So you want to compete without having to plan a weekend and go somewhere!! Well we've got the solution!! A virtual triathlon!! A race you can do by yourself....on
your own time table....and where you want to. You can perform each leg of
the race in any order and at any time -- want to run today and bike
tomorrow....no problem!
The only requirement for particpation are
that you are a member of GKTC, that you use the training log on the GKTC site to enter the data,
and that you honestly report your times over distances you know are at least as
long as required. We're finalizing the distances for the short distance
Virtual Triathlon and will be considering a long distance "event" as well.
The Distances
The current proposal for the short distance event is: 400 yard swim, 9.5
miles for the bike, and 2 miles for the run.
The Swim
The 400 yard swim should be performed at a 25 yard pool. If you are
not sure if it is a 25 yard pool, please find out from someone who knows for
sure. There is a 24.5 yard pool in the Johnson City -- it is not a 25 yard
pool -- swim an extra 24.5 yards!!! There is a 25 meter pool in
Sevierville -- if you use it you can swim 375 meters (410 yards) but you cannot
swim 350 meters (382 yards)!!
The Bike
You can either bike 9.5 miles OR use a course laid out on Cherokee Blvd which is
3 laps of 3.15 miles -- yep, a 0.05 mile advantage. If you have a bike
computer please do at least 3 complete laps! The course is from the end of
the Cherokee Blvd to the water fountain and back. Please review the map of the course
(it has an error but simply treat it as a loop until we recollect the GPS data.
Since this is a relatively flat course, we recommend you perform your trial
either here or on a similarly flat course. There are a few markers on the
course -- one set at the end of the Blvd, and one set at the fountain marking
the entire turn.
The Run
The 2 mile run can be performed on any 400 meter or quarter mile track.
If you decide to run away from the track, make sure you run at least 2 miles.
If you're using a GPS to track the distance, please run 2.01 miles to ensure the
error rate built into GPS is accounted for.
