The Shi-Tri 2023

Relay Matchmaking

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Sunday Prior to Memorial Day Weekend!

Annual Shiawassee Triathlon

RUN • PADDLE • RIDE

RUN

3.5 Mile Run/Walk on the

Scenic Shiawassee River Trail

PADDLE

3.5 Mile Paddle down the

Beautiful Shiawassee River

RIDE

9 Mile Ride through city streets

and country roads of Shiawassee County

Shi~Tri

RUN the scenic river trail

PADDLE the beautiful Shiawassee River

RIDE through city streets and country roads

The mission of the Shi~Tri is to promote community fitness and to support The Friends of the Shiawassee River. Proceeds from this year’s events will be put toward river improvements designed to help everyone Care, Share and Enjoy our treasured Shiawassee River.

The Shi~Tri is a Run/Paddle/Bike Triathlon beginning and ending in Downtown Owosso, MI along the beautiful Shiawassee River. Participants begin with a 3.8-mile run/walk from the Fitness Coliseum Downtown (210 S Water St, Owosso) to McCurdy Park in Corunna. From there, you will launch your kayak or canoe into the river and paddle 3.5 miles back to Downtown Owosso where you will then bike a 9-mile loop through city streets and country roads.

This event can be completed by ANYONE! Treat it as a race and challenge yourself for a new personal best. Or, take your time and walk the river trail, float peacefully in your kayak or canoe and bike leisurely while enjoying the beautiful outdoors. You can even team up with friends to create a relay, divvy up the legs of the race, and complete it together!

An event like this also relies on the efforts of over 100, valued volunteers. Come join us in this wonderful, community-oriented experience as a volunteer-bring your family and friends! Registration is open for everyone interested at www.shi-tri.com.

Register for Shi~Tri!

Be a part of the 3rd Annual Shiawassee River Triathlon

You know you want to!

Click the link below to register as an individual or relay!

Shi-Tri 2024 Registration Is Now Open

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Until Race Day!!

Event Details

Everything You Need To Know

Entry Options

You may participate in the Shi~Tri as an individual or as a part of a relay. Individual participants will complete all three legs of the race by themselves. Members of a relay team (2 or 3 people) will complete one or two legs of the race while their team members complete the others, to collectively complete all three legs.

Any type of registration can be a part of a team! Companies, sports teams, organizations, families, ANYONE can create a team! Have your teams first registrant set up your team name or email it to ShiawasseeTri@gmail.com and we will get it all set up for you! Registering under a team ensures that your transition areas (kayak and bike locations) will all be grouped together!

Start, Finish and Transitions

START LINE: The run start line will open at 7:50am at which time all participants completing the running leg should report to the front of The Armory on Water St. Runners will begin facing north towards Williams St. make a quick left turn onto Williams and then into the entrance of the river trail to head towards McCurdy Park in Corunna.

All runners will start in a single wave. There will be a designated area in the front of the start line for “competitive” participants. Please only start in this area if you intend to run at an 8 minute pace or faster.

RUN>KAYAK Transition: This transition will happen at McCurdy park. Runners will exit the river trail, enter the kayak staging area (run split time is recorded here), retrieve their kayak and head to the launch area. Volunteers will be around to help move kayaks and help with launches. There is no guarantee that you won’t have to WAIT for help with your kayak. Participants are more than welcome to move their kayak on their own if they are able.

Second leg members of relay teams are allowed to be at the kayak in the staging area waiting for the runner. Timing chip must be switched between participants inside the staging area. Relay members may work together to move the kayak and launch.

KAYAK>BIKE Transition: This transition will happen at the Owosso Amphitheater. Kayaks will arrive at the amphitheater and pull off the river. Participants should head towards the East river bank as soon as they navigate over the dam. There will be volunteers in the river and on the bank to assist with exiting the river. Participants must pull their kayaks from the water and place them in the designated area BEFORE heading to the bike staging area. Participants will enter the bike staging area through the south gate, gather their bike and WALK/RUN their bike out of the staging area through the north gate. Once participants are out of the north gate and on the river trail they may mount their bike and head north towards Williams St to begin the bike loop.

Third leg relay members may wait at the edge of the river to assist their teammates in exiting the river. BOTH participants must enter the bike staging area through the south gate(kayak split time recorded here) and the timing chip must be traded at the team’s bike within the staging area.

FINISH LINE: Participants will complete the bike loop and finish the Shi~Tri with a left turn onto Water St and through the finish line in front of the Armory! Bikes will then take a right turn into the Armory parking lot and another right down onto the river trail to return them to the amphitheater lawn and the bike staging area.

Benefit

Proceeds from the Shi~Tri will benefit The Friends of The Shiawassee River. The Friends mission is to share, care for and promote enjoyment of the river. These funds will support Friends' programs like Stream Monitoring, River Cleanup, and Watershed Education.

Race Policies

Age & Safety Policies: This event is open to youth ages 10 and up. All youth participants under 16 MUST be accompanied by an adult during the ENTIRE RACE and that adult must also be a registered participant. You must provide the information of the adult participant that will be accompanying the youth participant upon registration. Youth/Adult pairs will be checked at each transition point. The youth participant will NOT be allowed to begin the next leg of the race without the adult participant with them.

Each adult participant MUST have a life vest with them in their kayak. Presence of a life vest will be verified in the staging area and checked again prior to launch. All youth participants are required to be WEARING their life vest for the duration of the paddle leg of the race.

Refunds: Sorry, there will be no refunds for this race. You are able to purchase race insurance via the RunSignUp website when you register. If you are unable to participate, consider transferring your registration to another athlete. Feel free to post on The Shi Tri event page with registrations up for grabs! We apologize for any inconvenience

Registration Transfers: You ARE able to transfer registrations. Transfer your registration by "Gifting" it to another participant via the RunSignUp page. This will NOT provide you a refund. Any monetary exchanges for registration transfers must be handled between participants.

Transition Areas: ONLY Shi~Tri Participants will be allowed in the transition areas for the safety of the athletes and security of their belongings.

Participant Conduct: We reserve the right to disqualify anyone who behaves inappropriately toward fellow competitors, volunteers, or race management staff. Additionally, all participants and spectators are expected to be respectful of the river, river trail, amphitheater lawn and all other race areas. This event is intended to improve the river, not hinder it.

Route Maps

Check out the 2024 Route Maps HERE

The routes for 2024 will be the same as previous years. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the 2024 race routes, please feel free to contact us at ShiawasseeTri@gmail.com

Race Timing

The event will be chip timed with splits in three locations: The entrance of the kayak staging area, the entrance of the bike staging area and the finish line. Relay teams will share a single ankle chip that will be transferred from racer to racer inside the transition areas.

Training/Race Prep

Run – This run leg of the Shi~Tri is 3.5 miles long, just slightly longer than your traditional 5k. The course is along the river, so expect some slight twists, turns and uneven surfaces though the course is relatively flat. Work your way up to completing this distance with any combination of a run/walk!

Kayak – The kayak leg of the Shi~Tri is 3.5 miles downriver. Downriver means you can float, and still go in the correct direction, if you do need a break from paddling during this leg! We do recommend that you have some practice launching, getting in, getting out and pulling out your kayak from the river, as this can be a bit difficult! Learning to navigate your kayak away from banks will also be a necessary skill.

Bike – The bike leg of the Shi~Tri is a 9 mile out and back on paved, flat roads. Ensure your bike is in good enough condition to complete this distance. Ensure you are able to complete this distance on your bike and have done some rides with wind as a factor. Much of the bike loop has open fields on one or both sides of the road, meaning a windy day will add some difficulty to the course.

Volunteers

We will need MANY volunteers for this event! From working the registration table, handing out water, directing participants on the run and bike, and helping to move and launch kayaks, we need all the help we can get!

Volunteer Sign Up

Weather Delays

This is a rain or shine event. Michigan can bring any type of weather, any time of year so be prepared for clear blue skies and 85 degrees, or cool rain and fog. The race start will not be delayed for any weather related reason unless there is severe lightening visible in the area, which would most likely pass quickly. Be ready for the start of the race at 8 am regardless of rain. If there is a delay it will be in 15 minute increments and announced at the event site, our Facebook page and Instagram.

Aid Stations

There will be water stations at McCurdy park (run>kayak transition) and at the kayak>bike transition. There will NOT be water stations along the kayak route or the bike route. You may want to bring a water bottle and leave it in your kayak during equipment staging so you do not have to bring it with you on the run.