The "No Swim" Triathlon Information

Updated 7-14-2011

"Jump to" Links

Link to What's New at Eppie's Great Race® 38

Race Details

Race Date: Saturday, July 23, 2011

Location: American River Parkway, Rancho Cordova and Sacramento

Distances: 5.82 Mile Run, 12.5 Mile Cycle, 6.35 Mile Paddle

Start Times
7:58 a.m. - Adaptive Divisions
8:00 a.m. - Ironpersons & all other teams

Many Divisions for both Teams and Ironpersons!

TEAMS
ADAPTIVE "Therapeutic Recreational Services/Sacramento County Regional Parks" (at least one member must have a disability)
FIRE FIGHTER / POLICE "Marcus & Millichap"
OPEN CANOE "MacDonald's Corporation"
TANDEM KAYAK "California Family Fitness"
OC-1 (outrigger canoe, 1 person)
SIT-ON-TOP "City of Rancho Cordova"
CORPORATE (all from same company)
CO-ED "U.S. Bank " (no age limitations, at least one male/female)
MEN OPEN "Paul A. Garcia Memorial"
FAMILY "Leonard Weed Memorial"
JUNIORS "Anderson/Lucchetti" (all members age 18 & younger*)
WOMEN OPEN (all members are women)
WOMEN 40 and older (all members age 40 & older*)
WOMEN 50+ (all members age 50 & older *)
MEN 40+ (all members age 40 & older *)
MEN 50+ (all members age 50 & older)*
MEN 60+ "Michelob Ultra" (all members age 60 & older)*

IRONPERSONS (one individual does all three legs)
IRONMEN age 39 & younger*
IRONMEN age 40-49*
IRONMEN age 50-59*
IRONMEN age 60 & older *
IRONWOMEN age 39 & younger*
IRONWOMEN age 40-49*
IRONWOMEN age 50 & older*
IRONWOMEN age 60 & older*
JUNIOR IRONMEN age 18 & younger "Pacific Coast Building Products"
JUNIOR IRONWOMEN age 18 & younger "Pacific Coast Building Products"
*Age as of race date July 23, 2010

Please note: Stand Up Paddle Boards are ineligible to participate in Eppie's Great Race based on a recommendation from the Water Advisory Board.

Entry Fees
*0r FREE! With your donation to Therapeutic Recreation Services (Download Pledge Form)
The sooner you enter the lower the entry fee!

Although online entries are now closed, you may still enter in person at the Packet Pickup Old Spaghetti Factory Pasta Dinner on Friday, July 22 or on race morning.

Click here to download the entry form and race registration information for the Eppie's Great Race® 38 and the 6th Annual U.S. Bank Kids Duathlon Iron Kids & Teams Registration

Please note that there are no entry refunds.

Contacts (Questions/Comments):
E-mail: trs@saccounty.net
Phone: 916/381-0255

Old Spaghetti Factory Packet Pickup Party and Pasta Dinner

Friday, July 22, 4-8 PM
River Bend Park (formerly Goethe Park)
  • Don't miss the pre-race festivities at the Packet Pickup Party, featuring the popular Old Spaghetti Factory Pasta Dinner, just in time to peak for The Great Race®.
  • The packet pickup party will again be held at the finish area of The Great Race® in River Bend Park (formerly Goethe Park).
  • The Pasta Dinner, hosted by The Spaghetti Factory, promises a great meal at a great price. Enjoy spaghetti, salad, bread and beverage for $7.00 for adults, $3.00 for kids 12-under ("day of" cost will be $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 & under). Bring the family and have a fun evening!
  • The packet pickup party is also where you'll find all of your race materials, numbers, T-shirts, last-minute information and late registration.
  • The party is also an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the river flow.
  • All proceeds are donated to The Great Race® charity - Sacramento County Therapeutic Recreation Services.
  • Be sure to check the Old Spaghetti Factory Pasta Dinner box on your entry form and include the proper fees.

Lodging

Sutter House Best Western
1100 H Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916/441/1314

The Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova is offering a discount for The Great Race® entrants
Use this link for reservations (updated 4/14/10).
11211 Point East Drive
Rancho Cordova, California 95742 USA
Phone:  1-916-638-1100
Fax:  1-916-638-5803


For more lodging options visit:

Win a Free Meal!

  • All teams who finish the Race under the time set by The Great Team and Eppie's Great Team Ironpersons will receive complimentary meal coupons from Brookfields Restaurants.
  • Coupons will be mailed after the race results are mailed.
  • Click here to see the 2011 "Times to Beat."

Need a Teammate?

  • Check out our Team Matching Message Board to help you find a teammate.
  • Just post a message of who or what you are looking for (paddler, runner, biker, etc) with contact information and any details.

Parking on Race Day

  • If you are driving to The Great Race® you should park at William Pond Recreation Area, located on the north side of the river across from River Bend Park (formerly Goethe Park).
  • Directions to William Pond Recreation Area: From Hwy. 50 exit Watt Avenue North, turn right on Fair Oaks Blvd., and then right on Arden Way to the park. From Business 80 (Capital City Freeway), exit Arden Way East and stay on Arden Way to the park. Please try to arrive early. Parking is limited!

Helmets and Flotation Devices are Required in The Great Race®

  • Approved helmets that are properly fastened are required for all competitors who bicycle and/or paddle.
  • All paddling competitors are required to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved Personal Flotation Device (P.F.D.) while on the water.
  • Cyclists must comply with the requirements for protective head gear (helmets) as described under paragraph 5 of the Competition Rules.
  • Noncompliance with the above requirements will be grounds for disqualification.

LOGISTICS

Course Maps (includes overall course map, runner-bike transition, boat staging area and bike dismount area maps)

Notices to Ironpersons

  • Those entering an Ironperson Division should be accompanied by a support crew for all phases of the race.
  • There will be one shuttle bus leaving River Bend Park (formerly Goethe Park) at 11:45 am to take ironpersons to Sunrise to pick up their bikes.
  • There will only be one bus so it is still recommended that you make your own arrangements for getting to Sunrise.
  • There will be no transporation back to River Bend Park (formerly Goethe Park). Ironpersons' crews should be at the run/bike transition area at the Guy West Bridge for bicycle security, and a crew member should be at the end of the bicycle segment, near the Sunrise Pedestrian Bridge, to remove the bicycle from the storage area.
  • Pick up bicycle before 12:00 PM. See note on bicycle pickup on following page for details.

Chip Timing

Returns for 2011! Please review the procedures below:
  • The Great Race will use transponder, computerized, chip timing to determine time and place of finish.
  • Times will also be taken at the run-bike transition and the bike-boat transition.
  • Participants must have the vecro band with chip at ankle height when crossing the timing mats at the Guy West Bridge (runners), just after the bicycle dismount (bicyclists), and at the finish line (boaters).
  • If the chip is not at ankle height when crossing the mats, no time will be recorded and the team or ironperson will not receive credit for completing the race.

Getting Your Team Set Up

Allow at least one hour to drop off boat and bike it's a long drive between points. Have your crew deliver your bike and boat to assigned locations.

Boat Assembly Area At Sacramento Bar across from Lower Sunrise Pedestrian Bridge

  • Boats must be checked in at Sacramento Bar between 6:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. No boats will be allowed into the area after 8:30 a.m.
  • Ironperson boats will be placed upstream of the Lower Sunrise Pedestrian Bridge on the north side of the river. 
  • Team boats will be placed downstream of the Lower Sunrise Pedestrian Bridge on the north side of the river.
  • Adaptive Division boats will be placed on the south side of the river downstream from the Lower Sunrise Pedestrian Bridge.
  • Race officials will make random checks to ensure that boats meet the division specifications. Boats not complying will not be eligible for awards.
  • Boat numbers and team numbers (included in the registration packet) must be affixed to the left front of the boat prior to placing the boat on the beach. This number must be visible to the race officials and the finish line photographer.
  • Be extremely careful to read the bib number you have placed on your watercraft so that you do not inadvertently take another boat that is similar to yours. This has happened several times in previous races!
  • Canoes and all inflatables will be placed downstream of the Lower Sunrise Pedestrian Bridge on the north side of the river.

Run-Bike Transition Area

  • Ironperson bikes may be delivered to the staging area beginning at 6:00 a.m.
  • Team cyclists will be lined up in for sections labeled A,B,C, and D by divisions and will remain in the area assigned to their divisions until they have received the official wristband from their team runners.
  • Runners must enter the lanes for their divisions from the dirt area on the levee side of the bicycle staging area.
  • Disqualification will occur for running to your cyclist on the bicycle trail side of the transition area or for cyclists leaving the designated area.
  • Team cyclists or ironpersons' crew may not enter the transition area with their bikes from the Guy West Bridge and its approaches after 8:00 a.m. Bicycle participants and/or their representatives shall have the total responsibility for the care and control of their bicycles.
  • IRONPERSON SUPPORT CREW MEMBERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO STAY CLEAR OF THE BICYCLE RACK AREA DURING THE RACE AND MAY NOT ASSIST THE IRONPERSON WITH THE BICYCLE.

Fluid Stations on the Course

  • Water will be available on the running course near miles 2, 3-1/2, and 4-1/2, and at the run finish.
  • Water will be available at the end of the bike leg and at the finish line.
  • Cyclists are encouraged to carry their own water on the cycling course. Ironpersons should arrange for their crew to provide water at the run-bike and bike- watercraft transition areas.

Bike-Boat Transition Area at Lower Sunrise Parking Lot and Footbridge

  • A bike I.D. tag will be included in your race packet. This is an optional security service.
  • If you choose to attach the registration tag to your bike, your support crew will be required to show the matching tag to pick up your bike.
  • Each cyclist must review the Bike-to-Boat transition information in this Web site and in the Race Registration Packet (received at packet pick-up) to become familiar with the dismount area, the running route for teammates on the pedestrian bridge and the bike pick-up area.
  • At the conclusion of the bicycle portion of the race, The Great Race® staff will catch your bike and take it to a nearby holding area, and you will cross the timing mat with ankle band with chip and complete the "handoff" to your teammate on the pedestrian bridge.
  • After that transition, stay clear of other participants on the bridge. During peak periods, there may be a delay in picking bikes up.
  • After retrieval of your bicycle from the holding area, you may not cross the pedestrian bridge until race officials signal that the bridge is open.
  • Cyclists may not return to River Bend Park (formerly Goethe Park) along the race course until race officials signal that the course is open.

Important Note About Bicycle Pick-Up:

  • It is very important that all The Great Race® participants pick up their bicycles before 12:00 PM. at the Lower Sunrise parking lot bicycle dismount area.
  • Failure to retrieve your bicycle by 12:00 PM. creates a great hardship for the race organizers.
  • All bicycles remaining after 12:00 PM. in the dismount area will be transported to the County Corporation Yard at 4040 Bradshaw Road.
  • These bicycles will not be available for pickup until after 10 a.m. on Monday, July 19.
  • A $50 fee will be charged to pick up a bicycle from the County Corporation Yard.
  • The County will not be responsible for any actual or alleged damage to any bicycle it transports to the Yard.
  • There will be one shuttle bus leaving River Bend Park (formerly Goethe Park) at 11:45 am to take ironpersons to Sunrise to pick up their bikes.
  • There will only be one bus so it is still recommended that you make your own arrangements for getting to Sunrise.
  • There will be no transportation back to River Bend Park (formerly Goethe Park).

Finish Line Information

  • Boaters are required to exit their watercraft and run the remaining 50-to-100 feet to the finish chute. Please note that in the Tandem Recreational Canoe Division and Tandem Kayak Division, one paddler runs to the finish line while one paddler stays with canoe/kayak until it is placed on the beach.
  • To prevent injuries in case of a capsize or while running to the finish line, boaters are required to wear shoes in their watercraft.
  • Also to prevent injuries to volunteers and spectators, leave your paddle in the boat - do NOT carry it with you to the finish.
  • Each finisher will pass over two sets of timing mats wearing the ankle band and chip at ankle height to receive time for overall finish place as he/she crosses the finish line.
  • The finisher will proceed through the chute where a volunteer will collect the ankle band and timing chip.
  • Volunteers will be at the beach area to assist in moving boats to the boat storage area under the bridge.
  • Boats may be removed from the boat storage area after they are placed under the bridge. It is advisable to remove your boat from the storage area as soon as possible after 11 a.m. to prevent damage to or theft of your boat.
  • Identifying marking on your paddle is strongly recommended.
  • When recovering your boat do not interfere with finish area volunteers.

Boat Pick-Up Area

  • An area will be provided in William Pond Park for vehicles to pick up boats close to the river.
  • A 10-minute parking limit will be strictly enforced.

Getting Your Crew Back to the Finish and Picnic Area

  • Allow at least one hour to drop off boat and bike; due to traffic congestion it is a long drive between these points.
  • To get your crew to the finish and picnic area, drive into William Pond Park.
  • Do not use the River Bend Park (formerly Goethe Park) entrance since access is not permitted.

Headquarters and Information

  • The Headquarters tent will be near the riverbank at the top of the walkway by the finish area at Goethe Park.
  • This is the location for lost and found items and to file protests.
  • A non-refundable fee of $10 is required with all protests.

Lost & Found

  • Lost and found articles will be at the headquarters tent on race day.
  • Call 916-381-0255 for lost and found items after the race.
  • After 30 days, unclaimed items will be donated to a local charity.