Wolfman Triathlon

The Wolfman Triathlon is a point-to-point race. Because of the logistics involved, your cooperation will be needed to make the race successful.

NO PERSONAL LISTENING DEVICES ALLOWED E.G. IPODS, MP3 PLAYERS

CHECK IN/PRE-REGISTRATION:

Gardner Dam Scout Camp, Friday September 8th, 2023 5-9PM. Located on Hwy 55, 4.5 miles south of Hwy 64. PHOTO ID REQUIRED! Racers will only be allowed to pick up their race packet. NO EXCEPTIONS!! Race packets given out Friday night until 9:00pm, NO LATE pick up allowed. 

STAGING AREAS:  Racers may drop off equipment as early as 6:00 A.M.  All equipment must be clearly marked with the racer’s bib number.  No parking allowed in the staging areas so when dropping off and picking up race materials and equipment please do so in quick and orderly fashion.  Give yourself 1 hour to distribute your gear to each segment of the race.

SHUTTLE TO START AREA:  Shuttle service will be provided for racers to the start area.  Starting at 6:30 A.M. a shuttle will run from the FINISH to the START with the last run at 9:45 A.M.  It is OK to have someone who is with you shuttle you back to the start.  Note:  There is no shuttle back to the start from the finish line after the race…plan accordingly to have a ride back to the start after your race!

STARTING TIMES:  Start times will be given to racers when they check-in on Friday night. The race will have starts at 30-second intervals.  A start list will be posted Friday at the Outfitter Building at the Scout Camp for boat inspections and also at the registration building. You will need to find your start time and your bib number on that list. Start times may change slightly from the notification you received prior to the event. You must be at the start 30 minutes prior to your start time!  If you are not lined up and miss your start time you will be disqualified!

BIBS/TIMING CHIPS:  All racers will have bibs with a timing chip imbedded within.  Attach the bib to the front of your jersey or shirt. The chip reader may not pick up your split or finish time if it is attached anywhere else. At the kayak/bike exchange you will need to have your PFD (Personal flotation device) off before going under the timing arch to record transition.  Volunteers will be on hand to direct racers through timing arch at each exchange.  All racers must go through timing arch in order to have your time recorded!  Relay team members must wait in the transition areas for the other member to finish.  Please do not stand by the timing arch!

SPECTATOR AREAS:  Spectators may view the paddling segment of the course at Langlade Motel (river side lawn area) located at the Hwy 64/55 intersection.  Spectators are not allowed to view the race from the Hwy 64 Bridge.  Spectators, please approach the course with caution, be prepared to yield to racers and race volunteers.

SAFETY/FIRST-AID:  Aid stations are located at the 2 transition areas and at the finish line.  The Wisconsin Bike Patrol will be available on the bike and run trail while the Wolf River Volunteer Fire Dept. will be at the finish area to assist those in need. Please thank these hard working and dedicated volunteers from both organizations for their professional service. Also, at this time of the year bee and hornets are most active and aggressive.  If you are allergic to bee stings you should carry an EpiPen throughout the race.  

CUT OFF TIME:  As a courtesy to the many volunteers, racers failing to make the BOAT/BIKE exchange by 12 Noon or the BIKE/RUN exchange by 1:30 P.M. will be disqualified.

VOLUNTEERS:  Please, whenever you have a chance during the race, thank the volunteers at aid stations and at other points along the course.  Without the help of these volunteers the race cannot take place.  As courtesy to volunteers please pick up your gear/equipment shortly after you finish. They are not required to stay until all equipment is picked up. 

START AREA/BOAT GEAR

Drive 2 miles North of Langlade on Hwy 55 to the DNR landing (Irrigation Ditch) and leave your canoe or kayak and related paddling gear in the staging area near the start. The staging area for the race start is located at the state owned gravel parking lot, approximately 2 miles north of Langlade on the west side of Hwy 55.  You can park your vehicle on the West side along the ditch line of Hwy 55.  The start location for the river is at the dock on river left approximately 50 yards downstream of the put-in, which is located at the bottom of a wood chip trail leading from the parking lot to the river. The start for the Dryathlon is the gravel drive (entrance to the potato field) just south of the DNR Landing.

•  The Dryathlon run is a mass start which begins promptly at 8am.

•  We ask that racers line up with 10-15 boats in the water, waiting for their start time, with the next 20 boats waiting in order on the trail leading to the launch site. Failure to make your designated start time will result in disqualification. There will be no exceptions.

•  It is highly recommended that if you are new to whitewater paddling and/or you currently don’t own equipment suitable for use in white water rapids that you rent or purchase a sit on top kayak. The upstart to this is that you will have an easier time getting back on the boat when a mishap occurs and will more than likely have a faster spit time for the river segment.

•  Whitewater kayaks, canoes, and inflatable (rafts or kayaks) are acceptable. Touring/Sea kayaks are allowed, but the river can be rocky and shallow.  Some inexpensive recreational kayaks are NOT fit for this river and aluminum canoes are NOT allowed!!  A tandem kayak must have two separate cockpits, one large cockpit is NOT allowed. River Forest Campground has boat rentals. They are located a couple of miles South of Gardner Damn Road. Also Rick Klade (boat clinic instructor) has boats. CONTACT HIM DIRECTLY AT: 608-697-9528.

•  If paddling an open cockpit kayak, a spray skirt is also required.  Spray skirts are to be a neoprene whitewater design, NOT a nylon fabric flat-water design.  Cockpit size cannot exceed the outer dimensions of 38” x 22” as you will NOT find a neoprene skirt to fit otherwise. 

•  Each competitor must wear an ICF, or Coast Guard approved type III personal floatation device, which is properly fitted and secured, e.g., no horse-collar life jackets.  Helmets are required throughout the river portion of the event.  No exceptions will be made!

•  Kayaks and canoes MUST be outfitted with properly secured flotation (float bags) to displace at least 30 % of volume of the craft.  The floatation must be secured/ lashed into the kayak or canoe so water will not displace or dislodge the floatation. Only proper floatation will be allowed, see picture/link below for proper floatation.  Pool noodles, inner tubes, bubble wrap or anything else that is not an approved float bag is NOT acceptable! 

•  Please click on the following link for examples of proper floatation as well as ordering any needed floatation. 

•  If you have questions on whether your boat fits the proper specifications, please email a photo of boat with make/model information for approval.   Boat inspections are now part of registration so be sure to bring it.  If your boat isn’t present at registration or doesn’t meet the specified criteria above, YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!!!!  

•  Safety boaters are in place at various points on the river but ultimately each racer is responsible for their own safety. If, however you see another racer in trouble on the river and that racer requests help please assist to the best of your ability.

•  The takeout and boat-bike transition area is located on river right, downstream from the Hwy 64 bridge. Volunteers will direct racers onto the landing after which the racer(s) must exit the boat and drag/carry it across a line painted in the grass before completing the paddling leg of the race. At that point volunteers will move the boat to a storage area in the grass near the landing. 

•  Dryathlon runners will run along a mowed path and ultimately cross the Hwy 64 bridge and down the ditch line by the boat takeout.  Once there, you will complete the race like the other triathlon racers.

BIKE GEAR and BIKE EXCHANGE

The bike staging area is located in the grassy area along the path between the take-out for the river portion/Dryathlon route of the race and the parking lot at the DNR Ranger Station at Langlade.  Place your mountain bike on one of the bike racks and any other shoes, clothing etc. you will need for the off-road bike segment at the DNR landing in Langlade (Hwy 64 & 55).

•  Helmets are mandatory throughout the bike portion of the race and E-Bikes (Electric) are NOT allowed.  The course will exit the ranger station parking lot, turn east on Hwy 64, cross Hwy 55 and enter the Chequamegon National Forest two track trail system approximately 2 miles east of Langlade.  The course is marked with signs, colored flagging tape and yellow caution tape.  The course is not continuously marked but each intersection and turns are marked as clearly as forest road traffic will allow.  Simply follow the color flagging tape and pay attention to the yellow caution tape.  While volunteers will be located at intersections with paved roads and at key points along trails, and hazards have been marked with signs and multiple strips of caution and flagging tape, it is still up to each racer to ride in control and respect other racers on the course.

•  The bike course increases in difficulty and technically challenging further into the course as you enter the Nicolet Roche Trail System. Some of the sections are very rocky with tight offset corners that require advance bike handling skill. If you decide to dismount and push your bike, please be aware that there may be other riders behind you, so yield to these riders. Please walk off the main trail so other riders can pass.

•  When over taking, please be respectful in informing the racer ahead of your intentions, and please pass only in areas where it is safe to do so.  If you are being overtaken, please choose a spot where adequate space and a safe surface will allow you to pull over or ride along the trail for a short distance, allowing overtaking rider(s) to pass.  

• The bike course exits the Chequamegon National Forest onto Alft Road and continues on to Markton Road until reaching Hwy 55.  You will follow the mowed ditch line until across the road from the Gardner Dam Scout Camp.  Once there, you will cross Hwy 55 and follow Gardner Dam Rd to the Shooting Range.  

•  The bike leg is completed when rider passes through a flagged and taped chute at the entry to the transition area in the Gardner Dam Scout Camp Shooting Range.  Enter the chute under control and prepare to stop at the end of the chute.  A volunteer will take your bike to the nearby storage area----THANK THEM.

•  Above all, be cautious and pay attention while riding.  We ask while riding the single-track portions of the course each racer “read the trail ahead” in order to avoid sudden braking situations which place the rider at risk and damage the trail surface.

•  If you see another racer whose safety is at risk, please help to the best of your ability or report to a volunteer. 

RUNNING GEAR/EXCHANGE

The running gear drop is located at the Gardner Dam Scout Camp Shooting Range.  Drive 4.5 miles south of Langlade on Hwy 55 to Gardner Dam Road and park in designated drop parking area.  Follow the path to the Shooting Range and place your personal gear in designated area at the Camp Range.  Past racers have used balloons, colored bags, etc. to make spotting gear easier and making the transition smoother. 

•  The running trail begins at the south end of the range beyond the bike-run transition.  You will pass through a timing “arch” and run on a path towards the river.  

•  The run course will cross the Wolf River in a water crossing scenario.  The entry and exit points of the course are marked with flagging tape.  Be cautious when crossing the river channel.  The riverbed is covered with rocks, which are slippery and may role underfoot. 

• Just after the shower house and last campsite, the running trail will follow along the upper ridge trails to the top of the Wolf River’s Hansen’s Rapids.  The trail will loop back along the scenic river and back to the Scout Camp.  Runners will cross a suspension bridge to the finish line. The finish line will be about 100 yards (+/-) beyond the suspension bridge crossing.

•  The trail surface is very rugged in many areas.  Be careful and respectful of others.

•  While it is necessary to concentrate on the trail surface to avoid stumbling it is also necessary to be aware of your surroundings.  While most of the trail is readily discernible, be aware of the flagged route and follow it. 

•  The race is completed when you enter the finish chute.  Do not sprint all the way through the finish chute.  

•  If at any point of the race, you find yourself unable to complete the race please notify a race volunteer or official and provide your name and number to them to help keep track of all race participants.

FINISH LINE AREA and AWARDS FESTIVAL 

The finish area and awards will be at the Gardner Dam Scout Camp 4.5 miles south of Langlade on Hwy 55.

Note:  There is no shuttle back to the start from the finish area after the race…plan accordingly to have a ride back to the start after your race!

AWARDS / PICNIC:  Located at the Gardener Dam Scout Camp located 4.5 miles South of Langlade on Hwy 55.  Food will start around 1:00 P.M. and awards around 3:00 P.M.

WRISTBANDS FOR FOOD:  Included in your registration and are needed to be on wrist for meal. You will be allowed to go through line 1 time until all racers/volunteers are fed.  If there is food after all racers/volunteers have been through feel free to have seconds!  Wristbands for family, friends etc. can be purchased at registration Friday night. Some wrist bands may be available on Saturday.

PLEASE PICK UP ALL GEAR ASAP VOLUNTEERS WILL STAY AROUND UNTIL 2:30PM!  VOLUNTEERS AND WOLFMAN TRIATHLON INC. ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOSS OR STOLEN ITEMS!

Lost/Found items can be claimed at the Gardener Dam Scout Camp. We will not mail out any items left, you will need to make arrangements to have picked up.

COMPLYING WITH CIVIL RIGHTS REQUIREMENTS UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE  “In accordance with the Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color national origin, sex, age or disability. 

(Not all prohibited buses apply to all programs). To file a complaint of discrimination: write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.” 

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