SAVE A DUNE PENTATHLON RELAY 31 MAY
Help us save the dunefield, enter now
WELCOME
TO THE FIRST-EVER SAVE-A-DUNE PENTATHLON
This is a team relay with five legs and you are going to need some athletes, some brains and some endurance specialists. Will yours be the best team in St Francis? Or the best team in your category? Or maybe the team with the best gees? Or the best outfits?
WHEN?: Saturday 31st May
WHAT TIME? 11:30 to collect race numbers and team wrist band
12:15 race briefing: compulsory for all participants
12:30 event starts
WHERE?: Dune Ridge Country House
EARLY NUMBER COLLECTION: Bruce’s Ocean Café, Friday 30 May, 15:00-17:30
MEDALS TO ALL PARTICIPANTS. FREE T-SHIRTS FOR FIRST TEN TEAMS.
T-SHIRTS AVAILABLE FOR ORDER UNTIL 11 MAY
Music, kids entertainment, food stall, bar, hot chocolate for bobbers
NOT ENTERED YET? NAME YOUR TEAM AND ENTER NOW VIA QUICKET
HOW IT WORKS
- Leg one: 15km mountain bike cycle
- Leg two: 5km walk
- Leg three: 10km run
- Leg four: environmental quiz
- Leg five: cold water bob
Note: under-12s may participate but must be accompanied by an adult
15km Cycle
The cyclist sets the solid foundation for the team. The track is mostly grassy jeep track and will be well-marked, with marshals at critical points
e-bikes permitted but a finish time adjustment will be made for e-bikes
5km Walk
The cyclist hands the wrist band to the walker. Participants without wrist bands will be eliminated. The walker is the key to consolidating a good time and can make up vital minutes for the team on the grassy jeep track route.
No running permitted.
10km Run
The walker hands the wrist band to the runner. Participants without wrist bands will be eliminated.
The run is the team’s final chance to log a good time and get it in the bag. The route is mostly jeep track, with 1km of dunefield and 2km of coastal forest. The team’s time at the end of the run is its core time.
Environmental Quiz
The runner hands the wrist band to the quizzer if the runner finishes before 16h00.
At 16h00 all remaining teams may start the quiz, even if the team’s runner has not yet finished and the wrist band has not been handed over.
The quizzer enters the control gate and is handed a board with a multiple-choice quiz of 15 questions to complete. When this has been handed to the quiz-masters and team details verified as complete, the quizzer leaves through the control gate.
Quiz questions will be based on the information in Our Coastal Treasure – see Kromme Enviro-Trust website.
Cold Water Bob
The quizzer hands the wrist band to the bobber if it is in his/her possession. If it is after 16h00 and the wrist band has not yet reached the team, a hand-slap will do.
The bobber enters the pool control gate and gives the team number to a time-keeper who will record the time of entering the water. The bobber must stay in the water for 15 minutes – early exit incurs penalties and times of leaving the water will be recorded by the time-keeper.
The water temperature will be as close as possible to the temperature of the sea on the day. Wetsuit optional. Hand your towel to Dune Ridge staffers to be warmed by the fire. Complimentary hot chocolate to all bobbers after the plunge. Bring warm clothing and a beanie.
SCORING
Each team’s time after the first three legs is its core time.
A time penalty of 1½ minutes will be added to the team’s core time for each wrong or non-answer in the quiz.
A time penalty of 2½ minutes will be added for each minute short of 15 minutes in the cold water bob.
The final time will decide the winners.
PRIZE-GIVING: 17H00
First, second & third prizes: category prizes: spot prizes
What are the team categories? This is an unknown until all entries are in, but they might include a business category, a best-dressed category, an under-20 category, an all-female category, an over-60 category and so on. Want to create your own category? Challenge some others to enter and tell us what the category is.
WHY SAVE THE DUNES?
The dunes we are working to save are the ones in the Oyster Bay Headland Bypass Dune System – or the Sand River as it’s more commonly known. The dunefield is the last functioning headland bypass system in SA and it is exceptional even beyond SA – it is a unique national asset. It is constantly under threat from commercial interests, people wanting to mine the sand for the construction industry. The dunes contain a vast store of irreplaceable heritage artefacts and they are a critical element of freshwater system in our district as well as being a recognised critical biodiversity area. The Kromme Enviro-Trust is working with the Greater Kromme Stewardship to have the dunefield declared a nature reserve in terms of the National Protected Areas Act.
You can help by becoming a member of the Enviro-Trust and adding your voice to the cause – and you can become a member for free in 2025 just by competing in the pentathlon. Don’t wait! Sign up today!
