Course
Olympic: 1.5 K swim, 40 K bike, 10K run
Sprint: 1/2 mile swim, 16 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
Super Sprint: 1/4 mile swim, 16 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
There are colors that will help you navigate all three courses on race day. Memorize your color!!!
Transferring to a different race distance is allowed at any time prior to the event starting. Please contact us to make this happen.
Swim
The swim start is a deep-water start about 50 yards from shore. c Our race announcers will help you get to the right place at the right time. Be sure you’re in your wetsuit (if you’re wearing one) and ready to leave shore 5-10 minutes before your wave starts.
Both full or sleeveless wetsuits are allowed but not required. Water temperature is typically in the 60's in June and 70's in August. Warming up is strongly encouraged to the right of the start area. The course is clockwise around large brightly colored tetrahedron buoys.
To keep everyone safe on their bikes at the park entrance, It's imperative that we get all of you out of transition prior to the first cyclist returning to the park, and because you guys are getting faster, we've had an overlap of exiting and entering cyclists the last few years. If, for any reason, our swim course director determines you won't make it out of the water in time, you'll be given the opportunity to get a ride to the swim finish in a boat, where you can continue your race. You can also opt to continue swimming to the end, but may lose the opportunity to continue onto the bike if the cyclists are already returning to the park for T2.
Historically the Sprinter and Super Sprinters have no problem with this - but it's happened quite often with our Olympic swimmers. Please - if you are signed up for the Olympic and think this might affect your race, you are more then welcome to transfer to the Sprint or Super Sprint. Email us at admin@weraisethebar.com with questions or race changes.
We love for everyone to cross the finish line at RTB Events. If you're signed up and nervous about your swim and how it might keep you from a happy finish, we want to talk to you!
Water temperature information can be found here.
Bike
Bike Mechanics will be onsite before the race starts to make minor repairs or adjustments for bikes in ride-able condition. Please bring a bike to the race that is ready to go. But just in case something comes up, they’ll be bike mechanics close to transition. There will also be race support on the bike course to help you out if you run into trouble out there. But make sure you are prepared to fix a flat or put a chain back on. If we can’t get you up and going again, we’ll give you a lift back to transition.
The bike course is OPEN to traffic. Police Officers & volunteers will be stationed at intersections where bikes will be crossing traffic. The shoulders on the roads are wide. Obey all rules of the road when riding your bike - including staying as far to the right as possible. Crossing the center line at any time is an automatic disqualification. As a USAT sanctioned race, all USAT rules apply.
There are some rolling hills on the course - primarily on Lake Holm road on the Olympic Course. We recommend you pre-ride the course before race day, but at the very least take a look and/or ride the hill on mile 7 of the Olympic Course is highly recommended.
There will not be an aid station on the bike course for the Super Sprint or Sprint but the Olympic will have one on the bike course at mile 9 with water and sports drink only - no food. Super Sprint and Sprint athletes: make sure you bring what you need to fuel and hydrate your ride.
Run
The course is 95% paved. The first and last .25 mile outside the park is on the shoulder of an open road. There's also a stretch on the shoulder of SE 256th on the Sprint & Super Sprint run course. City of Police Officers and volunteers are spread throughout the course to make sure you are safe and going the right direction!
There is one very good hill on the Soos Creek Trail that you’ll arrive at .5 miles into the run. It’s a very nice steep downhill. Since the course is out and back, it will also occupy your attention when you’re .5 mile from the finish.
ARE YOU ANXIOUS ABOUT THE SWIM? READ ON
1. Educate yourself about the course. Study the map. Know where you'll start and which color buoys to look for to turn at. Swim in Open Water at least a few times prior to the race. Putting an open water swim off until race day isn't the best strategy if you're nervous (though we see it every year!) Go swim with friends at a calm, quiet lake or go to some organized training swims before your race offered by a local swim or triathlon club, such as Raise the Bar (RTB)!
Also, you can practice at Open Water Wednesday Training Swims right here at Lake Meridian!
2. Wear a Wetsuit! Wetsuits are warm, buoyant, form-fitted life preservers. They will keep you on the surface of the water, keep you warmer, and give you confidence. They also make you faster! If you don't have a wetsuit, you can rent one or buy one at Northwest Tri & Bike.
3. Warm -up prior to the start. Since the start is out past the shore, everyone will do a little swimming prior to the start, which is a great thing in helping settle nerves. Please get in the water and do some real warming up. Include a few 15-20 second harder efforts so your heart rate is up before the gun goes off.
4. Start from the back or off to the side The start area of our race is very wide and you can start as far back as you like. There's no need to be in a tight pack of other swimmers when you start. And it's just fine to let everyone else go when the gun goes off, and you wait 10-15 seconds for everyone to get out of YOUR way.
5. Stay Calm! The lake is beautiful and devoid of carnivores. The seaweed never comes near the surface. Tell yourself you're having fun and focus on your stroke. It will inevitably end with you smiling and puffed up with accomplishment.
6. Use the Water Support Personnel . You are welcome to hold onto a kayak for support (as long as you don't make forward progress while holding on). If you need to rest, rest! If you need to gather your courage, that's fine too. Our kayakers are looking for you and want to help. Don't hesitate at all to call one over to you or make your way over to them.
We Want you to Cross the Finish Line. No matter what.
It's important to us that you have a great finish line experience to celebrate all the hard work you've done getting to the start line. Occasionally we have athletes that aren't able to complete the swim or decide they aren't up to starting it. If that's the case for you on race day, we want to keep you racing.
If you're in the water swimming and for whatever reason are unable or unwilling to make it to the swim finish, alert a kayaker or other water support person. Either a kayaker will help escort you back, they will have a boat to you in a matter of minutes who will bring you aboard. When you get back to shore, you'll be welcome to continue onto the bike course as long as the first cyclists haven't returned to the park.
If for any reason you choose not to swim on race morning, please get the attention of one of our volunteers who will put you capably in the hands of a staff member. He or she will help you start the race from your bike where you will carry on gallantly through the bike and run courses and across an exuberant finish line toward your finishers medal and the welcoming spatulas of the pancake servers. You won't have an official finish time, but you'll finish!
