There will be free parking available at Xcel Leisure Complex for participants, volunteers and spectators. Please park along Waterside Drive upon arrival and move your car into the Leisure Centre car park once it opens (approx. 6:45am). Cars left on Waterside Drive narrow the senior bike course, which we are keen to avoid. 

• Xcel Leisure Complex
  Waterside Drive
  Walton, KT12 2JG
  Google Pin

We have streamlined the check-in process to limit queues. Upon arrival, please follow the one-way system with your bike and kit to registration. Junior athletes to be accompanied by one parent only.

• Registration Times: See START LIST tab
• Location: Google Pin | near side entry
  Xcel Leisure Complex, Walton KT12 2JG

ONE-WAY SYSTEM 

Please follow the yellow arrows from parking to registration and the transition zone. Once registered and set up in transition, proceed to spectator zone to await your start.

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

Come prepared and be done in a few seconds to help us avoid queues.

Step 1:

• A marshal will check you have completed the online check-in and body-marked yourself for the start (see BRIEFING tab for details). 

Step 2:

Electronic timing requires starter kit (includes timing bracelet)

• Own a starter kit purchased pre 2021: Swap it free of charge for a 2021+ edition at registration (incl. reusable race numbers). New Chip ID = Race Number will stay the same for all your future events
• Picking up pre-purchased kit: Pick up bracelet, swim hat and reusable race number at registration. Chip ID = Race Number will stay the same for all your future events
• No starter kit: pick up a single use race number at registration

Step 3:

Attach your race number to the front of your running top or your race belt.

Once registered, follow the one way system (see yellow arrows in registration map above) to wheel your bike to transition.

Marshals will check your helmet strap and handlebar end plugs before you are allowed to place your bike on your designated rack. You will find your racking number on the START LIST tab.

Please rack your bike by looping the saddle over the horizontal bar, one bike facing left, next right (5 bikes per rack) and store your kit to the left of your bike (when looking at the rack). Remember, no boxes allowed in transition. A small soft backed backpack is fine but keep your kit to a minimum as space is at a premium.  

Collecting bikes & kit post event:

To ensure bike security, participants will only be allowed to remove their bikes from the transition zone to go home once the last person has started the run course. We expect this to be no later than 8:30am.

HANDY TIPS

Organise

When setting up transition, only take the essentials in with you. This will help you get in and out of transition quicker with minimal fuss and stress!

Visualise

Transition can often be a busy and sometimes confusing place on event day. Make sure you know your swim exit, bike out & in and run out to help gain those precious seconds! Familiarise yourself with the one-way system and look out for something visual near your bike slot, making it easy to spot when you are running into transition. 

Prepare

Make sure your bike is set up in the right gear. You don’t want to be left struggling in the first few meters of the event.

While participants usually have access to dedicated changing facilities at the Xcel Centre from 6:30am onwards, this is not the case at the moment. Please come changed for the event, allowing you to take off no longer needed layers in the transition zone and help with social distancing and hygiene rules. Please only keep the gear you need for the cycle and run leg in the transition zone as space is limited. Store unnecessary kit in your car or near registration at you own risk.

Please proceed through the finish arch, keeping the finish area clear for other participants to run in. Make sure you tap out (see Timing & Results section) at the timing point.

There will be water available in the finish area. Please use it to refill your own bike bottle to limit any waste. 

To offer you and an even better in and post race experience, we have rolled out an electronic timing solution. Linked to an app, you will be able to track results, check the overall series leaderboard and see your progress and performance over the season and years to come. 

STARTER KIT

All events in the series remain free to enter. To get your finish and split times, you need to purchase a starter kit, a one-off contribution to our charity. All kits ordered on intotri.com can be picked up at registration on event day. Once you got the kit, which includes a chipped timing bracelet, you can enjoy all the benefits of the new timing system and user portal at intoTRI’s FREE Tri events for years to come.

Results will be posted in the results section on intotri.com/free-tri within 24h of the event. You can also create a racer profile on webscorer.com or download the webscorer app to track all your results (and those of registered friends) over time. 

Spectators are most welcome at intoTRI’s Free Tri Series. For safety and security reasons spectators can NOT enter the following areas:

• Swimming pool
• Transition zone (exception: bike drop off/pick and help for our youngest participants by one parent only, mind other competitors)
• Finish line

intoTRI’s FREE Tri Series is staged on open roads. Please be mindful of other road users and pedestrians/cyclists. Marshals are placed at strategic points to ensure your safety and keep the impact on other road users to a minimum. Please follow their directions at all times, they are there to make the event enjoyable and safe for all, not to prevent PBs.

Advise to Parents

We ask that excited parents do not accompany their children around the course as this could cause confusion and danger on the route. Parents of younger children are welcome to assist their children in the transition zone but please take care not to impede other athletes on their way in/out of transition. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and ensure you bring appropriate clothing for the weather with long / waterproof layers that can be taken off.

Getting Help

If you have any problems whilst out on the course, please stay where you are and tell the next competitor that you see. We will get out to you as soon as possible and bring both you and/or your bike back to the leisure centre. If you see a competitor in trouble please notify a marshal who will be in contact with the organiser via mobile phone.

Withdrawal

If you withdraw from the event at any time, please let the event director know as we may think that you are still out on the course and will go to search for you. Contact details: Michael Burkert

M: 07941389404, E: intotri.team@gmail.com

• Start Time: See START LIST tab for approx. time
• Distances: Junior Short = 100m, Junior Long = 200m

• Start Time: See START LIST tab for approx. time
• Distances: Senior Short and Long = 400m

AT HOME

Body-mark yourself for the swim at home! Please use a marker pen to:

• Write your transition slot on the inside of your right hand
• If you know your race number already (i.e. have picked up your 2021 starter kit at a previous event), please write it on the back of your left hand

BEFORE THE SWIM

• Athletes will be placed in starting waves according to their swim distance. 
• Please wait for your allocated wave start time in the start zone outside the pool rear entrance. Marshals will collect each wave and take you into the pool hall. 
• Once poolside, you will find a start funnel with signs showing 100m swim times. Please place yourself next to the sign that most closely resembles your estimated 100m swim time. 

SWIM PROCEDURE:

Marshals will call athletes forward, starting with the swimmers with the fastest estimated swim time. Starting in the water (strictly no diving), participants will be set off in 10 sec intervals (3 sec countdown), snaking through the pool for their allocated swim distance.

Starting on one side of the pool (or the middle, depending on the distance), participants swim up and down each double lane (keeping right), duck under the lane rope and up and down the next lane, duck under the rope and so forth, exiting the pool on the other side.

To overtake, tap the feet of the swimmer in front of you and proceed to overtake once you reach the end of the lane. If your feet are being tapped, proceed at your pace staying left and let the faster swimmer pass at the end of the lane.

SWIM RULES

• Start Time: Be in the start zone, ready to be called forward for your start at least 10 min before your allocated start time.
• Stroke: Front crawl or breaststroke. For safety reasons, backstroke and butterfly are not permitted.
• Kit: Goggles and nose clips may be worn. Swim aids, flippers, wetsuits or coverings of lower legs/arms not permitted. 
• Behaviour: Swimming in a dangerous manner or in a way that impedes others may lead to disqualification after one warning.
• Overcrowding: Seating is limited on poolside. Please enter the pool hall only once prompted by a marshal.

RELAY TEAMS

The hand over from swim to bike will be in the transition zone. Bike riders will need to wait to the left hand side of their racked bike. Once the timing chip has been handed over and fastened to the cyclist’s wrist, riders can put on their helmet, fasten the straps and un-rack their bike.

Junior Short: 2k (3x laps), Junior Long 2.6k (4x laps)

The course takes in laps of an out and back route on a private road between the Xcel Centre and Weir Hotel.Please stay LEFT at all times unless overtaking.

Distance - Senior Short: 10k

The course takes in 1x lap of an out and back route towards Hampton Court with a 180 degree turn around St Paul’s church in West Molesey. 

Distance - Senior Long: 20k

The course takes in 2x laps of an out and back route towards Hampton Court with a 180 degree turn around St Paul’s church in West Molesey. 

Note: There will be marshals at hand at key points along the course; however it is the child’s responsibility to know the route and number of laps to complete.

Note: While we have taken every care to mark the non-drafting course with large yellow signs, competitors are responsible for negotiating the route correctly, safely and within the rules of the road. Marshals along the course do NOT have the authority to stop traffic.

RULES

• Rules of the road apply at all times.
• Helmets must be worn and fastened at all times when in contact with your bike.
• It is the athlete's / parent's responsibility to ensure the road-worthiness of your / your children's bike.
• Mount and dismount at designated points and push bike out of/into transition to your allocated slot.

THE ROUTE: JUNIOR

The following highlights the key hazards along the junior bike route to be mindful of, it is NOT a full route description. Please check the interactive map below where these hazards are highlighted as 1-3: 

Note: The Bike course is NOT held on closed roads. While there tends to be no traffic at this time of day, we have had 1-2 cars before.

1. ROAD CROSSING, right turn onto course. Be mindful of vehicular traffic and senior athletes turning into transition.
2. Turning point at roundabout near Xcel, adjust speed. Be mindful of other participants starting their next loop.
3. 180 degree turn near Weir Hotel. Tight turn, adjust speed. Mind the potholes on way back (we have tried to mark them with yellow spray paint)

THE ROUTE: SENIOR

The following highlights the key hazards along the Senior bike route to be mindful of, it is NOT a full route description. Please check the interactive map below where these hazards are highlighted as 1-5:

1. Waterside Drive/Hurst Rd roundabout. Beware of Long Course competitors turning 180 degrees around the roundabout (3rd exit) to start their 2nd loop. 1st exit on 1st lap, 2nd exit on final lap back to Xcel.
2. After 1.5km you are passing Apps Court Farm. Please be mindful of cars turning into Apps Court Farm to attend their Sunday morning car boot sale.
3. Continue straight on at the roundabouts at 3.8km (Tesco) and 4.2km (Hurst Pool). Beware of cars turning into/out of the petrol station and rough surface before the Tesco roundabout.
4. After 4.8km, RIGHT TURN into Church Road and 180 degree turn around St Paul’s church. Beware of other road users and pedestrians attending the 8:30am service. There will be signs and marshals to guide you.
5. Right turn into transition. Dismount at the line before entering the transition zone. Be mindful of vehicular traffic and junior participants approaching the transition zone from the other side.

RELAY TEAMS

After completing the bike leg, the bike needs to be racked first before the timing chip can be handed over to the runner waiting to the left of the bike slot.

COURSE MAP (interactive)

Press play button to start

Distances: Junior Short = 1.6k (2x loops), Junior Long = 2.4k (3 loops)

The run takes in laps along the upper and lower towpath between on the riverbank behind the Xcel Leisure Complex and Walton Rowing Club.

Distances: Senior Short = 2.5k (1 lap), Senior Long = 5k (2 laps)

The run takes in 2.5k loops between Sunbury Lock and Walton Rowing Club.

Note: There will be marshals at hand at key points along the course; however it is the child’s responsibility to know the route and number of laps to complete.

Note: While we have taken every care to mark the course with pink signs, competitors are responsible for negotiating the route correctly, safely and within the rules of the road. Marshals along the course do NOT have the authority to stop traffic.

RULES

• Rules of the road apply at all times. Instructions received from police/marshals must be followed.
• Running vests/tops must be worn at all times.
• The correct number of laps must be completed in order for the results to count
• Parents, please don't pace your children around the course as this can be disruptive. Provide encouragement from the sidelines instead. 

JUNIOR COURSE

The following highlights the sections along the run route to be mindful of, it is NOT a full route description. Please check the interactive map below where these are highlighted as 1-4:

1. Road crossing, right turn onto sidewalk. Be mindful of vehicular traffic and senior athletes turning into transition on their bike.
2. Merge point : Run out / subsequent loops. Stay left.
3. 180 degree turn at Walton Rowing Club onto lower towpath. Mind club members parking near turning point or carrying boats across run route.
4. Split Point: Left to finish, right for subsequent loops. 

SENIOR COURSE

The following highlights the sections along the run route to be mindful of, it is NOT a full route description. Please check the interactive map below where these are highlighted as 1-7:

1. ROAD CROSSING, right turn onto sidewalk. Be mindful of vehicular traffic and senior athletes turning into transition on their bike.
2. Merge point: Run out / subsequent loops (senior long only). Keep left.
3. 180 degree turn at Walton Rowing Club onto lower towpath. Mind club members parking near turning point or carrying boats across run route.
4. Merge point, mind athletes on way back from 2nd turning point at Sunbury Lock.
5. MIND TRAFFIC at Weir Hotel. Stay left and proceed through gate towards 180 degree turn near Sunbury Lock.
6. Keep left 50m after 2nd turning point. BEWARE OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC from Weir Hotel
7. Split point: left into finish, right for subsequent loop (long course only)

RELAY TEAMS

The hand over from run 1 to bike will be in the transition zone. Bike riders will need to wait to the left hand side of their racked bike. Once the timing bracelet (if applicable) has been handed over, riders can put on their helmet, fasten the straps and un-rack their bike. 

COURSE MAP (interactive)

Press play button to start

CHECKLISTS

Bike out

• Is your bike number clearly visible on your back?
• Have you put on your helmet before unracking your bike?
• Are you following the one-way system?
• Are you pushing your bike to the mount line?

Bike in

• Are you pushing your bike from dismount line into transition?
• Are you following the one-way system into transition?
• Have you racked your bike before taking off your helmet?
• Have you racked your bike where you picked it up from?

Run out:

• Is your run number clearly visible on your front?
• Are you following the one-way system? 

Please proceed through the finish arch, keeping the finish area clear for other participants to run in. Make sure you tap out (see Timing & Results section) at the timing point. To help with social distancing, please proceed to the start area nearby, which is big enough to allow you to recover from your race and cheer on family and friends on the final meters to the finish line.

There will be water available in the finish area. Please use it to refill your own bike bottle to limit any waste. 

intoTRI's FREE Tri Series in Walton uses an NFC based electronic timing system. Unlike fully automatic timing points that you see at major events, intoTRI's system is semi-automatic, requiring athletes to touch-in.

Athletes who purchased a starter kit will be wearing an NFC bracelet. When you get to a timing point (swim finish, start and end of bike, start of run and finish), hold the face of your timing bracelet DIRECTLY onto the circular pink sticker displayed on the timing point for approximately 1sec until you see a pop-up with your chip number on the display and hear a beep.

• Every effort will be made to clearly mark and marshal both the cycle and run routes, but we must emphasize that it is the responsibility of the competitor to negotiate both routes correctly and safely.
• All competitors must adhere to the Rules of the Road.
• No MP3 players, iPods, personal stereos or mobile phones are allowed to be used during the event.
• Use of any photographic and video equipment, including mobile phone cameras is prohibited without express permission of the Venue Manager or Event Director.

NOTE: If multiple athletes are linked to your booking, this form needs to be filled in and submitted by each athlete (or parent on their behalf if under 18y).