Jekyll Island Turtle Crawl reports needed

Edin,

My wife and I have signed up for it. Sprint for her and Olympic for me.

Matt

I love racing on Jekyll.  I've done the oly twice and the sprint once.  I'm doing the sprint this time around so it's my 4th time racing on Jekyll.

The swim (and course in general) has been "easy" every year except in 2010.  I know a guy who did it in 2009 (I did it in '08) in 17 min and in 2010 he did it in 42 min - and he was a faster swimmer in 2010.  I came out of the water with him.  Also in 2010 the oly bike course was a little over 29 miles: the race organizers had to lengthen the bike distance due to construction on the island.

Pancake flat bike with some wind occasionally and about 1/2 the run (for the oly) is along the beach and unshaded.  The sprint run is mostly unshaded.

Andi

Yep - Set Up Events.

Thanks so lets not hope for 2010 swim is all I am asking for then . Race report I read were all over the place so thats what confused me. When I read 2010 reports swim times were horrible versus 2011 or 2009 when they were awesome.

This will be my second Oly and I hope to do much better then REV3 SC I did late last year.

Thank you guys for posting tips keep them coming and see you Jill and Matt over there. I am assuming it will be wetsuit legal this year as well

IN!  Oly.  Psyched!

If you'll get to Jekyll Friday evening, let's get BT'ers together at: 

Dash & Dine: Pre-Race Pasta Dinner & Family Fun Run

The Pasta Party is a tradition the night before the Turtle Crawl Triathlon. In honor of the completion of Great Dunes Park, this year party is hosted outside the new Jekyll Island Convention Center on the Gazebo Lawn. The public is invited to officially open Great Dunes Park with a fun run through a red ribbon finish line before enjoying a delicious pasta dinner picnic.

The Dash & Dine is open to everyone. You do not have to be registered for the Turtle Crawl to attend. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger. All children will receive a special commemorative participation medallion. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the Jekyll Island Visitor Information Center or athletes can purchase tickets with their race registration.

Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Jekyll Island Convention Center - Gazebo Lawn

http://www.jekyllisland.com/Events/EventsCalendar/tabid/86/ModuleID/592/ItemID/418/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx

I'm doing the sprint with a couple of girlfriends.  This sounds fun.  Thanks for posting it.

I guess I should jump in this conversation!  I really enjoy this race and my family loves the trip.  They look forward to the sea turtles.  2010 was a fluke of a year but with it being an ocean swim there's always a chance of rough water and I'm too lazy to check on the tidal flow (which I've been told accounted for the uphill swim in 2010).  The years where the race is organized in conjunction with Nest Fest have been the best as there has been lots going on.  My boys did some turtle obstacle race on the beach last year (they had to race each other crawling).

Swim:  Time trial, parallel to the shore.  They've never had you swim out too far so that's a comfort if the water is rough or the current is unfriendly.

Bike:  Flat and fast but there are definitely some unsheltered areas where the wind can kick your butt.  Hopefully all the road construction is done since they have finished the work on the convention center.

Run:  Hot and not much shade.  The run has done me in numerous times.

And, if you've read my race reports (which I occasionally actually fill out), I've had lots of issues with dehydration and a salt imbalance from the ocean swim.  I recommend water only on the bike or some kind of very diluted electrolyte drink.  I think staying properly hydrated is the key to a good race there as the hot run is unforgiving if you let yourself get dehydrated.

The hotel we wanted to stay at was sold out by the time I called so we're going to give camping out a try.  I hope there will be some other triathletes staying at the campground.

Yay!

I'll be in Statesboro because I get free stay there so no hotel payment

I think thats around 2 hours away but I should be there Friday for the dinner and I will be up bright and early Saturday for the race.

See you all out there.

Its a little over a 2 hour drive, Statesboro is an hour west of where I live

Fast fun race.

Swim: Last year was AG starts. Triangle shaped out and back swim with the current, thus the fast times. Make sure you keep swimming rather than running to shore. It is like running in mud. 100 yard run from shore to T1.

Bike: One end of the island and then back. Was different last year due to construction. Flat and fast with occasional cross winds.

Run: Out and back. Flat and fast. Can get hot.

Thanks excatly what I was looking for a nice summary Lets hope the swim is "easy" again this year.

Final training ride this past weekend, last easy run and swim this week.  Getting psyched!

Weather forecast, chance of rain Friday, low Friday night of 70F, Sunny and high Sat of 77F.  Race temps low to mid 70's.  Warm, but not suffering hot.  

The closest NOAA water temperature readings I could find were Fernandina 76 and Grays Reef 75.  But these may be out in the Gulf Stream.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center site states:

After swimming, biking, and running along Jekyll Island’s scenic beaches, roadways, and paved bike paths, crafts and educational activities, provided by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, will be on-site for turtle enthusiasts of all ages.  Events culminate with the Saturday afternoon release of a rehabilitated sea turtle from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center!  (Release details will be available closer to the day of the event). Events benefit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island. Nest Fest activities and sea turtle release are FREE to the public.

My kids are happy about this.

See y'all there!

Thanks Bill, I was about to call the nature center on Jekyll Island to see if they know the water temperatures. I am hoping it will be wetsuit legal but you never know.

I moved my hotel to Savanah still almost 2 hours away but it is better and closer than Statesboro, thanks Jillian for letting me know how far out Statesboro is

I'll be there Friday and may bring my bike to ride around for a bit to see how the roads and the course is. Hope to see everyone there.

Edin

Jekyll is too far for us to go to packet pick-up today, so we will leave at 3 am and be there bright and early. Edin, are you doing the sprint or olympic?

Still up in the air whether it will be a wetsuit swim or not. After what happened at NOLA 70.3 this is my first race this season with an OWS. See you guys tomorrow!

Flat and head-windy is how it is down here! Its what I train in. We don't have the hills you have up North but we have wind! The forecast says "breezy" tomorrow, so that means windy, but not 25 MPH windy.