Good morning all, I hope this email finds you all well and getting out training now the summer’s just around the corner (although it doesn’t feel like it today here)
This initial competitor newsletter is to both the June 4th Cotswold 113 and the July 9th Cotswold Classic V2 Competitors. Further newsletters will be individual for both races.
The idea of the newsletters is to bring you all up to speed in readiness for your races this summer.
I can waffle on a bit, but I hope it means you get all the info you need and leaves no questions unanswered. I’d suggest a strong coffee and a seat for this one, as there’s a fair bit to get through.
In this email, I’ll cover the following : Race weekend outline, and how it works
Swapping between both races
Getting stuck into your training
Got more mates that want to race
Camping and accommodation options
Got friends or family that fancy a paid role on race weekend
Familiarisation days
Race weekend Outline, and how it works
In the next few weeks, I’ll get a full competitor information pack out by email to all of you which has everything about the race, from aid station menus to registration requirements. In advance, here’s a basic outline of how the weekend will work.
On the Saturday afternoon of race weekend, we’ll hold a registration window and a couple of briefings at the lake. There’ll also be an opportunity to Swim in the lake if you so choose too, and I’ll send some more info out on the swim a few weeks before the race.
Registration will be where you collect your Swim hat, race bib and timing chip, and also a BFT Day license if you’re not a BTF member (more info on how this works will come out nearer the time). We’ll also hold a couple of informal briefings, where we’ll talk through everything about the race from when you first arrive in the morning, to when you leave at the end of the day. The in person briefings will be quite light hearted and we’ll try and give you all as much info on the race as well as some examples of what to do and what not to do. You can ask as many questions as you like, and these briefings tend to make a lot more sense when you’re at the race location and we can point things out.
Don’t worry if you can’t attend the briefings, as we’ll also send out a shorter and more formal video briefing link for you all to watch too.
We do all our bike racking on the Sunday morning. The reason for this is that I find that if you rack on the Saturday, you spend just as long, if not longer, on the Sunday morning checking your bike again, fitting drinks and food and pumping up tyres etc
Transition will open on Sunday AM at 04:30, and the race will start at 06:30.
About 5 weeks out from the race, when the start list is fixed, everyone will get an email with a window where they can choose a wave and/or a race number or series of numbers to be racked with their mates. Please don’t ask before that window as we can’t allocate these until the start list is fixed, and specific numbers are first come first served once that window is open. Start Wave format – We have an initial mass start wave, followed by a series of rolling start windows and these can be chosen as above a few weeks out from the race. The waves aren’t speed/time based and anyone can chose any wave they like. Some people like a mass start whilst others like a more sedate rolling start, and others like to get going early, whereas others like to watch a few waves head off first before they start their race, it’s all fine by us.
The swim is a single loop of 1.9km, and the bike course for both races are two 45km loops making around 90km total ride (Cotswold113 and Cotswold Classic v2 have two different bike courses)
The run is the same for both events and is 3 laps of 7km, and the race starts and finishes in the same place.
We don’t operate a bag system, and you can leave all your kit with your bike in transition. We do have a shoe and jacket drop area near the start so if you want to wear something over your wetsuit and some shoes/flip flops before your swim after you’ve left transition, you can drop them in an area by a tent by the start and collect them after the race.
We’ll get a lot more info out on the exact times of various things in the next few weeks, but this is just an outline so you can start planning your weekend.
Swapping between both races
I’m conscious that every year we get to this point and many of you will have either forgot to start training, picked up an injury, or have suddenly realised that it’s your wedding anniversary that weekend and can no longer race on the date you’ve booked.
If you come to me much later to move around entries, it’s much harder to do the closer you get and not always possible.
However, if you feel now that you’d like to move your race back 5 weeks from June 4th to July 9th, or vice versa, we still have places free at both races, so I can sort this easily and without cost to yourselves. Just drop me an email and I can get this sorted
Alternatively, you might have entered the June race and fancy doing the July race too, but didn’t enter them both together through the entry system to get the £40 Combo entry discount. if you’ve entered one race, and fancy doing both, drop me an email and I can give you a discount voucher for the other race to match the combo race price.
Getting stuck into your training
Now’s about the right time to really concentrate on training well for the races, so our local Coach and regular competitor at 113 has put together a training plan outline for you if you decide you need it.
It’s totally free, and you can download it HERE
Ollie’s a good guy, and really knows his stuff as well as the intricacies of our races, so if you feel that free plan doesn’t fit you, his contact details are on the plan and he’s always up for a chat.
Got more mates that want to race
Both races still have slots available, so if you have friends that want to race too, please point them our way. We can set you all off in the same wave, and rack you next to each other in transition, so you can make it a mini championship between your group. We can even produce separate results for your group if you like too – Entries open at www.113events.com
Camping and accommodation options
Now’s about the time that many of you will be thinking about planning your weekend. The area is perfect for family too, and there’s loads of things to do if you were thinking about making a long weekend of it.
If you’re like me, and like a hot shower and a warm bed the night before racing, the nearest and by far the best hotel is the Devere Cotswolds Waterpark hotel. It’s about 3 miles from the race start and on the bike course for the June 113. We tend to pretty much fill it with competitors, so they’re good with putting on an early breakfast and somewhere safe for you to keep your bike overnight rather than leaving it on the rack in the carpark
The link for there is https://www.devere.co.uk/cotswold-water-park-hotel/
Alternatively, we have a new campsite right next to the race location at the Cotswold Lake Brewery (map below) You can book those guys directly at https://cotswoldlakescamping.com/
The location for the race is GL76DF and if neither of the above take your fancy, there’s lots of other campsites and AirBNB’s nearby too
Got Friends and family that fancy a paid role on race weekend ?
As anyone that has every organised races will know this, but getting marshals is one of the hardest parts of the job of a race organiser.
We pay all our marshals at 113 Events, and they can choose from either £20 cash or a £40 113 Events voucher, and we’ll get them an events team shirt and keep them in hot food, drinks and ice creams all day.
They don’t need any experience at all, and we’ll take them through a full briefing and kit them up with up with everything they need for the day as well as partnering them up if required.
All we ask is that they know their left from their right, are over 16 and are enthusiastic. We’re very aware that good marshals make a race, so we’ll ensure they have a good laugh and enjoy the day.
The two basic shifts are Bike course – 05:45-11:45ish and run course 07:45-14:00ish
They even get an invite to the post race team beer at the pub afterwards.
We have around 200 paid roles on race weekend, and we’d love to fill that team with some new faces
If you have friends or family that fancy being involved and see the race from the best seat in the house, please get in touch by email at graeme@113events.com
Free of charge Familiarisation days
For both races, we are planning on running our normal free of charge familiarisation days.
These days are normal 3-6 weeks out from each race, and are a great chance to come down to the lake, meet the team and other competitors, and have a very leisurely paced guided lap of the Bike and run courses. You can also swim on the day, but we don’t guide that as I’m conscious that the variety of paces is quite high, and it’s not sensible to have people either treading water at various stages or others swimming outside of their comfort zone to try and keep up.
They’re super relaxed and informal, and we’ll take groups out around a single lap of the bike course (45km) and single lap of the run course (7km). The pace is super leisurely too, so think something like 12-14mph average on the bike and maybe 10-12min miles on the run. We have loads of stops too so we can point out aid stations and various other things as well as regroup.
These are a great chance to see the courses for the day and meet other competitors as well as our team. For our team, these days are great as it’s a nice chance to meet people in a more relaxed environment as on race weekend everyone has their race faces on and it’s hard to get more than a grunt out of you lot. There’ll be loads of chances to ask questions too, and we’ll make the day fun.
The dates of these are being fixed in the next few weeks, and we’ll get them out in the next event newsletters for each races.
Right, that’s it from me for today.
We’re here to help, so if there’s anything we can do to make your run up the races easier, please just ask – My number’s 07595 591612 and you can call me anytime
The next newsletters for each event will be later this month, and I’ll try not to make it quite so long next time 🙂
Cheers and Happy training
Graeme, Nicci and the 113 Events team
graeme@113events.com
www.113events.com