2020 Mitigation Strategies
On Sunday, September 27th, 2020, TCR Event Management is planning to produce the Back Bay Triathlon, a swim/bike/run endurance event, at the Public Landing Facility. The following are mitigation strategies that will be put in place to reduce the potential for the spread of COVID-19. We will be limiting this event to 100 persons.
PRE-EVENT
The registration for the event is completely online. There will be NO day of, registration, as this is traditionally a gathering spot for runners, as they queue in line to fill out forms. All communication with the athletes is done via email.
Traditionally athletes will show up on race morning to obtain their “race packet”. This packet contains their timing chip, race bib, and any other race premium. These packets will be pre-packaged by staff members wearing gloves and masks, prior to disbursement. For 2020, we will be offering a single packet pickup style. Each bag will be affixed to the bike rack (2 per rack). Athletes will show up on race morning and have ONE way to enter the transition area. At this point, we will check their ID, look at their questionnaire, and take their temperature (all discussed later in this document). Volunteers performing these actions will wear masks and gloves, and disposable masks will be available for athletes to wear upon approach, should they not already have a mask.
Email communication will be sent to each runner, on a weekly basis, beginning August 15, with the following CDC recommendations:
· Don’t show up if you are feeling ill or have flu-like symptoms.
· Don't share fluids. Carry your own fluids to avoid contact with others on course.
· Don't share towels, food, gels, or any other item that runners normally share freely.
· Do wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after using the port-a-john.
· Do not spit or “nose rocket” your nose in public – bring along tissues or a small towel or a good old-fashioned hanky if you need to get rid of some snot during the race.
· Do practice social distancing - ensure appropriate spacing between runners; the current recommendation is at least six feet of separation.
· Do avoid close-group selfies.
A questionnaire will be sent out to each athlete, on race week, and all athletes MUST complete the form. This form will be a slight variation on the CDC Questionnaire for Facilities, found at https://www.cdc.gov/screening/.
VOLUNTEERS/SPECTATORS
Per the Maryland Secretary of Health, there are currently no spectators or general public allowed at events. If someone needs to attend the event, please have them VOLUNTEER AS A PART OF THE CHEER SQUAD.
ANYONE WHO IS NOT RACING NEEDS TO REGISTER TO VOLUNTEER, SO THAT WE HAVE AN ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF WHO IS ON THE GROUNDS!!!!
EVENT DAY
All Staff members and Volunteers will be given a sealed bag with multiple pairs of nitrile gloves, in addition to both cloth face masks AND disposable paper masks. Staff and volunteers will be REQUIRED, at ALL TIMES, to wear all PPE as issued.
Packets will be affixed to the bike racks already, and athletes will have to go through a screening process in order to enter the transition area (described above, in pre-event, for packet pickup).
Traditional portable toilet ratios for events is 1 toilet for 75 athletes. We will be cutting this number in half, and providing a 1 to 25 ratio of portable toilets. We will also provide hand sanitizing stations at the entrance to the portable toilets, to reduce the amount of contamination both entering and exiting.
Hands free hand sanitizers will be available at the Public Landing facility at every aide station on course. Athletes will also receive a personal bottle of hand sanitizer for their use at the event. We have made arrangements to purchase the hand sanitizer from Lyon Distilling, based out of St Michaels.
All athletes will be required to wear a face mask on the day of the event. Athletes will wear the face mask at all times, from arrival at the site, and up to the starting line of the event. While competing, athletes may remove their face mask. At the conclusion of the event, face masks will be required. Face masks are a part of the packet that each athlete will receive.
Temperature checks will be done on each athlete. Each athlete will be checked off on a form and will not be allowed to compete, should their temperature be above the CDC standard of 100.4 degrees. Temperatures will be taken with touch-free thermometers.
To reduce the need for groups of volunteers at water stations along the course, the aide stations will be reduced to bottled water, bottled Gatorade, and sealed packages with energy bars (commercially bought). The aide stations will have 1 to 2 persons at them, to make sure that they are properly stocked, but those persons will have no direct interaction with the athletes. This is dis-similar to traditional events, where athletes are given cups of water and snacks by volunteers. The volunteers at these stations will be required to wear gloves and a mask. If interaction is had with an athlete, the volunteer will change out their gloves (they will be given a bag with multiple pairs of gloves).
At the conclusion of the event, athletes will be provided with a bag lunch and will be encouraged to social distance on the Public Landing grounds, or to leave the facility.
There will be no “in person” awards ceremony conducted on race day. Athletes will be able to check their results electronically (we have an App on Google and Apple) and their awards will be personalized and mailed to them, after the event. This will reduce crowding after the event.
CHANGES TO COURSE FLOW
Triathlons are a unique event, with there being 3 mini events in each.
Staging – Traditionally, 8 bikes are “squeezed” on to a 10 foot bike rack, with approximately 1.5 feet of space between each athlete. To promote social distancing, each 10 foot bike rack will have TWO bicycles on the rack. This will encourage athletes to distance themselves, and will spread out the “transition area” of the event, giving ample room for distancing.
Swim - Social distancing will be encouraged by having WAVE starts, where only 10 persons being allowed to start in the water at a time. Athletes will self-seed as they enter the water in a group of 10. Those athletes will all begin at the same time, and then another group of athletes will enter the water, to prepare for their start. By doing groups of 10, we are able to keep the gathering size to a minimum.
Bike – No changes as there are drafting rules in effect for triathlon, with 5 bike lengths (approximately 15 feet) as the traditional ruling.
Run – There MAY BE a slight change to the run course, due to construction on the course. Due to this being the third event, typically athletes are spread out already. We will encourage athletes to distance themselves from each other.
Additionally, the single aide station on the run will only have 1-2 volunteers (who will be required to wear gloves and masks). These volunteers are there to restock the aide station, but should have no direct interaction with the athletes. If an athlete needs a bottle of water or a Gatorade, small bottles (8 oz) will be available for them to grab. These bottles will be spaced out on tables, for the athlete to self serve.
Finish – Disposable masks will be available at the finish line, should the athlete not have theirs with them. Masks will be encouraged for all athletes and spectators. Athletes will be given a pre-packaged meal with a sealed bottle of water/Gatorade. All finisher items will be sealed and will be self-serve.
There will be no formal awards ceremony. Athletes will be able to see their time, electronically, through the TCR Event Management app, and no paper copies of awards will be printed. Awards will be mailed to the winners of the event.
If there are any comments or questions, please feel free to reach out to us at info@tcreventmanagement.com or use the CONTACT US button on the race site, www.BackBayTriathlon.com
Click the icon below to download the attached PDF.
