The following email went out to all Cotswold 113 Competitors today
Just over 2 weeks to go…..
Good morning all, I hope this email finds everyone well and raring to go on Sept 20th ?
We’re just over 2 weeks to go until the Cotswold 113 on Sept 20th, so this is the 2nd instalment of the pre event info.
I’ll keep this one fairly short and sweet, so in this email I’ll cover the following:
Waves and Numbers
Race Info pack
Revised bike course
Update on Spectators
Marshal request
Waves and Numbers
As per our previous competitor newsletter, the waves and numbers are now available which show your starting times.
You can find these here : https://www.113events.com/cotswold-113/start-list/
Race info Pack
You can find the race info pack in the below link. This info pack should tell you everything you need to know about what to do on Sunday 20th Sept. As we are sending out race packs, you don’t need to do anything on Saturday the 19th when we would normally hold registration, and this is a day for you to put your feet up.
Race info pack here : https://www.113events.com/cotswold-113/downloads/
Your bib and bike sticker will come in the post for you over the next 10 days, and when you arrive in transition on Sunday morning, you will find your timing chip/strap and swim cap on the racking by your number. Your shirt, medal and goody bag will be at the finish line waiting for you
If you have any concerns or are missing a race bib by 15th Sept, please email mary@dbmax.co.uk
They will be sent out in batches starting next Monday, so don’t worry if your club mates or friends have theirs and yours has not arrived yet. There’s no need to worry until around Sept 15th.
It’s hugely important that you read through the race info pack in full as it contains instructions for everyone on race day, as well as a section on Covid specific rules. If your household is anything like mine and Nicci’s, the only peace and quiet you get is on the loo, so you could always print it off and leave it in the bathroom for some reading time 🙂
During race week, we will also send a link out to a video briefing on the race as well as a reminder of the Covid Specific rules
As much as life is returning back to normality slowly, we are still very much in the middle of a global pandemic, so as much as we can keep you totally safe when you’re racing with us, we really do rely on you all to toe the line with the rules set out.
On August 2nd, the competitors were absolutely brilliant, and we had no issues at all. I’m expecting that you all will absolutely do the same as I know our competitors are always a great bunch, so please take the time to read up on our Covid Specific rules in the Race info Pack.
Revised Bike course
After the August 2nd Cotswold Classic, we debrief with all the team, the various stakeholders and local authorities.
As part of those debriefs, we looked at parts of the course and how, if any, they presented risk to increased bunching and difficulties arising for adequate social distancing. One of the areas that was marked as a potential concern was the run course as it crosses the bike course, and the potential for runners to group as they wait to cross over the cyclists. With that in mind, we have produced an alternative to the bike course that takes the turn around point for lap 2 away from the lake (previously, the turnaround crossed the run course on the end of Spratsgate lane) and also to take cyclists coming back in at the end of the bike section away from that crossing point.
You can find info on the revised bike course in the race info pack, and links to Mapmyride course maps where you can zoom in, download GPX files and generally walk through it here : https://www.113events.com/cotswold-113/course/
The course now will take you away from the lake on the ‘Out section’ where you will join the ‘Lap section’ for 2 laps, before returning back to the lake on the ‘Return Section’
There are a couple of patches on the Out and return section, where the tarmac is less than ideal. It’s by no means bad and the area still has much better tarmac than most of the UK’s somewhat poor roads, but we will mark them with paint and signs, and they can easily be avoided if you’re paying attention.
This means that the turnaround for each lap is now around 3miles out from the lake by the quickest route by car and is located near to the Cotswolds Devere hotel on the Spine road roundabouts. Over the next two weeks, we will email out spectator info for that part of the course and where’s best to park and watch from.
On the positive, the revised course is now even flatter than our already pretty pancake flat traditional course.
Update on Spectators
The Covid situation in the area is not getting any worse, but is also not getting any better. Because of this, we have decided that we cannot allow spectators into the start and finish line areas as we simply cannot be 100% confident that we can manage them for Social Distancing and track and trace point of view.
The start and finish areas are actually a very small part of the course, and we will run live timing, live camera feed and a tracker so that spectators can still track and watch you finish.
The bike course is 100% on open area, so spectators can watch from anywhere on the bike course, and the run course is largely the same. We will, of course, ask that spectators around the courses maintain social distancing, but you’re all used to this in the new ‘Normal’ anyway.
We will produce some spectator info over the next two weeks on where they can and can’t go, and what you need to do to get into certain areas of the run course.
The only people allowed on site for the start and finish area will be competitors, marshals, team, medical providers, official photographers and officials, and we can make no exceptions to this, sorry
Marshal request
We are still looking for more marshals for the race. We have around 150 paid positions on race day, and still have around 30 to fill.
If you have any friends, family or club mates that could get involved, and see the race from the inside, we’d welcome them on to the team with open arms.
We pay all our marshals too, and they get either £20 cash or a £40 113 Events voucher, plus we’ll kit them up, get them a team shirt to keep and brief them on everything they need to do on the day. We’ll make sure they have a good laugh too as a happy marshal is an enthusiastic marshal, and we’ve had some truly amazing ones on our team.
All we ask is that they’re over 16, know their left from their right and are reasonably enthusiastic
We’ll make sure they have a fun day and we’ll keep them in hot food and drinks as well as ice creams.
There are two basic shifts, which are as follows :
Bike course – 06:30 Briefing and around a mid day Finish
Run course – 08:30 Briefing and around a 14:30 Finish depending on where on the course they are
If they are on the run course, they can watch the race start, but will likely miss you finish (unless you’re one of the last on the course), and if they’re on the bike course, they will miss the swim start other than maybe the 1st Wave, but will be finished in time to see everyone but the very fastest finish.
Marshals can, of course, hang around the finish area as long as they like, and we’ll be encouraging that to help build up some atmosphere.
We’ll also overload the finish area with marshals and try and pick the noisiest ones too 🙂
Marshals can obviously park for free, and we can find them someone to camp overnight on the Saturday night if they wish too
All marshals will not need to get within 2m of competitors, but just in case they do, they will all get issued with a Covid Pack which consists of a medical grade face mask, an 80ml bottle of >70% Alcohol hand gel and a few pairs of disposable gloves.
We take the safety of competitors and our team very seriously, so you can be totally confident that we will not put the marshals at any risk at all, and they, like you, will be totally safe throughout the day
If you do have anyone that can get involved, please email me at graeme@113events.com
Right, that’s it for me for this week
We’re here to help, so if you get any questions or there’s anything we can help with, please just ask as it’s what we’re here for
Cheers
Graeme, Nicci and the 113 Events team
graeme@113events.com
07595 591612