Race one of the Shoe Clinic Mountainbike Duathlon Series has come and gone. It's not too late to enter races two and three.
From an organiser's point of view, things generally went well in the first race, with no navigation problems that I heard of. The bike course was softer than expected, which made it very hard work in places, but there was plenty of variety and people generally seemed to enjoy it. The number of parents doing the course with their children was encouraging for the future.
The fact that we got started on time with a record 160+ entrants was a tribute to the team taking registrations, as many entrants wandered up well past the cutoff time of 9.30am expecting to just write their name down and start. It's not that easy. In order to record splits for the three sections of the race and to produce results sorted into age groups promptly post-race, everything has to be input into the computer which is used to record each person as they pass through the Tineli arch into the transition area.
If you enter online, inputting of data can be done prior to race day. If you fill in a form on race day, there's still a lot of work to do inputting your data, which is often incomplete, hard to read and even mispelt. The message is: please use the online entry system. It's user-friendly and will ensure you get prompt updates with news and results.
If you did race one, whether you entered online or on paper, we'll have you recorded on our entry website (provided you wrote out your email address). To enter race two and three, go to the entry site (here) hit the register button and type in your email address. Hit the buttons for the races you want. If you think you might not be able to come at the last minute, then choose the "Pay at Event" option. We'd rather have your details and not use them than have to add you to the race list on race day. Similarly, if you're a team entry (Type 'Team' in the first name field) or family entry. Although the race fee might not look right, choose it anyway and click the "Pay at Event" option. I'll edit incoming entries and ensure the amount owing is adjusted correctly. You'll get a pre-race email confirming this.
Of coure if you entered the series, there's nothing else to do except front up next Sunday. In order to avoid overloading parts of the course, we've calculated what looks like the best time gap between the start of the long and short races. We'll announce that on race day.
During the next week, the tri club committee has its regular monthly meeting. On the agenda is the subject of the club's future structure, goals and events. Race numbers have grown hugely in the last year or two and we need to be sure we're providing the best service for everyone.
There'll be a newsletter following the meeting and we'll be seeking your views.
In the meantime, the club website is constantly being updated with news. Kerry Bateman, even though he's in France, is updating the historic race results, bringing them in from our old website. Keep an eye on the site for news up what's happned and what's going to happen.
If you're not entered for next week's duathlon yet, don't hold back.
Peter Gibbs
From an organiser's point of view, things generally went well in the first race, with no navigation problems that I heard of. The bike course was softer than expected, which made it very hard work in places, but there was plenty of variety and people generally seemed to enjoy it. The number of parents doing the course with their children was encouraging for the future.
The fact that we got started on time with a record 160+ entrants was a tribute to the team taking registrations, as many entrants wandered up well past the cutoff time of 9.30am expecting to just write their name down and start. It's not that easy. In order to record splits for the three sections of the race and to produce results sorted into age groups promptly post-race, everything has to be input into the computer which is used to record each person as they pass through the Tineli arch into the transition area.
If you enter online, inputting of data can be done prior to race day. If you fill in a form on race day, there's still a lot of work to do inputting your data, which is often incomplete, hard to read and even mispelt. The message is: please use the online entry system. It's user-friendly and will ensure you get prompt updates with news and results.
If you did race one, whether you entered online or on paper, we'll have you recorded on our entry website (provided you wrote out your email address). To enter race two and three, go to the entry site (here) hit the register button and type in your email address. Hit the buttons for the races you want. If you think you might not be able to come at the last minute, then choose the "Pay at Event" option. We'd rather have your details and not use them than have to add you to the race list on race day. Similarly, if you're a team entry (Type 'Team' in the first name field) or family entry. Although the race fee might not look right, choose it anyway and click the "Pay at Event" option. I'll edit incoming entries and ensure the amount owing is adjusted correctly. You'll get a pre-race email confirming this.
Of coure if you entered the series, there's nothing else to do except front up next Sunday. In order to avoid overloading parts of the course, we've calculated what looks like the best time gap between the start of the long and short races. We'll announce that on race day.
During the next week, the tri club committee has its regular monthly meeting. On the agenda is the subject of the club's future structure, goals and events. Race numbers have grown hugely in the last year or two and we need to be sure we're providing the best service for everyone.
There'll be a newsletter following the meeting and we'll be seeking your views.
In the meantime, the club website is constantly being updated with news. Kerry Bateman, even though he's in France, is updating the historic race results, bringing them in from our old website. Keep an eye on the site for news up what's happned and what's going to happen.
If you're not entered for next week's duathlon yet, don't hold back.
Peter Gibbs
