10K Newsletter #2 2009

Horsetooth 10K Swim Letter #2 2009

July 16, 2009

Dear 10K Entrant,

ACTION ITEMS:

Please Reply now and provide a brief Swim Bio described below. DUE DATE: August 1.
If you are registered with USMS, have a copy of your card to give at check-in at the Mandatory Pre-Race Dinner. YOU MUST TURN IN A COPY OR YOU WILL BE CHARGED A ONE-DAY FEE!

SWIM BIO:
Your swim bio will be printed in the program for the Orientation Dinner and Meeting on Saturday, August 15. If we do not receive your information, your accomplishments will not be noted in the program!! Please include Name, Home Town, Events. DUE DATE: August 1. (Note: Designate past Horsetooth 10K Swims with “HS 10K” and dates).

Example 1: Phreddie Phish, Ocean City, CA – HS 10K 2000-2008, Waikiki Open Water 2002, English Channel 2003, 7 Escapes from Alcatraz, 3 Ironman triathlons

Example 2: Nelly Newbie, Phlat Land, KS – age group swimmer 20 years ago

REGISTRATION NUMBERS
As of July 16, we have 59 registrants, and we know of a few procrastinators who will surely sign up by the deadline of August 7. All 25 race-provided paddler/craft have been assigned.

SWIMMERS PROVIDING YOUR OWN PADDLERS/CRAFT: THANK YOU!

Please be aware that the 25 paddlers/craft that the Race Committee can supply are all spoken for. Thus, we will not be able to honor requests to provide paddlers/craft.

SHUTTLE SERVICE:
Service from Denver International Airport to Fort Collins is provided hourly by SuperShuttle (www.supershuttle.com ) 970-482-0505. This shuttle will take you to the Hilton Hotel, the hotel nearest the various event venues. If you stay there and request help by August 1, we will arrange for one of our friendly volunteers to get you around town to the pre-race dinner, to the bus for transport to the race start, etc.

MANDATORY PRE-RACE DINNER AND ORIENTATION:
Location: First Presbyterian Church, 531 South College. [NOTE: this is NOT the 2008 location]. Check-in starts at 5:00 p.m., with dinner at 6:00, and orientation at 6:30. You MUST give us a copy of your USMS Registration card or pay the one-day event fee. You will be asked to sign the required waiver forms (I know, I know – you already did this, but we need the hard copy signed in our presence.) You will get your goodie bag and have dinner with your paddler (and guests if you signed up for them). Then a fun and serious evening will start. The most important phase will be the detailed instructions on where to report Sunday morning and all the safety regulations. We will be done by 7:30 and you can go to bed, or you can go party in nearby Old Town Fort Collins where you will find many bars and dance halls.

Directions from Denver to the pre-race dinner and meeting: North on I25, exit at Mulberry Street (Route 14) and drive west for about 4 miles. Turn left (south) at College Avenue. Drive 1 short block; church is on your right. Park in the lot on west side of church. Map will be posted on our website www.horsetoothswim.com

TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM THE RACE SITE:
Swimmers and paddlers will report to the start area at South Bay. The swim race proceeds 6.2 miles from south to north along the west shore, finishing at Satanka Cove by the north dam. Then, at the finish, buses and vans will transport you back to your car. If you are providing your own paddler, a truck and trailer will transport your kayak/canoe to the start area. Directions to the start at South Bay are shown below. Map will be posted on our website www.horsetoothswim.com

6:30 a.m. Sunday: All 10K swimmers must be checked in South Bay by 6:30 at the latest.
7:00 a.m. Start
10:00 a.m. – 12:30 Buses drive from the finish area to the start area and Hughes Stadium.

SWIMMERS WITH OWN PADDLERS:
You may drive to South Bay, BUT YOU MUST BE THERE BEFORE 6:30 FOR CHECK IN! Obtain a parking permit at the pre-race dinner and meeting.

SPECTATORS
Spectators may drive to the start at South Bay, but there is no parking at the finish area at the north end of Horsetooth Reservoir. Spectators may NOT park at the north end where the race finishes. You must ride the buses that will transport spectators (and the swimmers in the shorter events) from Hughes Stadium to the north end. Directions to parking at Hughes Stadium are shown below. Map will be posted on our website.

WATER TEMPERATURE IN HORSETOOTH:
Official Larimer County report on 7/11: 67 F. Fish Explorer unofficial report on 7/15: 74 F.

MORNING CLOTHES:
Bring a small gym bag or backpack to store your morning clothes. These will be transported to the finish area in a secure van.

POST RACE FOOD:
Complementary food and drink will be provided to swimmers registered for the swim races. In addition, a concession for the purchase of food by spectators and swimmers will be available. Cash only.

TOP GUNNERS:
Both the male and female winners from 2008 will be racing again this year! So to win the coveted Turner Cup, you will have to beat these past champions.

ALERT:
In the unlikely situation that severe weather on Sunday requires that we cancel the race, there will be no refunds of fees.

Best wishes in your final phases of training!! If you have questions, please contact George Thornton louiset36@comcast.net 970-482-1818.

Cordially,
George Thornton, Race Co-Director

DIRECTIONS TO THE VENUES

All of the following directions begin at the intersection of College Avenue (north/south) and Mulberry Street (east/west). This is one of the main intersections in central Fort Collins.

Pre-Race Dinner
First Presbyterian Church, 531 South College Avenue, Saturday evening Mandatory Meeting for 10K Swimmers The church is ½ block south of College and Mulberry

5:00pm Check in starts
6:00pm Dinner is served, meet your paddler
6:30 Mandatory Orientation: serious stuff and fun and games

South Bay Parking for 10K Swimmers, Swimmers Providing Own Paddlers, and Other Paddlers
Pick up a parking permit at the pre-race dinner and meeting. You can get to the start of the 10K swim at South Bay two ways:

From College and Mulberry, drive south on College for three miles, turn west (right) on Horsetooth Drive, drive west for two miles, turn south on Taft Hill and drive south for 5/10 mile, turn west on County Road 38E. Once you are on CR 38E headed west, drive up the hill approaching the reservoir. At the top of the hill you will come to Spring Canyon Dam. Stay on CR 38E to the south, circle around the south end of the reservoir, enter the South Bay entrance, drive north past the parking area for the boat trailers. DO NOT PARK IN THIS AREA FOR STORAGE OF BOAT TRAINERS! Proceed past the boat ramps and park in the furthest parking areas near the swim beach.
Drive to Hughes Stadium as described below. Continue west on 42 C for 5/10 mile, turn south on Centennial Drive, cross Spring Canyon Dam, proceed south of CR 38E as described above.

Spectators
THERE IS NO PARKING AT THE NORTH END NEAR THE FINISH OF THE 10K SWIM!! GO TO HUGHES STADIUM

Hughes Stadium, Parking for Spectators to Load on Buses/Vans: Overland Trail and County Road 42C
Drive west on Mulberry for approximately 3 miles, turn south on Overland Trail, drive approximately 1.5 miles, you will see the CSU Stadium on your right, turn west on County Road 42C, drive about 4/10 mile and enter the parking area south of the Stadium

5:00 a.m. Parking lot opens
5:30 a.m. Buses/vans start leaving for north area for the finish of the 10K and all other swim events. Spectators for the 10K can board buses at approximately 8:00.

Buses will run continuously throughout the morning transporting spectators to the north end, then transporting 10K swimmers and paddlers to South Bay, and transporting other swimmers and spectators to Hughes Stadium.

If you are driving from the start of the 10K swim, reverse the directions above: Leave South Bay, drive around the south end of the reservoir, proceed north until you come to Spring Creek Dam, head north across the dam onto Centennial Drive, drive about 1 mile, turn right onto CR 38E down the hill, and go to Hughes Stadium to catch a bus to the finish area.

Horsetooth Reservoir
The scenic venue for our swim is the 6.5 mile long reservoir on the west side of Fort Collins. It is a popular recreation site for boaters, hikers, rock climbers, campers, and picnickers. We start at the boat ramp at South Bay and swim 6.2 miles along the western shore, proceeding north to Satanka Cove at the northwest corner of the reservoir near the north dam. There are a number of other scenic coves on your left that might lure you astray, so you need to know the course: get help with navigation from your paddler. Your paddler is also one of your guards against the boaters and personal water craft buzzing around the lake. We have never had any incident, but it is important that you stick to the western shore, and coordinate with your paddler to provide protection.

SPECTATORS -- NO PARKING AT SATANKA COVE AT THE FINISH: Please believe us on this point! Spectators will be bused from Hughes Stadium to the finish area. Starting at 6:00 a.m, buses and vans will start transporting folks to the finish area. In the early morning, preference will be given to swimmers in the shorter races that start and end at Satanka Cove at the north end. Spectators for the 10K can board buses about 8:00 a.m. The buses and vans will run continuously throughout the morning, shuttling spectators to the finish area, and then swimmers and spectators back their cars. PLEASE PLEASE, do not try to drive to Santanka Cove: you will not be allowed to cross the north dam to Santanka Cove.

BEFORE RACE DAY: If you wish to view the race course before Sunday, you may get there in two ways:

Follow the directions to Hughes Stadium and South Bay parking described above, or

From College and Mulberry, drive south on College for three miles, turn west (right) on Horsetooth Drive, drive west for two miles, turn south on Taft Hill and drive south for 5/10 mile, turn west on County Road 38E. Once you are on CR 38E headed west, drive up the hill approaching the reservoir. At the top of the hill you will come to Spring Canyon Dam. Proceed slowly south on CR 38. After a few hundred yards, pull off onto the first small gravel turnout. At this point you can look across the lake to the south and see the north boat ramp. That is the start line. (Just to the north of that site is a small swim beach. That is the only place on Horsetooth where you can swim. If you wish to swim, you must proceed south, circle around to the entrance, pay a fee, and go for a dip.) After you view the start area, look to the north and you will see the dam on the far horizon – that’s about 6 miles north!! Great sight, huh??? You will swim along the west shore. There are other pull-off spots along this section of the road. After sizing up the venue from that point, you can drive north along the east side of the reservoir. You will cross Spring Canyon Dam, go up and down the hills, cross Dixon Canyon Dam (look down to the east to see Hughes Stadium), then up another hill. Along the top of this ridge are some parking areas including Rotary Park and Sunrise Park where you can see the middle part of your swim route. Proceed further north, cross Soldier Canyon Dam, then up the hill again to Skyline Park where you can see the finish area. (For those who also run road races, Centennial Drive is the early stage of the famous Horsetooth Half Marathon, run each year in May.) Resuming your drive north, at the bottom of the “Dam Hill” you will see the Horsetooth Dam across the north end of the reservoir. Before race day (BUT NOT SUNDAY!!), you can drive across the dam and see the finish line in Satanka Cove. The official finish of the 10K swim will be on the boat ramp or the adjacent shoreline, depending on the water level on race day. Refreshments, EMTs, etc will be available on race day.