Distances

Olympic

Swim 15ooM (2 loops)

Bike 38KM (2.5 Loops of Minnewanka Loop x 13km + 6km section to Banff)

Run 10KM (2 loops)

Sprint

Swim 500M (1 loop)

Bike 25KM (1.5 Loops of Minnewanka Loop x 13km + 6km section to Banff)

Run 5KM (1 loop)

Super Sprint

Swim 300M (1 loop)

Bike 12KM (6km of Minnewanka Loop + 6km to Banff)

Run 5KM (1 loop)

Relay

Relay teams are available in both distances.

Aqua Sphere Swim Course

• Each race will start with a single wave in waist deep water.
• Multiple lap courses will not require you to exit the water until you finish your swim.

• The water temperature is predicted to be 12-16 degrees Celsius so wetsuits will be allowed (And mandatory if 14C or below).  We also recommend a neoprene cap, silicon cap, or additional cap underneath your race cap.  Gloves and footwear are allowed provided they are not webbed or provide a propulsion advantage.

• You will be supplied with a swim cap that must be worn during the swim, however it is suggested that you wear two swim caps. Bring an additional swim cap to wear underneath the race cap.
• All Olympic participants must finish the swim before the race clock time of 1:00.

Bike Course

• It is your responsibility to count your laps on the bike course.
• All Olympic participants must finish the bike before the race clock time of 3:15.

• Be aware that there are  two cattle guard crossings on the course.

Run Course

• The Olympic run is 2 laps of the 5KM route.
• The Sprint and Super Sprint run is 1 lap of the 5KM route.
• Aid stations are available with water, Gatorade and Power Gels.
• All Olympic participants must finish the run before the race clock time of 4:30.

Mandatory Bike Drop, Meeting

& Package Pick-Up on Friday

• All bikes must be dropped off on Friday afternoon and secured overnight at Two Jack Lake
• Due to wildlife in the Park DO NOT LEAVE FOOD ON YOUR BIKE OVERNIGHT - if you do so your items will be removed.
• The bikes will be kept protected overnight by security.
• Your registration and race package kits including your race garment will be given to you at this time.
• All members of Alberta Triathlon Association and Triathlon British Columbia must present their membership card.
• Everyone must also sign a waiver.
• Everyone must attend this important meeting on Friday afternoon for some last minute details and race information.
• Your timing chips will be handed out on Saturday morning.
• Check the event schedule page for more information.

Sanctioning

This event will be sanctioned by Alberta Triathlon Association.  Alberta Triathlon Association rules will apply. Please review all the rules here.

Timing & Results

The Event will use Chip Timing. Results will be available from the results page

Because the event is taking place in Banff National Park, we are sharing the Park with wildlife and it is important to respect their needs for space and wildness. Here are some helpful tips from "The Mountain Guide" the official visitors guide to the mountain parks, available on the Banff National Park website.
 

Respect the Wild

One of the amazing attractions of the mountain national parks is the chance of seeing wild animals living free in their natural world. With millions of visitors a year, it takes a conscious effort from each one of us to make sure we don't harm the very thing that makes these parks special: their wild nature.

Observe From a Safe Distance
To keep wildlife (and people) healthy and safe, respect these viewing
distances: 100 metres (10 bus lengths) for bears, wolves and cougars, and 30 metres (3 bus lengths) for elk, deer, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and other mammals.

Nature at Work, Do Not Disturb
Life is hard here in the mountains; wild animals need to focus their time and energies on meeting their basic needs. If you disrupt their natural feeding, travelling, or mating behaviours, you threaten their survival.

Don't be Fooled by Our Elk (or Deer, Moose or Sheep)
When they become used to living near people, these placid-looking plant-eaters may look 'tame'. But beware: they have attacked people who get too close, and can do a lot of damage with their hefty hooves, antlers or horns. Elk are particularly aggressive during spring calving season (May,June) and the fall rut (September, October). Stay at least 30m away!

Never Feed Them - Accidentally or on Purpose
Allowing wildlife access to human food or garbage can have deadly consequences for animals and people.

Prevent Surprise Encounters with Predators
Most wild animals will try to avoid you if they can hear or see you coming:
that's the "flight" response we want to encourage. But they are likely to see a surprise encounter as a threat, and react defensively with a "fight" response.

If an Animal Approaches You Aggressively
Resist the urge to run: running usually provokes a chase. If an attack appears imminent, use your bear spray according to manufacturer's directions. Bunch up with other people, pick up small children. Back up slowly, facing the animal. Make sure it has an escape route. Leave the area when you can do so safely, and report the incident to park staff.

Wildlife attacks are rare, but have occurred here. Prevention is your best defense.

Looking to extend your stay

The Banff Lake Louise Tourism website is a great starting point to explore everything that Banff National Park has to offer. Within this UNESCO World Heritage Site you will experience the unrivalled rugged beauty, unspoiled landscapes, and pristine mountain ranges of the “The World’s Finest National Park”, this year celebrating 125 years. Be sure to explore our comfortable accommodations, cool restaurants and stores, fun activities, colourful festivals, and unique sights.

Green initiatives for the event...

1. The event takes place in Banff National Park, part of a country-wide system of representative natural areas of Canadian significance. By law, they are protected for public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment, while being maintained in an unimpaired state for future generations. National Parks have existed in Canada for well over a century.
2. An Extensive Environment Screening Report was conducted that assessed the environmental impacts and devised mitigations and planning for different wildlife-human interactions, wildlife habitats, ecosystems, soil, vegetation, aquatic, cultural, and  aesthetic values.
3. Together with Bow Valley Waste Management the event is set up as a towards zero waste event featuring recycling education and stations - Click A Toward Zero Waste Event and Why Reduce, Reuse and Then Recycle for further information.
4. Please bring your own reusable water bottles and drink containers to be filled at our water stations in an effort to make this a Towards Zero Waste event.
5. To minimize the carbon footprint of the event, an extensive shuttle service was set up with the ROAM (environmentally friendly) busses by the Town of Banff as well as school busses by the Canadian Rockies Public Schools. All participants are shuttled between Transition Zones on Friday and Saturday and will not need personal vehicles after checking into their hotels.
6. Participants are informed that food cannot be left on their bikes overnight because of the wildlife being attracted to the transition zone
7. There are no food nor drinks available except water jugs at Two Jack Lake
8. The bike loop does not feature a water station to minimize waste.
9. All participants are clearly informed that littering will disqualify them immediately.
10. Greening your stay info is included in the virtual participants packages as well as on the agenda for the pre event meeting
11. All signage used is reusable and will be part of the event series pool of equipment.
12. As participants give-aways, organizers use reusable products
13. A virtual information package is emailed out to all participants including race technical information and sponsor offers.
14. E-Impact – over 98% of registration is done online saving thousands of printed registration forms from going unused.
15. E-newsletter – monthly newsletters are sent out eliminating printing, mailing, etc.
16. On the run – Do not use plastic water bottles – Use large water jugs with cups – we are moving toward non-wax cups
17. Participants and volunteers are asked to bring their own water bottles which they can refill at the transition
18. Porta potties - use environmentally friendly sanitizer solution and toilet paper made with recycled content.
19. Discarded and unclaimed clothes are donated to charity.
20. Pedal Power – the use of lead cyclists on the run course.

Lost and Found

A "Lost and Found" area will be established at each Series event and open until shortly after the awards ceremony.

All unclaimed items at this point will be returned to the Series head office in Victoria, BC.

Items can be picked up at the Series office or can be mailed or couriered to the owner at the owners expense.

Any unclaimed items at the end of the year will be either disposed of , donated or sold for charity.

Update from the ATA regarding Race Insurance:

Please note that 'at fault accident occurring with bicycles' will not be covered by ATA insurance. An example of an 'at fault accident occurring with bicycles' would be a if a participant crashes into a tree and break his/her $2000 wheel, or if one cyclist runs into another cyclist and causes damage to the 'not at fault' cyclist, ATA insurance will not be covering those damages to either party. However, if a car came unto the bike course and hit a cyclist, ATA insurance would cover the cost of repair (a report detailing the incident would be necessary, including the information of the party at fault, as an investigation would occur).

Two Jack Lake