The Sussex Triathlon 2008 will take place on Sunday 1st June and is a swimming pool event which is based at facilities in and around Ardingly College, West Sussex. The event is a sprint distance triathlon comprising a 500 metre swim, a 24 kilometre bike and a 5 kilometre run and remains one of the most popular sprint distance events in the country. CLICK HERE for the 2008 Start List.

We also have a Novice event for people who are new to triathlon and this includes a 250m swim, 24k bike and a 2.5k run.

Race entries for the 2008 race are filling fast...

CLICK HERE to enter the Sprint Distance Race £35   (swim 500m, bike 24k, run 5k)

CLICK HERE to enter the Novice Distance Race £32  (swim 250m, bike 24k, run 2.5k)

CLICK HERE to enter the Relay Event £55  (swim 500m, bike 24k, run 5k)

If you are a novice to triathlon CLICK HERE for our novice guide which will help with those initial questions about competing in a triathlon.

British Triathlon members will receive a £5 refund on race day on production of a valid British Triathlon membership card. The event will be run under the rules of British Triathlon. The organisers have a Triathlon England Event Registration Certificate.

CLICK HERE to view urbanrace event images from previous races.

CLICK HERE to print off a PDF version of the entry form.

Swim

The swim takes place in the pool at Ardingly college and will be 20 lengths for the sprint distance and 10 lengths for the novice wave. Competitors will be four to a lane with others of a similar estimated swim time. The excitement starts at 7am and the slowest swimmers will enter the water first. Please be as accurate as possible with your swim time as this will grade you correctly. We do not change swim start times following publication of the race instructions for safety reasons.

Bike

The bike course takes you in a loop around the countryside of Sussex going North via Ardingly and Worth Abbey then returning through Balcombe. At times the course can be fast while it does have a couple of challenging hills to climb. For safety reasons we have kept the bike course distance the same for both the sprint and novice races.

Click here to view a course map of the bike section.

Run

The run takes place around the Ardingly College sports field and will be four laps for those competing in the sprint race while novices will have to do just two laps. Athletes will collect bands at the start of each lap to assist them in counting laps.

Juniors, Youths & TriStars

New for 2008: TriStars Go Free! We are adding a TriStar aquathlon race which will be completely free to enter. Please CLICK HERE for details.

As in 2007 Children that are aged between 15 and 16 (Youths) can compete in the Sussex Triathlon NOVICE race. Junior athletes aged 17yrs and upwards can also participate in the Sprint distance race as normal.

Disabled Triathletes

Urbanrace events are inclusive to disabled athletes wherever possible. Disabled athletes are required to CLICK HERE to complete a Statement of Declaration and send this to us. This statement requires you to make a self assessed declaration of your disability according to the relevant Competition Classes. We shall then consider any impact on the event and advise accordingly. Please CLICK HERE for a guide to the different Disabled Triathlete Competition Classes.

Venue

Ardingly College, College Road, Ardingly, Near Haywards Heath, West Sussex. College Road can be accessed at either end from the B2028 which runs in parallel between Ardingly and Haywards Heath.

The nearest train station is Haywards Heath which is approximately 3 miles away from Ardingly College and provides good access from London, Brighton and Gatwick.

CLICK HERE for a printable PDF map of the event location and directions.

Food & Beverages

Free Pasta Meal! After the 2007 success we are teaming up again with Ardingly College and their national award winning catering services, provided by Sodexo Ltd, to provide a free and healthy pasta meal to all race participants.

The meal will consist of pasta and a choice of 3 sauces, accompanied by a mixed salad and free tea, coffee and chilled water. Athletes will receive one voucher as part of their registration pack on race day which can be redeemed at the dining facilities at the college from 11am on race day.

CLICK HERE to buy additional pre-paid meal vouchers for family and spectators who will be supporting you on race day. Alternatively you can purchase additional meal vouchers by adding them to your race entry fee. The cost of extra meal vouchers are £5 per person and they will also be issued to the competing athlete at the race day registration. Additional meal vouchers are non refundable.

Athletes and spectators will also be able to purchase a range of other drinks and healthy snacks on race day in the dining hall.

Entries

You can enter online via the urbanrace shop which uses secure encrypted technology. Entering online will give you an email confirmation of your race entry. Alternatively you can CLICK HERE for a PDF version of the race entry form which you can send to us with your payment.

The closing date for entries is 20 May 2007 if the event has not sold out before this date. To ensure safety and service we have a limited amount of entrants. The minimum age for entry is 15 years.

What happens once I have entered?

Race instructions will be emailed to competitors around 7 to 10 days prior to the event and will include details of your start time. A start list will also appear on our website prior to the event. For safety reasons swim start times cannot be changed under any circumstances after the publication of the race instructions. Race numbers, security wristband, race programme and goodies will be provided to you at the race registration.

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

Novice Race = Male and Female Winners Only, 15-16yrs Male and Female Youths Winners.

Relay Race = Winning Team Only

Sprint Race = Winners of Triathlon England age group categories; 17-18yrs, 19yrs, 20-24yrs, 25-29yrs, 30-34yrs, 35-39yrs, 40-44yrs, 45-49yrs, 50-54yrs, 55-59yrs, 60-64yrs, 65-69yrs, 70-74yrs, 75-79yrs, 80+yrs. There will also be prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd male and female overall.

TriStar Race = 1st, 2nd and 3rd place plaques will be awarded to the following Tri Star age group categories: Start (8 yrs), TriStars 1 (9-10yrs), TriStar 2 (11-12yrs), TriStars 3 (13-14yrs).

Disabled Categories = Winners only of the following classes: Tri 1, Tri 2, Tri 3, Tri 4, Tri 5, Tri 6, Tri 7, Tri 8, Tri 9. For definitions of classes CLICK HERE.

Sussex Triathlon Event Management Team

Race Director                   Dan James              

Deputy Race Director   Kevan Nicholson   

Logistics Director           Dave Perry      

Safety Direction              Trafeco                         

Registration Manager    Della James                 

Swim Course Manager    Paul Hedger             

Transition Manager         Iain Key                        

Bike Course Manager     Stewart Angell           

Run Course Manager      Rob Charrington

Finish Area Manager      Katrin Morhenne              

You can contact a member of the management team on info@urbanrace.co.uk

Charity

NEW FOR 2008! The Sussex Triathlon is in association with our official race charity SIGHTSAVERS INTERNATIONAL (Registered Charity No: 207544).

Athletes have the option to add a donation to their 2008 race entry fee which will go directly to Sightsavers. "Sightsavers is offering a a fantastic prize for one lucky participant. Individuals who raise over £500 in sponsorship for Sightsavers will be entered into a prize draw for the opportunity to win two return flights to Dubai" The flights can be taken any time up until 31 December 2009 (depending on availability) but they must be booked before the end of 2008 and they will need at least three months notice for booking. All sponsorship money must be received by 1 September 2008 to be entered into the prize draw.

CLICK HERE for more information about the charity.

Help Sightsavers to Fight Blindness

Most of us can understand what it must be like to lose our sight. Imagine how hard it would be to take part in the Sussex Triathlon if you could not see?

There are 37 million people in the world who are blind, 90% of this blindness occurs in the developing world. Yet staggeringly, 75% of all blindness could be cured or prevented, simply and cheaply. This means that over 28 million people are needlessly blind and millions more are at risk of losing their sight.

Sightsavers International works in 33 countries across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean combating blindness and restoring sight through specialist treatment and eye care, and also supports people who are irreversibly blind by providing education, counselling and training. Sightsavers helps people who need it most - those living in poverty in some of the world's poorest countries.

Sponsorship

You can help Sightsavers give the gift of sight by asking your friends, family and colleagues to sponsor you for taking part in the Sussex Triathlon. If everyone who enters raised £50, this would generate £25,000, which could be used to save the sight of almost 1,500 people in developing countries who are blind from cataracts.

With Sightsavers a little bit of money goes a long way. For example:

£50 could save the sight of 10 people suffering from trachoma

£100 could protect 5 communities against river blindness for a year

£500 could provide primary school text books for a child who is blind

£1,000 could pay for a slit lamp which is used to diagnose sight problems

To find out more about the charity or to raise sponsorship while competing in the event please call Jennie Rule in the Corporate Partnerships team on 01444 446661. For more information about the charity please visit www.sightsaver.org

Many thanks to all donations by athletes at the 2007 Sussex Triathlon as we raised £275 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

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