Sunday, May 21, 2023

Gold Nugget Triathlon 2023

The Gold Nugget Triathlon mission is dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls through athletics. It is one of the largest women’s triathlons in the US.

The full triathlon will start at Bartlett High School on Sunday with up to 1,650 participants. As of May 10, the count was 1,446.

The Anchorage Amateur Radio Club needs volunteers.

Click Here to SignUp

Walter Yankauskas – KL7WY  Cell: 907-351-3992  walteryak@gmail.com

Sunday, May 21 – Triathlon Starts at

Bartlett

The triathlon is limited to 1,650 racers.

Swim starts at 9 AM, then Bike, then Run. In 2022 the last racer was out of the pool at 1:15PM. The average red lantern time was about 4:15 PM, so we might be finishing up around 4:30 to 5 PM.

There will be some traditional lane swimming that involves lap counters and timers for each lane. Most of the racers will do a snake swim.

Snake Swim

A snake swim, has all swimmers entering and exiting the pool at the same location. The swim shall commence at the head of an end lane. Swimmers will swim up and back in that lane, then swim under the lane barrier and continue swimming up and back the next lane and so on until they come to the end of the far lane where they will exit the pool.

This race setup eliminates multiple lap counters and timers for each lane. We will have a Ham Radio Volunteer in the pool area.

12 mile Bike Course

After your swim, you will retrieve your bike from transition area 1 (T1 / Bike Corral) and follow the “Exit Bike” sign out of the southeast end of the Bartlett High School parking lot. Follow the flagging and spray chalk markings that will take you through a dirt connector path where you will ride briefly on Alaska Native Heritage Center Drive. Once you reach North Muldoon Road, you will take a sharp left onto the multi-use trail. The course follows the multi-use trail on the West side of the Glenn Highway, then to the JBER/Glenn Highway overpass.

In 2022, the first bike was here at 9:22 AM. The last racer was southbound at 2:35 PM.

There you will see an APD officer and flagger pointing you to make a right turn and continue over the overpass. You will then see additional APD officers and more volunteers directing you to make a left onto Bear Run Lane.

After you turn left onto Bear Run Lane (that’s the left after going over the JBER/Glenn Highway overpass). You will ride north on the left side of Bear Run Lane until you get to the bike turn-around at mile 2.7. (Yes, you will make that turn around to the right). Then stay on the far left side again when going south on the road. Why, you ask? So that you do not cross over with other racers on their bikes when you get back to the intersection where you entered on to Bear Run Lane. It is quite counterintuitive, but trust us – it’s for the best. ONLY on Bear Run Lane will you always stay to your left-hand side.

After crossing the highway, Take a left on the Bear Run Lane (On Bear Run Lane all bicycles should travel on the left side of the road. With everyone on the left, there is no accident risk for crossing traffic) to the East side of the highway up to the Range control area, which is the turnaround. Back along Bear Run Lane, at the overpass, the road name changes to the Richardson Frontage Rd until it turns into Arctic Valley Road.

T2

1.3 miles up Arctic Valley Road is Transition 2 (T2), the second transition area. A helpful T2 volunteer will gently take your bike and have it delivered by truck, back to the bike corral at Bartlett High School. Racers can pick up a gear bag, change into their running gear and start running.

At the transition area, there will be a Porta Potty, medical, water and Ham Radio Volunteers, and no spectators. It’s a limited space area with bicycles, runners, volunteers and trucks.

In 2022 the first racer was at T2 at 9:44 AM and the red lantern was at 3:14 PM.

The AARC will supply FRS radios to the T2 volunteers

Done with the bike race by 4:30 PM?

3.5 mile Run

The run starts at the T2 transition area and follows the Tank Trail (appears on Google Maps as Oilwell Road) to Starview Dr and ends at Pena Sports Fields.

AARC has volunteered to safety patrol the run course by bicycle. There will be a Team One medic on an ATV roaming on the “Tank Trail”. Gate keys will be handled by the Run crew.

From a safety point of view, the Race Committee appeared to be most concerned with the run portion of the course. In 2022 a message from the Race Director said

“There is a very small section at the west end of the tank trail that takes a sharp right and then a left before it drops into Starview drive. It is that section we would like to monitor back and forth for at least the first 30 minutes as the racers are fresh on the trail and may be spread out. Even the Military recommended this section be watched.”

Keith, KL7MM:  I’m planning on taking the MTV and setting up on that corner.
It’ll be a fixed station for the duration and I will also have my bike for some mobile coverage.

There will be a dedicated sweep bicycle (not AARC) that will follow the last racer that leaves the pool, and will follow them through the bike course, T2, and the run course.

Bicycle Safety Riders:

The finish line is at Pena Sports Fields there will be Porta Pottys, medical, water, food trucks, and the party. A Ham Radio Volunteer will be stationed here.

In 2022 the first finisher was at 10:08 AM and the red lantern was at 4:15 PM.

The last racer to get to T2 isn’t necessarily the last racer to finish.

The last of the racers should be finishing by 5 PM?

Please click here to sign up for Gold Nugget Ham Radio Volunteer Positions 2023

Sunday – May 21 – Bartlett High School

Radio Nets