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Greetings!
Welcome to 2010 AFLAC Iron Girl Columbia
Triathlon. This email contains important information about our upcoming Iron Girl Dress Rehearsal on Friday July 30, 2010 and other important Iron Girl information.
This is our 4th year to host this optional, very
special FREE event for some very
special athletes... You! No matter what your skill level in triathlon, this is
to be your time to step up and be counted among the many women who can and will
soon claim the title of "Iron Girl Finisher."
This will be a chance to practice your swim in the lake, and your run on
the actual course (some people cycle on their own). It is a great
opportunity to listen to speakers concerning the race, setting up
transition areas and to obtain answers to overall questions that you may
have. It's also a great way to meet some of your fellow competitors.
There is no limit as to how many can attend, so don't worry - there will
be plenty of space. However, only pre-registered, pre-paid Iron Girl
Triathlon 2010 participants will be permitted to participate.
So here we go, this is the lead up to your Main Event on Aug 22, 2010 at Centennial Lake.
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The Dress Rehearsal - Friday July 30, 2010
General Information:
Plan
to arrive by 05:45 - 06:00 am at Centennial Park. The first wave
will go into the water 6:30 - 6:45 am.
Parking
will be in the grass lot. Howard County Police will assist
you with parking.
If
you will be riding after the dress rehearsal, please leave your bike
in your car. We expect over 600 to attend and space will be
limited in the event area.
Walk
down to the Race Day Swim Finish area adjacent to the large white amphitheater/pavilion at the waters edge.
You
must check in at the CTA Tent. Only registered athletes for the 2010 Iron Girl Triathlon will be
allowed to participate in the Dress Rehearsal. Once checked in you will be given a wristband for security. You
must wear this wristband to enter the swim.
PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME. THERE
IS A LIMITED WINDOW OF TIME WITHIN WHICH THE PRACTICE SWIM WILL TAKE PLACE
AND YOU MUST BE REGISTERED BY CHECKING IN AND RECEIVING A WRISTBAND PRIOR TO PARTICIPATING. IF YOU ARE LATE, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO
SWIM AND YOUR PRACTICE WILL BE LIMITED TO RUNNING AND/OR BIKING ON YOUR
OWN.
You
will be greeted by event staff and asked to "pick" a spot on the
grass to leave your gear. Please be sure to label all personal items and
to gather them after you finish. CTA is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
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The Dress Rehearsal Swim - 06:30 am
We will conduct a brief introduction and have a short
discussion about the event, its goals for you, and lay out some key pre-race
plans for you to follow.
This is NOT a race, but
rather a time to test yourself, primarily as an open water swimmer. Centennial
Lake is warm with a temperature of approximately 85 degrees F. No wetsuits will be allowed due to the
medical risk of hyperthermia. Click here for a list of approved skinsuits.
We will call up groups of
swimmers in age group waves, just like the race day plan. For example: 25-29,
30-34, etc. In this way you will get a feel for how a swim start in Triathlon
is conducted. If you have a swim cap, bring one and wear it. Please be
sure to bring your goggles and a towel as well.
We will have volunteer
swimmers as both guides and support during the practice swim, as well as kayak
and boat support to further assist you.
The swim course will be a simple out and back swim. There
will be 3 large buoys on the water (race day there will be 10). They will
be placed in a straight line from the finish line beachhead, out to a
point about 550yds, for a total distance, out and back of 1100 yards.
The
intent is to give you the open water experience to navigate without " lane
lines" of a pool! This is all about you and the water, at this point; not to
fear it but to become "One" with it. Not to fight it but to "pass" through it.
You will go to the right of each buoy and swim back to the beach with the buoys on your left. You may
do it again, as many have in the past!! If you do, you will have swum almost a mile!!
The Dress Rehearsal Run - 07:00 am
After the swim is complete,
you will transition to the run and head out on the race course to run the full
3.4 mile route. The route is marked, but feel free to print out and bring a
copy of the run map.
At the completion of the
run, we will have a final brief session about the race, and take some questions.
If you wish to make it a true
Triathlon, you are welcome to ride the 17.5 mile bike course!! This would be an
unsupported training ride on your own. If you ride, be careful and observe all traffic laws.
The day is completed around
10am, but you are free to leave at any time.
Now plan your morning and
we will see you there - No
Excuses, Never Give In or Give Up, and Just Be Great... Iron Girl!
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 Additional Dress Rehearsal Details
Representatives
from Aqua Sphere will be there to demonstrate their swim goggles
and
masks. They will also have many goggles to lend to athletes to
test
during the swim.
We
will have IronGirl apparel and other items for sale, so plan on a
nice
shopping experience also!
Princeton
Sports will be doing bike and helmet inspections on site during the
dress
rehearsal to ease congestion and lines at bike racking on August
21st.
Princeton
Sports will be conducting bike tube clinics every 15 minutes to
assist you
in learning how to change bike tubes.
Bring water bottles for before and after the event to
refresh yourself and food for afterward. We will have water available as well
for you.
We will have a hose for
you to wash off after the event. Sorry, there no showers at the park.
There will be portable toilets, like race day.
There will be on site medical support, like race day.
There will be music, and pre event interviews with YOU.
This WILL
be Fun, as it should be!
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Mandatory Bike Safety Checks for Aflac
Iron Girl Triathlon Available NOW
Don't wait until the day before the race to have your FREE
Mandatory
Helmet and Bicycle Safety Check done for the Aflac Iron Girl Triathlon.
Princeton
Sports, Official Bike Shop Sponsor, is now
checking all major bike components in the store to help ensure a safe
bike leg. So avoid the crowd and duck those long lines at the park! No
appointment is necessary.
Princeton Sports is
conducting bike repair clinics every Monday evening at 7:15 pm at the Columbia
location for registered 2010 Iron Girl athletes.
In
addition, Princeton Sports hosts the Iron
Girl Training Rides on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am. See their website for more information.
Princeton Sports is located at 10730 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, MD 21044
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Additional Information about Race Day, August 22, 2010
Please take the time to look at all the links on our Iron Girl webpage and to review the FAQ's ,
the Keys to Success and the Key Race Info to answer all your race questions. Be sure to read the section that requires each participant to
pickup her own packet either Friday, August 20th or Saturday, August 21st. This is required by USAT
and we cannot make any exceptions to this rule.
If
you will not be participating in the race on August 22nd, and would like to be
removed from this season's email updates, please email us at Sharon@tricolumbia.org Please note that the refund deadline was June 1st and there are no transfers
or race deferrals to next year allowed.
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AFLAC Iron Girl Columbia Pre-Race Clinic Hosted by Polar
Achieve your best at the Aflac Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon Event! Join
us for a pre-race reception and clinic to learn about the benefits of heart rate
based training and how Polar can help you in your efforts.
DATE: Thursday August 19, 2010
TIME: 7:00 pm
LOCATION: Princeton Sports, 10730 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, MD 21044, (410) 995-1894
Click HERE to RSVP
Be sure to visit the Aflac Iron Girl Event Series and CTA on Facebook for
clinic updates and training resources such as the Polar heart rate training discussion. Post your questions under the
Discussion Topic: Polar Heart Rate Training and Corey from the Polar
team will respond.
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ChesapeakeMan Endurance Festival Still Open For Registration
ChesapeakeMan
Ultra Distance Triathlon is still accepting entries for the full Iron Distance,
the Aqua-Velo, Skipjack and the Swim Only. See the Chesapeake Endurance Festival page for more information.
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Team CTA Wishes You A Wonderful Iron Girl Experience
All of Us at Team CTA wish you
much success event day and we congratulate you for your dedication and
commitment to the journey that will bring you to the Aflac Iron Girl Columbia
Finish Line... Listen for your name as you cross that Special Line &
Rejoice!
Now Go and Be Great!!
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Frequently Asked Questions & Resources
If you're not sure about some of the rules & regulations for CTA's races or if you're just looking for answers to commonly asked questions, download the FAQ
Nutrition is a key component to proper training and racing. TriColumbia sponsor, Hammer Nutrition, has an extensive resource page
If you still have questions about specific races, feel free to email us |
FIND US ON THE WEB
Columbia Triathlon Association is now on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Please join us on these site for daily updates, special offers, and race reports.
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