Date/location
Friday, Saturday, Sunday May 11, 12, 13, Gaylord, Mi.
All venues are less than 10k from each other.
Otsego Club - 696 M-32 E, Gaylord, Mi.
Sportsplex- 1250 Gornick ave. Gaylord, Mi. 989.731.3546
Tree Tops Resort - 3962 Wilkinson rd. Gaylord, Mi. 989.732.6711
Venue/Area Information
We picked this area for many reasons, one being it is our home town. Also, it is the perfect area for such an event. There are plenty of accomodations, area amenities, and beautiful and challenging terrain with excellent facilities at each venue. As I said - perfect for such an event. Gaylord is located at Exit 282 off of I-75.Please click here for all the local information.
MultiSport 101
Not for This event.
We have been told by many athletes from across the country that our 101 is the best anywhere. Our goal with the 101 from day one has been to go through the entire event start to finish for the newbies, the beginners, the less experienced athletes. To try and calm down those butterflies as much as possible. Along with the information on the race the Race Director will give you dozens of racing and training tips along the way and answer any question you may have as well. Classes range from an hour to 2 hours depending on size and how many questions there are. If you are new to Multi-Sport it is Highly Recommended you attned this class.
Amenities:
Unless otherwise noted 2011 events will include a custom event shirt, custom finishers medal, custom latex swim cap, sponsor supplied samples, professional chip timing with results available online, awards to top three in each age group, a great sponsor supplied raffle and awards ceremony following the last finishers and the best post race snack table out there.
In order to be guaranteed a custom event shirt you absolutely MUST be pre-registered 14 days in advance. Please understand if you don’t know you are doing the event a week or two out how are we to know? If a shirt is important to you please pre-register. Due to increasing costs with shipping and shirts orders are kept tight.
Finish/Awards
Please CLICK HERE for awards mail form.
Awards are provided at all events except ACT and TRI. They will be awarded in 5 yr. increments beginning at 20-24, 25-29, etc. Before that they will be in 2 yr. increments based on registrations within those categories. Top 3 Men, Top 3 Women overall in each event are taken OUT of his/her age group. An overall win is an overall win, therefore you cannot win two awards. In most events unless otherwise noted top 3 men and women in Clydesdale and Athena categories will be awarded. Also in Long courses the top overall Master female and male will be awarded to the top 40 year plus male and female.
Awards will in NO circumstances be given out early, or individually before the awards ceremony. If you must depart for the awards ceremony you may opt to pay the $10 shipping and processing fee and have the award mailed to you.
You MUST send this form in within 2 weeks following the event with a check or money order for $10 per award in order to receive your award. Please understand we have NO control over the US postal service.
Course Info
Seed runs Friday night are on the Starkermann run course giving you a little practice before the duathlon on Sunday. The triathlon run courses will be a fast, flat loop around the Sportsplex. The out and back bike portions will flat for the jr. and a few rolling hills the final 3 miles for the Starkermann athletes. The swim of course is indoors at the Sportsplex pool. The bike Time Trials will be on hilly challenging roads including what the locals call Big Nasty and Little Nasty as well as the start and finish at the Tree Tops resort which they call little Alp du Huez. The Duathlon is the same great course used for over 20 yrs. now which will be on some of the time trial course for the bike portion. Run portion is on the beautiful Otsego Club property which is mostly unpaved service roads for the golf courses.
Friday: 5/11 7pm
packet pickup 5:30 - 6:30pm
Seed Runs:
Starting and finishing at the Otsego Club on the same course you will run on Sunday, giving you a little pre race warm up as well as your first test of the weekend. Your finish time will seed you for your triathlon start time Saturday morning. Hopefully we won't need it but Hot Chocolate, soup will be ready for you.
Starkermann Jr. - 1mi. - out half mile and back
Starkermann - 5k - out 2500 and back on the Starkermann run course, perfect to get your prepared for Sundays duathlon.
Saturday: 5/12 9am
Packet Pickup 7:00am to 8:30am
Reverse Format Triathlon:
Starting and finishing at the Otsego County Sportsplex. Beginning with a flat, fast 2.2 or 4.4mi. run. Starting with a part cros country run on the snowmobile trail. These are not trails but more like a cross country course, flat along the train tracks. Followed by an absolutely awesome bike course because there are like 20 houses on the entire course. Pine Tree lined the entire way, very little traffic, flat, fast, smooth roads. Jr. athletes will have a flat course, Starkermann athletes will have some hills the final three miles before returning. then a 20k or 30k bike and finishing up with an indoor 400m serpentine style swim inside the Otsego sportsplex pool.
Starkermann Jr. 2.2mi. run, 20k bike, 400m indoor swim
Starkermann 4.4mi. run, 30k bike, 400m indoor swim (2 loops on run course)
Click here for Run course map - Click here for Bike course map
Saturday: 5/12 5pm
Packet Pickup 3:30 - 4:30pm
Road Bike TIME TRIALS:
Start and finish at the Tree Tops Resort. Both courses will test your brakes, your gears, and you! There will not be a ton of hammering in the aero position on this one folks. But the real question is, who will have enough left in the tank to climb mini Alpe Duez to the finish line?
Starkermann Jr. 20k - An out and back that will turn around just before the descent of the Big Nasty so you will not have to climb the Big Nasty. But you will have to deal with the hills before it.
Starkermann 40k -An out and back encompassing the back half of the Starkermann duathlon bike course as well as Big Nasty. This will be a leg, lung and gear burner. Who will be the real Starkermann?
Click here for course maps
Sunday 5/13 10am
packet pickup 8:00 - 9:30am
DUATHLONS: 26th Starkermann duathlon, one of the countrys oldest.
Start and finish at the Otsego Club resort. This is the final test, rolling to hilly terrain for both disciplines will test both machines, bike and you.
Starkermann Jr. - 1mi. run, 10k bike, 2mi. run
Starkermann - 5k run, 30k bike, 5k run
Click here for course maps
Bike
Remember this is an open course! You will be sharing the road with vehicular traffic. Use caution at all times. It will be your responsibility to print maps, and know the courses. It is the athlete's responsibility to know and understand the courses. Helmets are a must. No helmet - no race. MP3 players on the bike course are an automatic disqualification. Due to a few athletes actions in the past during an event we are making you aware not only in this event but ALL events whether hosted by us or any other event management company YOU MUST OBEY ALL OFFICIALS and EMERGENCY VEHICLES on the course AT ALL TIMES!! The bottom line here is your race is not more important than an EMERGENCY or OFFICIAL on the course.In the event of an emergency you MUST obey officials requests, and you MUST STOP and pull off the road for any and all EMERGENCY VEHICLES to get by.This is not only to ensure the emergency vehicles can proceed, it is for your safety as well. Any athlete that does not adhere to this rule will be disqualified and will not race in a 3 d event for the rest of the year. This to us is common sense and should not have ever came to this point.
Relays
At registration you will receive ONE bib number and ONE chip/strap. The bib number goes on the runner as that is who will be crossing the finish line. All relay members must be body marked with that number. The Chip/Strap will be securely fastened around the person competing in the first discipline. There will be a designated spot for All Relays at one of the entry/exit points in the transition area marked RELAYS. All staging and chip/strap exchanging is to be done at this point. Not on the course. The Chip/Strap must be securely fastened to each athletes ankle, do not grab it and go, do not put it on the wrist. Upon finishing it is the last athletes responsibility to return that chip/strap at the finish line. (one athlete may do more than one discipline)
Transition Area
You must rack according to your race number based on sequence placed at end of row. Please remember racks will hold 7 bikes racking with seat tip on support bar. Please be courteous to fellow athletes to ensure there is space for 7. Any athletes removing gear from transition areas before the announcer or race director has officially opened the transition area will be DISQUALIFIED from the race! No questions asked, your race number will be taken down and you will be disqualified. The transitionarea is closed until all athletes are off the bike course. Sprint athletes this goes for you as well, you must wait until all the athletes are off the course and race officials open the transition area. All athletes deserve a clear transition. There will be an aid station at the run in/out chute with water and electrolyte replacement. Athletes wearing their own chips, PLEASE remove your chips before re-entering the transition area and exiting again. This can cause a timing error. Run in/out and Bike in/out chutes are clearly marked on the large structures at either end, it is your responsibility to go the right direction.
Race Tips
Well what can I other than be prepared for ANY type of weather. Your race bag check list MUST include everything from jacket and tights to shorts and sleeveless top. It is Northern Michigan in May folks. Most of you competing from Michigan have heard the weather history for this race or have had the pleasure of experiencing it first hand. In the Starkermanns history it has been 70 and sun on Saturday and 30 and rain/snow on Sunday, and vice versa that is why this event has earned the "epic challenge" in its name. So even though the weather forecast may say good things about the weekend my first tip is pack it all and prepare for it all. Best case is you don't have to use any bad weather gear. Next, not just because we want you to do this event, and not just because we are hosting it, you need to do this event to prepare for your season. We have structured this for specific future training purposes. The fast runs to see where the leg speed is at. The sprint triathlons to practice transitions, leg speed, and get in a little tri before the season kicks off. Time Trials on the bike because most of us do not do them and they are a great gage to let you know your weaknesses on the bike are and where that endurance, power and strength levels are at. Finally the duathlons. I have said for 20 years, .a duathlon is more difficult than a triathlon and being the last event of the weekend it will surely tell you if you need more speed work, more endurance work, more hill work, etc. So this event will become the ultimate pre-season gage for athletes training purposes. So tip 3 is, set goals for each event and write down all the information you can following each event so you can use that following the event to tweak your training for the upcoming season. Tip 4, make sure the bike is tuned and ready for some climbing and fast descents. Tip 5, this event WILL prepare you for the June racing season so you owe it to yourself and your season to challenge yourself with this event!
Packet Pickup/Registration
Will begin at 5:30pm Friday night at the Otsego club. Then 1.5 hrs. before each event for those racing in individual events. Sportsplex for Triathlons, Tree Tops resort for Time Trials, Otsego Club for duathlons.
Athletes registered for multiple events will only need to go to Packet Pickup ONCE, you will receive race number, chip and strap for all your events in your race bag. Do not lose this, you are responsible for the chip and strap all weekend long.
Day of Registration will close promptly 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each event unless otherwise noted.
Will be located in most cases under the white tents, please follow the registration signs and look for the purple “Registration” flags.
ITEMS YOU MUST BRING: USA Triathlon member card and drivers license. You will not be permitted to race without your drivers license. NON USA Triathlon members will be required to proceed to the USA Triathlon registration table to fill out a one day member license and pay the USA Triathlon $10 fee. This entire fee is sent directly to USA Triathlon following the event along with the event results. If you are not familiar with the multi-sport governing body please see their website at: www.usatriathlon.org
Upon completing the initial registration process you will be issued a race bib number, it is YOUR responsibility to check your personal information for correct spellings, age changes, etc. at this point. Wrong information can cause issues with your race timing and scoring. If you registered by the 14 day pre-registration cut-off date you will receive your T shirt, then proceed to the partner supplied sample area where you may pick one sample of each product.
Note: Kids participating 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to sign event waivers.
USAT
A $12 one day USAT license fee is required for all NON - USAT members. Relays are required to pay $12 per relay member. Youth 17 and under is a $5 fee for the year.
Pre registered athletes your fee was collected online this fee goes directly to USA Triathlon NOT 3D.
Remember the USAT age up rule, meaning you will race at the age you will be at the end of the year.
Timing/Scoring
We provide all the timing and scoring services for each and every event we host. This will be with ChampionChip or Chrono Track timing systems.
Proceed to the “Chip Pick Up” flag typically near the transition area entrance. You will be issued a neoprene strap with a plastic chip. This must be securely fastened to your ankle for the entire event. It is recommended you put this around your ankle immediately.
You will NOT be issued a chip and strap without your race bib number. There are no exceptions so do not forget this when picking up your chip and strap.
Throughout the event there will be sets of timing mats or gators, typically under structures indicating finish, bike in, run out, swim finish etc. You must cross over these areas. Do not avoid them or attempt to jump over them. Finally every effort will be made to supply you with a swim, bike, run, transition 1, transition 2 and finish times. However it is explicitly expressed the electronic timing systems are not fool proof. They are electronics and computers outside in the elements and they are not perfect systems. We along with any other timer out there can only score what is captured in a system.
PRELIMINARY results will be posted on and in results kiosks typically located in and around the post event areas. Results are rarely 100% final at the time of the awards ceremony, due to post race corrections.
Your results will be posted on the event website under the “Results” tab located on the home page as well as event page. Every effort is made to post these by the following morning or within 24 hrs. of the event.
You are responsible for that chip and strap once it is handed to you. If you lose this at any point, meaning you do not turn it in at the finish line you will be responsible for the $40 replacement cost. There are no exceptions to this.
Body Marking
After picking up your chip and strap the “Body Marking” flag is typically located near this area. Please proceed to the body marking area. Event support crew will be marking race numbers on your swim caps, biceps, tops of hands, and quadriceps. You will also have your event code marked on one calf. T= long course, S= sprint, D= duathlon, R = relay, H = half. On the opposite calf will be your USAT Age Up. Meaning your age for that year.
Accomodations
Otsego Resort - 2011 room rates coming soon. Please call and mention the races when calling for reservations. 800-752-5510 is the reservations number. Why not stay here? You can simply walk out your door and be 100m from the transition area. They have great food and the brunch is awesome!!
Please support the host hotel/resort as without the Otsego Club there would not be such a great event. After the Otsego club is full there are several other hotels all downtown. Holiday Inn, Best Western, Comfort Inn, etc. See area information link.
Friends, Family and Spectators
You to have some rules to follow to ensure your safety and the safety of the athletes. You cannot be in the transition area for any reason at any time. This is absolutely OFF LIMITS. All fenced areas are fenced for a reason, it is not to see where you can get around or crawl over or under. These are athlete only areas and are fenced for their safety and yours. Fenced areas will be taken down before raffle and award ceremonies. Athlete post race snack tent areas are off limits. This is simply because some out there find it very difficult to resist the delicious snacks for the athletes. Unfortunately we do not have enough to feed everyone, if you are taking it there will not be enough for the athletes following their finish. So we have been forced to fence this area, therefore it is off limits. “Hot Spots” which are always the swim exit, bike in/out and finish chutes are high priority areas in terms of safety and caution. At our events these areas are always fenced and flagged and typically patrolled by crew. Please do not lean on, or over in order to get a picture. Please make sure you have all pets on short leashes. Please make sure you have all your kids close by your side, a small child running across a chute in front of athletes running full speed is not a good thing. Finally if you would like to help out the support crew on the course please feel free to ask them or please see the race director before the event. We are ALWAYS looking for additional assistance on the course and you will receive access to the post race snack tent with your athlete as well as receive a support crew shirt.
Support Volunteers
If you would like to be a part of the event and receive a support crew shirt and access to the post race snack tent we will never turn down help. The more help on the course just means it is that much better for the athletes. We can ALWAYS use your assistance.
