Welland Half Iron FAQ's

When and where can I pick up my race kit?

Saturday June 25th from 4:00PM to 6:00PM and Sunday June 26th from 6:30AM to 8:00AM

Can someone else pick-up my race kit on Saturday?

If you signed up online or sent in a signed application then someone can pick-up your race kit. If you did did not send in a complete application with a SIGNED Waiver then only you can pick-up the race kit after signing the Waiver.

Where should I park?

There is plenty of parking on the north side of the Welland Arena (Transition is on the south side). There is also parking next door to the arena at the Curling Club and in the Service Station beside the Medical Centre. PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THE MEDICAL CENTRE PARKING AREA. There will be parking marshalls in the parking areas. Please follow their directions.

I am competing in the Triple Race Challenge, is there anything I should know that is different for this race?

The Triple Race Challenge Athletes will have a special area within Transition for "Triple" athletes so you are all racked together. This area will be for the Elite "Pro" athletes and the Triple Race Callenge athletes. The Triple race Challenge athletes will also be starting the race with the Elite "Pro" athletes (30) seconds ahead of all other athletes (times will be adjusted to reflect this).

Can I rack my bike the night before?

Unfortunatley the answer is no.

How and where do I rack my bike?

We have found that there are still a good number of athletes who are not familiar with the best way to rack their bike. Racking properly creates the most space for each athlete and maximizes the number of bikes on a rack. Please review our section on Racking Your Bike.

In order to ensure that the bike racks are completely full with enough space we have gone to rack by BIB number system. This does not change the fact that you will be racking with your age group, because the BIB numbers are assigned by age and gender from youngest to oldest.

Here is what you can expect:

Step #1 - Look for the large (8ft) MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series BIB Number Sign. In Welland it is located on the east side outside of the Transition Area by the Athlete Entrance closest to King St.

Step #2 - At the BIB Number Sign you will see Name lists in Alphabetical order. Please find your BIB number and proceed to Step #3. If you cannot find your name please go to the HELP DESK.

Step #3 - Please enter Transition and rack your bike in the appropriate section of Transition. You will see a number sequence at the end of each row of bike racks. Rack your bike anywhere in the section with the number sequence that contains your BIB number. Once you are racked please go to step #4.

Step #4 - Once you are racked please go to the small arena located on the other side of Transition (the west side) where you will pick up your actual BIB number and pick-up your race kit, T-shirt and swim cap. Your T-shirt size will have been selected by you when you registered and this is the size that will have been set aside for you. If you want to change the size this can be done AFTER the race, if there are any extra t-shirts of that size available.

Step #5 - Get Body Marked. Look for the Body Marking sign. The Body Marking area will be adjacent to the BIB number and race kit pick-up area in the arena. A volunteer will write your BIB# on your left arm and age will be on your right calf.

Step #5 - Pick-Up your Timing Chip. Look for the Timing Chip sign. The Chip Time timing chips will be located adjacent to the Body Marking area. The Timing Chip is worn around your ankle. If you are on a Relay Team the Chip Exchange is completed in Transition beside your bike rack.

Where does the Timimg Chip and BIB Number go?

The Timing Chip should be placed on your left ankle (to avoid your bike chain ring) and the BIB number is best placed on a race belt. That way you can have it behind you on the bike so officials can see you are part of the race (AND no annoying fluttering sounds) and on the run you can move the belt with the number to the front. This helps our announcer and photographer know who you are. If you are on a Relay Team the Chip Exchange is completed in Transition beside your bike rack. Swimmer passes off to cyclist and cyclist passes of to the runner.

Are wetsuits mandatory?

No, they are not. The water temperature is expected to be between 72 and 74 degrees and westuits are optional. If the water temperature were to exceed 78 degrees it would be a non-wetsuit swim. We are certain that the water temperature will not reach 78 degrees.

Will this be a wave or mass start for the swim?

The Half Iron Triathlon will be a mass start of approximately 300 athletes. The start area will be 50m wide and will gradually taper to a 10m swimming lane over the course of the first 400m. The Pro athletes and the Triple Race Challenge athletes will start 30 seconds ahead of the other age group athletes. We suggest that you seed yourself in the water based on your swimming ability. If you will be swimming faster than 1:30 per 100m line-up as close to the frount as you are able. If you are going to swim between 1:30 and 1:50 per 100m line-up in the middle group. If you are going to be slower than these other times we ask that you line-up near the back.

Where does the Half Iron Duathlon start?

The Half Iron Du will start on the fitness path approximately 10 metres north of the swim start.

How does Bike Course bottle exchange/aid station work?

There are two (2) Bottle Exchanges on the Welland bike course. They are at approximately 30km and 60km. Given that this is an out and back course they are physically in the same location. You will have a choice of picking up: a bottle with water, a bottle with HEED from Hammer Nutrition, a Hammer Gel and/or a banana. We recommend that you carry enough fluids and nutrition for your complete ride and NOT rely on the bottle exchange. The process for exchanging a bottle is as follows:

When you are in sight of the Bottle Exchange area please start to SLOW down. This will make it less likely that you will miss the hand-off of nutrition from the volunteer.
Make sure that you hold your line on the road and stay to the right. DO NOT PASS other athletes once you are within 25 metres of the first volunteer.
You CAN PASS IF you are not going to take anything from the Exchange Area please control your speed, maintain your line and please pass on the left as close to the centre line (without crossing the centre line, this is a disqualification).
Approximately 25 to 35 metres before the exchange area you will toss your empty bottle on the right hand side of the road (OFF the road)
Yell out to the volunteer what you are looking to receive (water, Infinit or gel/banana)
Take the new bottle and/or nutrition and ride back up to speed.

You will NOT get your original bottle back after the race

Where are the Run Course aid stations and what will be available for nutrition?

There will be 11 aid stations on the run course. The first will be located at the start of the run where you get on the fitness trail. All of the other Aid Stations are 2km apart starting at the 2km point (Merritt Island). Each Aid Station will have: