TRI for Kids (2010) @ Marvin Altman Fitness Center

This description has much of the same information as the RACE DAY INFORMATION sheet you will recieve a week before the race. This does not take the place of that document and you MUST READ IT THOUROUGHLY. It is the official guideline and will have changes and updates pertinent to the 2010 TRI for Kids.
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Please feel free to invite people or share this event on your FB page!

COURSE DISTANCES (see photos for map & turn around instructions)

Age Group——-Swim———-–Bike——– Run

4 & under*——-25 yards——.5 mile——.25 mile
5-6 years*——–25 yards——.5 mile——.25 mile
7-8 years———50 yards——.7 mile——-.36 mile
9-10 years——-100 yards—–2.1 miles——.72 mile
11-12 years——150 yards—–2.8 miles——1.08 mile
13-14 years——200 yards—–3.5 miles——1.44 miles

*participants in the 6 & under age categories will be allowed the use of floaties & training wheels and still be elligible for awards.

Individual events will not be timed, only overall start to finish time will be provided. Parents may wish to bring their own chrono timer (watch, stopwatch, etc.) if they want to time their child’s individual events for their own personal knowledge.

Location:
The Kids Triathlon will begin at the Marvin Altman Fitness Center pool, with the Bike & Run course on Lexington Ave. (which will be closed for event safety). Biking to B Street and Running toward Dodson.

Racers must provide their own bicycles and approved helmets. Helmets MUST be fastened & worn on the bike course. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

Awards:
Each competitor will receive a T-shirt and medal, plus eligibility for door prizes. Awards will be presented for 1st-3rd place males AND1st-3rd place females in each age group.

Race Packets:
Each racer will receive a race packet with fun kid items and coupons/discounts from local businesses. Packets may be picked up on Friday 9-10-10 from 5-8pm and Race Day morning from 6:30-7am at MAFC.

Registration:
Open to the first 150 kids 14 and under who return their COMPLETED registration form and entry fee of $20.

Incomplete forms will NOT be accepted.

Forms will available at MAFC front desk soon. And a printable one will be found under the "links" portion of this event page.

Regular Registration DEADLINE is Saturday, August 28th. All registrations after this wll be assessed a $10 late fee.
Late Registration CLOSES Friday, Sept. 3rd @ noon, Central Standard Time! Absolutely NO entries will be accepted after this time!

NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION. (Seriously, no exceptions.)

Sponsors and Donations are needed!!! Both monetary gifts and/or items for door prizes will be greatly appreciated. Sponsors names will be printed on race T-shirts and banners according to the Category of Sponsorship. Contact Bobby Harper (Race Director) or TracEy Harper(FB Event Administrator) about Sponsorship Opportunities and Levels of Giving.

Volunteers are also GREATLY needed! It takes a lot of people on the sidelines to make this race run smoothly and safely for the kids on the course. There will be a sign up sheet for volunteers at the front desk of MAFC, or you can contact us by any of the means noted on this event page.
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Packets should be picked up by 7:00am on race morning.
Bikes must be racked by 7:15am
Mandatory Pre-Race Meeting for racers and parents at 7:15am

Racers will line up with their age group outside, under the MAFC awning, and will be called into the pool area when they are the next group to start. We will proceed in age order, youngest to oldest. When it is their turn, racers will start out in the pool with their hand on the wall, in waves of 6 or more. There will be a lap counter assigned to each lane and these volunteers will help the kids out of the pool if they need it.

Racers will then exit out the side door and down concrete steps to the parking lot where the bike staging area will be. We will allow parents to watch their children in the pool and exit out the pool doors IF they can do this with respect to the racers and THEIR right of way. ASOLUTELY NO ONE will be allowed to enter through the pool exit. If you must go back in, you will HAVE TO go back through the fitness center front doors and main pool entrance. YOUR KID WILL BE DISQUALIFIED if we see you or them going back in through the pool exit!

They will dry their feet, put on (socks) tennis shoes, shorts or shirts if they want, and their helmet.

They must also wear their race number on the FRONT of their body… either pinned to a shirt or on a race belt. We will also be marking their number on their arm & leg with a permanent marker before the race starts.

They will WALK their bike out of the transition area and exit to the left to start on the bike segment of the course. There will be volunteers to assist them in every area, should they need it (with shoes, helmet, mounting bike, etc.).

Most racers will be required to complete multiple laps on the bike/run course. The loops will be marked with flags, signs, and writing on the road… plus there will be volunteers reminding them where to turn around.

Please, Please, Please go over your child’s distance with them before race day, so they know how many laps they are to do in each event. This will help their confidence & speed. We will have volunteers keeping track, but anyone can make a mistake, and it can only help the kids by working on being responsible.

Race day information including a map & course distances with number of loops
will be e-mailed a week before the race and a copy will be in the race packet. I will probably attach a copy to this event page or to the parent Group Page (Fort Smith Arkansas Triathlons) under the discussion tab.
PLEASE READ IT THOROUGHLY.

Parents are NOT allowed on the race course. We will make an exception for ONE parent of children in the 6 and under age group… but the other parent and everyone else needs to stay behind the flags and on the sidewalks OFF of the course. There is plenty of room there for everyone and the pictures will still be great.

Again, we reserve the right to DQ any racer whose parents are on the course or impeding the progress of the other racers.

When racers complete the bike portion, they will exit their bike at the dismount line and a volunteer will take and re-rack their bike and return helmets to the transition area. Then they will continue running South toward Dodson, and again will make the necessary loops to complete their distance in the run portion.

Once completed, they will follow the flag chute into the MAFC parking lot to the finish line, where pictures, hugs and high-fives are encouraged! But we will ask that you stay behind the flags in the finish line area to ensure racer safety and the recording of correct finish times. Time does not stop until they cross under the finish line, so encourage them to keep running until they are in the "cool down" area.

Once a child has finished racing, he/she is to STAY OFF the race course. This will prevent confusion for the volunteers and race staff and show respect to their fellow racers who are still competing. No second time run-throughs on the finish line and no free-wheeling bikes around the parking lot!