The following email went out to all Cotswold113 Competitors today :
Cotswold113 2020 – Update
Good morning all, and I hope that everyone is keeping safe in these terrible times.
We are living in truly awful times at the moment, and all of our lives are being turned upside down.
Given the latest communications from the Government, it’s now becoming increasingly clear that the Cotswold 113 on June 7th is now not going to happen in any format, and it would irresponsible for us to expect people to be able to train well over the next 11weeks, so we have made the decision to postpone the race until the weekend of Sept 19th and 20th, when I truly hope that we have all gotten through this safely.
We did have a few other mid summer dates available, but as this is a constantly moving issue, we thought it was safer to move to an end of summer date in order to give us the best possible chance of getting something in and in some format.
As per my previous mail, we have a number of ways we can still run the race should there still be any reduced form of restrictions to social distancing in place in sept – See previous mail here : https://www.113events.com/cotswold-113-coronavirus-update-1/
This is a very tough time in the events industry, as I’m sure you can all appreciate, and whilst the chancellor of the exchequer has released some great measures to help Employed people, they’ve not helped out the outdoor leisure industry. The government has bigger issues to worry about right now, as do we all, so I can totally understand that and accept that this is just what we have. If things change and the government does start to help out the events industry, we may end up being in a different position, and I’ll keep you all updated.
In light of this and where we stand currently, we have in the last few days, sat down with our accountant and team, and worked out what we can do to help those that can’t race on the revised dates without bankrupting ourselves and it being the end of 113 forever :
Most importantly, we need to recognise those who are on the front line of fighting this disease right now, so if you are a hospital Doctor or Nurse, please contact me with a copy of your NHS id and I will issue you a full credit for your race entry. We truly appreciate the work you are doing, and it’s going to be a very tough few months for you guys, so thank you very much.
We are going to introduce a ‘Virtual 113’ that can be completed at any time over the year, and for anyone who wishes to take up this method of racing, we’ll give you a £50 credit to use with us next year when you can hopefully come and experience the 113 in full.
You will still get your goody bag, shirt and medal once you have completed, and you can do this at any time and in any format you like right up to Christmas. With our timing partner, we will build a separate page for virtual results so you can track on a leader board. I’m conscious that pools are now closed, so if you wanted to complete sooner rather than later, you could also do it as a duathlon too, and we’ll complete a separate leader board for those competitors.
These are truly unchartered times for all of us, and I’m conscious that many of you (like me) might be stuck indoors for 12weeks, so unlike normal virtual races, we can be pretty flexible with how the mileage is completed, so on a treadmill or a turbo/wattbike is just fine too if that’s what you have.
We will give competitors that want to choose that option until June 1st to Decide, and you can do so by emailing me at graeme@113events.com
Our August 2nd middle distance race (Cotswold Classic Middle Distance Tri) is still being planned to go ahead currently, and whilst that race is not full, there are still 350 places in that race that we can transfer Cotswold113 Competitors into if that date works for you better.
I have been getting many questions from competitors that took out the optional injury/illness cancellation insurance that is provided through the Entry System company that we use. The insurance company is called Bookingprotect.com and they will cover your entry fee should you or someone in your immediate family contract Coronavirus. You can see their statement on this at https://bookingprotect.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Coronavirus-Guidance.pdf
This is completely uncharted territory for us and the rest of the events industry, and we at 113 are absolutely trying to do our best for everyone. I know from speaking with other organisers, that they are getting a hard time from their competitors, and that’s understandable that this happens as it is a tough and frustrating time for us all. I’m truly appreciative that we’ve built up a really great bunch of regulars, and I thank you all for your patience with us whilst we try and take these steps into something we really don’t understand how badly and for how long it’s going to effect us all.
Like most other organisers, any cancellation insurances that some of us take out, do not cover global pandemics, and for most medium to large sized races, a large percentage of the entry fee is spent several months before the race, so we’re all facing a very uncertain future, and I’m afraid this will be a big hit for the triathlon industry as it’ll be the end of many of very good non commercial race 🙁
Ultimately, racing is really important, but at times like this, the health of us all and of all our families is the most important thing here, so I truly hope that everyone gets through this in good health and that their families do also.
As plans pan out, and we get more info from the British Government and the Sports Governing bodies, I will of course keep everyone updated
I am very likely to be stuck at home in Isolation for the next 12 weeks (low immune system due to current medication – long story that I won’t bore you all with), so I’ll have all the time in the world to answer any questions or just talk triathlon, so please give me a call or drop me an email if there’s anything I can help with or any questions I can answer
Please keep safe everybody, and keep your families close and and loved
Graeme, Nicci and the 113 Events team
graeme@113events.com
07595 591612