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2012 Columbia Triathlon Race Day Is Almost Here
Greetings!
 The 2012 Columbia Triathlon, the Mid Atlantic's longest running triathlon, is just a few days away on May 20, 2012. The weather forecast is perfect; calling for partly cloudy skies with a high of 81 and overnight temperatures on Saturday of 56 degrees F. The water temperature as of May 9th at 1 pm was 69.4 degrees F. We are pleased to welcome you to this "rite of spring;" TriColumbia's hallmark event, now in its 29th year. We've been hard at work preparing to make this year's event the best yet.
The Columbia Triathlon is, once again, Maryland's Designated Qualifier Race for The Best of the U.S Amateur Triathlete Competition, and this year, we are pleased to be a 2012 - 5150 Qualifier! We are still looking for some volunteers to help out in the days leading up to the event and on race day. If family or friends will be at the park with you, and would like to spend some of their time helping out while you're racing, we would appreciate their assistance. It's a fun way to pass the time. Please email us to let us know of your interest to volunteer.
Please read the important information in this email, and remember to download the 2012 Columbia Triathlon Athlete's Guide (located under "Key Race Info") and other resources located on the Columbia Triathlon event webpage to address questions or concerns you may have.
If you need to speak to TriColumbia Staff on race day, please go to the TriColumbia tent located on the grass island near the Swim Start.
See you at the finish line! Celebrate Life!
Robert Vigorito, Level 2 Race Director, and The TriColumbia Team |
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Important Race Information
Be sure to take a look at all the important information about the 2012 Columbia Triathlon on our website.
And don't forget to attend one of the Pre-Race Course Talks, which provide important information about the race, and include a question and answer segment.
When: Friday, May 18, 2012, 5:00 pm
Saturday, May 19, 2012, 12:00 pm & 5:00 pm
Where: The Official Host Hotel, Sheraton Columbia Town Center Hotel |
Athlete Check-In, Packet Pickup, and Health & Fitness Expo
When: Friday, May 18, 2012 from 2:00pm - 7:00 pm
Saturday, May 19, 2012 from 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
Where: The Official Host Hotel, Sheraton Columbia Town Center Hotel, 10207 Wincopin Circle · Columbia, Maryland, 21044, (410) 730-3900
Please note that there is NO RACE DAY CHECK-IN/PACKET PICKUP. All registered entrants, including all relay team members, MUST attend packet pickup on Friday or Saturday in person. Per USAT rules, each participant MUST pick up his/her own packet. If you do not check in during the designated check-in times in person, you will not be able to participate in the event.
All participants, including youth (17 and under) must bring the following to packet pickup:
- A photo ID
- USAT membership card to show proof of annual membership unless you purchased one-day USAT event insurance at the time you registered for the event
Special Notice Regarding USAT membership cards for check-in
Athletes MUST bring proof of annual USAT membership or purchase one-day USAT event insurance. Failure to do so will disallow participation in the race. (Athletes may have purchased one-day event insurance at the time of registration. Staff will have a list of those one-day USAT participants at check-in.) Athletes who forget their USAT membership card will have the following options:
- Go to your home or hotel and retrieve your card.
- Print a temporary membership card from the USAT website, www.usatriathlon.org
- Show a current membership card on a smart phone or PDA.
- Purchase one-day event insurance for $12.00 (Adult) or $10.00 (Youth) at the USAT desk at check-in. Payable by cash or check ONLY.
- Renew your annual membership at the USAT desk at check-in.
- Renew your annual membership online and bring proof of renewal.
Race staff and/or volunteers cannot search for USAT membership information or allow use of staff computers by athletes to retrieve information.
Please remember to pack your USAT membership card. Don't leave home without it!
Enjoy browsing the Health & Fitness Expo featuring many vendors offering the latest in endurance and health related gear and products including Boston Bill, Feet First, Tri-Sack, EnduraFit, Hammer Nutrition, Flower Pedal, Spunkwear, Athletes Closet, Aero Hammock, Sportfit Lab, Trinity Multisports, and Sport Tech.
And...Don't forget to drop by the JHU Carey Business School booth during the expo to pick up a swim cap too! Thanks to JHU Carey Business School for your sponsorship of the 2012 Columbia Triathlon.
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PLEASE AVOID THE CONGESTION ON RACE DAY BY TAKING THE FREE TRICOLUMBIA SHUTTLE
 There will be a free shuttle service to take athletes, family, friends and volunteers to and from the host hotel, The Sheraton Columbia Town Center Hotel and Centennial Park beginning at 4:30 am on Sunday and running continuously every 15-20 minutes until 2 pm. The actual shuttle bus stop at Centennial Park will be across from the main entrance located on Rt. 108 on Ten Mills Road. Please note that you will not be able to transport your bike on the shuttle. If you pack a backpack, you can bike back to the Sheraton after the race to access your car.
Race Staff and Police strongly encourage use of the shuttle to facilitate entrance to the park and to help avoid traffic and race delays.
Parking at Centennial Park is EXTREMELY LIMITED. If someone will be driving you to the venue, they MAY NOT stop in the driving lane to drop you off. The Centennial Park entrance on MD Rt. 108 will close to vehicles at 6:35 am. Please plan on early morning traffic delays, and prepare to arrive earlier than you may have initially planned. There are thousands of athletes and their fans attending this event. Don't miss your swim wave - BE THERE EARLY! Transition will close with the first swim wave at 6:40 am, so be sure to arrive in time to get body marked and set up your gear in transition. Transition will open at 4:45 and body marking will begin at 5:00 am.
For more information including the schedule of events please download the Athlete's Guide under Key Race Info on our website.
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Mandatory Pre-Event Bike Racking
 All bikes must be racked on Saturday ONLY at the Transition Area in Centennial Park between the hours of 11:00 am - 8:00 pm. To enter transition for racking you must be wearing the security wristband received at packet pick up. Please note that the transition area is RESTRICTED TO ATHLETES ONLY. Any accompanying friend, spouse, parent or child WILL NOT BE ALLOWED into the transition area. Please make appropriate arrangements to have children supervised while you are racking your bike. Once racked, your bike cannot be removed. Full security is provided overnight. NO exceptions!
Princeton Sports, TriColumbia's Official Bike Support Shop will be at the Transition Area on Saturday during bike racking, and on race morning.
For a great way to protect your bike, check out the RackJacket below.
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Meet & Greet The Pros
You will be on the race course with an amazing line up of professional triathletes; the 2012 field is stacked with over 40 Pros. 2011 defending Champions, Lindsey Jerdonek and Andrew Yoder (also 2010 Columbia Triathlon Champion and course record holder) are returning this year. In addition, Rebecca Wassner, Columbia Triathlon course record holder and 2-time Columbia Champion, will be returning along with her twin sister, Laurel Wassner, who won her first pro race in 2010 at the Columbia Triathlon, becoming the first cancer survivor to win a professional triathlon. Other notable pros in the field include James Cunama, Richie Cunningham, Leanda Cave and Olympic hopeful Ben Collins. Join us for a unique opportunity to hear from a panel of Columbia Triathlon Pros on topics such as the Columbia Triathlon race course, how the pro's prepare for events, what motivates them, etc. Bring your questions, and get advice and autographs.
Event: Meet & Greet The Pros
When: Saturday, May 19, 2012, 3:00 pm
Where: The Sheraton Columbia Town Center Hotel, The Merriweather Room |
Race Day Notes
Columbia Presbyterian Church (located across Route 108 from Centennial Park) will be supplying free coffee on race morning until 10 am. Stop by their tent in the park just down from the main entrance at Rt. 108 and grab a cup a joe. For more information on Columbia Presbyterian, visit their website.
TRISLIDE and FOGGLE representatives will be in the Transition area on race morning providing athletes use of these two great products. TRISLIDE is the ONLY anti chafing, anti-friction, anti blistering product found in a convenient environmental friendly aerosol spray. FOGGLE is the only anti-fog towelette that not only defogs, BUT CLEANS the lens at the same time!
 After the race, all participants are invited to enjoy refreshments located in the Athlete's Food Tent with delicious food from David's Natural Market and manned by the Women's Giving Circle volunteers.
Muscle Milk will also be there when you finish providing post race protein enhanced beverages.
TriC olumbia will provide complementary massages on a first come, first served basis. The Massage Tent will be located near the Food Tent and massages will be executed by BodyMason Performance Therapy.
The Awards Ceremony will begin at approximately 11:30 am at the post race celebration. Overall and age group awards will be given. Please note that the results posted at the event are for time purposes only and will not reflect Award Results.
Please note that those entered in the Athena or Clydesdale divisions may be required to weigh in to verify their eligibility at packet pick up and at the event. There may be challenges by other athletes at the Awards Ceremony.
The 2012 Columbia Triathlon is a 5150 qualifying event. The top 15 in each age group are invited to race at the 2012 5150 Hy-Vee U.S. Championship on September 2, 2012 in Des Moines, Iowa. In addition, those finishing in the top 5 in each age group are offered complementary entries into the 2012 5150 Hy-Vee U.S. Championship.
A HUGE thank you to ALL our 2012 Columbia Triathlon Sponsors, including Gatorade, Hammer Nutrition, Aqua Sphere, Princeton Sports, EnduraFit, David's Natural Market, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, RackJacket, ASI Photo, The Sheraton Columbia Town Center, and MPT. Thanks as well to our community supporters and volunteers including Howard County Police, Howard County Fire and Rescue, Howard County Recreation and Parks, Howard County General Hospital, and all our charity team, Tri Club and community partners who help make the event great!
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 TriColumbia Protects The Environment
 TriColumbia and EnduraFit are pleased to present a revolutionary product, The Rack Jacket, an alternative to using trash bags to cover your bike. We fully embrace the "leave no trace behind" concept, and strive to eliminate litter produced at our events. You may also use an old swim cap to over your bike seat if you like.
The Rack Jacket is the essential item for those of you who wish to protect your bike from the elements.
Key Benefits of the Rack Jacket are:
- Designed specifically for triathlon bike racks
- Made of highly water resistant ripstop nylon
- Environmentally friendly
- Reusable
- Cord locks and Velcro straps keep it securely fastened in windy conditions
- Reasonably priced
- Available in a variety of colors
- Team orders are welcome
Click here to order |
Please Respect The Area And Thank Our Volunteers
PLEASE respect both the environment and the areas that this event travels through. Do not drop trash anywhere other than aid stations and use the portable toilets, not the neighborhoods. The County and Columbia Triathlon Association take pride in the designation of Centennial Park as a, "leave no trace" park. Help us to maintain this special facility. We encourage you to use trash receptacles and to take your trash with you when you leave the park in order to protect the environment.
Remember, the use of profanity or disrespect of any staff, volunteers or other officials who are there to assist you can be grounds for a USAT official to disqualify you - this includes packet pick up and the bike racking stages.
And don't forget to thank the many enthusiastic volunteers stationed throughout the race course and venue. Our volunteers are comprised of many charity and community groups as well as individuals who simply enjoy helping out. We would be unable to provide events such as this one without their capable assistance! If you would like to help out with this or any of our other events, simply visit our website and let us know.
Thank you for your cooperation!
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Follow All The Excitement On Race Day With TriColumbia TriLights
Once again, TriColumbia will be live blogging all the race excitement. Friends and family can follow the race on our website. Go to Tricolumbia.org, and click on the TriLights Drop Down under the News tab. Check out the TriColumbia Facebook page for updates as well.
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2012 Event Schedule
July 22, 2012 - TriColumbia Kidz Triathlon Registration is open
August 19, 2012 - Athleta Iron Girl Columbia Triathlon - Registration is closed - contact charity teams for possible entry opportunities. CTA Community Slot are no longer available.
September 9, 2012 - Iron Girl Rocky Gap Triathlon - Registration is open
September 29, 2012 - ChesapeakeMan Endurance Festival benefiting Make-A-Wish Foundation® of the Mid-Atlantic featuring the Ultra Distance Triathlon, Skipjack 75.2 Triathlon, Aquabike & Bugeye Classic (intermediate distance) - Registration is open.
** The ChesapeakeMan Ultra Distance Triathlon has been designated as the 2012 USAT Mid Atlantic Championship and was named by Triathlete Magazine as a "Best 140.6"
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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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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 |
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