HARWICH JUNIOR TRIATHLON
FINAL RACE INFORMATION
With just one week to go, it is time to familiarise yourself with this year’s pre-race information.
Please take your time to read all the info, look at the maps and documents, and check out the news and FAQ pages of our website to ensure you have all the things you need ahead of next weekend!
We can’t wait to see you all for a weekend of racing in our town, but if you have any queries before then, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we will help you as best we can!
Enjoy the taper week – and see next weekend!
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Harwich Junior Triathlon
Hello! Thank you for entering and supporting this year’s Harwich Junior Triathlon. Parents and guardians, please make sure you fully READ AND UNDERSTAND the information below with regards to the event and share this information with your little athlete! If anything doesn’t make sense or you have any questions or queries, please just drop us an email at triathlon@harwichrunners.co.uk and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
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Timings
Sunday 14th June
Registration and transition opens: 07:30
Registration closes: 08:40
Transition closes: 08:45
Race briefing: 08:50
First junior start: 09:00
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How To Find Us
Race HQ is at Dovercourt Bay Lifestyles Leisure Centre, Low Road, Dovercourt, CO12 3TA. Please note YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARK AT THE LEISURE CENTRE. Parking will be available at the car park at the end of West End Lane, next to the recycling centre (CO12 3SF). Please follow the marshals who will be able to direct you the correct place. There is a short walk to race HQ. Please walk with your bike along the promenade if at all possible, but if you walk across the playing fields, please follow the blue arrow on the map and walk between the skate park and the all-weather pitch to reach the entrance to Race HQ. Registration will open at 07:30, but it may be possible to rack your bike before that.
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Registration
Registration for Sprint and Juniors will be the athlete village. Follow marshals and signs and you’ll be directed there.
Registration will open at 07:30 and closes at 08:40.
Transition is outside and adjacent to the swimming pool and we appreciate you may want to drop your bike off before you register. Start lists with your start time and race number can be found on the link below. Please REMEMBER YOUR RACE NUMBER so you can go to transition before registering and leave your bike at the allocated rack.
At registration, you will be given a race pack envelope containing a sticker pack, a bib number and a chip. Follow the instructions on the sticker pack – there will be some for your bike and some for your helmet.
We will be using bib numbers this year, so if you have a race belt, this will be handy. If not, you can pin your bib number to the front of your top.
With the envelope will also be an ankle strap with a chip on it – this is your timing strap. It is very important you do not lose or misplace this, so we recommend putting it on your left ankle right away, and don’t take it off till you cross the finish line. It is very important that this chip goes on your LEFT ankle, with the red plastic box facing OUTWARDS.
After you have registered, feel free to use the swimming pool changing rooms, toilets and lockers to store any belongings. A £1 coin or trolley token is required to lock the lockers in the pool, but you will get this back on retrieval of your items.
We ask that only ONE adult per child goes into transition, to keep it as calm and uncrowded as possible. Once you have helped your child rack, you will then not be allowed to go into transition for the duration of the race to help them.
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Transition
The transition area is outside the Dovercourt Swimming Pool, adjacent to the skate park.
Please place your bike and running gear in the transition area. Once your bike has been racked inside the secure transition zone, it cannot be removed unless you can prove you are the rightful owner.
It is your responsibility to ensure your bike is in a safe, roadworthy condition and suitable for racing. Safety checks will be carried out before the event, and all competitors must wear an approved cycle helmet.
If you rack your bike before registering, please ensure it is placed in the correct numbered position on the racks. Once you have registered, attach one of your numbered stickers to your bike and another to your helmet. For security reasons, transition marshals will only allow you to remove your bike if the number on your bike matches your race number and that on your helmet.
When racking your bike, stand facing your race number, which will be attached to the rack. Hook your saddle over the racking bar so that your entire bike is facing towards you, with the handlebars closest to you. If you've done it correctly, you'll still be able to clearly see your race number on the rack while standing in your transition space. There will be lots of friendly marshals around to help you with this, so please don’t worry about it! Just wave one of us down and we will give you any support that you need.
Please note that transition will close at 08:45. After this time, no competitors will be permitted to enter the transition area. Make sure you have everything you need for the start with you before 09:00 and that all of your equipment is set up and ready to go.
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Race Briefing
Race briefing will start at 08:50 inside the swimming pool. We will ask all juniors to head into the pool and sit in the gallery so they can hear the race briefing. This will not last longer than 5 minutes, allowing the first starters to get to poolside ready for 09:00.
No parents will be allowed in the pool during the race briefing. There wasn’t enough room last year and we want to prioritise space for the little atheletes. They’re the ones who need to listen.
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Swim Course
The swim will take place in the indoor swimming pool.
For 8 year olds, it will consist of a 50m swim, going up one lane and down the next before getting out.
For 9-12 and 13-15 year olds, it will consist of a 150m swim, going up one lane, ducking under the rope, and then coming down the next, for all six lanes of the pool.
Each swimmer will set off at 30s intervals and will be able to enter the water once the previous competitor has set off. Just follow your race start time. We will sort out the sequencing.
On completion of your swim, you will leave the pool via the back entrance and head across the grass a short distance to transition. There is to be no running in the swimming pool building as the floor will be slippery when wet.
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Bike Course
For all ages, the bike course will be on the grass field adjacent to Race HQ.
For 8 year olds, they will only bike one lap (1km). For 9-12 year olds, they will bike 2 laps (2km), and 13-15 year olds, they will bike three laps (3km).
Please ensure juniors are aware that BEFORE they move their bike in transition after they have swam, they must have their helmet on and done up. Marshals will be around to help if needed.
The bike route will be marked out and marshals will be on hand to give directions and ensure everyone goes the correct way. Please see the above image showing the bike route(s).
For those doing multiple laps, it is the participants’ responsibility for keeping tabs on the laps they have done, however we will endeavour to monitor the laps of individuals, to make sure they do the correct distance.
Please be mindful when entering the second lap on the bike route as there will be a section where cyclists merge together. Marshals will be on hand to assist.
There will also me a marshalled crossover point where runners coming into the finish line will have to cross the cyclists going in and coming out of transition. Please make the little athletes aware of this and we will marshal and manage to ensure this is controlled safely.
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Run Course
For all ages, the run course will be on the grass field adjacent to Race HQ. Please see the above image showing the run route(s).
For 8 year olds, they will run 600m in an “out and back” fashion along the tree-line. For 9-12 year olds, they will run their out and back further, to make 1200m, and 13-15 year olds will do this route twice. Please see the above image showing the run route(s).
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Weather
In the past the Harwich Triathlon has experienced (and gained a reputation for) some quite exceptional weather. High winds, biblical flooding, thunder storms and torrential hail. Hopefully this year it will be nice warm conditions with a gentle cooling breeze, but please do bare this in mind and come prepared.
If on the other hand, it is as warm as it is last year, please can I remind you all to not unzip or undo your Trisuits while racing. Following BTF guidelines, it is really important that your Trisuit remains done up for the duration of the race.
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Prizes & Results
Medals and t-shirts will be awarded to all finishers of the triathlon when you cross the line.
Prizes will be awarded to the first female and first male finishers of each age group.
Results will be published live on the day via our timing partner, Race Timing Solutions. You can access them using the link below:
Click here to view race results
The page will update throughout the day as athletes come through, so you can follow friends and family in real time — whether you're on the course, at home, or cheering from the sidelines.
Tips for Race Day
Bookmark the link before you travel so it's easy to find on your phone.
Results are usually available within minutes of finishing, so check back shortly after you cross the line.
You'll be able to see your individual splits for each discipline, not just your overall time — great for spotting where you flew and where you've got room to improve next time!
If you're spectating, you can use the results page to track your athlete live and know when to be at the finish line.
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Photography
We will have professional photographers snapping away to capture your achievements at our event. If you agreed to your child’s photo being taken when you signed up, these photos will be published on our website after the event. If you did not wish for your child to be included in any images, we will ensure they are not taken.
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Refreshments
This year we have a bigger event village than any previous year! On offer will be Mimi’s Kitchen with her amazing cakes and sweet treats, Hazy Dayz with a selection of savoury foods and Rebel Monkey Coffee, keeping us all hydrated and caffeinated throughout the weekend!
Food and drink will be available before, during and after your race, so do be sure to go and get yourself some well-earned grub!
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Spectators
Thank you for coming out to support your child/friend/family member compete in the Triathlon this year. We ask that spectators follow the instructions of any marshal given to them, for their own safety but also for that of the participants safety.
In and around Race HQ there will be a lot of orange fencing, blue matting, and cables for chip timing. Please do not duck under any orange fencing and walk around to the nearest available crossing point should you need to get around to avoid any disturbance to our infrastructure. This also ensures you are not at risk of colliding with your athlete should they come running out of transition when you don’t expect them to. Under no circumstances should any spectator enter the transition area.
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