Adult Triathlon Route

The Adult Triathlon follows a similar course from last year. The specific route information is here. Please view the Los Cab setup to get yourself familiar with where the bike racks will be located and how you’ll get to them following the swim.

Adult Tri – Dual Transition

The Adult Triathlon is a “Dual Transition” triathlon. This means that shoes and other running equipment will need to be stored where the bikes will be droppped off and running starts. The Bike to Run transition is at Couregges Park in the Greenbrook development. Click here to see a map of where your shoes should be dropped off before the race.

Adult Race Schedule

There will be 4 Adult heats (Family, Leisure, Competitive Women, and Competitive Men). The schedule will be as follows:

• 6:30 AM – Family
• 7:00 AM – Leisure
• 7:30 AM – Competitive Women
• 8:00 AM – Competitive Men

Heat assignments will be posted shortly. Please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your assigned heat. If you are picking up a packet before the race please arrive 45 minutes before your heat.

Kid Race Schedule

There will be 3 Kid heats (Pee Wee, Kid, Big Kid). The schedule will be as follows:

• 10:30 AM – Pee Wee
• 10:50 AM – Kid
• 11:20 AM – Big Kid

Each Kid Heat will start at the Greenbrook Pool and be contained within the Greenbrook block. Maps and information on each of the Kid Heats is located on the website: Pee Wee, Kid, Big Kid

Check in & Orientation

Check in and Packet Pickup will begin the Friday before the race. For local racers packets can be picked up at:

17500 Bushard St., Fountain Valley, CA  92708

From:

• Friday 5/28 from 6-8pm
• Saturday 5/29 from 4-6pm

Race orientation will be provided at these times as well.

Out of towners who can’t make the Friday or Saturday pickup times will pick their packets up the morning of the race at Los Cab. All packets must be picked up 30 minutes prior to your race.

Volunteers Needed

If you or someone you know would like to volunteer to help with the event please respond to this email. Volunteer Roles include: Setup & Take down of equipment, Check-in, Timing Assistance, Transition Helpers (racking bikes), and many more. If interested please respond to this email.

Memorial Day Picnic

The picnic will follow the Kid Triathlons (beginning at 11:45am). Food will be served and games provided. It’s a great way to wind down from the days events.

Donations

Proceeds raised from the triathlon help the Scouts of Troop 297 with their yearly Scout Camp expenses. We thank all those who have contributed and accept all donations.

In most athletic endeavors it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game. In the FV Triathlon, however,  it does matter…a lot. The competitor whose training, effort and athletic ability drive him or her across the finish line first lives for 365 days at the top of the Fountain Valley hill.

But this year, if you’ve got pep, how you play the game could matter. In an effort to assuage bruised egos, reduce rampant “trash talk”, and eliminate fist fights (particularly between family members – you know who you are) this year every participant can nominate himself, herself or someone else to become the 3rd member of the elite “FV Pep Boys”. Pep 3 has left the group to pursue a solo career in Pep and they have graciously agreed to choose his replacement from this year’s FV Triathlon Participants.  Some may consider this simply a consolation prize, but those people obviously have merited no other awards to debate the validity of, so what are they complaining about?

There are a few criteria required to enter:

1. Must excel athletically
2. Must display an unusual amount of pep
3. Must demonstrate musical prowess

If you, or someone you know, would like to be considered for the Pep Boys, make your nomination now.

The 2010 Fountain Valley Memorial Day Sprint Triathlon is scheduled for May 31. Los Cab has signed on as a Premier Partner and has offered its Olympic Pool for the swim. There will be a spot for all types of Triathletes – from first-timers to competitive.

Due to city and pool limits the Sprint Triathlon will be capped at 250.

Their will be 3 Kid’s Triathlon events to make sure that all kids are able to participate.

Here’s the latest update & advice…

Complete the Route before the Race

One of the secrets to get the most out of yourself during the race (or being able to finish it) is to become familiar with the route. It will give you an idea how much effort you can put into each leg of the race.

Click here for the routes

Transitions

The FV Triathlon is different than most triathlons in that there are 2 transition areas. After the swim, you will dry and put on biking clothing at Los Cab. After the bike, you will change into running shoes inside the Greenbrook neighborhood. This will require that you:

• Drop off your running clothes at the Greenbrook transition before the swim (off of Rogue River & the Greenbelt).
• Arrange for swimming clothing/equipment to be brought to Greenbrook after the race.

Picnic

Troop 297 will be manning the grills and will provide hotdogs, drinks, watermelon and eating utensils. The rest of the food will be potluck. Please bring your favorite dish (salad, desert, pasta, etc.)

If you want to make sure you have some shade bring an easy up or something similar.

Triathlon Volunteers

Volunteers will be available at all stages of the triathlon to help with whatever is needed. They will be wearing red triathlon shirts. If you or a family member/friend would like to volunteer for the day you can sign up here.

The constuction on Newland & PCH hasn’t finished so the bike course will go around it. Rather than going to Newland on PCH, we will:

• PCH to Magnolia (R)
• Left on Hamilton
• Right on Newland

Click here to see the updated route.

There will be signs and volunteers making sure nobody misses the turns.

Q: This is my first try at a triathlon, and I am a nervous swimmer, how long do I have to finish the swim, and can I pause at the pool’s edge for a moment at each length?

A: Great question. The Fountain Valley Triathlon is intended to be a fun event for people of all ability levels. You will have 30 minutes to either complete the swim or swim as far as you can. You will then transition to the bike. During the swim you can stop as many times as you want. You may even be able to stand and touch the bottom of the pool, if tall enough. There are no penalties for stopping or standing. Our hope is that you have a fun, safe time and enjoying the event.

Looking for places to trim time from last year’s triathlon? The chart below might help; it shows how long each leg of the race will take at different speeds. Apologies to Beau & Bob for starting the swim at 15 seconds/length.

Click to view at full size

The swim, bike and run routes have been posted. Please review them prior to the race.

Question: What should I look for in a new pair of running shoes?

A running shoe should provide the appropriate amount of cushioning and motion control for your foot. All good shoes share three basic qualities. First, they have a very firm heel counter. You can test this by grasping the heel counter in your hand and trying to compress the heel. If the heel counter is soft, it does not give enough support.

The second thing you should look at is where does the shoe bend. Good shoes will only bend where your foot bends, at the ball of the foot. If the shoe bends in half it does not give appropriate support.

The third item to be evaluated is the torsional stability of the shoe. Grasp the shoe firmly at the heel counter and toe box. If you can easily twist the shoe, it does not provide adequate support.

Now that you know what makes up a good shoe, you need to determine what type of foot you have. You can then choose an appropriate shoe. A simple way to determine your foot type is to look at the footprint left when exiting a shower, swimming pool or standing on the sand. Below are examples of the three basic types of feet.

A flat foot will do best in a motion control shoe. The normal arch does well with stability or motion control depending on your weight. If you are a little heavier, opt for a motion control shoe. The high arched foot need extra cushion and less stability.

Examples of these shoes are:

Cushion shoe

• Adidas Supernova cushion
• Brooks Dyad
• Mizuno Wave Ride 10

Stability Shoe

• Adidas Supernova Sequence or Conrol
• Brooks Adrenaline GTS
• Brooks Axium 3
• Brooks Trance 8
• New Balance 859/1224
• Nike Air Structure X
• Asics 2130 or Kyano

Motion Control

• Brooks Beast (Ariel for women)
• Asics Gel Evolution 4
• Mizuno Wave Renegade 4
• New Balance 992

When shopping for shoes remember a couple of things.

1. Always shop at the end of the day when your feet are their largest.
2. You should have a full thumbs distance from the tip of your longest toe to the end of the shoe.
3. Wear your athletic socks when trying on the shoes.
4. Try both shoes on and walk around the store. If possible, jog outside on the pavement.
5. The shoe should feel comfortable from the beginning. You should not have to break it in.

Choosing the proper shoe can make running even more enjoyable. Always remember to increase your activity slowly. Most importantly, cool-looking shoes with fancy colors have been proven to help you run faster.

Happy trails

Dr. Kaz

The menu bar has been reorganized to (hopefully) make everything easier.

Triathlon: The main page with Triathlon Info. On the right menu you’ll find all the sub-pages (Register, View Registrants, and Volunteer).