Pre Race Tips

• Practice a dry run of each race transition to check your gear organization.
• Make sure your bike is tuned and in good shape.
• Consider putting new tubes on your bike tires if they're old.
• Label all of your gear with an indelible marker. Write your name and phone number on the inside of your running and biking shoes, on the tag inside your wetsuit, inside your helmet, etc.
• Make a race-day checklist. Start with REI's triathlon checklist and personalize it for yourself.
• Two nights before, try to get a good night of sleep—that's when you're most likely to get quality sleep.
• Make sure your toenails are clipped.
• Make sure you know the directions to the race start.
• Study the course so you know what to expect. Where are the turns, uphills, downhills or flats? How many aid stations? Where are they located?

Reminder: Race Packets Must Be Picked Up Saturday

As a reminder your race packets must be picked up on Saturday and you also have the opportunity to set up your bike in the transition area - it is highly recommended by parents that have participated in previous years that you do so. (The bikes will be guarded all night)

Here is the schedule for Saturday

May 4:
Packet Pick-Up 4:00pm to 7:00pm
Transition Area Open 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Pre-Race Pep Rally 5:30pm to 6:30pm
Race Expo Open 4:00pm to 7:00pm

In addition, there will be a very special part of the evening where at least a couple of our Celebrity Big Kids will talk about achieving your dreams – whatever they are. This will be an incredible opportunity to learn from and to be motivated by some of the true leaders in our community.

Email from First Coast Kids Triathlon

Dear Kids, Parents & Partners:

 

Congratulations on your involvement in what will be the largest kids' triathlon in the United States for the fourth  year in a row. That's right, we already have 1,744 kids registered to swim, bike & run. This is a great accomplishment for the First Coast, and there are hundreds of volunteers across the region who deserve all the credit. We hope you are looking forward to May 4 & 5 as much as we are. It should be a lot of fun!

 

With this in mind, we are working hard to make sure everyone is well-informed and prepared for the festivities. Part of this effort will be a series of 3 emails (starting with this one) that you will receive between now and race day. Please take the time to read all of the details below and feel free to get back to us with any additional questions, suggestions or concerns. If we do not answer your questions in this email, it is likely we will cover them in 1 of the next 2.

 

New & Improved Venue

The beautiful Jacksonville University campus will host the 2013 First Coast Kids Triathlon, and we believe the new course design will be ideal for our record number of participants and more than 6,000 spectators. In fact, we are very excited about the changes for 2013 that will improve safety, enhance the spectator experience and upgrade the bike course. We are especially proud of our new partnerships with the City of Jacksonville and JU that make all of this possible. We think you will be impressed with the Dolphin Green on the banks of the St. Johns River, and it will serve as the hub of our Pep Rally and race day activities. We encourage you to click here to view the 2013 Course Maps and to familiarize yourself with all the exciting improvements.

 

Please remember. . . do NOT go to UNF. It will be a lonely place.

 

It is Almost a Sellout!

Our participation goal for 2013 is to be the first kids triathlon ever held with 2,000 participants, and we are almost there. Safety remains our top priority, and we are able to add 200 more kids than last year because of our new venue and a few other, cool improvements. However, time is running out for your friends, classmates and neighbors who have yet to register. Please encourage them to sign-up right away, as we do expect a sellout within the next week.

 

Equipment Guidelines

Over the past month, we have received hundreds of emails about the proper equipment for a triathlon and the rules governing what type of bikes you can ride. For safety and insurance purposes, our event is sanctioned by USATriathlon. As a result, we need to follow their rules. While we will talk more about what to bring with you on race day in future emails, here are some of the most important equipment guidelines:

• No training wheels are allowed (except in the case of medical athletes).
   
• All participants must wear a helmet at all times when riding their bikes.
   
• No aerodynamic equipment is allowed. This includes no use of aero bars, no use of aero helmets and no use of full disc wheels.
   
• We will supply every participant with a color-coded swim cap.
   
• All kids must swim in their bare feet. This is a "house rule" at Jacksonville University to help keep their pool clean.
   
• No flotation devices will be allowed in the pool. The kids can grab onto the lane lines and rest at the end of each lap, but they cannot use any preservers, noodles or floaties. 

Huge Team Response

As many of you know, one of the hallmarks of this event is our outreach effort to teams, schools and other organizations across Florida and Georgia. This year, we have 44 registered teams who will bring more than 1,300 kids to our event. Leading the way are teams from Loretto Road Elementary (212 kids); Cunningham Creek Elementary (120 kids); Riverside Presbyterian Day School (105 kids); Ocean Palms Elementary (52 kids); and Duval Charter School (52 kids). Congratulations and thank you to every team leader. Of equal importance, the incredible support of the Jaguars Foundation has made it possible for us to donate more than $13,000 back to your teams and organizations.

 

New & Improved for 2013

In addition to the move to Jacksonville University, we want to make sure everyone knows the venue is not all that has changed for 2013. In an effort to ease race morning congestion and to make race day more enjoyable for all participants, we have made a number of significant improvements to our schedule of events. Here are some of the highlights:

 

• Transition will be open on Saturday. In order to eliminate that "extra rush" on Sunday morning, all participants arestrongly encouraged to bring their bikes (and other gear) with them on Saturday. Transition will open promptly at 4:00pm, and we will provide overnight security to ensure nothing happens to your stuff.

 

• There will be 2 Sessions on Sunday. Because almost everyone will bring their gear on Saturday, there is no need for the older participants to arrive before 9:30am on Sunday. The Junior Division (race ages 10 & under) will start promptly at 7:30am. They will complete their race and have a separate awards ceremony at 10:30am. Then, the Seniors (race ages 11 to 15) will take the course at 11:00am. Their racing should be done around 1:30pm, and they will also have a separate awards ceremony at that time. Please click here to link to our website for a complete schedule of events for both days.

 

• Celebrity Big Kids will Race with the Kids. We have also made changes to improve our Celebrity Big Kids Race. Now, instead of participating in their own event, they will join the kids on the course. How cool will that be when you pass your teacher on the bike or run by a Jaguar at the finish line?

 

Thank You Sponsors

Everything we do (including this email) is possible because of the incredible support of our sponsors. Headlining the 2013 Sponsor Team are our 3 Presenting Sponsors: The Jacksonville Jaguars, Firehouse Subs and Florida Blue. We are also extremely grateful to our other 9 Sponsors, many of whom have been a part of our event since it started. Please take a minute to visit the Sponsor Page on our website and to reach out to say thank you to each and every one of them. There is no better group of organizations to partner with in the country, and Jacksonville is lucky to have them as part of our community.

  

Sunrise Service

Race day is on Sunday for many reasons. At the same time, we realize Sunday is a very important day to many people. For this reason, we are proud to offer a non-denominational, sunrise service on Sunday morning at 6:30am. It will be held on the stage of the Dolphin Green Amphitheater, and everyone is invited.

 

Almon Gunter will be in the House

The weekend events will officially kick-off with a high-energy Pep Rally on Saturday, May 4, at 5:30pm. It is not mandatory, but you will not want to miss it. In addition to many new Celebrity Big Kids, there will be some very cool entertainment, and Mr. Almon Gunter (former track star and athletic trainer) will deliver a motivational message for all ages. Without a doubt, his enthusiasm will get you ready for Race Day. He will also be autographing copies of his new book, The Super Freak Way.

 

Volunteers Needed

Last but not least, we need your help. Obviously, a huge team of volunteers is required to keep everything running according to plan. If you have any friends or neighbors who might be interested, please direct them to the Volunteer Section of our website. Every volunteer receives a great t-shirt and cool gift. Also, Community Service Hours are available. Click here to learn more about how to become a First Coast Kids Triathlon volunteer. 

 

 

Once again, congratulations on your decision to be a part of the 2013 First Coast Kids Triathlon. We are proud to have you as a member of our family, and we sincerely appreciate your support. If you have any additional questions, click here to visit our website. If the questions are not answered there, follow the instructions to contact us directly.

 

Watch your email for our next update and get ready! Race Day is only 10 days away!

 

 

Sincerely,

 

The 2013 Organizing Committee

 

Tip of the Day: Just keep Swimming!

The Reading Racers had a great swimming practice on Sunday.

Remember the pool at Cecil Field is open every day if you think your child needs more practice in the pool.

Hours of Operation:
Mon-Thur:  8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday:  8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday:  9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday:  1 to 6 p.m

Admission to the pool area is $1 whether you are there to swim or not.

If you weren't able to make it here are a few things that we went over:

• Once the age group is called, kids will go over in a group to the pool.  Officials will line them up.  Kids will enter the pool every 8 seconds. You will be given a swim cap in your race packet that will designate your division.
• Junior division will swim 4 laps and then exit the pool and Senior division will swim 8 laps then exit the pool.  
• Once kids get to the end of the first lap they will then swim under the lane rope, and then proceed to swim to the other end of the pool in that lane. As you can see from the diagram below, they will enter the pool in the designated lane for their division and them continue to swim lane by lane from left to right until they have reached the last lane where they exit the pool. 

• Kids do not have to stay behind the person in front on them, they can swim around the people in front of them if they are able to go faster.  Just make sure we are not hindering them from swimming by pushing past them or swimming on top of them :)
• Typically staying to one side of the lane is preferable so that other kids can pass if need be.  Try to stay out of the middle of the lane.  However, this is harder for the younger age groups.  
• Don't panic if there becomes a traffic jam in the lane, just do your best to go around or wait if need be.  The biggest area of congestion can be the end where everyone is trying to go under the lane rope.  
• Try your best as you approach the end of a lane to use your last stroke or two to veer toward the lane rope you will be going under and go under the rope in one breath.  Seconds are lost as kids stop at the end, take a big breath and then go under the rope only to stop and catch their breath on the other side to begin down the new lane. 
• IF they can practice going under the rope, then turning into the new lane direction and then catch their breath as they come up to begin with a stroke this can save time during their swimming portion.  There is no penalty for not touching the end of the lane but they need to get close enough as they can.
• If your child will need to take breaks at the end of each lane it might be best to encourage them to hold on to the wall of the new lane once they go under the rope.  SO much congestion will occur at the end of a finished lane but not so much at the wall of the beginning of the new lane.
• The path from the pool to the transition area is grass and gravel and will probably cause your child's feet to get dirty.  A recommendation from Kelley Swain/YMCA was that a bucket of water - or extra bottle of water -  might be good at transition to have the kids dunk their feet in and then dry off quickly on the towel laid out.
• The pool at JU is an outdoor pool

Tip of the Day: Now is the time for practice ...

With the race just three weeks out - now is the time to make sure you're getting in plenty of practice.  You'll want to taper back a bit the week before the race as a well rested body will do better on race day. Don’t push through a tough workout the week of the race.

Lock Laces

Hey this is Melissa. I wanted to show you the Lock Laces that I put in Parker’s shoes. She loves them and I do to. I fact I think I’m going to order them for her cleats and her little sister’s tennis shoes as well. (I hate untied shoes!)

I ordered them from LockLaces.com directly but since then I’ve seen them a dollar or two cheaper on Amazon. Especially if you have Amazon Prime so you get free shipping.

Post from Jenelle about T-Shirts

 

I have attached some pictures of shirt possibilities.  I am not looking to add any extra costs so we have an opportunity to "personalize" some of our Greenland Pines T-shirts that we can't use any more.  They are the dark green shirts that were part of a batch of shirts where the quality of the print wasn't up to the standard that was expected.  So, we have these shirts available to our triathletes free of charge if you are interested.

Below are some suggested ways to "personalize" them:
1. Cut the sleeves and neck to make a loose fitting tank style top...easier on and off if they choose to wear it in the race.
2. Use a bleach pen to write our team name and/or students name on the front or the back of the shirt (preferably the back if you plan to use it in the race since the number would be  pinned to the front of the shirt, thus covering it up)
3.  Use bleach water in spray bottle and use tie dye method to create a tie dye look
4. Use Iron on transfer paper to create the name to iron on the shirt

These are some ways to use a free GPE shirt to make it personal for the triathlon unless someone wants to find us a shirt vendor to do it at cost or be a sponsor.
We can give everyone a shirt and see what they come up with to individualize the shirt or we can agree on a particular way and then try to work out arrangements to get the shirts done is a group manner.  Looking for feedback on what you would like to do.

 

Sunday Swim Practice

 

We have a swimming practice opportunity this Sunday at Cecil Aquatic Center (13611 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32221)  at 4pm.  Admission is only $1 per person.  We will get some lanes and try to work on tips for swimming during the race.  Please make sure they bring goggles because this helps tremendously when swimming.

Tip of the Day: Tune Up Your Bike

• Make sure your bike is tuned and in good shape.
• Consider putting new tubes on your bike tires if they're old.
• Remember, racking your bike facing out will help speed up your transition times

Tip of The Day: Get New Shoes Now

If you’re going to need new shoes before the race, it’s best to buy or order them now to have time to break them in properly. New Shoes and Race Day don’t go well together.

Speaking of shoes, if your racer has a challenge tying their shoes, you might want to consider elastic shoe laces. These are commonly used by triathletes to speed up and simplify their transitions.

Here are some examples

http://www.locklaces.com

http://speedlaces.com/

http://www.yankz.com/

Tip of the Day: Try The Distance

Do a “practice event” at your own pace. You will learn a lot that will help you during the race. Help your child think about things like:

• Pacing (for example, what pace do you need to do the swim so the bike and run are doable?)
• Practice your transitions
• How will you feel after riding and then transition to the run?
• Can you do the entire swim without resting?

Remember the Cecil Field Aquatic Center an indoor facility and is open and admission to swim is $1

Open Swim Schedule:
Mon-Fri: 8-10 a.m. and 1-6 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday: 1 - 6 p.m.
Lap swim only 6 - 8 p.m. Monday – Thursday

Last weekend we mapped out what a 6 mile bike ride on the wide sidewalk down Bartram Park Road looks like. If you start on the sidewalk in front of Bono’s this map marks the 1.5 and 3.0 mile mark where you could turn around and come back based on your child’s distance during the race.

 
View Riding Distances on Bartram Park Blvd in a larger map

We Had A Great Practice Saturday Evening

The kids learned lots about the transition process and how it sit and get yourself ready for the next stage. Below they are practicing putting on their shoes and socks before grabbing their bike and walking it out of the transition area.

If you are still interested it joining it's not too late. Registration is still open, click on the link for First Coast Kids on the right.

Triathlon Transition Practice

The weather is looking good so far so Saturday April 6th 6-7:30 we will meet at the school for some triathlon training.  We can park in the bus loop and then walk over to the main parking lot.  Every child should bring their bike, helmet, water bottle and good pair of shoes to wear. 

The gate will remain locked so there will be no chance of cars pulling into the parking lot while the kids are practicing.  The evening time will hopefully help try to avoid the crunch on Saturday morning sports activities and hopefully cooler weather.

If you have registered and have not let Jenelle know, please shoot her an email. It’s not too late to register for the Team just click on the registration links on the right.