Greater Manchester Junior Aquathlon

What Will I Need to bring?

An Aquathlon is a Swim and Run event. 

For the swim – Swimming costume or tri suit. You may also wish to wear goggles and a swim hat. (A swim hat is not mandatory, it’s entirely up to you)

In transition – S small towel should you want to dry your feet and torso before you run, a water bottle or sports drink may be a good idea too.

For the run – Trainers and a t shirt to put on in transition. You may also want socks. If you have a drink, you can take that out with you, but please do not litter. 

For afterwards – We will provide a small packet of sweets and a bottle of water along with your well earned medal. There are showers in both male and female can go g rooms where you can change if you wish.

Arrival

Please arrive 30-45 minutes before your wave start time. This should give you ample time to register and familiarise yourself with transition, warm up, discuss any queries you may have with the team and use the facilities if necessary. Waves start at 09:00 for The Greater Manchester Aquathlon.  The Start list is a live start list and can be found here.  It may be subject to change so be sure to check on it regularly. 

Car Parking

There is ample car parking onsite via School Lane. Please ensure you park safely and within the lines of the parking bays. If the car park is full and you need to park elsewhere, please ensure you do so legally and with due care for residents and other road users.

Registration

Registration for each wave officially opens 30 minutes before your wave start time.  Upon arriving just ask one of the team and they will direct you to registration to get you sorted.  Don’t be afraid to ask if you come early.  If we are ready we will be only to happy to get you registered.

Transition Area

As this is an Aquathlon, transition will be just outside of poolside. Please bring your running shoes and a small towel to the poolside area where you will be shown an area to put them while you’re swimming. You can then put your shoes and t shirt on before you run over to the field for the run.

Spectators Support

Spectators are more than welcome to our events.  We actively encourage them as there is nothing better than crossing the finishing line to the sound of a roaring crowd.  Where possible we do ask all spectators to be mindful of participants and local residents and try and keep pathways clear.  

Due to space available on poolside, we ask that parents do not come onto poolside with your children. We will have an area close to the finish line specifically for spectators where you will be able to see the majority of the run. 

Pre Race Breifing

There will be a pre race briefing in the transition area 15 minutes before each race start time.   Here we will go over race detail, explain any amendments and answer any questions. 

The pre race briefing is extremely important and we urge every participant to make sure they listen.

All further information you will need should be found within this section of our website.

Start

You will start on poolside at your allocated lane. you will be invited in the water at which point you’ll be able to start. There will be a maximum of 4 swimmers in each lane and swimmers will start at 5 second intervals

Swim

The swim is in the indoor heated swimming pool at Cheadle Hulme School. the pool is 25 yards long and has 4 lanes, with a maximum of 4 swimmers per lane, so 16 swimmers per wave.

Due to space on poolside and access, we are asking that no spectators come onto poolside. 

We will have a fully qualified lifeguard on poolside at all times as well as members of staff, including the race starter.

Run

The run will be entirely on the school playing fields, with no traffic, just other runners.

Please run on the left hand side to allow for overtaking.

Each wave will have a slightly different run distance.

TriStart – 600m (Single loop of lower field)

TriStar 1 – 1450m (Single loop of lower and 2 loops of upper fields)

TriStar 2 – 1930m (Single loop of lower field, 3 loops around the upper field)

TriStar 3 – 2780m (Single loop of lower field, 5 loops of upper field)

Youth and GO TRI – 2780m (Single loop of lower field, 5 loops of upper field)

Finish

The finish line will be marked with flags near to the entry to the field. If this isn’t the case you will be notified during the pre race briefing 15 minutes before the start time. 

Please make your way safely from the finish line away from other runners where you will be able to cool down and catch your breath.

Results will be posted on this page as soon as we can compile them (usually within the week following the event)   Please also be aware that results are recorded manually and while we make every effort to ensure accurate results, human error is possible. If any results appear incorrect, please us know by email and we will endeavour to amend these before submitting to Go Tri.

Manual Timing

Results will be posted online and emailed to you within 5 days of the event. We aim to get them up as quickly as possible for you.

For our Aquathlon, due to manual timing, we provide a finish time and do not provide split times for the swim and run.

Our races are manually timed by taking pictures of your race number.  We can’t give you a time if we can’t photograph your number.  Shouting your number out to us won’t get you a time.  

You will not need a number during the swim, however please ensure you wear your number on the front and that it is clearly visible during the run.  Safety pins are available at transition. 

We are happy if you have a race belt as long as we can photograph your number at each of the check points from the front.

If we cannot photograph your number easily from the front then there will be no time provided unfortunately.  

Rubbish

I know we don’t need to remind anybody but we will anyway.  There are always bins provided at each and every event.  Can all participants please ensure that all rubbish is cleared before leaving.  Out on the course be mindful that these are school grounds, so please refrain from throwing rubbish out on the course i.e energy gels.  Keep them with you and dispose of them at transition.  

If you cannot find a bin any of our marshals will be happy to dispose of your rubbish on your behalf.