Race the Straits of Mackinac

Opens – 6:00am – not before – Adjacent to the Fort parking lot on the large grassy area looking at the Mighty Mackinaw bridge

No friends or family members are allowed in the transition area for any reason. The race director and race officials will close the transition area 30-45 minutes before race start to ensure all athletes are at the starting area for mandatory course meeting and announcements. Once the transition area is closed, you will NOT be permitted back in before the race starts. Family/Friends will not be permitted in for any reason at any time throughout the event.

Re-Opens

When the last cyclist is off the course and has headed out for the run. This time is variable and we will make announcements at the event when the transition area is ready to re-open.

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! This pertains to all athletes of all distances. All athletes deserve a clear transition.

In the event of inclement weather, it is recommended you have warm, dry clothing outside the transition area to put on following your finish due to other athletes still being on the bike course.

Timing Chip

When you have completed the race, please do NOT enter the transition area wearing your timing chip. PLEASE remove your chip before re-entering the transition area and exiting again. This will cause a timing error.

Racking

You must rack according to your race number, based on the sequence numbers placed at the end of each row. Please remember racks will hold 7 bikes racked with the seat tip on support bar. Please be courteous to fellow athletes to ensure there is space for 7 bikes on a rack. If there is not enough room for your bike on your designated rack, please see a 3D Team member and we will help. Please do not move another athletes bike or gear.

Aid Station

Located at the run in/out chute with water and electrolyte replacement.

Directional

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 while racing in the transition area.

New for all events will be a Time Trial swim start. For safety reasons it is important we ensure we are doing all we can to alleviate stress at the start and turning at buoys. A time trial start ensures everyone has a clear, stress-free swim. You will SELF SEED according to your 500m swim time. (THIS IS YOUR ACTUAL swim time, not what you THINK you will swim, or want to swim) this is important to ensure you are not swam over or create congestion by seeding yourself faster than you can swim. Don’t be that athlete that creates a traffic jam. See yourself appropriately and everyone will have a great time in the water.

Each athlete will report their number to the timer before crossing the timing mats and entering the water. Again your responsibility to report that number to the timer.

Time trial starts: International distance, Sprint athletes first, followed about 30 minutes later with Super Sprint athletes.

This course will change slightly based on wind conditions each year but you will swim under the bridge as a turnaround point. The entry/exit point will be a tad rocky as we are swimming off the point of Mackinaw. Water temps can be all over the board here as both Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet under the bridge and of course we are at the mercy of Mother Nature in terms of the water being flat or rough.

Swim course will be patrolled by lifeguards, search and rescue, as well as sheriff’s marine division.

It will be a beach start, note, this is a rocky beach, not sandy.

This is a fun and very fast out and back that has one nice hill that will separate folks. Newly repaved out and back to Wilderness state park. A short one-mile section at the beginning and end will wind you through some residential streets before turning onto Strait’s avenue in downtown Mackinaw City. Click here for bike course Click here for bike course

Exiting the Transition Area, you will follow the side walk around under the bridge and past the fort out and back along Lake Michigan through a small residential area along the lake. Flat and fast with residents cheering you on.

Aid stations: Located every mile with iced water, lemon-lime Gatorade Endurance Formula and energy gels.

Click here for run course

You will start with your specific swim wave. Check the information cube at the event for wave start information.

You will complete the Swim and Bike disciplines of the event. Following your Bike discipline, you will dismount your bike, cross the Bike In timing mats and place your bike back at your spot on the rack in the Transition Area. You will then proceed across the Run Out timing mats and you are done! Your finish time will be when you cross the timing mats at that point.

DO NOT re-enter the transition area through Run In/Out or Bike In/Out. This will cause a timing error.

Finisher Memento

If the event offers a finisher’s memento, please proceed to the finish area to receive the item. Tell the support crew at the finish line you were in the aquabike race and they will hand you the finishers memento.

You will keep your timing chip & strap on until all the bikes are off the course. Once we announce the transition is open, you may turn your chip & strap in at the designated collection point and retrieve your gear at that point.

Kaya-Tri athletes will start in your designated wave, in the water under the KayaTri start flag. Your course will be determined by the weather and lake conditions as is the swimmers. This is an ever-changing area with both lakes converging under the bridge. We could go east one year and west another. You will parallel the shoreline to your Kayatri turnaround buoy. From there, head back to the finish on the opposite side of the swim start, placing kayaks in the flagged area. From that point head into the Transition Area meshing in with the swimmers. Then completing the sprint course..

You are required to have a life jacket on board, per Michigan DNR Boating rules.

You will start at the Duathlon start flag just in front of the finish chute. About 5 minutes before your start you will be directed to this area where the run course coordinator will be awaiting for further instructions. He/She will lead out the first run, a 2.5k jaunt out and back. Your FIRST RUN Turnaround sign is a 4′ tall – A Frame with DU TURNAROUND on it. You will simply turnaround at that point and head back. You will run down the finish chute to a left turn meshing in with the swimmers entering the transition area. From that point you will head out on the same bike and 2nd run course as the rest of the athletes.

One of the first to launch the Super Sprint back in 2014, the goal with it was to provide an intro to Triathlon. No matter your age, 6 yrs to 80+ yrs. the final wave of the day to start gets you out of the chaos of the start, and keeps you with like-minded athletes. A perfect introductory distance that we try to keep non-competitive with no awards, but of course, everyone gets a finisher medal. Come on out and Try your first TRI. Questions, don’t hesitate, any question is a good question! info@3disciplines.com.

200m swim – your swim will always start following the final sprint athlete in every super sprint event. These will be an out to the first buoy, over and in.

10k bike – will be an out and back. Following all signs indicating SUPER

1 mile run – will be an out and back as well. Following all signs indicating SUPER

Bib Number

At registration you will receive ONE bib number that the runner must wear on the front of their chest, since they will be crossing the finish line.

Body Marking

All relay members will get body marked with the bib number assigned to them, so they can all be identified on the course.

Timing Chip and Strap

The athlete competing in the first discipline should securely attach the timing chip to their left ankle. The chip and strap should be handed off to the next relay member inside the Transition Area ONLY at the designated RELAY area. Each athlete should only wear the chip on the left ankle, never on the wrist. Do not just grab it and go. You must make sure it is secure on your ankle before leaving the Transition Area. Exchanging outside of the Transition Area could result in a disqualification.

Transition Area

There will be a designated rack(s) for RELAYS only. This is typically near one of the exit/entry points. Please make sure all relay member’s gear is in this designated area. Even when the Transition Area is closed, relay members may still have access to the Transition Area to warm up and prepare for their discipline.

Each athlete will be assigned a timing chip and strap. These will be available race morning unless otherwise stipulated in your race confirmation. After check-in, proceed into transition and your bag will be at your spot on the rack. Please ensure your bib number and timing strap match.

You are responsible for this chip and strap. Failure to turn it in for ANY reason will result in a $40 charge.

You must wear your chip and strap on your left ankle for the entire event, start to finish.

Following your finish you will be directed down the finish chute where there will be a chair and two bins with a disinfectant solution for your chip/strap. Please remove your chip/strap, RE-VELCRO it, and toss it into the bin.

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.

Throughout the course, 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.

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 that the electronic timing systems are not fool proof. They are electronics and computers which are 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

These are posted at the event in and around the post event areas. This area is designated with a large purple RESULTS flag. 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 hours of the event.

ANY and ALL timing questions and inquiries must be sent to: results@3disciplines.com

Emailing or contacting event management in any other way will not guarantee an attempt to retrieve results.

All athletes and all relay members will be body marked with their race number. After picking up your chip and strap please proceed to the body marking area typically designated with a large BODY MARKING flag. You must have your bib number for this process.

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, SS = Super Sprint, D = Duathlon, R = Relay, H = Half. On the opposite calf will be your age.

Due to an increasing amount of athletes entering events they may not be properly trained for, we are asking each athlete to be responsible and honest with his/her ability to complete the distance registering for. Due to safety concerns for everyone involved including you the athlete, but also the support crew volunteers and officials like police, sheriff, fire department, etc. we must instill course cut off times at 4 hrs. Raffle and awards start at 3 hrs and 30 minutes in Olympic distance events and 99% of all athletes are finished by that time. So you must register for the event you will finish under that 4 hour time limit. Being a responsible athlete means if you cannot complete the Olympic distance comfortably under that time we recommend you participate in the sprint event. We encourage you to train for the goal to reach that Olympic distance under the 4 hour time limit. If you do not have a clear idea as to how to achieve that goal we are here to help, please let us know.

An athlete will be informed he/she has reached the 4 hr. cut off, at which time the athlete will acknowledge he/she understands completely and he/she will be brought in off the course by the course coordinator. If the athlete refuses this he/she will be informed that there will not be any support left on the course from that point and he/she must acknowledge this and understand he/she is continuing under those circumstances at which time the athlete will remove the timing chip/strap and give to the course coordinator.

Again an athlete must take the responsibility on as an athlete understanding his/her ability at the time of the event. Knowing that support crew volunteers, as well as other personnel out on courses must be kept in safe conditions as well.

Age Up Rule

Your age on race day is the same as how old you will be on December 31 of that year.

Overall

Top 3 Men and Top 3 Women Overall in each event and excluded from their age group.

Age Groups

Top 3 Men and Top 3 Women within each of the following age groups:

19 and under, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39,40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80+

*In the event there may not be at least 4 athletes within an age group, an age group may be combined, for example 2 in 20-24 and 2 and 25-29 = 20-29 age group combined.

• *Sprint Triathlon – Typically offers 15 and under and 16-19 in addition.
• *Clydesdales (Male 225 lbs or more) -1st Overall in Olympic and Sprint Distance Triathlons.
• *Athenas (Female 165 lbs or more) -1st Overall in Olympic and Sprint Distance Triathlons.

Aquabike: Top 3 Men and Top 3 Women in Olympic and Sprint Distance Aquabike.

Sprint Duathlon: Top 3 Men and Top 3 Women.

Super Sprint – All athletes will receive a finisher medal when crossing the finish line. This category is designed for those wanting to Try the Tri or to enjoy a fun, family-friendly race. In that spirit, no awards are presented. Everyone is a winner!

Awards will in NO circumstances be given out early, or individually before the awards ceremony. If you must depart before the awards ceremony, you may opt to pay a shipping and processing fee and have the award mailed to you. Please click on the link below to be taken to the Transition Bag Store where you can select the AWARD Item.

REQUEST AWARD MAILING

Refunds

All race fees are non-refundable. No refunds are allowed.

Transfer to Another Race

Transfers to another 3 Disciplines owned events are allowed. All transfers must be completed two weeks prior to the event in which you are registered or the event you would like to transfer to whichever is sooner. The transfer fee is $15.00 plus any potential difference in the race fee.

Events that do not fall under our transfer policy include: I Tri for Mac.

Transfers may be made within the current race season only.

Transfer to Another Distance

You may switch between the Olympic and Sprint distances at any event. Please contact us at info@3disciplines.com to change your distance or you may do so at the registration tent at the event. No fee to change the distance, can be done at any time BEFORE you start.