Race Information
Race Details
Race Date: Saturday, July 19, 2008
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 (at least one member must have a disability)
FIRE FIGHTER / POLICE
TANDEM RECREATIONAL CANOE "Sport Chalet"
TANDEM KAYAK "California Family Fitness"
SOLO CANOE
INFLATABLE
SIT-ON-TOP "City of Rancho Cordova"
CORPORATE (all from same company)
CO-ED (no age limitations, at least one male/female)
MEN OPEN "Paul A. Garcia Memorial"
TOURING/SLALOM
FAMILY "Leonard Weed Memorial"
JUNIORS "Anderson/Lucchetti" (all members age 18 & younger*)
WOMEN OPEN "VSP Vision Care" (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)*
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
JUNIOR IRONWOMEN age 18 & younger
*Age as of race date July 19, 2008
Entry Fees - See Entry Form
*0r FREE! With your donation to Therapeutic Recreation Services
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Contacts (Questions/Comments): |
Old Spaghetti Factory Packet Pickup Party and Carbo-Load Dinner
Friday, July 18, 4-8 PM Goethe Park Don't miss the pre-race festivities at the Packet Pickup Party, featuring the popular Old Spaghetti Factory Carbo-Load 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 Goethe Park. The Carbo-Load 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). 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 - Therapeutic Recreation Services. Be sure to check the Old Spaghetti Factory Carbo-Load Dinner box and purchase your tickets to the Great Race Raffle on your entry form and enclose the proper fees.Lodging
The Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova is offering a discount for Eppie's Great Race entrants.Enter your arrival date to begin the reservation process. Type in "EPPEPPA" for a king or "EPPEPPB" for a room with 2 queen beds.
11211 Point East Drive
Rancho Cordova, California 95742 USA
Phone:Â 1-916-638-1100
Fax:Â 1-916-638-5803
For other lodging options visit Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau and Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce
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.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 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 very crowded!
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.
Notice to Ironpersons
Those entering an Ironperson Division should provide support crew for the beginning and end of the bicycle segment of the Race to prevent damage or loss to bicydes. There will be one shuttle bus leaving 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 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.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, BUT 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, 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 website 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. You will 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. Cyclists may not return to Goethe Park along the race course until race officials signal that the course is open.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 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 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 17. 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 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 Goethe Park.Finish Line Information
Boaters are required to exit their watercraft (bow paddler only in the Tandem Recreational Canoe Division and Tandem Kayak Division, stem paddler is to stay with canoe/kayak until it is placed on the beach) and run the remaining 50-to-100 feet to the finish chute. To prevent injuries in case of a capsize or while running to the finish line, boaters are required to wear shoes in their watercraft. Each finisher will be handed a numbered stick with overall finish place as he/she crosses the finish line. The finisher will proceed through the chute where a volunteer will collect the sticks. 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.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 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.
