Changing Covid situation- how do you plan for 2021 races

peter kern · 29-05-2021 9:24am

i do not think Ti will bend rules but i do think version 1 will be changed rather quickly into a version 2 by july or mid july .
in a way version 1 is already more flexible than version 1 in the uk which was a limit of 100 before going to 500 . if i see this correctly you can already do a 500 people race in ireland if you have the 30 min gap intrestingly france also seems to a a gap between waves their waves at least for one departmern are 400 people and then 30 mim break.
so looks like ireland is not the only country to so so .

Kurt Godelfish · 30-05-2021 12:57pm

So if there's 4 waves that means Wave 4 starters have to wait around an extra 90mins before they start, also Wave 1 finishers have to wait around an extra 90mins before they can enter trans to pick up their bike.

Where are they all going to congregate in the meantime?

peter kern · 30-05-2021 5:58pm

Kurt Godelfish wrote: »

So if there's 4 waves that means Wave 4 starters have to wait around an extra 90mins before they start, also Wave 1 finishers have to wait around an extra 90mins before they can enter trans to pick up their bike.

Where are they all going to congregate in the meantime?

you sound like as if you have forgoten that you have done lough cutra ...
i if you did you really have not to look further than lough cutra where they have a divided transition zone thats quite transient .
or i could bring up many tri festivals in europe that have up to 8 races over a weekend. its not really something i like but its nothing new.
did 70.3 ireland 2019 not have a 30 min gap due to fog, it worked as well.

Kurt Godelfish · 30-05-2021 7:24pm

Well at least I'm not arguing with myself!:D

Lough Cutra Trans is the best I've ever seen, and if it helps square this circle then all is well and good. I'd still wonder how it would operate with active bikes in at the same time as active bikes out.

There is no need though- the guidelines as they stand won't stop Covid spread any better than just letting 400 athletes off rolling start with 2s gap. Three of the early races have already postponed after these guidelines were announced- TI will need to change to something more practical before other races go ahead. No point saying we can race from June 7th and then releasing guidelines that make events impractical.

peter kern · 01-06-2021 10:42am

Kurt Godelfish wrote: »

Well at least I'm not arguing with myself!:D

Lough Cutra Trans is the best I've ever seen, and if it helps square this circle then all is well and good. I'd still wonder how it would operate with active bikes in at the same time as active bikes out.

There is no need though- the guidelines as they stand won't stop Covid spread any better than just letting 400 athletes off rolling start with 2s gap. Three of the early races have already postponed after these guidelines were announced- TI will need to change to something more practical before other races go ahead. No point saying we can race from June 7th and then releasing guidelines that make events impractical.

did you speak with the race organicers why they cancelled or postponed or are you assuming what their reason is?

Kurt Godelfish · 01-06-2021 11:20am

I'd imagine there are many reasons why a race might be cancelled/postponed. It's my assumption the current guidelines add to those reasons.

StaggerLee · 01-06-2021 11:40am

I’m spoke to 1 organiser who is trying to decide whether to go ahead or not in August. He cited following as limitations ...

1 limit on number of entrants due to restrictions - waves etc
2 Hard to get sponsors on board in current climate
3 profitability due to above
4 Safety of participants, marshals, general public
5 general uncertainty around variants and vaccines
6 If public / local council will support the race taking up space on the day - roads, footpaths etc.

It’s much easier to cancel than go ahead for a club race.

Kurt Godelfish · 01-06-2021 8:22pm

Lack of staff/marshals will be an issue too. To give an example, there's a hill race I RD most years, they just announced a new calendar after the sports guidelines announced and I got a phone call asking was I available to RD? No can do as I'm meant to do a (rescheduled) Tri that weekend. My mate who alternates RD with me is also racing that weekend... it'll be very hard to shoehorn so many events into a few weeks. In a volunteer-heavy sport like Triathlon it'll be especially harder to get sufficient support this summer.

Bertje14 · 01-06-2021 11:00pm

Sheephaven has been cancelled. Possibly rescheduled till September. That really has put a spanner in my woodworks. My next race is Tyrone (up North so I reckon it will go ahead). I was luckily enough to get my hands (not fully yet but good chance) on at Lost Sheep entry. End of August so they won't be able to move an awful lot further down the calendar.

RacoonQueen · 03-06-2021 6:51am

Wonder what will happen with September races now too, no point in everyone rescheduling to that time of year. Then races that are on will have issues get volunteers if it is the only time their members can race themselves.

peter kern · 03-06-2021 8:40am

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Wonder what will happen with September races now too, no point in everyone rescheduling to that time of year. Then races that are on will have issues get volunteers if it is the only time their members can race themselves.

well at least the sheephaven RD did not think one has to postpone the race as he was confident he could deliver a race end of june with the TI rules . garda seems to have been on board too.
would have been interesting to listen to the conversation between RD and the commitiee . in short i did break my balls for the last 4 weeks to get the race over the line , yes but we are not comfortable to have a race thanks for all the effort. and we would like you to do the same in septemper again, to show you how much we appreciate your effort. its easy to see both views but i guess it makes it not easeir to find a race director the next time as it seems to be a bit of a no confidence vote.

what i dodnt get is we do duathlons in january but we cant do triathlons in october when the water is way warmer than in may.

Bertje14 · 04-06-2021 11:01am

@Peter Kern

did you actually see the video? Man he was seriously pissed off!!!! It was like he had just come out of a very heated discussion and that he went f*ck this **** I am putting on Facebook.

I wonder if it is a financial issue. not worth running the race. the entries don't cover the cost.

rodriquez · 04-06-2021 12:01pm

Bertje14 wrote: »

@Peter Kern

did you actually see the video? Man he was seriously pissed off!!!! It was like he had just come out of a very heated discussion and that he went f*ck this **** I am putting on Facebook.

I wonder if it is a financial issue. not worth running the race. the entries don't cover the cost.

yea - he definitely wasn't happy. it has to be difficult to try to control waves and then any supporters who would probably levitate towards the village as the run passes through it twice. Downings is only a small village and transition is right in the middle of it as well. Hopefully it does go ahead in Sept

themighty · 04-06-2021 12:33pm

Did anyone else see the Hardman waiting list email? It's pretty hilarious.

"Also, especially do not mail me if you have been training for the recently cancelled race in Youghal. Because that was cancelled doesn’t automatically mean you can jump to the top of the waiting list. And definitely do not mail me asking for a discount on a Hardman race because you lost money on an IM race elsewhere. Take it up with them. And Yes, I do get asked these questions."

Fair play to him:D.

MyDarkArts · 04-06-2021 9:47pm

themighty wrote: »

Did anyone else see the Hardman waiting list email? It's pretty hilarious.

"Also, especially do not mail me if you have been training for the recently cancelled race in Youghal. Because that was cancelled doesn’t automatically mean you can jump to the top of the waiting list. And definitely do not mail me asking for a discount on a Hardman race because you lost money on an IM race elsewhere. Take it up with them. And Yes, I do get asked these questions."

Fair play to him:D.

Got a chuckle out of that quote alright. I'd say next year's participation agreement will say "entry is subject to participant not sending any idiotic correspondence to the race organisers".

griffin100 · 05-06-2021 9:45am

themighty wrote: »

Did anyone else see the Hardman waiting list email? It's pretty hilarious.

"Also, especially do not mail me if you have been training for the recently cancelled race in Youghal. Because that was cancelled doesn’t automatically mean you can jump to the top of the waiting list. And definitely do not mail me asking for a discount on a Hardman race because you lost money on an IM race elsewhere. Take it up with them. And Yes, I do get asked these questions."

Fair play to him:D.

Alan told me last year that he was getting those sorts of emails and I thought he was joking, obviously not. Looking to be moved up the waiting list or for a discount because Ironman took your money and didn’t give you a race is pretty funny.

themighty · 05-06-2021 10:34am

Some people genuinely amaze me - that is an outrageous amount of neck. I've newfound respect for RDs now, having to put up with that nonsense

.

griffin100 · 05-06-2021 12:25pm

Going off topic here but I’ve been involved in a race for a few years and some of the sob stories you get from people who missed the deadline to a sold out race are funny.

I remember a minor ‘celebrity’ who had a regular slot on one of this RT/ TV3 daytime shows trying to use his ‘celebrity’ status to get into a sold out race. He told us he would mention the race on TV and it would be a great bonus for the race to have him in it. We told him to feck off.

There’s also the feedback you get after a race, some of which is really valuable (e.g. transition layout), but some of which is not particularly useful - the water was too cold, they expected a hot meal at the end of the race (sprint distance), etc.

peter kern · 09-06-2021 8:42am

i expected the january pool rush y day going to the pool. when i arrived 8 pm there was 4 people in it and i had a lane on my own . havent enjoyed swimming so much in a long while .....
not sure what that says about people willing to do a tri this year but i was surprised.

StaggerLee · 09-06-2021 10:59am

peter kern wrote: »

i expected the january pool rush y day going to the pool. when i arrived 8 pm there was 4 people in it and i had a lane on my own . havent enjoyed swimming so much in a long while .....
not sure what that says about people willing to do a tri this year but i was surprised.

Same in the NAC yesterday… it was great! 2 in the lane.

Bertje14 · 09-06-2021 1:40pm

it was fine in Westwood as well. Busy but not mental.

griffin100 · 09-06-2021 4:40pm

Had an entire 50m lane to myself in UCD today (most of which I swallowed :pac:) First swim of any sort since December last year. I was pure sh1te.

mossym · 10-06-2021 4:14pm

peter kern wrote: »

not sure what that says about people willing to do a tri this year but i was surprised.

i'd suspect it says more about people still being cautious, most under 45 which would be most of the tri community is not vaccinated even with a first dose

Kurt Godelfish · 13-06-2021 8:40pm

peter kern wrote: »

i expected the january pool rush y day going to the pool. when i arrived 8 pm there was 4 people in it and i had a lane on my own . havent enjoyed swimming so much in a long while .....
not sure what that says about people willing to do a tri this year but i was surprised.

Great that you had a clear lane, but you're reading too much into it. Most Triathletes would have moved to the OW anyway by early June, and Masters groups would have finished for the year. If the numbers in the sea are anything to go by, there will be no shortage of willing participants. Now all we need are the races...

peter kern · 14-06-2021 9:43am

Kurt Godelfish wrote: »

Great that you had a clear lane, but you're reading too much into it. Most Triathletes would have moved to the OW anyway by early June, and Masters groups would have finished for the year. If the numbers in the sea are anything to go by, there will be no shortage of willing participants. Now all we need are the races...

if you are right than we will finally see an increase in female participation in long ocurse tri as i think we agree that females seem to be outnumbering man at seaswimming.

RacoonQueen · 18-06-2021 6:18am

On the topic of races...did anyone receive their TI race license?

Dilbert75 · 18-06-2021 6:58am

RacoonQueen wrote: »

On the topic of races...did anyone receive their TI race license?

They're now electronic only.

Bertje14 · 18-06-2021 10:14am

RacoonQueen wrote: »

On the topic of races...did anyone receive their TI race license?

you need to download the app and then it is there. they don't send out actual cards anymore.

RacoonQueen · 20-06-2021 12:03am

Dilbert75 wrote: »

They're now electronic only.

Ah I was only really asking as I was waiting for my just eat discount code

Kurt Godelfish · 06-07-2021 11:52pm

Good luck to everyone competing at the first race of the season, the Hardman Waterville half this Saturday.

It's obvious from the race briefing that Covid-era is upon us, but fingers crossed enjoyment will win out on the day, and that spirit carries on for other races across the season. Here's to a couple of months of happy faces for Tri people; thanks to all the RD's, organisers, committee's, marshal's, clubs, athletes, and everyone else involved in keeping the show on the road in 2021.

Waterville Brief wrote:

We are trusting that everyone who competes is there in the spirit of triathlon and sport in general. Everything we have had to change has had to be done. We don’t like the changes either. This is new to us all and we are not here for people to try and catch us out.

Please be aware that you are all the poster boys and girls for triathlon in Ireland now. Everybody is watching us this weekend to see how it goes. Let’s do our best to make it a day worth remembering by showing that even with the new restrictions that this is still a great sport to be enjoyed by all.

Dilbert75 · 15-07-2021 12:14pm

Lost Sheep middle-distance now gone too.

TriFirst · 20-07-2021 8:27am

Delighted to have taken part in my first Tri since 2019. in Kilkenny, congrats to Kilkenny Tri club for putting on a great race at short notice. We were so lucky with the weather, although it didnt quite feel that way as I stumbled across the finish line feeling like a baked potato.

KTC took every precaution and some more, in respect of the covid situation. One of which was a rolling start into the water which I really think should be adopted by all races going forward as it makes for a much more enjoyable swim. I had clean water the entire time which meant i could relax and enjoy the water which I dont usually get the chance to do on the swim with arms and legs flying everywhere.

Having seen a race like Kilkenney Triathlon club's run so successfully in a pandemic, I see absolutely no reason why other triathlons and outdoor races are falling by the wayside. KTC even ran their race brief via zoom in advance of the race which was a great idea, as was the splitting of the competitors into waves which allowed you to finish your race and take your bike and leave for home without affecting a latter wave's racers. I was disappointed to see DTC isnt happening along with many other races, perhaps they dont feel they can get the logistics together in time I dont know, but I do know triathletes are eager to race and are very willing to be adaptable, all they need is race organisers to commit like KTC committed to this race.

RacoonQueen · 22-07-2021 7:01am

"KTC even ran their race brief via zoom in advance of the race which was a great idea, as was the splitting of the competitors into waves which allowed you to finish your race and take your bike and leave for home without affecting a latter wave's racers."

See, thing with that is no post race chats, banter, race dissection. Sounds crap to me, but good to be having races in some capacity, pity for those new to the sport they are missing some of the race day experience with no pre/post race gathering.

peter kern · 23-07-2021 9:58am

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117644941#Comment_117644941

have you done a race in the covid area, or are you just speculating ....

RacoonQueen · 23-07-2021 9:29pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117650375#Comment_117650375

What?

peter kern · 25-07-2021 9:15am

what i am saying is that if you had done a race in the coivd area your likely concluison would be apart from not having food at the finish line not much has changed. and some things have improved for beginner ie the stress of the swim start. or generally being able to get home quiclly if thats what you need. or that you can sfely leave your gear in transiton area

its is different but for many there is tangible improvements there . but at the end on fo day nothing does stop anyody to have bater disect the race etc in a responsible manner .

Changing Covid situation- how do you plan for 2021 races

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