The St. Marks Duathlon

RACE OVERVIEW

The St. Marks Duathlon will be held on March 3, 2024.  We hope you can come out and enjoy this fun, yet competitive, event. Proceeds from the event go to support the Gulf Winds Triathletes.  

The race consists of a 5K (3.1 miles) run, 20K (12.4 miles) bike, and 2.5K (1.6 miles) run in that order. Course maps are linked below: 

Run #1 Route     Bike Route      Run #2 Route

PACKET PICKUP/ATHLETE CHECK IN

There will be no packet pickup offered prior to race morning. Athlete check-in will begin at approximately 6:30am on race morning. Arrive early for best parking. Parking will be along the edge of transition. Volunteers will be there to direct you for parking starting at 6:15am. Athletes will need to present their ID to check in and will receive their bib # assignment. Transition racks will be assigned based on bib number, and athletes will be able to locate their packet/race materials and t-shirt at their assigned transition spot. You must check in before you will be permitted to enter the transition area. Transition will close at 7:45am and racers should be at the race start no later than 7:50. The Duathlon will be a single wave start at 8:00 AM at the south end of Mock Street just west of transition.

Athletes who register after February 1, 2024 are not guaranteed a t-shirt. While we will attempt to order extras for later registrants, you may not be guaranteed your desired size. 

PRE RACE CLINICS - INTRODUCTION TO DUATHLON

If you have never competed in a multisport event before, are undecided about whether to participate, or just want to enhance your preparedness for the St. Marks Duathlon, join us for one of our Duathlon 101 clinics! A team of Tallahassee-based endurance coaches will guide you through what to expect on race day, course rules and safety, how to set up and perform transitions, and tips for training for a duathlon. These info sessions will be held on Sunday, January 28th and Sunday, February 18th at 3pm in the parking lot behind Southwood Town Center (intersection of Merchants Row Blvd and Ivy Green Trail). These clinics are free and the same information will be presented at both, so attend whichever date is most convenient for you! Participants are encouraged to bring basic equipment they will need for the duathlon race to practice race transitions (bike, running shoes, helmet, etc.) if desired. If you plan to attend a clinic, please register and complete the participation waiver, so we may plan for the participants attending and contact you in the event of any last-minute changes or updates to the clinics. 

FAT TIRE DIVISION

There is no Fat Tire category in USAT racing, however, the St. Marks Duathlon has elected to have such a division in an effort to allow individuals who don’t own a road or triathlon style bike the ability to compete with other athletes racing on similar equipment. The decision as to what is considered a “Fat Tire” bike is up to the race director. Our race committee has the following criteria as what will constitute a Fat Tire bike for the race and therefore will be eligible for awards in this category:
· Tires – Knobby or heavily grooved tires with a width of 1.5 inches or greater. Bikes with slick surface tires are not eligible for the fat tire division.
· Handlebars – Clip-on aero bars are allowed. Handlebars and stem must be fashioned to prevent danger and all handlebar ends must be plugged.
· Brakes – Consistent with USAT rules, there must be one working brake on each of the two wheels.
· Gravel bikes are acceptable as long as they have knobby or heavily grooved tires.
All other USAT rules will apply. The Race Director will make the final determination. If you have any questions, please email the Race Director at [email protected].

COURSE MARKINGS/AID STATIONS

The course will be marked with arrows and signage, and volunteers will provide guidance to athletes on the course. However, athletes are responsible for reviewing course maps prior to race day and having knowledge of the race course. There will be one aid station on the run course(s), located approximately at the 2 mile mark on the 5k course and before the first mile on the 2.5k run course. There will be no aid stations on the bike course. Athletes are responsible for bringing their own fluids and nutrition as needed for the race, and no littering is allowed on-course. Please be respectful to the City of St. Marks for allowing us to host this race. 

REST ROOMS

There will be 4 porta-potties on site located near the transition/parking area. There will be no porta-potties located elsewhere on the course.   

BODY MARKING

We will have body marking available at the race; however, we recommend pre-marking yourself to speed up the race morning process. Please write your Bib Number on both arms so that it is visible.  Please mark your age (as of 12/31/24) on the back of your left calf. 

RACE

We will have volunteers on both the run courses and the bike courses.  We plan to pre-mark the course with spray chalk, however, in the event of rain the markings could wash away.  Please review the course maps above.  It is your responsibility to know the race course.

On the bike course please remember that the course is OPEN to traffic.  You are required to adhere to all traffic laws and are responsible for riding in a safe manner that does not endanger yourself, other riders, or motorists. Our number one goal on the bike is getting everyone out and back safely.  There will be law enforcement at the major intersections and at the turnaround, as well as volunteer support to help direct traffic. We also hope to have two motorcycles on the course to monitor for safety.  These motorcycles are not officials; they will be looking for unsafe conduct. 

You will have a race bib for timing purposes. You must wear your bib on your front entering transition and finishing the race. If volunteer timers cannot see your bib, your race or splits may not be timed correctly. 

At the finish line, volunteers will need to retrieve your bib number for timing purposes.  Please listen for their instructions and cooperate with the volunteers.

BIKE/GEAR REMOVAL

Once you have completed the race, athletes will be permitted to enter transition to retrieve your bike and gear.  You will exit through the designated exit point monitored by a volunteer.  Please cooperate with the volunteer as they are doing their best to make sure that your bike goes home with you and not someone else.  

CUT-OFFS

The event cut-off to receive an official finish time is 2 hours.
Cutoff times are enforced not to hinder athletes from participating, but to ensure safety of all athletes on the course. This cutoff, for example, would allow an athlete to take 45 minutes to complete the 5K (roughly 15:00/mile), an hour to bike 20K (12.4 mph) and 15 minutes to run 2K.  

POST RACE & AWARDS

Post-race food and beverages will be available for athletes and volunteers at the conclusion of the race. Awards will be presented to Overall, Masters, Grand Masters, and Age Group podium finishers. The award ceremony is expected to begin at 10:00 am. 

REFUNDS/REGISTRATION CHARGES

As a USAT sanctioned event, the St. Marks Duathlon has a NO REFUND policy.  There is a $15 fee for ANY changes to your registration.

RIGHT TO CANCEL OR RESCHEDULE

The St. Marks Duathlon reserves the right in the event of inclement weather, emergency, or natural disaster to cancel the race or postpone to a later time that day. Additionally, the St. Marks Duathlon reserves the right to cancel this event due a local, state and/or federal declaration of emergency.