FAIRMONT TRIATHLON - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: How do I find Gomsrud Park in Fairmont?

A: From the East: Take Exit 102 off of I90 onto Highway 15 South. Continue on Highway 15 South through town until Highway 15 South and State Street diverge. Follow State Street as it curves to the right. Take a right at the second stoplight onto Lair Road and look for the park.

From the West: Take exit 99 off of I90 onto Highway 39 South/ Bixby Road. Go South on Bixby Road about 3 miles, turn left onto Lair Road and look for the park.

Q: What is the average water temperature in Budd Lake on race
day?

A. 71 degrees

Q: Should I wear a wetsuit?

A: Wetsuits are neither required nor discouraged. The decision is strictly a personal judgment call. Some triathletes wear wetsuits because they feel it makes them more buoyant in the water. Others choose not to wear wetsuits because they believe that taking them off adds to their transition time. Many Minnesota triathlons are held earlier in the year and 71 degrees is considered relatively warm. 

Q:  How scary is the swim course?

A: Because the Fairmont Triathlon caters to novice and intermediate athletes, the Sprint swim course is a short .25 mile and is designed to provide some security for athletes new to open water swimming. The swim course is set up as a straight line, out-and-back course with 5 foot yachting buoys indicating the turn-around points. Sprint athletes will swim around the near buoy and return. Olympic athletes will swim around the far buoy and return.

The Sprint course out-and-back lanes are divided by 36 inch flotation devices spaced every 10 feet and marine rope. The flotation devices mark the center of the course and provide athletes a visual reference as well as creating a physical barrier between swimmers going in opposite directions. Athletes may make use of the flotation devices or boats for safety reasons but may not use the devices to make forward progress. The entire course is protected by motorized and non-motorized boats.

The Fairmont Triathlon Olympic swim is a mass start. A mass start means that all of the athletes competing in that event will begin the swim at the same time. The Sprint swim will be a wave start. A wave start limits the number of people going into the water at the same time. Wave starts tend to be less frightening for novice open water swimmers. Wave starts also reduce congestion at the entry and turn around points. Waves are determined by age group and/or gender. We try to organize the waves in groups of 25-40 swimmers and in the past the waves have been: (1) M 20-39, (2) F 20-39, (3) M&F 19 and under and relay teams, and (4) M&F 40 and over. Each wave start will be separated by 2 minutes. Your timing is not affected by the wave start as the difference in start times are accounted for.

Q: What’s the bike course like?

A: The bike courses for all three events are out-and-back courses. The Sprint and Olympic events share the first leg of the bike course. The bike course starts off with a determined incline and finishes downhill but is mostly flat with gentle rolling hills for the remainder of the course. The course is well marked with mile markers at every mile and road paint before and after each turn. Law enforcement or volunteers staff every corner and the turn-arounds. The Olympic course turns around on the north shore of Lake Okamanpeedan. The bike course takes place on paved county roads and sees very little auto traffic. However, participants do share the road with cars, trucks and farm machinery and must yield to traffic where necessary. See below for a description of the Mini event.

Q: Describe the run course?

A: The run route is the same for the Sprint and Olympic courses. The route is essentially an out-and-back course with a loop at the far end. Sprint athletes will complete the 3.1 mile course once. Olympic athletes will complete it twice. The run course does have some rolling hills and makes its way through a residential section of Fairmont. There are three water stops on the loop, approximately one every mile. The course will be marked with paint on the street as well as with mile markers every mile. Volunteers control all of the major intersections. Like the bike course, the run route is also a “share the road” situation.

Q: Where can I register?

A: Online registration is available at www.allsportscentral.com. Mail-in registration forms can be downloaded from the 'Registration' page or requested from mto@frontiernet.net. Registration forms are also available at the following locations in Fairmont: the Bicycle Shoppe, Community Education and Recreation and the Chamber of Commerce. Walk-in registration is available on the Saturday evening before the race, and on race day assuming the race is not already filled to capacity.

Q: How is the race timed?

A: The Sprint and Olympic races are professionally timed using computer chip timing. Participants wear a computer chip around their ankle on velcro strap. Each time a participant enters or exits the transition area they cross a timing matt and their time is recorded. Chip timing is popular among triathletes because it records their time for each leg of the event and is a practical means of analyzing their performance. A digital clock is posted near the transition/finish area so athletes can track their time during the race. Participants can review their splits on computer printouts posted at the Shelter House at the completion of the event.

Q: What is the Mini Event?

A: The Mini is a short course designed for people who would like to try a triathlon but do not feel prepared to tackle the Sprint distance. There are no age limits on the Mini although the vast majority of participants are under the age of 13. The Mini is scheduled to start and finish before the Sprint so that parents participating in the Sprint distance can watch their children finish the Mini before beginning their own event. The Mini Swim will take place in the lake near the shore in water no deeper than 5 feet. Smaller athletes are permitted to swim closer to shore and in water no deeper than their chest. The Mini course has a fenced-off transition area separate from the other two events. The Mini Run course is a 1 km run around the outside of the park and finishes at the same finish line as the longer events. This event is conventionally timed (not chip timed). Mini participants will receive an event t-shirt for completing the event if they register in advance (10 days or more before race day).

Q: When can I register or pick up my race packet?

A: Athletes can pick up race packets (and/or register) at the Gomsrud Park Shelter House (Lair Road, Fairmont) from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm on the Friday evening before the race. Packet pick-up or race day registration can also be done on race day from 5:30-7:45 am on race day at Gomsrud Park. Timing chips have to be picked up separately on race day. Athletes who do not register ten (10) or more days in advance will not be guaranteed a t-shirt. Please view the “Race Day Schedule” page for more detailed information.

Q: What is a race packet?

A: Your race packet may consist of your race (bib) number, a color-coded swim cap, an event t-shirt, and various promotional items from our sponsors and area businesses. Your race packet will not include your timing chip which must be picked up on race day. T-shirts are only guaranteed for participants who register in advance. Race packets can be picked up the Friday evening before the race from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at the Gomsrud Park Shelter House or on race day.

Q: When is body marking?

A: Body marking will take place at the Gomsrud Park Shelter House from 5:30-7:45 a.m.

Q: When does the transition area open?

A: The transition area opens at 5:30 am and closes at 7:45 a.m. Athletes are not permitted in the transition area after 7:45 a.m. and must maintain a 10 foot separation from the transition area except during their competition. Access to the transition area has to be restricted because the timing mats at the entrances and exits of the transition area are very sensitive and it is necessary to the integrity of the timing process. Spectators are never permitted in the transition area.

Q: Where can I park?

A: Parking for several hundred people is available at Gomsrud Park. Lair Road and Gomsrud Park will be closed to through traffic from 8:00 am - noon on race day. Parking is also available at the nearby Fairmont High School Parking lot on Johnson Street, and the parking lot across from the Fairmont Aquatic Center on South Prairie Avenue.

Q: Is food available at Gomsrud Park?

A: Fruit, some form of carbohydrate and bottled water will be provided for the athletes. A food vendor may be available in the park for spectators.  The Channel Inn Restaurant, nationally known for its burgers, is located just outside the park.

Q: Are spectators allowed?

A: Spectators are encouraged in Gomsrud Park and along the race route. The swim can viewed from the park. The bicycle race is too spread out to view easily. The running portion of the race takes place primarily on Summit, Fairlakes and Canyon roads. We do ask, to the extent it is possible, that spectators stay off of Lair Road. Spectators are never permitted in the transition area.

Q: What facilities are available in or near Gomsrud Park?

A: Gomsrud Park has a large shelter house and bathroom facilities which will be supplemented by tents and port-a-potty’s. The park has two beaches, a large playground, sand volleyball courts, docks and boat launches.  Grills are available for those who are interested in having a picnic. 
 

Q: Where does my registration money go?

Although the Fairmont Triathlon is a modest event by contemporary multisport standards, the cost of producing the event is significant. Despite generous material donations from Culligan Water, HyVee, the City of Fairmont and Martin County, and despite significant discounts from our many other providers, we expend a great deal of money on t-shirts, awards, signage, advertising, mailings, port a potty’s, entertainment, equipment rental and chip timing in order to make this a quality event. Nevertheless we are committed to donating our annual “profits” to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Minnesota. See: http://www.rmhtwincities.org/ Last year (2010) we contributed $3,000.00 to the Ronald McDonald House.  Most of the money that is spent producing the Fairmont Triathlon event supports local businesses who supply our material needs.

Q: How can I help? (Sponsors and Volunteers)

A: We are always looking for financial contributors and volunteers. Potential sponsors should contact Michael O’Rourke at mto@frontiernet.net , 507.238.9295, or 507.238.4711. Sponsors are recognized at various levels but even our smallest contributors have their business name printed on a mile marker, the sponsor board and in our publicly published thank you. Volunteers should contact us the same way or show up at one of our two volunteer meetings. The 2011 volunteer meetings will take place in the basement of the Red Rock Center on Wednesday, June 16, and Thursday, June 17 at 7:00 pm. Volunteering takes 2-6 hours of your time on race day depending on your assignment.  Volunteers are needed all morning long and are appreciated no matter how little time they have to help.  Volunteers have front row seats to the competition, receive a free event t-shirt and the eternal gratitude of the athletes and race administration.