Greetings racers, as of 5:30am this morning Lake Clementine has been inundated with debris due to massive snowmelt and high water flow. The debris is backed up some 70 yards from the dam and the water temp has dropped 8 degrees from earlier this week to 49 F. We will NOT be able to swim in the lake race morning and there may not be a swim at this event.
We are investigating other options this morning and will announce which of these two we will choose:
Stage swim at Folsom Lake, different first 6 miles of bike, same rest of bike and run
No swim - brief run followed by 56 mile bike and 13 mile run from Overlook
We will make a finall decision later today and post on web site and at Registration. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
As a less than speedy swimmer, this would normally make me reasonably happy, but without having MY bike AND finding that the button that shifts the big ring on my borrowed Javelin w/looooooow end Campy components broke during transport…now LC and I are scrambling to find a solution…I can’t help but wonder what else can happen.
Make it a race where my bike strength will be key…then take my bike away! Damn, that’s just not right!
I mentioned this in an earlier thread, but you may want to call the guys at Total Tri Sports in Sacramento. They’re not too far from LC’s place, and they’re pretty good and knowledgable guys. I think they’re even F.I.S.T. certified. www.totaltri.com
Thanks for the info. We are going to be running around today for sure.
Do you know if they rent bikes at that shop? Am seriously considering going that route rather than spending money to jerryrig a low end bike that isn’t even mine.
This just keeps getting better, don’t it?
I know they rent wetsuits. I’ve never rented from them, so I can’t verify. However, I think this falls into the ‘answering the call to help’ category, and I have heard that they’ve done special things to help athletes in need. They’re mostly a Felt dealer, so this may be an upgrade for you from the Legoland Javelin you’ve got right now.
If they choose option 1 to have the swim in Folsom then it is most likely Rattlesnake bar. It would be incredible if he were able to pull off a last minute permit for that! You’ll still have cold water and a climb right off the swim for maybe 3/4 of a mile then flat rolling for a bit and then a climb up to Auburn.
As I am having shoulder problems and my swim is going to be pathetic, I think it sounds good. Although I was really looking forward to the first 5 miles of the bike.
If it is in Folsom, how are we going to get onto the bike course from there? It is more than 6mi from Folsom up to near the bike course IIRC.
Either way, it is going to be fun and a good race. If they can get rid of the debris, I would be happy to swim. It is/was going to be darn cold anyways.
Greetings athletes, we are cancelling the swim due to massive debris accumulation at the Clementine Dam and a water temp that has dropped to 48 degrees. The dam is actually breached (leaking) so their are worries of a potential major flood. We will be staying away from the water this year with no safe alternative downstream or anywhere else. I apologize for the late notice as this situation came out in the last 24 hours.
Instead we stage a Run-Bike-Run event at the Auburn Overlook as follows:
7:30am - 3k run with a mass start
56-mile bike ride retracing the final 3 miles of the bike course and then joining the original course at Lincoln Way and Foresthill Rd, returning to Auburn on the existing course.
13.1-mile run on the existing course
This is an act of nature so there will be no refunds except for relay teams who do not wish to participate without the swim. We hope that you can enjoy this challenging event tomorrow in Auburn!
Boy, really the pits, but based on what I have seen, not surprised.
It has been raining the last 2 days straight at my house in auburn, and with the heat coming, everyone is getting concerned about floods if the snow melts too fast. Last year is was the rain and cold, and now this. Where are those “men” that said swimming is 48 degree water was fine? :o) You can also climb over and swim through the logs. Not a very safe place to be now.
Wish he would change the swim to Folsom. I did the ice breaker there a month ago and the water was not too bad for temp. I think Brad would get a lot more folks if he moved the swim in the future. No log issues in folsom.
Just talked to a friend at work who has done this race the last two years. When I commented on conditions, he said since the race started right near the dam, if water was going over the top it would be real unsafe. He says its a decent drop to the bottom. He had not seen logs the last two years so the water must be running real high to pull the logs off the shore line. I know two folks that are doing the race. I assume they will be very unhappy to not have the choice to get their money back. He agreed that having the swim at Folsom would make the race much more attractive.
