Dear Athletes,

The Las Olas Triathlon is THIS SUNDAY!  Thanks for registering!  This is to remind you of important information that you need to know before the event.

IMPORTANT - Understand the Venue Layout
There are always huge crowds that make it hard to see the cones and arrows at this race.  This makes it imperative that you look at this venue map and understand how you get into transition after the swim (light blue line), how you get back out to the run (same way then turn right/south on the promenade/sidewalk - follow red lines), and how you finish (red line leading back towards transition then a hard right down the finishing chute).  It is not difficult, but if you wait until the middle of the race to figure out where to go you could get confused.  It's a great idea to have this map on your phone and walk this path before the race!  

 

Transition Layout
This will be the largest Las Olas Triathlon since before COVID, so transition will be a bit crowded.  To accommodate everyone, we have to rack all 6 people on each rack on the same side of the rack rather than 3 on each side like we normally do.  Use the link below to open the transition layout to find your rack spot race morning: https://tridirector.com/transitionlayout.php

Please be courteous to your fellow racers and only use the space between the black marks so that everyone has space for their bike.

Volunteers Needed

People are the most important part of any event.  Without proper levels of staff and volunteers events are not possible.  We need YOUR help!  Please volunteer or bring someone to volunteer while you race!  You can even volunteer for setup and/or cleanup before and after racing.  We offer volunteer hours, race credit, or even pay if they are good!  We need your help!  To sign up a volunteer, please email [email protected].  You can also sign up race morning, but advance notice is appreciated. 

Help where you can.  It's fun, you learn a lot about the behind the scenes, and it builds good karma :-)

Body Marking Tattoos

Please pick up your packet at the early packet pickup and you will receive body marking tattoos that you can self apply before the race.  If you pick up race morning, please bring your own wet sponge, hand towel, or paper towel to apply the tattoos to yourself.  Here’s a video showing how to self apply: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt6PdG21C3o  Please apply them to your left bicep so our backup timers and photographers can easily identify you.

Thank A Volunteer!

These events would not be possible without A LOT of volunteers.  Triathletes, of course, make the best volunteers as you all know what to do.  Unfortunately, not enough triathletes volunteer, so we work with various groups:  ROTC, High School students, boy scouts, Canteen fire rescue support services, etc.  While we donate to these organizations, the individuals who come out receive no benefit themselves.  So, please say “THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING” when you see them and if they make a mistake, please be forgiving.  Also, try volunteering out yourself as it is fun and you’ll earn race credit!

City Bikes – Pembroke Pines

671 NW 100th Pl
Pembroke Pines, FL 33024
(954) 682-8889

Thursday, April 16, 1-6pm
Friday, April 17, 10am-6pm

City Bikes – Aventura

20335 Biscayne Blvd
Aventura, FL 33180
(305) 682-8889

Saturday, April 18, 11am-4 pm

Limited packet pickup will also be available race morning at the event site from 5:30-6:30 a.m.

Bike check-in is race morning from 5:30 am-6:30 am. 

There will be a pre-race clinic at City Bikes-Aventura at 1pm on Saturday.  Please attend if you have not done this race before.  An online version will also be available at https://a1atriathlon.com/index.php/pre-race-clinic/

Transition Security

Only registered racers are allowed to enter the transition area. You must show your race number to enter transition and your number must match the bike you are taking out.

While we have chip timing, occasionally a chip is lost or there is some malfunction somewhere. Because of this, we have backup timers at the start, finish, and each end of the transition. Please help yourself and say your number to the person holding a tablet at each of these locations when you pass by. Having your time backed up can be extremely helpful if you lose your chip, get the wrong chip, or various other little things that can happen.

• 7:00 am – Transition Closes
• 7:00 am – Olympic Triathlon & Aquabike Begin
• 7:10 am – Olympic Duathlon Begins (Mass Start)
• 7:30 am – 1/2 Olympic Triathlon Begins
• 7:40 am – 1/2 Olympic Duathlon Begins (Mass Start)
• 7:50 am – 1/4 Olympic Triathlon & Aquabike Begin
• 7:55 am – 1/4 Olympic Duathlon Begins (Mass Start)

Racers in each group will begin starting one person at a time at the specified start time. Duathlons will have a mass start. Do not line up until your group is called.  Starting will be done approximately every 2-3 seconds.  You will announce your race number to the starter (also doing manual backup timing).  When the starter tells you to ‘GO’, then you run across the start timing mat.  Wait to hear ‘GO’.

The venue is shown in green.  There are 4 large parking lots and several small ones located near the race venue and are shown in BLUE on this map along with the number of parking spaces in the large lots.  Only the lots shown are city lots.  There are several private lots that may charge you a lot if you park there.   (SEE MAP BELOW)  

If you cannot finish the race for any reason, please come to the finish line and let us know and return your chip.  This way we know that you are OK and don’t send a search crew out to find you
 

Water Stations 

Water stations will have water and Gatorade Endurance sports drink.  Aid stations will be located approximately every mile throughout the course.  There will be no aid station on the bike course, so please bring enough fluids to complete the course.

The surf temperature is 78.6.  This race is NOT wetsuit legal.
 

Swim Course

The swim will be 375m, 750m, or 1500m depending on which race you enter. The swim will be a one way swim with the current so may start north OR south of the venue. The swim will end directly across the beach from transition regardless of distance. There will be 3 different starting points depending on your distance. When approaching the beach, there will be designated signs for each race distance:
  
Please line up at the appropriate sign for your distance.

Athletes may transfer to the duathlon at any time if they don’t like the swim conditions or just simply change their minds. Don’t do the swim if you have any doubt in your abilities or are uncomfortable in any way.

Click this link for Southbound Swim Maps (default).

Click this link for Northbound Swim Maps.
 

The duathlon will start at the Southeast corner of the venue.  Look for the DUATHLON flags and barricades as that's where you start.  The duathlon will run south for 0.5 km and back for a total distance of 1 km before jumping on their bikes.

See Map: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37874334 

See map: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46463214

Bike U-turn Sign:


Bike U-turn Map:

PLEASE DO NOT U-TURN WHEN YOU RIDE BY THE RUN COURSE U-TURN SIGNS SHOWN IN THE SECTION BELOW!!!
The bike U-turn will NOT be on the sidewalk.  It will be in the middle of the road and you will come back on the other side of the median.

1/4 Olympic racers will enjoy a scenic 2.5k run course and turn around at the first water station. 1/2 Olympic racers will run 5k and turn around at the 2nd water station.
See signage below:

       

Olympic racers will run 10k and turn around at the U-turn sign.  They will not turn around at the 3rd water station.  Rather they will hit it twice, once going in each direction.

Runners will go south to the south turnaround, run back north to the north turnaround for their distance, return to the south turnaround, then proceed to the finish line.  DO NOT GO DIRECTLY TO THE FINISH AFTER PASSING THE LAST WATER STATION.  YOU MUST KEEP GOING TO THE SOUTH TURNAROUND BEFORE GOING TO THE FINISH LINE.

See map: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46451679 
 

Aquabike
Note that the Aquabike ends once you enter transition after the bike.  You may continue and go through the finish chute to get your medal, but the clock will have already stopped.

Swim Practice
Please exit the water before the first wave starts at 7:00 a.m. Practice is unsupervised as lifeguards will not be on duty until the race starts. Please do not go on the beach before 6:45am as they have to clear the beach of sea turtles before we can access the beach.  It will be cleared by 6:45 am.  Thank You!

Cutoff Times

• Bike Lap Cut Off - 9:00 a.m.

• Water Station 1 Cut Off - 9:39 a.m.

• Water Station 2 Cut Off - 9:48 a.m.
  
  If you are concerned about making the cutoff times we can switch you to a shorter distance.

• 9:10 am – 1/4 Olympic Triathlon & Duathlon Awards
• 9:30 am – All Aquabike Awards
• 9:45 am – 1/2 Olympic Triathlon & Duathlon Awards
• 10:30 am – Olympic Triathlon & Duathlon Awards

The most commonly violated rules are:

1. Helmets are mandatory while riding the bike (BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER the race). Helmet must be buckled or strapped on whenever with your bike. This is a DISQUALIFICATION penalty.
2. Headphones are not allowed at any time. On the bike it is a DISQUALIFICATION penalty for endangerment. On the run it is a variable time penalty for Unauthorized Accessories.
3. No drafting will be allowed while on the bike. You must stay 5 bike lengths away from the person in front of you. You have a 25 second window to execute a pass.
4. Pass only on the left while on the bike.
5. No blocking - Stay to the right side except when passing.
6. Do no cross the yellow line around corners on the bike.
7. No outside assistance will be allowed in the transition area. You also may not have someone else pace you to the finish line on the run.
8. Handlebar ends must be plugged to lessen the chance of injury in a fall. 
9. You may not leave anything on the course (i.e. water bottles, gel wrappers, SWIM CAPS). Everything should return with you to the transition area or be disposed of at an aid station or in a garbage can.
10. You must run or walk your bike out of and into the transition area. You may not ride in the transition area.
11. Your bike must be racked on the bike rack assigned for your race number. It must be racked either by the seat or brake levers.
12. You must wear your running race number on the front of your body during the run segment. Your bike number must be clearly visible at all times on your bike. You must apply the helmet number to the front of your helmet. You must also be body marked on your left bicep.
13. Athletes' age groups are determined by their age on December 31st of the current year. This is so that you do not change age groups in the middle of the year.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport created the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP), a collection of proactive prevention and training policies for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement to help create a safer and healthier environment in which minor athletes can thrive.

The MAAPP was originally released in 2019 to support organizations and individuals in preventing abuse in sport and meeting requirements under federal law. As a member of USA Triathlon and participant at a USA Triathlon sanctioned event, you are required to follow these policies.

The MAAPP focuses on in-program contact between an Adult Event Participant and a minor athlete and covers the following Required Prevention Policies: One-on-One Interaction, Meeting and Training Sessions, Athletic Training Modalities, Massages and Rubdowns, Locker Rooms and Changing Areas, Electronic Communications, Transportation, and Lodging.

All Required Prevention Policies apply at all facilities or locations that are partially or fully under the jurisdiction of USA Triathlon. Partial or full jurisdiction includes the following:

Any event or competition sanctioned by USA Triathlon
Any facility that USA Triathlon owns, leases, or rents for competition, training, or practices

Any hotel or lodging that the team is using when traveling to a sanctioned USA Triathlon event or competition

All Required Prevention Policies must be followed by:

Adult Event Participants who have direct contact with minor athletes

Adult Event Participants authorized to have direct contact with minor athletes

Adult Event Participants authorized to have authority over minor athletes

Any Adult Event Participant at a facility that is partially or fully under the jurisdiction of USA Triathlon

As the MAAPP will be enforced at the Las Olas Triathlon being held on April 13th, please review the MAAPP at a Glance in preparation for the upcoming event. Additionally, please review USA Triathlon’s SafeSport Policies and References.

Mandatory Reporting

As a reminder, all Adult Event Participants – including those with one-day memberships – are Mandatory Reporters. If you see or hear a report of any form of abuse, whether it is sexual, physical, mental or another type of abuse you are required to report that abuse within a 24-hour period. You can file a report to the U.S. Center for SafeSport through its online reporting form or by calling the U.S. Center for SafeSport at 833-587-7233 or USA Triathlon at [email protected].