|
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (September 6, 2006) – The USA Triathlon Haul to the Great Wall Series has gone from five events to four after inclement weather forced the cancellation of the Boston Triathlon last weekend. (See explanation of the cancellation below)
In response, USA Triathlon is increasing the prize purse for the final race of the elite series, The Westchester Triathlon in Rye, N.Y., scheduled for Sunday, September 17.
Half of Boston’s $20,000 prize purse will be evenly dispersed among the elite athletes who picked up their race packets for that event. The other half will go toward increasing the Westchester prize purse to $30,000 ($15,000 each for the men’s and women’s elite races). And prizes will now be awarded 10 deep in each race (from five deep for other series events).
Prize Purse Breakdown:
1st $3,750
2nd $3,000
3rd $2,250
4th $1,500
5th $1,200
6th $1,050
7th $900
8th $600
9th $450
10th $300
Registration closes Sunday, September 10. Make sure to register by Sunday morning to ensure your spot on the start list. Go here to register: http://www.westchestertriathlon.org/
ABOUT THE HAUL TO THE GREAT WALL SERIES
The 2006 Haul to the Great Wall Series kicked off with the Honolulu Triathlon in May and continued with The Beach Tri in Long Beach, Calif., in June, and the Mossman Park City Triathlon in Connecticut in August.
The series of intermediate distance triathlons – now in its second year – allows triathletes and spectators to get their first look at who might be competing at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Each race is sanctioned by USAT and also the International Triathlon Union (ITU). The ITU world rankings system is used as part of the qualification process for the Olympic Games.
Each elite race, which allows drafting on the bike, has a prize purse of $20,000. Moreover, the overall series men’s and women's champions – whether from the United States or another country – will each receive $10,000.
Swimwear and sports apparel giant Speedo is also providing $5,000 in bonus money for each race on the five-city tour. American men and women who finish in the top-three in their respective races are eligible for the bonuses, with $1,500 going to the top finisher, $750 to second, and $250 to third.
In addition to the individual race bonus pool, Speedo is providing a $15,000 end-of-the-season bonus to be split if U.S. athletes finish first or second in the Series. First place will receive $5,000 and second place will take home $2,500 in both the men’s and women’s categories.
More information on the 2006 Haul to the Great Wall Series, including series point standings, can be found at http://www.usatriathlon.org/HaulToGreatWall.htm.
2006 BOSTON TRIATHLON
Why did we cancel?
This past weekend, I, along with my partner Josh Nemzer and my entire DMSE team, was faced with perhaps the most gut wrenching decision of my 25 year career. It was the question of whether or not to cancel the 2006 Boston Triathlon. Ultimately, it was cancelled and I wanted to explain to all of our athletes, sponsors and volunteers exactly what went into this difficult and most challenging decision.
In the week leading up to the race we watched the track of hurricane Ernesto and the path the storm would take. The forecast called for inclement conditions throughout race weekend. Our first concern was for the water quality due to heavy rain.
We monitored the weather forecast hour-by-hour and were in constant contact with a representative from the National Weather Service (NWS) who provided us with continuous updates.
All the information we were receiving indicated a 90% chance of high winds and rain. As it turned out, Saturday brought no rain but there was an 8-9 foot chop and wind gusts up to 22 mph.
At 11am on Saturday, we convened a committee of 11 to discuss and determine our course of action. Those people include a representative from ITU, a representative from USA Triathlon and DMSE medical coordinator, swim coordinator, bike coordinator and other experienced DMSE consultants.
The general consensus at that time was to eliminate the swim segment due to the high chop, high winds, chilly temperatures (64 degrees) and the strong probability of water quality deterioration. The discussion turned to consideration of a run-bike-run event (Plan B). Although not ideal, we had already planned for such an occurrence and had designed a course and plan for both the age group participants as well as the elite/pros. However, we were informed by ITU that the first elite/pro run needed to be 10K in length while the second run would be 5K…we were hoping for the opposite based on our existing timeline. This format would throw our timeline off such that the bike segment of this event now would have extended another 30 minutes or so more than what we had permission to do so by State/Local authorities.
We informed all the athletes checking in on Saturday to check the race web site at 6pm Saturday for further details on the status of the event.
After both the elite/pro meeting and the age group meeting, a few of us convened once again to reassess the situation, once again calling the NWS for an update. It became very apparent that two things would occur on Sunday – we would have rain and it would be windy…the two would be a dangerous combination on this particular course.
At that time (around 5:45pm Saturday), Josh Nemzer and I, along with the ITU and USAT representatives, met to make the final decision. We believed that both the swim and the bike course would be UNSAFE for the athletes and thus made the decision to CANCEL the event. We have managed over 700 events and never have cancelled an event before. This was not a quick decision. In fact, it was perhaps the most difficult decision I have ever had to make as a race director. We wanted to communicate it as quickly and to as many people as possible. That communication included:
- A statement posted to the official race website.
- An e-mail sent to all competitors who had previously supplied us with their e-mail when they registered.
- The race hotline phone message also reflected the cancellation. We called as many organizations and individuals involved in the race as possible to inform them of our decision.
Why did we decide to cancel on Saturday at 6pm versus wait until Sunday morning? We put trust in the weather reports we were receiving and felt cancellation was inevitable. Thus, we felt it would be unfair to “inconvenience” hundreds and hundreds of individuals by making them come into the World Trade Center only to find out that we were cancelling the event. As it turned out, it started raining at about 4am on Sunday and as such validated our decision to cancel given the rain and wind on this “urban” course.
What were the main reasons for this cancellation?
- Concern for the safety of ALL competitors.
- Unsafe swim course – chop, strong currents, low temperatures, deterioration of water quality, concern for lifeguards and boats in the water (note: cruise ships even cancelled their service due to unsafe conditions).
- We have time and time again emphasized the fact that this is an urban/metropolitan course. This is not a rural, countryside venue. This is the asphalt jungle (no disrespect for the city). In a flash, roads, catch basins, sewer covers, steel grates, light poles and much more can come and go. We even had to deal with a tunnel collapse. We didn’t know from day to day what we were going to get BUT we were on top of it and we do make sure in one way or another it is safe for the competitors. Producing an urban triathlon is exciting, however, it does come with certain risks.
- With wind and rainy conditions the pot holes fill, oil coats the road, and road paint and steel bridges all become slick and hazardous, and the course simply becomes exponentially difficult to maintain.
Regarding pre-race policy, our application clearly states:
“Race Cancellation: Should any condition arise out of the control of race management whether it be severe weather or a public safety emergency which requires cancellation of the event, the no-refund policy will remain in effect. The Boston Triathlon cannot accept the risk of a disaster for everyone. Each athlete needs to accept the risk of his or her entry fee.”
“Course or Event Change: Please be aware that safety is our number one concern. If situations arise such as unsafe swimming conditions or unsafe cycling conditions, race management reserves the right to change and/or alter the course as well as the disciplines that make up the event. “
The reason for including this upfront is because we realize the conditions we’re dealing with and we want everyone who enters to understand them right from the get go.
Post race comments such as the one below are reflective of the vast majority of communications received.
“With this e-mail, I would like to express my unequivocal support for your decision to cancel the 2006 Boston Triathlon. I know that it was difficult to call off an event that you had been planning all year, but I know you made the right choice. You placed the athletes' safety above everything else. I wish more race directors had the kind of courage and good judgment you showed yesterday evening. Thank you once again for your exemplary decision making process on Saturday. I support your decision without reservation.”
We are ALL very, very disappointed. Everyone – athletes, sponsors and management – invested a lot into this event. We must all be in this together. Our primary goal has always been the safety of all involved with the race.
A few of us drove out onto the bike course Sunday morning during the rain around the time the bike segment would have been happening. Without question, bike accidents would have occurred. Based on what we experienced and what we saw, we know the right decision was made. More importantly, we know that based on our decision, no one got hurt.
We express our appreciation to all those who support our decision and for everyone’s understanding.
Dave McGillivray
Josh Nemzer
USA Triathlon is the national governing body for triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 1,800 races and connects with more than 60,000 members each year, making it the largest multi-sport organization in the world.
| 
Know someone else who's interested in running and triathlon?
