Date/Location: September 30, 2012 Benton, Illinois Rend Lake
Long Course - 1.5k swim, 42mi. bike, 10k run - 9:00am
Short Course - 750m swim, 21mi. bike, 5k run - 9:20am
Check out some of the bike course and venue at You Tube. Enter Last Chance Bike Course at www.youtube.com
Date/location: Sunday October 2, 8:30am. Rend Lake, Benton, Illinois. (South Sandusky Beach/picnic area). about 10 minutes from downtown Rend city and 5 minutes off the interstate. Rend lake is about 85 miles from St. Louis, Missouri, 200 miles from Louisville, Kentucky, 200 miles from Bloomington, Indiana, 290 miles from Chicago, 220 miles from Indianapolis, 225 miles from Memphis, Tenessee and 210 miles from Nashville, Tenessee. exit 77 off of Interstate 57. Proceed across the lake to a Left on Rend City rd. past North Campground, past South Campground, to South Sandusky Beach.
Click here for area information General area directions here
Venue/Area Information: Everyone touts their courses, everyone says their course is great, You would be hard pressed to find a better venue and course for your last event of the year and that folks is the truth. Whether you are training for that end of the season half or full or just want to get that last PR before putting the bike on the trainer this is the place. Another beautiful clean, Army Corp. lake surrounded by rolling, fast, country roads.
Course: If you are looking for the perfect end of the season race or just want a fast training race before a half or full later in the fall this is the place. The swim will be an in the water start due to typical cool mornings this time of year. The water is warmer than the morning air so we will get everyone in before we start each wave. The bike is new paved rolling fast rural roads basically circling the lake. A 21 mile loop around Olympic course athletes you have two loops and sprint one loop of the bike course. The run course will utilize existing 8 foot black topped running paths that connect the various camping and picnic areas. This will be an out and back run course simply turning around at your turnaround sign. This terrain will be rolling the entire way but no real climbs to speak of. The run course is surrounded by nature and has shade most of the way.
Packet Pickup/Registration:
Day Before: At the Rend lake park South Sandusky Beach area Saturday 2pm - 4pm.
Day of: Sunday from 7:00am to 8:00am ONLY. You must plan accordingly with travel to ensure you are on location on time. Do not arrive late, registration will close.
Multi-Sport 101: 4:00pm in the transition area on Saturday (weather permitting). Geared towards the newbie, beginner. The race director will walk you through the entire event start to finish giving great race tips along the way. We want to make sure you leave feeling ready to rock and roll in the morning.
Accomodations: We recommend initial accomodations at the Rend Lake State Park where they have condo suites as well as rooms available right on the lake. These are beautiful accomodations about 5 miles from the transition area.
Camping - Beautiful Rend Lake State Park is available for camping about3 miles from the transition area over 800 spots available.
Transition Area: Open at 7:00am closes at 8:20am. No Friends or Family members allowed in the transition area for any reason. You must rack according to your race number. There will be 2 transition areas. One for the half athletes, one for the sprint/olympic athletes. This is so sprint/olympic athletes may retrieve gear without interferring with Half athletes coming in off the bike course. Transition areas are closed until all the bikes are off each course. Half athletes will rack on the south end of the parking lot.
***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.
Swim: 1.5k, 750m - This will be in beautifulRend Lake, with water temperatures historically between 65 and 72 degrees this time of year wetsuits will be allowed. We will plan to have the swim course set for you on Friday,weather permitting. Long course athletes willstart us off at 9:00am, followed byshort courseathletes at about 9:30am.Life guards, Sheriff marine division and search and rescue will be on the water for your safety. Inthe event that you do need assistance raise your hand and guards will get to you.
water temp as of:10.2 - 73
Bike: 21 mi. 42 mi. 1 and 2 laps depending on what course you chose. Perfect for those getting ready for those late season full and half IM events. This is a rolling course but it is super smooth and super fast. This time of year there will be very little traffic on the roads. You will be making a loop around the south part of the lake taking the causeway across it at two spots, it really is a great course. Not quite ready for the half distance this is perfect for you. Olympic course athletes will simply do two laps of the course continuing past the transition area turn for lap 2. There will be one aid station for half athletes with, .Water, Hammer Heed, and Hammer Gel, bananas at this spot. See part of the bike course on You Tube, enter Last Chance Bike course on search at www.youtube.com
*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.
Run: 5k. 10k, -Exiting the transition area you will follow a chute taking you directly on the paved path around the lake. This is an out and back run course which you will follow winding you around the lake through adjacent picnic areas and campgrounds. An excellent run through the woods with a slight roll to it. Water and eletrolyte replacement at each mile on the course. You will simply turnaround at your designated turnaround sign.
COURSE MAPS: Swim Bike Run
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)
Finish/Awards: Upon finishing you will receive a finishers momento, after you have returned your chip and strap you will proceed to the post race snack tent for refreshments. Raffle and Awards will follow the last finisher of the half race. Olympic/Sprint athletes will have awards available for pick up approximately 1pm. Please listen for announcements regarding this, there will not be a ceremony for you, you will simply proceed to the awards table for pick up. If you chose to leave event management will not be responsible in any way for mailing your award or raffle prize. Awards ceremony for sprint, duathlon and middle distance event will be
Amenities: Custom Hoodie to all registered by 9.1. *Register after 9.1 get a T shirt, great raffle with merchandise from our partners, Half athletes will receive a custom gear bag, water bottle and finishers medal for the half. Great post race food, finishers medal to all finishers, ChampionChip timing with all splits provided.
(remember athletes we CANNOT guarantee a shirt to you unless you register 14 days out from the event. It is very difficult to "Guess" how many athletes are coming on event this young into its history. So if you want a shirt please pre register by those dates. Hoodies will NOT be over ordered, athletes registered by 9.1 will be the order placed).
Rules: Event management reserves the right to post pone, change format, or cancel the event at any time if the safety of athletes, staff, support crew, and officials is or could be in jeopardy. THERE WILL BE NO REFUNDS FOR ANY REASON!!! Event management is NOT responsible for late arrivals, athletes not finding a venue, etc. Late arrivals will NOT be issued a chip and strap and you will not be allowed in the transition area once it is closed. Again, there will be no refunds for any reason. If an event has mandatory bike check in you must check in your bike during the alotted check in times. Failure to do so will mean you are not going to race and again no refunds will be given. These rules are in place for a reason and deviation of them is not fair to the hundreds of athletes that follow the rules. Profanities on the course, directed at support crew, staff, or fellow athletes will not be tolerated and will result in an Automatic Disqualification and could result in further suspension. If you are caught throwing trash on the course you will receive a 5 minute penalty for the first offense and the second will be a disqualfication. There are garbage bins everywhere, use them. Kids 17 and under may not compete in half ironman distance events. Kids must be 10 yrs. of age to compete in adult sprint events. The race director will have final say for anyone racing at any event. Athletes experience will be considered in a personal interview with the race director on site if a question of ability to safely finish is at stake. Failure to comply will result in a change of event or disqualification if there is an un-willingness on an athletes part. Safety will NOT be compromised under any circumstances. A lost chip will be billed directly to the athlete for a $40 fee and may result in no times for event.