USAT NATIONAL CHALLENGE COMPETITION -- January-March 2019

The annual challenge competition, put on by USA Triathlon (USAT), has started, and our club is participating for the fifth straight year. Last year, we finished sixth in the nation for average points scored per member!

The three-month challenge was designed to encourage training during the winter months. Athletes enter training/racing yardage/mileage from swim, bike or run that earns points. We will compete against other tri clubs nationwide! 

If you’re new to the challenge, it does not matter how fast you are! If you run 5 miles, you get the same number of points as anybody else who ran that distance. 

To play, you must be a member in good standing with our club AND be a member of USAT. If you want to play and aren’t a USAT member, go to this website (USAT home page) and hit the join button: 

https://www.teamusa.org/usa-triathlon

You will be issued a USAT number and you get a login-password. To play in the challenge, go to:

https://ncc.usatriathlon.org/

Log in, and you can register for the challenge. Each time you log in, you will be given a box to enter your mileage. Also, you'll see a pulldown menu at the top of the page where you can look how you're doing in your age group, overall, and how teams are doing, including your own club. 

If you are planning to play, we ask that you are planning to put in regular training in swim/bike/run miles on a regular basis from January through March.

If you want to read more about how the challenge works and the rules, go to this site:

https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Triathlon/USAT-for-Me/Clubs/National-Challenge-Competition

Please contact Danny at info@bakersfieldtrispokes.org or 661-321-6899 if you have questions about the challenge! This competition is a lot of fun because you can do it on your own time and don’t have to worry about how fast you go!

Danny

661-321-6899

Our members-only event was so much fun in July, we thought we'd put on another one. What do you have to do? Just be a member in good standing and show up in time to race on our flat sprint course at Lake Woollomes. If you aren't a member but would like to participate, you're welcome to join the club for $50 for the entire year! For more information, email: info@bakersfieldtrispokes.org

We will provide a date for the next virtual triathlon.  We have two different sizes of triathlons and you can compete in them both if you would like.    The courses are somewhat marked, but please check out the map before you start, there are markers for the start and stops.  You also may submit results as many times as you would like, your slowest results will be discarded.  Results will be posted at Summer BBQ on July 19th.  Prizes for different categories.  If you would like course printouts: OLYMPIC DISTANCE PDF and SPRINT DISTANCE PDF

Submit Results Here.

THE SWIM - The measurement of this swim is done in yards, most pools in Bakersfield are 25 yard pools.  McMurtrey, CSUB, and InShape are examples of pools that one can use to do the swim, however, any regulation 25 yard pool will do.  500 yards is equivalent to 20 lengths of the pool.  

Instructions:

1. Go to pool and do a warmup first to get your body ready for the event.

2. Use a stopwatch or have someone time you and count laps, you can count laps on your own as well.  Start the timer.

3. Start swimming.  (Any form of swimming that gets you from point A to B is acceptable) 

4. Swim 500 yards or 20 lengths.

5. Stop Timer.

Rules:

1. No wetsuits, fins or paddles.  No floatation devices.

2. Consecutive swim, if you choose to stop during the 500 yards, the timer should keep running.

THE BIKE - The measurement of this bike is in miles and takes place on a planned route.  The route map is on Strava and shown below, but you do not need to upload your data to Strava, if you do not want to. The ride starts on Round Mountain Rd, just a 1/2 mi east of China Grade Extension. There are no turns on this course until the u-turn turnaround, which is marked on the road.  The course is approximately 14 miles out and back and ends at the same place it started.

https://www.strava.com/segments/9245977

Instructions:

1. A good place to park is at Derrel's Mini Storage off of China Grade Extension by the bike path. From there, there is about a mile warm up to the start point is on Round Mountain Road, so go North on China Grade Extension and turn Right on Round Mountain Road.  The start is at Gate 6 of the Chevron Kern River Field.  You should see the start point markings on the road.  (The only other marking will be in 7 miles at the turn around spot.) 

2. At the start line, use a stopwatch, have someone time you, or have your Garmin or Strava App on. Start the timer.

3. Start riding.  (Follow the rules of the road, this is not a closed course, and your safety is more important than this fun training exercise) 

4. Ride approximately 7.0 miles and you should see the turnaround markings on the road.  Turn Around, and Ride Back to where you started.

5. Stop Timer as you pass the finish line markings by Gate 6.  

6. Download Data or record data and submit results.

Rules:

1. No drafting or motorpacing.  If you are doing this with your tri friends, start at different times.  You should keep 3 bike lengths distance between riders.

2. Watch for traffic. Careful at the turnaround as well.

3. Wear a helmet.

THE RUN - The measurement of this run is in miles and takes place on a planned route.  The route map is on Strava and shown below, but you do not need to upload your data to Strava, if you do not want to.  You will have to submit your time.  The run starts at the top of Mt. St. Derrel's (The top of the hill at the bike path by Derrel's Mini Storage.)  

https://www.strava.com/segments/9270634

Instructions:

1. A good place to park is at Derrel's Mini Storage off of China Grade Extension by the bike path. You should see the start point markings on the bike path across from the mini storage and at the top of the hill. It's always a good idea to do a little warmup before you go.  

2. Use a stopwatch, have someone time you, or have your Garmin or Strava App on. Start the timer.  (This run is part bike path and part trail run, the trail is hard packed sand, so trail running shoes are good to have but not necessary)

3. Start running. 

4. Run west on the bike path and go over 1st bridge and continue on path just before you get to second bridge at ~1.3 mi, turn right onto trail that heads back towards the northeast. The trail is wide and well travelled. (do not veer off on smaller, sandier path to the left, keep right). Stay on path until you hit the end and turn right and right again heading back to the 1st bridge. Turn left back onto the bike path and push hard up Mt St. Derrel's to the finish.

5. Stop Timer as you pass the start point and you've reached the summit of Mt St Derrel!  

6. Download Data or record data and submit results.

Rules:

1. Watch for bike path traffic and don't spook the horses!

(I know the bike is short…but I have a feeling you will thank me for that!)

THE SWIM - The measurement of this swim is done in yards, most pools in Bakersfield are 25 yard pools.  McMurtrey, CSUB and InShape are examples of pools that one can use to do the swim, however, any regulation 25 yard pool will do.  1500 yards is equivalent to 60 lengths of the pool.  

Instructions:

1. Go to pool and do a warmup first to get your body ready for the event.

2. Use a stopwatch or have someone time you and count laps, you can count laps on your own as well.  Start the timer.

3. Start swimming.  (Any form of swimming that gets you from point A to B is acceptable) 

4. Swim 1500 yards or 60 lengths.

5. Stop Timer.

Rules:

1. No wetsuits, fins or paddles.  No floatation devices.

2. Consecutive swim, if you choose to stop during the 1500 yards, the timer should keep running.

THE BIKE - The measurement of this bike is in miles and takes place on a planned route.  The route map is on Strava and shown below, but you do not need to upload your data to Strava, if you do not want to.  You will have to submit your time.  The ride starts on Round Mountain Rd, just a 1/2 mi east of China Grade Extension. There are no turns on this course until the u-turn turnaround, which is marked on the road.  The course is approximately 14 miles out and back and ends at the same place it started.

https://www.strava.com/segments/9231164

Instructions:

1. A good place to park is at Derrel's Mini Storage off of China Grade Extension by the bike path. From there, there is about a mile warm up to the start point is on Round Mountain Road, so go North on China Grade Extension and turn Right on Round Mountain Road.  The start is at Gate 6 of the Chevron Kern River Field.  You should see the start point markings on the road.  (The only other marking will be in 10.3 miles at the turn around spot at the water tower at the top of round mountain.) 
2. At the start line, use a stopwatch, have someone time you, or have your Garmin or Strava App on. Start the timer.
3. Start riding.  (Follow the rules of the road, this is not a closed course, and your safety is more important than this fun training exercise) 
4. Ride approximately 10.15 miles and you should see the turnaround markings on the road.  Turn Around, and Ride Back to where you started.
5. Stop Timer as you pass the finish line markings by Gate 6. 
6. Download Data or record data and submit results.
Rules:
1. No drafting or motorpacing.  If you are doing this with your tri friends, start at different times.  You should keep 3 bike lengths distance between riders.
2. Watch for traffic. Careful at the turnaround as well.
3. Wear a helmet.

THE RUN - The measurement of this run is in miles and takes place on a planned route.  The route map is on Strava and shown below, but you do not need to upload your data to Strava, if you do not want to.  You will have to submit your time.  The run starts at the top of Mt. St. Derrel's (The top of the hill at the bike path by Derrel's Mini Storage.)  

https://www.strava.com/segments/9245827

Instructions:

1. A good place to park is at Derrel's Mini Storage off of China Grade Extension by the bike path. You should see the start point markings on the bike path across from the mini storage and at the top of the hill. It's always a good idea to do a little warmup before you go.  
2. Use a stopwatch, have someone time you, or have your Garmin or Strava App on. Start the timer.  (This run is part bike path and part trail run, the trail is hard packed sand, so trail running shoes are good to have but not necessary)
3. Start running. 
4. Run west on the bike path and go over 3 bridges and continue on path under Manor Rd, when you come out of the tunnel turn left on the bike path. Follow the path around to the first right turn on the path and run through the Manor Parking Lot, at the end of the parking lot turn right and then turn left through the manor tunnel again. Follow path back over third and then second bridge again, just after the second bridge, instead of staying on bike path, take trail off bike path and turn right onto trail that heads back towards the northeast. The trail is wide and well travelled. (do not veer off on smaller, sandier path to the left, keep right). Stay on path until you hit the end and turn right and right again heading back to the 1st bridge. Turn left back onto the bike path and push hard up Mt St. Derrel's to the finish. 
5. Stop Timer as you pass the start point and you've reached the summit of Mt St Derrel!  
6. Download Data or record data and submit results.
Rules:
1. Watch for bike path traffic and don't spook the horses!