDENTIAL STREETS SOUTH OF FORT STREET. Event Schedule At-a-Glance: • 4:15 a.m.: Transition area opens and day of packet pickup available (recommend getting your packet on Friday or Saturday as outlined above) • 5:35 a.m.: Transition area closes promptly • 5:45 a.m.: Pre-race instructions and National Anthem • 6:00 a.m.: Time Trial Start (Each participant enters the water one at time as directed about five seconds apart). • 7:30 a.m. – First Sprint Distance Finishers Estimated • 8:05 a.m. – First Olympic Finishers • 9:15 a.m. – Bike Course Cut-off o We estimate that the last swimmer should be on the bike course before 7 a.m. If you are unable to complete the swim and bike portion by approximately 9:15 a.m., we recommend changing your race option to Sprint versus Olympic. • 10:15 to 10:30 a.m. – Estimated Last Finisher Window COURSE OVERVIEWS: Swim Course: Above is the Olympic Course. Sprint Course turns half way. The swim course is a clockwise course in the lake at Standing Bear Recreation Area. The water clarity is good, and water testing has been conducted in compliance with USA Triathlon. The Buoys will be on your right side until the final buoy to the finish. Course buoys will be setup on Saturday Afternoon for race day/Sunday! The turn buoys for the Olympic swim course are Large Triangle ORANGE LIGHTED. Sight buoys are round donut shaped Yellow single buoys placed in-between the turn buoys. The Sprint Course turn with be marked with two smaller Double Buoys. The final Large Orange Triangle buoy on both courses will be the only buoy that will be on your left shoulder. Do not cut the course and “not” go around the last buoy correctly. Bike Course: Sprint and Olympic Courses – The Sprint Course turnaround is just after the left turn onto highway 36. It will be marked. The Olympic Distance goes on highway 36 west of 192nd Street. There is a small segment of 1 mile heading north on 192nd Street to accommodate the Olympic Distance bike of 40k. When you reach 192nd Street take a right until the turnaround and then return to highway 36 and take a right until the west turnaround before the highway. On the return “do not” go north on 192nd Street. Continue straight on highway 36 to 138th Street and take a right and follow the remainder of the course back to Standing Bear Lake and Recreation area. Recommend riding or driving the course before race day. The course is closed to vehicle traffic and policed by Douglas County Sheriff and Omaha Police Department. The course is counter-clockwise. Please follow all USA Triathlon rules for passing and appropriate distance to avoid drafting penalties. USA Triathlon Race Officials will be on the course to monitor the safety of participants and also assess any penalties. The most common penalties include: improper passing (must pass on the left within 15 seconds), drafting (following an athlete less than 3 bike lengths), and blocking (when passed must drop back at least 3 bike lengths). If you are new to triathlon or just want to review the rules, please visit www.usatriathlon.org for quick review of the most common rule violations. Run Course: Olympic Run Course depicted on this map above. Each lap of the Lake is exactly 5k. 2 Laps would equal 10k. The run course is counterclockwise. Do not dive off the floating trail. We will have three aid stations along the run course with water approximately every mile. Please help our volunteers keep the lake clean by throwing used cups into the trash cans adjacent to the aid stations along the trail. Your time on your driveway shooting baskets will finally pay off! If you are participating in the Aquabike division, you must rack your bike in the transition area and then exit at the transition area to the run-out and cross the finish line. You have not completed the race until you cross the finish line. This is a very short run to the finish. Duathlon Start Information: The 5k Run for the Duathlon will start after swimmers have entered the water. The Starting Line with be outside transition near the lake. Please listen for instructions from the Race Director. Transition Area: The transition area is only for triathletes/participants. Relay team members for the bike and run portion may enter the transition area without impeding other participants when they anticipate their team mate will complete their portion to avoid staying in the transition area for a longer period of time. Finish Line: Finish Line is location adjacent to the Transition Area. You will be allowed entry in the transition area only when it is safe. Any participant that is in the transition area prior to an official announcement from Race Officials may be disqualified by USA Triathlon rules. Time Trial Swim Start: You are assigned a swim cap color based on the race distance and gender divisions. Please line up with like color swim caps (Swim caps distributed at packet pickup). If you feel you are a slower swimmer you may want to start further back in your swim cap group. Please line up single file behind the swim start archway immediately following the national anthem. Group Order: • Olympic Male including Aqaubike • Olympic Female including Aquabike • Olympic Relay Teams • Sprint Men • Sprint Women • High School Division If you look around at swim start and notice everyone wearing a different color than you, you are in the incorrect group. If you lose your swim cap between packet pickup and Sunday morning when the race starts, please ask our volunteers for a new swim cap or just yell at the race director to throw you a new cap! Each person will be given a start signal at the starting line by the timer.