Sullivan Civic Center Triathlon
Date for 2012: Sunday, April 22nd
400 Meter Swim, 11.7 Mile Bike, 3.1 Mile Run
12:30 pm start time for first swimmer in water
A big thanks to our sponsors for 2012! |
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Dr. Volney Willett |
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Registration is now open for 2012!
You will need to register early! We only allow 300 participants to regsiter.
Also, please take note of the following...
This year our race falls on the same weekend as the Abes Tri Series race in Petersburg.
Here is a link to their site if you prefer to do that race. Thought I'd better give a heads up for those considering that race, because we don't want you to register here and then want a refund when you find their race is the same weekend as ours. Thanks! (Or you could show how tough you are by doing Petersburg on Saturday and Sullivan on Sunday!)
We will be unable to give refunds once you have registered.
There are no Team divisions this year
Fees for 2012
| Register by April 1st, without a t-shirt | $30.00 |
| Register by April 1st, with a t-shirt | $35.00 |
| Register after April 1st... and shirts aren't guaranteed after this date |
$40 |
All registrations are done online, and there is no extra fee added for online registration.
Register Here!
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The Sullivan Triathlon is held at the Sullivan Civic Center, 600 N. Washington, Sullivan, IL 61951.
To get to the Civic Center once you are in Sullivan, turn North on Washington Street from Route 121 (Jackson Street). Washington Street is just 1 block away from McDonalds on Route 121. Washington Street runs directly into the Civic Center parking lot.
If you need specific directions getting to Sullivan, you can use Yahoo Maps, Google Maps, or Mapquest, (which have generally done a pretty good job of getting you here), or let me know and I will try to help you get here the easiest way.
IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF HOW TO GET TO SULLIVAN, PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK BEFORE YOU LEAVE SUNDAY!
Sullivan is located 28 miles southeast of Decatur, 77 miles southeast of Bloomington, 59 miles southwest of Champaign, 40 miles north of Effingham, 67 miles southeast of Springfield, 145 miles northeast of St. Louis, and 190 miles southwest of Chicago.
If you are new to triathlons and this is your first race or if you have been doing it for years, we believe you will like our triathlon.
INEXPENSIVE & CONVENIENT
* We want you to be able to race without spending too much money. This allows new people to "tri" out a triathlon before spending a lot on their first experience.
* Our race will be on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. This allows you to travel to Sullivan without having to get a hotel room or get up too early in the morning to drive!
* Do you hate going to races in the middle of nowhere, without real bathrooms or showers? Hate having to use a Port-A-Potty? Hate driving home all sweaty and smelly?
We have real bathrooms and a locker room facility with showers!
EXPERIENCED TRIATHLETE?
* Get warmed up for the race season! Start your season early and get ready for your big races by participating in our smaller, more relaxed race!
NEW TRIATHLETE?
* If you are a new triathlete, this race shouldn't make you too nervous! We think triathlons are fun and we want you to have fun. If you have any questions at all, please let me know. I will answer all of your questions about our triathlon so you won't have to worry or feel any pressure. All of the triathletes that have been here the last couple of years are very friendly and will give you some good encouragement.
* Many first-time triathletes compete in our race! You won't be alone!
* The swim is an indoor heated pool! If you aren't a good swimmer, it's not a problem. You can even walk through most of the swim and there are lane lines to keep you from getting scared!
* Worried about the bike? Don't be! You don't need a fancy bike for our triathlon! Many people will be riding on bikes that don't cost a fortune. If it has two wheels and they go around when you pedal, you are set! Plus, since we are located in Central Illinois, there aren't too many hills.
FAMILY FRIENDLY
* Nice day outside? The Civic Center is adjacent to Wyman Park. Your family can picnic or play on the playground while they wait for you and watch you finish.
If you are a returning participant, the course is unchanged from 2011.
SWIM COURSE: 1/4 Mile (Approximately 400 Meters or 440 Yards) The swim portion of the course will be held at the Sullivan Civic Center in the heated indoor swimming pool. Swimmers will start the swim in order from fastest swimmer to slowest swimmer (given that everybody has turned in an accurate swim estimate). You will swim up and back one lane, and then move over to the next lane. A diagram of the swim map can be found here.
TRANSITION 1: You will leave the pool through double doors, past the sundeck, and down to your bikes. You may change to your bike gear at your bike or you are free to leave your towel, clothes, helmet, etc. on the sundeck and change before you get to your bike. Bikes will be placed on racks on a "first come first served" basis. The bike racks will be located just a few feet from the road you will be starting on.
BIKE COURSE: 11.7 miles.... this was a new route for 2011, which will be the same route for 2012. Directions & Map
TRANSITION 2: The bike to run transition takes place in the same area as the swim to bike transition. Park your bike, take off through the Civic Center alley, and start the run.
RUN COURSE: 3.1 miles The run course will be held mostly in Tabor and Wyman Parks, and the course has been marked out to 3.1 miles to the exact foot. The run will have barricades and/or signs and markings at every turn. Tabor Park is a nature walking/jogging trail. Wyman Park is the City's main park. Click here to see the run profile (how many hills and how often). Click here for pictures of what the trail you will be running on looks like. The run will finish with a lap around Wyman Park and end beside the southern pavilions in Wyman Park. The post-race refreshments, music, and awards will all take place in the pavilions, which are located just north of the Civic Center.
Run Map (.pdf)
Spin City Cycles is our big sponsor again this year, allowing us to give out gift cards to winners!
Spin City Cycles Gift Cards awarded for:
$100 - 1st place overall Male & Female
$75 - 2nd place overall Male & Female
$50 - 3rd place overall Male & Female
$20 - each division winner
Custom medals will be given out to the top 5 finishers in the following categories:
16 & under, 17-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65+.
There is also a Clydesdale division (Men 200+ pounds) for Men 39 & younger, 40 & older, and an Athena Division (women 150+ pounds), for Women 39 & younger and 40 & older..
(picture of medal from 2010)
We will not have team divisions this year.
Before the race I will list all participants here and we can double check your information to make sure it is correct.
If you've been here the first 10 years of our race, you don't need help with the weather. But if you are new, here are a few tips...
It is usually very windy and many times cold and wet! And we will have the race in the rain/wind/sleet, etc!!! Three years ago it was actually hot, but don't expect that every year.
So be prepared! If it is cold/windy/wet, please remember to pack accordingly. After the swim you can dry off and keep extra clothes, jacket, etc. inside by the pool area or on the sun deck area. And don't forget that you may have to pedal hard into the wind on the bike!
| Check-In Begins | 10:00 am |
| Warm-ups in the pool (if you want to warm up) |
10:00 am - 12:15 pm |
| Check-In Ends | 12:00 noon |
| Pre-Race instructions & last minute details in pool area | 12:15 pm |
| Race Begins (first swimmer in water) |
12:30 pm |
| Awards | 3:30 pm |
The easiest way to contact me is to email me at slowtriathlete@mchsi.com or montej@sullivanil.us
If you want to call for questions or concerns, please contact Monte at 217-728-4541.
I will be more than happy to help you out in any way I can. I know first time triathletes are often nervous or don't know what to expect, and I want to help make your race as enjoyable as possible, so please let me know if I can help in any way.
If you have any pictures you would like to share, please let me know and I'll stick them on here.
Here are some pictures of our triathlon for 2008.
There have also been videos made of our triathlon. They were put on YouTube. This link should take you to them. If it doesn't, you can go to YouTube.com, and search Sullivan Triathlon, and they will come up!
Also, this doesn't have anything to do with OUR triathlon, but I thought this commercial was funny... they put it on YouTube as well. It's a Clif Bar commercial. This link should work, but if it doesn't, search YouTube and type in Triathlon Commercial!
Being a small town, there aren't a lot of options for hotels. We don't have any "Name Brand - Chain Name" Hotels in Sullivan.
Having the race later in the day, I am always hoping people can make it (for the most part) over without having to stay if they don't want to. But I know lots of people want to make a weekend of it anyways, or have kids in the youth race, etc. So I'll give you the options I know about here close to town, and let you know your best options that aren't close to here, either.
Below is a list of places from our Chamber of Commerce Website. I can't give good advice on some of the places listed below, because I've either 1) not stayed there or 2) not heard anything good/bad one way or another about them.
The Gateway Inn is the local hotel. It is a plain, basic hotel. I have never been in one of their rooms. A lot of people stay there when they have fishing tournaments at Lake Shelbyville by here. It is always packed on the weekends in the summer, so I can't imagine that it is too horrible of a place to stay. But if you are looking for somewhere FANCY to stay, or somewhere you've heard of before, this isn't it.
The Harrison Street Inn is an older 2 story house that our local optometrist turned into an Overnight place. I've been in 2 of their rooms before. They are pretty nice. It should be really clean. And I don't think it's too expensive, but I can't be sure of the price.
There are a lot of campgrounds around here because of the lake and the State Parks we have around here. I think some of the places listed below are campground-type places. But I don't know ANYTHING about any of the other places listed, so please don't take it out on me if you go there and don't like it!
The Okaw Valley Orchard Inn is probably 5-10 minutes away.
Other than those places listed below, the closest places that I'm aware of with REAL hotels are:
Mattoon, if coming from the East, off the Interstate. They are 18-25 minutes away, depending on which side of Mattoon you are on.
Tuscola, if coming from the Chicago Area (but Tuscola is still about 40 minutes away)
Effingham, if coming from the South (but that is 35-40 minutes away)
Decatur, if coming from the North-West (but that is 30-45 minutes away, depending on which side of Decatur you are coming from)
Gateway Inn
1320 S. Hamilton St., Sullivan
217-728-4314
Contact: Jay & Rekha
Year-round
Locally owned motel. Color Cable TV, Microwave and fridge in each room, Adjacent to Pizza Hut & Red Apple Restaurant
Harrison Street Inn
214 E. Harrison St., Sullivan
217-728-4550 or 217-520-1467
Contact: Timmy Valentine & John Stephens
Year-round
www.theharrisonstreetinn.com
Coyote Cabins
R.R.#1, Sullivan
866-270-6342
Contact: Jackie Cisna
www.coyotecabins.com
Firefly Lodge
Owner: Kathy Chambers
R.R. #3, Sullivan, IL 61951
310-713-1399
www.fireflylodgeil.com
Okaw Valley Ochard Inn
Owners Mike and Jennifer Mitchell
RR.2 Box 124Sullivan, IL. 61951
217-728-4093
jennifer@okawvalleyorchard.com
www.okawvalleyorchardinn.com
Sullivan Marina & Campground
RR 3, Box 289, Sullivan
217-728-7338
Contact: Dennis Fayhee
Website
The Krowe's Nest
George & Lynn Krohn
Located by Wilbourn Creek
217 864-2893
FAQ
Will this race fill up? Do I need to regsiter early?
Can I get a refund of my entry fee?
Can I transfer my entry to somebody else if I can't make it to the race?
Why do I need to give you an estimated swim time?
Which age group or division will I be in?
What type of timing system do you use?
Should I bring my family to watch?
Where should I park? How soon should I show up for the race?
How does the transition aera work? Where do I put my bike?
Answers to the FAQ
No. We aren't sanctioned by USAT. There are a number of reasons for this, most of which you probably don't really care about. But if you want to discuss this more, I'd be happy to give you my thoughts on the matter...
Will this race fill up? Do I need to regsiter early?
We only allow 300 people to register, because we have a limited amount of room, and for safety reasons.
Last year we had to stop registration in February because we met our limit of 300... So you may want to think about registering before then, because there were an awful lot of people calling and begging to get in the race in April, and they missed out.
Can I get a refund of my entry fee?
This year we are not refunding entry fees for people that can't come. I used to be able to do this for injuries or other things that came up, but we have too many people registering now to handle refunds. If you register and are unable to come, see about transferring your entry to somebody else. (See below...)
Can I transfer my entry to somebody else if I can't make it to the race?
Yes. But let me know ASAP so we can get the registrations switched around. . So if you get hurt, plans change, etc, find somebody to take your spot if you'd like. And then LET ME KNOW that you are transferring your entry to them so I can get their forms and get them entered into the race.
Why do I need to give you an estimated swim time?
We swim in an indoor pool. We do a time-trial start. This means 1 person starts swimming, and 10 seconds (or so) later, somebody else starts swimming. We line up from fastest swim time to slowest swim time, so that slow people don't get in the way of faster people, and slower people don't get ran over by faster people. Please note that we ask for an estimated swim time for 400 meters. Most indoor pools are in yards. So 400 meters = 440 yards. If you time yourself in and indoor 25 yard pool, you need to do 9 laps (down and back is 1) instead of 8. If you time yourself doing 8 laps in a 25 yard pool, you will get stuck in front of faster swimmers. If you have no idea how fast your time in 400 meters is, just let me know, and I'll stick you in the middle of the pack.
We do a time-trial start. Everybody is ranked according to estimated swim times and given the appropriate bib # (see above). So the fastest submitted swim time is #1, and the slowest swimmer is #300. Athlete #1 starts the swim, and every 10 seconds (or so), another swimmer will start. We swim down and back in 1 lane, and then cross under to the next lane, and go down and back that lane. See our map of the pool swim for a picture. This may seem confusing right now, but it will all make sense when you get here and see how it works. You will defnintely have a chance to see everybody in front of you and how they do their swim. So follow their lead and you will be just fine. If things don't make sense when you get here and look at the pool, find me or another volunteer and we'll make sure you are all straight with how things go.
There is no water on the bike route. If you want water on the bike, please take a water bottle with you. There is a table with water when you enter the bike area after the swim, which is the same place you exit the transition area to start the run. There is also water about 1.5 miles into the run, and again 2 miles into the run.
Which age group or division will I be in?
We place you in your age group according to your age on race day. If you are a man and weigh 200+ pounds, you can decide to be in the Clydesdale division if you wish. This year we have a 39 & Younger Clydesdale division and a 40 & Older Clydesdale division. Also this year is an Athena divsion for women 150+ pounds. If you qualify by the above weights, you are not required to enter as a Clydesdale or Athena. You can race in your age group instead, if you wish.
Who knows?!?! We've had a couple of beautiful days and a couple of freezing/sleeting days. The end of April is a bad time to forecast weather! Be prepared for anything. Usually it is pretty windy. And it can be very cold. But it can also be warm and sunny. So pack for any conditions, even if the forecast tells you one thing. One year they said it was going to be 70 degrees and sunny, and it turned out 45 degrees with sleet/freezing rain.
What type of timing system do you use?
We hire Mattoon Beach Multisport to time our event with ChampionChip timing. We are able to give you swim time, T1 time, bike time, T2 time, and run time. (And obviously total time). The swim time includes the time it takes you to get outside and into the transition area.
Yes. Please let me know if you want to do this, and I'll pass your chip number on to our timer.
Should I bring my family to watch?
If they want to come, I'd let them! The swim is indoors (and it is usually crowded on the pool deck), but they can watch you swim the entire swim, unlike in the lake, where they just see a bunch of people take off at once and they have to wait for you to get out of the water to see you. The finish line is in the park, and the last mile of the run goes all the way around our park. So the kids can play and have fun while you are working hard on the bike and run. There are plenty of good cheering spots on our run route.
Where should I park? How soon should I show up for the race?
Parking can be an adventure, but not as bad as some races have it. We have a parking lot, but it isn't designed to hold the hundreds of cars that will be here. It is legal to park on most side roads around the Civic Center. There is also a smaller park a block away that you will be running through (Tabor Park, on Worth Sreet). It has some parking spots. The High School/Middle School/Elementary Schools are just a couple of blocks away, and there is tons of parking available there (just head North on Main Street). Please DON'T park around the park, though, because the run route goes around the road there.
Show up BEFORE 12:00, because we are shutting down the sign-in tables at that time, so we can get everything situated for the start. The earlier you show up the better. Bikes are placed in the transition area on an Early Bird Gets the Worm basis. No assigned bike racks! So the first person to place their bike where they want it gets that spot. If you show up later, you will be stuck with whatever spots are left. We will open the sign-in table at 10:00, but that doesn't mean you can't put your bike in the transition area before then. (Heck, you can put your bike in there on Wednesday if you want to, but I wouldn't count on it being there by Sunday!!!)
How does the transition area work? Where do I put my bike?
Like said above, you can put your bike on any rack you want, as long as you are respectful of other people's property. Don't squeeze people on the bike racks. There should be plenty of space for everybody to get a spot. We made extra bike racks last year and it shouldn't be too crowded if you don't make it crowded. Keep your family & friends out of the transition area, please. We don't want people in the way of athletes trying to race!
You will leave the transition area on the South-West side with your bike, and you will bike back in at the same location. You will leave the transition area on the North-East side (where you came in from the swim) for the run. Arrows and words will be spray painted on the ground, and there should be signs and volunteers (and spectators) guiding you to the correct place if you get lost. (But you really shouldn't get lost!)
What about hotels/lodging?
Please see the above Hotel & Lodging Information tab above