and with the kind assistance of Discovery College

Sunday October 2, 2011

  for young heroes born between January 1,1998 and December 31, 2005

VENUE:

Discovery College and Siena Park.

 

DISTANCES:

SCHEDULE:

RACE 1 (Years 1998-1999 and 2000-2001)

07:00        Registration at grassy field between Discovery College and the sea

07:05        Transition Area opens - put bike in TA and go straight to the swimming pool (by elevator or stairs)

07:15        Transition Area closes

07:20        Discovery College swimming pool --- athletes are divided in heats

07:30        Start of RACE 1 (swim leg)

08:30        End of RACE 1

RACE 2 (Years 2002-2003)

08:00        Registration at grassy field between Discovery College and the sea

08:10        Transition Area opens - put bike in TA and go straight to the swimming pool (by elevator or stairs)

08:20        Transition Area closes

08:30        Discovery College swimming pool --- athletes are divided in heats

08:40        Start of RACE 2 (swim leg)

09:40        End of RACE 2

RACE 3 (Years 2004-2005)

09:00        Registration at grassy field between Discovery College and the sea

09:10        Transition Area opens - put bike in TA and go straight to the swimming pool (by elevator or stairs)

09:30        Transition Area closes

09:40        Discovery College swimming pool --- athletes are divided in heats

09:50        Start of RACE 3 (swim leg)

10:50        End of RACE 3

POST-RACE

11:00        Awards Ceremony & Lucky Draw

11:30        End of event

 

 

USEFUL INFO FOR RACE DAY

Important info for parents and care-takers:

1) Safety is our primary concern, as is our wish to do a good job. This is why we ask everyone to AVOID going through Siena Park on race day, as this is where the bike course is. Everyone should approach the registration area on the grassy field via the seaside promenade, so please go left of Siena Club and proceed to the seaside promenade from there.

2) Swim leg, supporters can join the racers up to the swimming pool area, but must proceed immediately to the spectator area upstairs. Supporters are not allowed in the pre-swim waiting area, around the swimming pool or in the transition zone just outside the swimming pool. After the swim the racers will be ranked and positioned one after the other according to their swim time. The whole group will then go down the stairs towards the bike transition. Supporters must wait until the group has left the transition zone and is on its way downstairs before leaving the spectator area. Do not forget to pick up any swim gear that your child may have left behind as you follow the racers down the stairs.

3) Bike leg: supporters can watch the cyclists from the walkway just outside left of the bike transition area. When you decide to leave the bike course and head to the finish area, please proceed through the back of the transition area and along the back of the school building, all the way to the grassy field.

4) Run leg: supporters can watch from the grassy field. Please DO NOT enter the race course, as this causes confusion among marshalls and racers alike.

Race gear: swimsuit & goggles (swim cap is recommended), road or mountain bike, helmet (mandatory throughout bike leg), running & biking gear, sunglasses, sunscreen, water... Make sure that your bike is in good working order; any competitor with a bike deemed unsafe will not be allowed to start the race. Please ensure that the brakes are functioning properly.

Before you leave the house: make sure to put your bike number at the front of the bike, and attach your race number on your race belt or your T-shirt.

Arrival: go to the registration area via the seaside promenade, i.e. go to Siena Club and around the back. DO NOT GO THROUGH SIENA PARK, as Siena Park will closed off during the race. Click on the course map above for a detailed route description. Make sure to be on time (see schedule).

Registration: please check the schedule above for the exact time that you can register. Each participant is kindly requested to go to the registration desk to confirm their presence, get registered and receive the incredibly comfortable and moisture-repellent Lantau Buffalos towel! Our registration officials will write your race number on your arms and legs. There will be enough marker pens so that parents can help out.

Transition Area (TA): once you have finished your registration you can go through the backside of Discovery College to go to TA; do not use the front side of Discovery College! Give your bicycle and helmet to one of the TA volunteers; once they have checked your bike and given the green light, you return to the back of Discovery College and go to the swimming pool on the 6th floor with your bike gear.

Swimming pool: put your bike gear in the transition area just outside the swimming pool. Then go to the waiting area outside the swimming pool (your supporters take the stairs up to the spectator area upstairs, as they are not allowed in the waiting area or the transition area). Check your name on the starting list that is stuck to the fence and make sure that you are in the right heat and lane. Wait in your waiting zone until the race official calls out your name.

Click on the swim pool map to enlarge

Start of the race: your name will be called out. Follow the race official and position yourself in your lane. The race starter will say: "Swimmers, are you ready?" If you are not ready, then please say so. If you are ready, say 'yes' loudly. When all the swimmers and timers are ready the starter will say: "On your marks..." and then you will hear the start signal: jump in the water and swim as fast as you can!

Swim leg: only Calves born in 2004 and 2005 are allowed to use flotation devices (kickboard, arm bands), but no propelling devices that can make you go faster in the water. Calves born in 2004 and 2005 can hold onto the rope in the swimming pool if needed, but they cannot move forward while doing so (this will result in a time penalty or disqualification). Calves who are not confident enough to swim can choose not to swim: they will be given the time of the slowest swimmer in their category + 1 minute.

Swim & transition area: after you have finished your swim, you must wait for the whistle signal before you can exit the pool. Once out of the pool you must go to the transition area just outside on the left and change into your bike gear. Once you have changed and are ready, please sit down and wait until the last heat has finished. The swim times will then be calculated and the referee will order all the racers according to their swim time, with the fastest swimmer placed in front. A number indicating your ranking in your age category will be written on your right hand, and you will be put between the swimmer who was a bit faster than you and the swimmer who was a bit slower.

Walk down to bike transition: once everyone has been ranked in put in the right order, the swim guides will take you down the stairs to the backside of Discovery College, and into the Transition Area. Your supporters, who will walk down the stairs behind the group of racers, are responsible for picking up your swim gear and towel in case you have left them behind.

Start of bike leg: you will start your bike leg according to your swim time. E.g. if your friend Mayeesha's swim time was 2'35" and your swim time was 2'45", then you will start your bike leg 10 seconds after Mayeesha. The referee will make sure to put you in the right starting order, so listen carefully to the advice.

Bike leg: years 1998-1999 and 2000-2001 will do 4 bike laps, and Years 2002-2003 and 2004-2005 will do 2 bike laps. You start out towards Siena Lake. You go round the roundabout and head back towards the playground area. Turn into the playground area (you will see a marshall who will point you in the right direction), ride around the playground, and up the slope towards Siena Drive. At the intersection of Siena Drive the bike lane becomes very narrow, so you must be careful and reduce your speed. As you get to the top of the slope, you take a sharp turn left onto Siena Drive, so be careful not to cycle into the security tape that separates you from incoming cyclists. Continue up Siena Drive, staying on the LEFT side. As you get to the U-turn point, you will see two marshalls: one will record your number (& count your laps) and the other one will put a mark on your left hand as you pass him; so please do not take this U-turn too quickly, as the marshall has to make the mark on your left hand. Now cycle back down along Siena Drive. As you get to the intersection again, please reduce your speed and be very careful as you take a sharp turn right, going down the slope again. When you go down the slope, make sure not to go too fast, as you have to take a sharp left turn at the bottom of the slope. Once you have take that left turn, you continue down towards Siena Club. After a bit you will hit an intersection; here you MUST stay on the footpath (there will be tape to avoid you going onto the road) as you take a left turn. Now the slope goes down and you will pick up speed. After less than 100m you have to jump off the walkway while taking a right turn, so once again do make sure to reduce your speed so as to avoid crashing. Now cycle round the roundbout and back up towards Discovery College. As you get to the roundabout just next to the school building, you either continue onto the next lap or, if this was your last lap, you cycle round the roundabout (a 180-degree turn to the left) and get off your bike just before the transition area line.

Bike/run transition: get off your bike just before TA, run down the slope with your bike, put your bike on a bike rack (any bike rack will do), keep running in the same direction until you get to the last bike rack on the left side. Go around that last bike rack on the left and make your way up the slope.

Run leg: as you get out of the transition area, you you turn RIGHT and go down the slope in front of Discovery College. At the bottom of the slope you take a left and then follow the 'zigzag' road until you get to the seaside promenade. You will pass the water station on your right, so make sure to drink some water as you pass it. Continue on the left side of the promenade until you get to the U-turn. Go around the U-turn and head straight back, and be sure to stay on the left side of the run lane. As you pass the water station for the second time (the water station is on your right), you run in between two bushes and onto the grassy field. Make sure to stay to the right of the run lane as you cross the grassy field. At the end of the field you take a right turn and get back onto the paved road again. Racers of Race 1 (age groups 1998-1999 and 2000-2001) continue up the slope in front of Discovery College, go round the U-turn point and do their second run lap. Racers of Race 2 and 3 only have to do one race lap. So when you leave the grassy field and get onto the paved road, you head straight for the finish line, which is the blue track between the grassy field and Discovery College.

At the finish line: you will receive a medal and a juicy Belgian Conference Pear when you finish. Congratulations, you are a triathlete!

The Awards Ceremony and Lucky Draw will start soon after the last race, once all the results are confirmed.


GETTING READY FOR THE RACE

Ultra-fast DB runner Thomas Kiprotich has designed a three-session training programme for Lantau Calves who want to get that extra edge when doing a duathlon or triathlon race. Those who participate are also contributing to the Homeless Shelter Charity in Hong Kong. Check it out!

KIP Kidz Fit for Lantau Buffalo Calves Tri

• Where:  North Plaza
• When: Wednesday 14, 21, 28 from 5:00-6:00pm
• What: running training class and transition preparation for triathlon
• Why: get Kidz fit and donate 10% of fee to the Lantau Buffalos charity
• Fee: $450 - All kids will get a KIPMOVIN T-Shirt too
• Contact: thomas@kipmovin.com
  

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q: Why don't we swim in the sea at Tai Pak beach?

A: We cannot guarantee clean water, let alone be sure that there is no red tide; also, it has proven very hard to manage the course properly in this very public area; safety is also an issue; with runners and cyclists too close to one another for comfort. Discovery College and Siena Park are clean, safe and easily manageable. 

Q: After the swim we go down in group and start the bike leg according to our swim time; doesn't that take away from the real spirit of triathlon?

A: Yes, it does. Our first priority, however, is the safety of the children. We believe that Siena Park, with its adjacent swimming pools, is the best place in Discovery Bay to organise such races, for the reasons mentioned above. If this event is successful we will check afterwards to see if it is possible to have a SAFE transition between the swimming pool and the transition area. We prefer to hold our races in a safe place, away from buses, golf carts and pedestrians, and Siena Park is the only place in Discovery Bay where this is possible.

Q: Why are the distances the same for two age categories?

A: For organisational purposes. If each race has a different distances; then we would need to shorten both bike and run courses to match those distances. This would make the lap counting a very challenging task indeed, and lap counting is something that we prefer to keep simple. Also, in such short races the distance is not the biggest issue, it's the speed of the racer. 

Q: How do we get to the Registration Desk?

A: Approach the area via the Sea Promenade next to Siena Club. DO NOT GO THROUGH SIENA PARK, as it is being used entirely for the race!

 
PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE OR FORUM FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON THE RACE.

Questions? Contact the race director at events@lantaubuffalos.org.