Thursday, May 28, 2009

Kits Pool Splash and Dash


Hey Vancouver Triathletes.

Have a friend who has been talking a lot of smack at practice lately? Make them put their money where their mouth is.

A friend of mine, Esteban with the help of Jill Savege have orgnaized a series of splash and dash events in order to create a fun training atmosphere and to meet the local crop of triathletes in the area. 

Here is what he has to say:

The Splash n’ Dash series are informal multi-sport (swim & run) events for fitness buffs, outdoor enthusiasts, and multi-sport athletes. 

They are meant to be a fun way to get a in a quality workout before noon, and a way to introduce neophytes to multi-sport. Like the Australian Grand Prix Sprint Triathlon Series, each event covers the same distance per event (1km of swimming and 5km of running), but will have the order and distances varied just to keep things interesting. One sequence of events may favor stronger runners, while another will favor the swimmers. 

Kitsilano pool and surrounding paths create a perfect venue for this type of event, and hopefully this can be the inaugural year of many for this series. 

Tentative Event schedule: 

May 31, 2009
Event 1 
Swim: 1km (8 lengths)
Run 5km

June 14, 2009
Event 2
Swim 500m (4 lengths)
Run 5 km
Swim 500m

June 28, 2009
Event 3
Run 5km
Swim 1km (8 lengths)

July 19
Event 4 (Grand Finale) - official Aquathlon distance
2.5 km run
1km swim
2.5km run

the first Splash n’ Dash is this Sunday, May 31, and will begin at 10:30 am sharp! 
I will be in front of Kits Pool at 9:45 – 10: 00am to explain the few rules and course details. Afterward there will be a warm up time before we begin at 10:30 am sharp.

Basic Rules:
ABSOLUTELY NO RUNNING ON DECK – this is an informal event, and the pool staff will likely put a stop to these events if people are endangering themselves or others. 
EVERYONE TAKES PART AT THEIR OWN RISK – again these are informal events, everyone is presumed to have the requisite fitness level to be able to take part in an event of this length/intensity. Remember, you can go as fast as you want and quit at any time.

Course Description
Swim – the swim will take place in Kitsilano pool. It will be a mass start, so situate yourself accordingly: the fastest swimmers are in the front, slower toward the back. Drafting is permitted. You will count your own laps – 8 laps for this first event. You will also get your own time. The fastest swim primes (guy and girl) will be based on an honor system.

Transition – everyone will put their running gear on either on deck or immediately outside of Kitsilano pool. Which you do is entirely up to you. Everyone must walk on deck until they are outside the pool area; running cannot begin until you’re beyond the bike rack.

Run – the run route has yet to be determined. It may be out to the Marine Museum Totem pole and back twice; or it may be laps around the pool – ie. around the pool along the sea wall, then up the stairs to Cornwall, back toward the pool, and then around the grassy area – twice. Either way, the finish will be near the pool. Again the fastest run primes will be awarded on the honor system as everyone will be responsible for their own time.

The points awarded for each race will be as follows ( I will have a sign in sheet that those interested can sign and state what place they came in/overall time):

Grand Prix Splash n’ Dash Series
Points Allocation
Overall (Men & Women)
1st - 24 points
2nd - 18 points
3rd - 16 points
4th - 14 points
5th - 12 points
6th - 10 points
7th - 8 points
8th - 6 points
9th - 4 points
10th - 2 points
(This may change depending on the turn out)
Fastest swim (each event)
Fastest run
Fastest overall swimmer (for the series)
Fastest overall runner

If you have any suggestions for dates or how to improve the event please post it on this page or email me at estebankahs@gmail.com. 

Please invite your friends to this page and the events, the more the merrier!!


Show up and be patient, it may be a little disorganized this week in its inaugural start, but I'm sure that it will still be a lot of fun!

Unfortunately I can't make the first one, however, I will be there for the next 3.

2 comments:

MJ said...

That's pretty cool... I will post it too... hopefully these get popular.

Anonymous said...

Hey, these sound fun! Any interest in continuing these in May 2011?