Hello Elephant Man Triathlon Entrants!!!!

It is so hard for me to believe that yet another year has already passed and race day is upon us – but it is true…… Elephant Man is here! Everyone is so excited again this year and we cannot wait for all of you to join us in beautiful sunny Southern NM! You all should know that we hit our cap this year too – there will be more than 365 athletes racing!!! Listed below are some notes I hope all of you will review to help make the day safe and successful – we have all worked hard – athletes and volunteers to get ready for race day and with just a little more effort I think this could be our best race ever!

USAT Sanctioned Race – E Man is proud to be a USAT sanctioned race. This means you will have to present a photo ID (even youth) and you must have a USAT license. If you are not an annual member, you will have to pay $10.00 for the one day license. We did have a glitch on active.com and this was not charged to those of you who registered on line. Please be prepared to pay that $10.00 with check or cash at packet pick up. You will also be required to wear a US CPSC (check the sticker) certified bike helmet on the course.

Packet Pick Up – Packet Pick up will be on the beach again this year (same location as race transition at the beach site below the main entrance to the park) from 2pm to 5 pm on Sat (Sept 26) and 6am to 7 am on Sun. (Sept 27). We will ask that everyone sign a waiver at that time (even if some of you signed electronically on active.com). This is for your protection. Once you have signed your waiver and completed packet pick up you will be given an E Man bracelet to wear – this is proof you have completed registration (so you can pick up your chip Sunday morning) and is your entry to the pre-race dinner. Additionally, Sierra Del Rio Golf Course and Turtleback Mountain Resort (one of our big sponsors) is offering a 10% discount on all menu items and /or a special of $45.00 per person for 18 holes of golf and any menu item of $10.00 or less to anyone who shows their bracelet in their facility over the weekend! (You can visit their website via the link under sponsors on our website).

Pre-race Meeting Saturday Night – There will be a pre-race orientation meeting at the EB Inn at 5 pm on Saturday night. This meeting is not mandatory but will be a great place to get any of your questions answered.

USAT Board Meeting – The Rocky Mountain Region of the USAT will be hosting their annual meeting in conjunction with the Elephant Man pre-race dinner. Their intent is to take questions from you – the triathletes they represent, as well as inform you about their projects and programs. They have taken the time to develop a survey to get your input. We have posted it on our website – under the news category on the far right of the page. Please print it, fill it out and bring it with you. They are eager to hear from you and have promised some great prizes at the meeting as well- did I mention PRIZES?

Pre-race Dinner – Your dinner is included in your registration fees. Dinner will again be at the EB Inn, which is our host hotel at 5:30 pm. It will be a buffet style pasta dinner and friends and family will be able to purchase their meal there as well. Due to the increase in participants this year – dinner may be served in 2 sittings. Please just be patient and enjoy the company until the staff is able to get the food out to you.

Mandatory pre-race meeting – There will be a mandatory pre-race meeting Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m.  After that we will allow one swim warm up time before we ask that all athletes clear the water and line up according to waves (announced at pre-race meetings) for the start at 8:00 a.m. Water temperature was 74.5F today so most likely wet suits will be allowed.

Park Fees – You will be required to pay the $5.00 daily fee to enter the state park. If you come to packet pick up on Saturday your fee will be good for 24 hours so you will not be required to pay again on Sunday morning as long as you keep your receipt visible in your vehicle. If you are camping, you are still required to pay the camping fee. For those of you who will camp near the race site please be aware that no one in your camp will be allowed to exit the area during the race as those roads within the park are closed to traffic throughout the race. Additionally, no one will be allowed to operate boats, jet skis, etc. during the swim portion of the race (until swim volunteers clear the course). Also, please note that there are some showers available to you within the state parks.

Post Race Activities – Ivory spa will again have a massage tent set up post race (no charge but tips might be appreciated). We will have free refreshments and yes this will include my mom’s killer cookies. EB Inn is again hosting a beer garden. There will be a charge for the beer, and we ask that if you partake, please do so responsibly and keep the day safe for everyone.

Trisports.com sponsorship – TriSports.com has been one of main sponsors since the onset of our race. This year they have been very generous to offer 10% off any pre-race orders if you use the EMan code of ELMAN9-R. If you have any pre-race needs, please take them up on this offer – they are a great company and a few of their staff are joining us to race too!