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Race Info

Join us this summer for one of the most exciting races of the year. With a one-of-a-kind course that includes beaches, trails, and well-paved roads, you will love every moment of Urban Epic Boston!

When: Sunday, August 8th, 2010, 8:15am

Where: South Boston – Carson Beach to Bayside Expo to Pleasure Bay to L Street Bathhouse

Distances
Swim 1/2 mile
Bike 10 miles
Run 4 miles
*Please note that these courses are subject to change*

Swim (.5 miles)

  • A point-to-point course in Dorchester Bay that begins on the beach near the L Street Bathhouse and heads straight across to the finish on the beach near the Bayside Expo Center.
  • Each wave has approximately 75-100 athletes, beginning with the elite wave. First-timers and novices will have a special wave at the end. Specific wave times will be posted before race day.
  • Wetsuits will be required of all athletes.
  • Athletes should plan to walk approximately ¾ mile along Carson Beach to the Swim Start. The walk is mostly on trails and sand, so shoes are not needed.

The Transition Area

The Transition Area will be located in the parking lots at the Bayside Expo Center, off William Day Blvd. It will be a flow-through design, where athletes enter at one end and exit at the other. Athletes will be assigned a rack space that allows plenty of room for gear. The Transition Area will be secure and monitored, and only athletes, volunteers, and staff will be allowed inside. Athletes can retrieve their gear once all of the bikes have returned from the course.

New for 2010 – All athletes are required to have covered feet for the short run from the swim exit to the Transition Area. There will be a designated location for footwear drop-off on the grass near the swim exit. Each athlete will be assigned a spot to leave a pair of closed-toed shoes or sandals. This is a new rule based on safety concerns from 2009. If an athlete does not have footwear, he or she will not be allowed to proceed to the Transition Area. Athletes will not be allowed to leave any gear where they get their footwear.

Bike (10 miles)

  • The course is two loops on William Day Blvd, from Bayside Expo Center to the turn-around at Farragut Statue (East Broadway) and back.
  • Cyclists leave the Transition Area, follow a course through the Bayside parking lot before heading out on to William Day Blvd, and going around the Farragut statue. They will then proceed back along Day Blvd. to Bayside and go around the parking lots. Bikers complete this same loop a second time before finishing at the TA at Bayside.
  • The entire bike course will be closed to vehicular traffic and managed by police and volunteers. There will be barricades separating the spectators from the bike traffic and designated cross-walks. However, there may be pedestrians that try to cross the road at unauthorized locations, so please be alert and aware of this potential situation, especially in the middle part of the course (near L Street).
  • Bike traffic will be two-way and will utilize all of William Day Blvd.
  • Bikes will go all the way around the Farragut statue, following the cones.
  • Drafting is not allowed in triathlon, and there will be officials on course monitoring cyclists. Any athlete caught drafting will be subject to time penalties. Day Blvd is wide enough to allow for safe passing on the left. Athletes must stay as far to the right as possible while on the bike unless they are overtaking another competitor.

Run (-4 miles)

  • The course is a point-to-point route that follows William Day Blvd to the Farragut Statue, turns around at the Sugarbowl, and finishes at the L-Street Bathouse.
  • Runners leave the TA at Bayside, run down William Day Blvd to the turnaround at the Farragut Statue, follow an out-and-back on the Pleasure Bay Path, to the turnaround at Head Island Causeway (or “Sugarbowl”). Runners then return down Day Blvd. and finish at the L Street Bathouse.
  • Runners will stay to the outside of the bikes along William Day Blvd. Bikes and runners will be separated by cones and/or barricades.
  • Runners will keep to the left side of the runner lane.
  • The finish chute will begin near N Street, on the beach. The final 200 yards or so will be on sand.
  • There will be water/aid stations approximately every mile with water and electrolyte replacement drink.

Brief Timeline on Race Day

  1. 6:00 a.m. – Transition Area, Bodymarking, and Registration open
  2. 7:30 a.m. – Transition Area closes
  3. 8:05 a.m. – Mandatory pre-race meeting for athletes at Swim Start with Race Director
  4. 8:15 a.m. – Race Begins
  5. 9:45 a.m. – Post-Race Activities begin at L-Street Bathhouse
  6. 10:20 a.m. – Race Ends
  7. 11:30 a.m. – Awards Ceremony

Road Closures

  • William Day Blvd will be closed to vehicular traffic from approximately 5:30am until 12 Noon.
  • There will be no parking on William Day Blvd starting at 12 Midnight on Saturday, August 15th. Cars will be ticketed and towed.
  • Other streets will remain open, but may be controlled by police. Columbia Avenue will serve as a route to Castle Island.
  • All four lanes on Day Blvd will be used for the race. The inbound lanes will be only for bikers.  The outbound lane (going towards Pleasure Bay) will share one lane with runners. The runner lane will be separated by cones.
  • Spectators will not be allowed on Day Blvd, but will be able to cross at designated crosswalks.

Registration/Packet Pick-Up

Check back for pre-race registration information.

Parking

  • Athletes and volunteers will park at Bayside Expo Center. Spectators will not be allowed at Bayside unless they are arriving with athletes in the same vehicle.
  • Spectators may park at UMass Boston for $6. They are encouraged to arrive early. There are no shuttles running from UMass to Bayside, and it is approximately a one mile walk.
  • Both athletes and spectators are encouraged to carpool or use public transportation, so as to lessen the number of vehicles on-site and reduce the carbon footprint of the event. There is a T-stop at Bayside/JFK on the Red Line, which is about 1/2 mile from the TA.

Pre-Race Set Up
Athletes will be allowed into the Transition Area to set up starting at 6:00am. All bikes will be inspected by race staff to make sure they are in adequate working condition, which includes tight brakes and headsets, inflated tires, and bar-end plugs. Non-approved bikes will be sent to the mechanical support tent. If a bike can’t be fixed, it will not be allowed into the Transition Area. All participants must have a working, approved cycling helmet (skate/snowboard/ski helmets are not permitted).

Getting to the Swim Start
Athletes should plan to walk approximately ¾ mile along Carson Beach to the Swim Start. The walk is mostly on trails and sand, so shoes are not needed. All athletes need to be at the Swim Start by 8:05am for the pre-race meeting with the Race Director.

Pre-Race Meeting
There will be a mandatory pre-race meeting for all individual participants and relay swimmers at the Swim Start. The Race Director will be discussing key points about the course and any important changes to the race (including issues with weather, routes, etc). Non-swimmer relay members will be gathering at the Transition Area for a similar meeting with Race Staff.

Water Quality
The swim course is off Carson Beach, in the Atlantic Ocean. The water quality is safe for swimming, far exceeding standards of cleanliness set by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Race management, along with the DCR, will continue to monitor the quality of the swim course and post updates on the Urban Epic website. If the water quality is deemed unsafe on race weekend, the Urban Epic will become a duathlon (run-bike-run).

USAT Sanctioning
The 2009 Urban Epic Triathlon will be sanctioned by USA Triathlon. If you are not an annual member of USA Triathlon, you will need to purchase a $10 one-day membership when you register and sign the USAT waiver.

Rules
Please look over the USAT competitive rules – you are responsible for understanding them and abiding by them. They are available at www.usatriathlon.org.

Relays
Relays can include two or three members. Chip handoff will take place in the Transition Area. Specific information about relays will be available in the Athlete Guide, which will be posted to this website a few weeks before the race. The relay category will be a charitable fundraiser for a number of great causes. There will be two categories for the relay – standard and premier. Each category will have its own special set of awards/prizes. The overall time for a relay will be the aggregate of times for each of the members.

Timing & Results
The Urban Epic Boston will be timed with the latest technology – the highly accurate Championchip system. Ankle chips will be provided before the start of the race at packet pickup. Results will include your swim split, T1, bike split, T2, run split, and overall time). Live results will be available during the race. Tell your friends and family that they can track your progress online from anywhere. The website link will be available shortly before the race.
Downloadable results will be available after the race on urban-epic.com.

Finish and Après
One of the most exciting parts of the 2010 Urban Epic Boston is that you will be finishing at a party on the beach! Celebrate your accomplishment by joining your friends, family and fellow competitors at “Après Epic,” the best post-race shindig you’ll enjoy all year. It will include food, massage, vendors, music, beer, and much more – what else could you ask for?

Awards
Individuals – Recognition and awards will be give to the Top 3 men and women overall, and the top 3 in men and women in each age group (starting with 19 and under, and going every 5 years up to 80 and over).
Relays – There are special awards and prizes for the top relays in all-Male, all-Female, and co-ed categories

Finisher shades will be presented to every participant, including relay team members.

The Awards Ceremony will take place at the L-Street Bathhouse at approximately 11:30am.

Safety and Medical
There will be ambulances staged at the finish line, the bike turnaround, and the transition area.

There will be safety boaters in the water to assist with the swim.

The Medical Team will be staffed by Boston University Sports Medicine professionals. There will be a full medical tent at the finish line, as well as a small tent at thd swim finish. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, please contact Race Management at 617-399-8229.

Cancellation
The event will not be canceled for any reason other than severe conditions that pose extreme danger to the health and well-being of athletes, staff, and volunteers. Race Management reserves the right to alter the course in whatever way they deem is in the best interest of the athletes and volunteers. This includes, but is not limited to, shortening or changing the course, removing one of the sports, postponing the start, etc. There are no refunds in the case of weather-caused changes or cancellations. If canceled, the 2010 Urban Epic Boston will not be rescheduled.

There will be a comprehensive athlete guide that will e-mailed to all participants and posted on this on this website approximately two weeks before the race?