St. Marks Duathlon

RACE OVERVIEW:

The St. Marks Duathlon will be held on March 3, 2024. Unlike a typical triathlon, a duathlon includes run-bike-run, so it’s a great point of entry for those who might not feel up to open water swimming just yet, and a competitive race for those with a need for speed.

Proceeds from this event go to support our local triathlon club- Gulf Winds Triathletes.

RACE START TIME:

The Duathlon will have a single wave start at 8:00 am at the south end of Mock Street, just west of transition. Arrive early for the best parking, which will be located along the edge of transition. Volunteers will be on site to assist in the parking lot, starting at 6:15 am.

RACE BIB/T-SHIRT:

Your race bib and t-shirt will be available on March 3, 2024 at the race site. There’s no packet pickup before race morning. Athletes who register after February 1, 2024 aren’t guaranteed a t-shirt, so be sure to sign up early! While we will attempt to order extras for late registrants, you may not be guaranteed your preferred size.

RACE DETAILS:

The race consists of a 5K run (3.1 miles), 20K bike (12.4 miles), and 2.5K run (1.6 miles), in that order. Course maps are included at the links below:

Run #1 Route Bike Route Run #2 Route

FAT TIRE DIVISION

While there’s no Fat Tire category in USAT competition, we’ve decided to add this division in an effort to allow individuals who don’t own a road or triathlon-style bike the ability to compete with other athletes racing on similar equipment.

See the following criteria:
· Tires – Knobby or heavily grooved tires with a width of 1.5 inches or greater. Bikes with slick surface tires are not eligible for the fat tire division.
· Handlebars – Clip-on aero bars are allowed. Handlebars and stem must be fashioned in an effort to prevent danger and all handlebar ends must be plugged.
· Brakes – Consistent with USAT rules, there must be one working brake on each of the two wheels.
· Gravel bikes are acceptable as long as they have knobby or heavily grooved tires.

All other USAT rules will apply. The Race Director will make the final determination. If you have any questions, please email the Race Director at [email protected].

COURSE MARKINGS/AID STATIONS

The course will be marked with arrows and signage, and volunteers will provide guidance on course. However, athletes are responsible for reviewing the course maps prior to race day. There will be one aid station on the run course, located approximately at the 2-mile mark on the 5K course and before the first mile on the 2.5K run course. There will be no aid stations on the bike course. Athletes are responsible for bringing their own fluids and nutrition as needed for the race, and no littering is allowed. Please be respectful to the City of St. Marks for allowing us to use this race venue.

RESTROOMS

There will be 4 porta-potties on site located near the transition/parking area. There will be no porta-potties located elsewhere on the course.

PACKET PICKUP/RACE CHECK-IN

There will be no packet pickup offered prior to race morning. Athlete check-in will begin at approximately 6:30 am on race morning. Athletes will need to present their ID to check in and will receive their bib numbers. Transition racks will be assigned based on bib number, and athletes will be able to locate their packet/race materials at their assigned transition spot. You must check in before you will be permitted to enter the transition area. Transition will close at 7:45 am and athletes should be at the start line no later than 7:50 am.

BODY MARKING

We will have body marking available at the race; however, we recommend pre-marking yourself to speed up the race morning process. You can use a black marker to write your bib number on both arms so it’s visible. Please mark your age (as of 12/31/24) on the back of your left calf.

RACE

We will have volunteers on the run course and the bike course. We plan to pre-mark the course with spray chalk; however, in the event of rain, the markings could wash away. Please review the course maps. It’s your responsibility to know the course.

While on the bike course, please remember that it’s OPEN to traffic. You’re required to adhere to all traffic laws and responsible for riding in a safe manner that doesn’t endanger yourself, other riders, or motorists. Our number one goal is to get everyone out and back safely. There will be law enforcement at major intersections and at the turnaround, as well as volunteer support to help direct traffic. We also hope to have two motorcycles on the course to monitor safety.

You will have a race bib for timing purposes. You must wear your bib on your front when entering transition and when finishing the race. If the volunteer timer cannot see your bib, your time may not be input correctly. At the finish line, volunteers will need to retrieve your bib number for timing purposes.

BIKE/GEAR REMOVAL

Once you’ve completed the race, you will be permitted to enter transition to retrieve your bike and gear. Please cooperate with volunteers in order to make sure that your bike goes home with you and not someone else.

CUT-OFFS

The event cut-off to receive an official finisher’s time is 2 hours. Cutoff times are enforced to ensure the safety of all athletes on course. This cutoff would allow an athlete to take 45 minutes to complete the 5K (roughly 15:00/mile), an hour to bike 20K (12.4 mph average), and 15 minutes to run 2K.

POST RACE & AWARDS

Post-race food and beverages will be available for athletes and volunteers at the conclusion of the race. Awards will be presented to Overall, Masters, Grand Masters, and Age Group podium finishers. The award ceremony is expected to begin at 10:00 am.

REFUNDS/REGISTRATION CHARGES

As a USAT sanctioned event, the St. Marks Duathlon has a NO REFUND policy. There is a $15 fee for ANY changes to your registration.

RIGHT TO CANCEL OR RESCHEDULE

The St. Marks Duathlon reserves the right, in the event of inclement weather, emergency, or natural disaster, to cancel the race or postpone to a later time that day. Additionally, the St. Marks Duathlon reserves the right to cancel this event due a local, state, and/or federal declaration of emergency.