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TRANSITION AREA
Parents and guardians are
permitted into transition
for set-up.
No parents or guardians are
permitted in the transition
area
once
the race has begun.
Volunteers will be present
to assist the athletes
during set-up and the race
itself, and to restrict
access. Permission to enter
too assist an athlete must
be granted by the entrance
monitor! This is for the
safety of our athletes!!
Please do not enter
transition area!
Medical Tent
There will be a medical tent
located in the South Country
YMCA Main parking lot, for
the safety of our
participants. On hand to
assist will be
2 pediatricians prepared and
ready for any small scrapes
or emergency situations.
Local hospital and ambulance
companies as well as the
South Kingstown police have
been notified well in
advance
of this race.
What
is the Transition Area and
What Happens There?
In the sport of triathlon the Transition Area is
like the hub in the center of a wheel with the swim, bike, and run
like wheel spokes. The athlete passes through the Transition Area
twice in the event. In the Transition Area the athlete moves from
swimming to biking and then from biking to running.
Every athlete has a spot in the Transition Area
(by age-group) where his/her bike, helmet, shoes/socks, shirt, shorts,
towel and other needed items are located. The triathlon begins at the
pool. Following the swim the athlete moves to the Swim In
entrance of the Transition Area. The athlete will find his/her spot,
and he/she will remove any swim equipment such as goggles, and
quickly dries off and puts on what is needed for the bike ride.
Bathing suit removal is not permitted!
Athletes may put on shorts and a shirt over their
bathing suits with their race number pinned on in advance. Some
athletes just put on a shirt (with their race number) and ride with bathing
suits instead of shorts-over-suits. The athlete takes his/her bike
and (walking the bike) exits the Transition Area following the sign
that says Bike Out. The bike can not be mounted until the
athlete passes the Bike Mount Line, which will be clearly marked.
Bike helmets must be worn at all times while the athlete is in
contact with the bike, even when dismounted.
After their bike ride the athlete returns to the Bike In entrance
of
the Transition Area. The athlete must dismount the bike prior to
crossing the Bike Dismount Line. Then (walking the bike) goes back
to where his/her equipment is located. The bike is placed in the
rack, helmet and other riding equipment is removed, and the athlete
prepares for the run. Generally young athletes ride their bikes in
their running shoes so after removing the bike stuff, they are ready
for the run. Runners may jog to the Run Out sign in the
Transition Area, watching for bikes and other runners. The triathlon
finishes at the end of the run near the transition area.
A few notes on the
Transition Area:
-
Get to the race early so your young athlete can set up his/her
Transition Area location. Look for signs designating the
age-group of your athlete. Locations are not reserved but there
will be enough for all athletes, they will be grouped by age.
The race starts with the oldest and progresses to the youngest.
Set-up
early and keep clear of the Transition Area when the race
is in progress. Please be courteous to our athletes and stay
clear of them.
-
Bring two towels, one of which should be old. Put the old towel
on the ground beside the bike at your child's location and place
his/her race stuff on it. The other towel is for drying after
the swim. It is recommended that you have a full water bottle
there
so your athlete can grab a quick drink before exiting the
Transition Area.
-
The time spent in the Transition Area counts on the overall time
so it should be as fast as is reasonable, but not so fast that
your athlete forgets to put on the helmet or ties his/her shoes.
We
will have volunteers in the Transition Area to assist
athletes so
we ask that parents stay out for the safety of the
participants.
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