Castle 10k / 5k / 2.5K Information

Brian Pursley

Hello Basecamp Families,

We are fast approaching the final and most exciting event of Basecamp, the Castle 10k / 5k / 2.5k at Wellington Lake. I have pasted a blast of information from the race organizers below.

Wetsuits were in very short supply due to a large triathlon in Boulder this weekend. However, after finding just about every available wetsuit in the Denver metro area, I think we will have a properly fitting wetsuit for everyone! I will arrive at the campsite with the wetsuits on Friday night.

If you have never put on a racing wetsuit, or could use some tips, please watch THIS VIDEO before heading out to the race. 

There are a few things left to get in order for Saturday, it would be great if we can have these all in order before the morning of the race:

  • All attendees (including spectators, volunteers, and participants) please sign the online Wellington Lake Waiver liability  HERE.
  • Participants (with parents signing), please print, sign, and scan the Castle Swim Liability Waiver HERE. Please email it back to me with the subject "Castle Swim Liability Waiver". 
  • Participants (with parents signing), please sign the online wetsuit liability waiver HERE.
  • Finally, you can check the latest status of your entry  HERE.

Thanks to everyone for you enthusiasm around this awesome event! I can't wait to see you at the lake this weekend.

Go Hurricanes!

Coach Brian

 

FROM THE RACE ORGANIZERS:

Hello Castle Swimmers!

Wow, we are only 4 days away from your race, the highest marathon swim event in the country! Below is some important information regarding the race. Take some time to read the details and as always reach out with any questions you may have

 

1.     Race Day, Location, and Packet Pickup

We will be doing packet pickup on the morning of the event at the swim beach. No packet pickup is necessary ahead of time. Packet pickup will be from 6:00AM until 7:30AM.  We ask that you try to arrive early since you will need to walk from the parking area to the start.  Please do not arrive before 5:30 AM since the parking area is next to the camping area at Royal Elk Meadows.

All races start at 8:00am. This is not a chip-timed race, but instead it is a stop-watch timed race. Once you exit the water at the end of your event we will record your time. There will be a pre-race safety meeting at 7:45am.

The race occurs at Wellington Lake, which is outside of Conifer, CO. Do not be confused, this is NOWHERE CLOSE to Wellington, CO. This is the address: 21843 Stoney Pass Rd, Bailey, CO 80421. This will take at least 1.5 hours to reach from Denver, and farther from other front range locations. Please leave plenty of time to arrive BEFORE the race starts, as the last couple of miles are dirt roads and it can be slow-going (25mph). PLUS, you will need to walk approximately 0.5 miles from the parking area to the start.  So, please allocate at least 1-1.5 hours from the time you park or leave your campsite to get down to the lake and to get ready to swim.

To get to the lake, turn off of 285 at Bailey (bottom of Crow Hill) and go South. This road is a dirt road and is in good shape, but count on a 25 mph max speed.  You will follow this road all the way to the reservoir. When you arrive, stay left and go past the Wellington Lake office (do NOT turn right into the lake office).  There will be signs guiding you. You will keep driving along the lake and then cross over the dam and go up the hill. It will look like you are driving past the lake.  You will turn right at the first road you get to, which will be a swing gate - do not turn right at the day use areas.  We will have it marked with signs.

 

2.     The Race-Course and Nutrition

The course is a 2.5k loop. Swimmers completing a 5k will swim 2 loops, and 10k swimmers will swim 4 loops. 

You can expect the water to be around 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit. Please be a responsible swimmer. If you are not comfortable in cold water environments, we strongly recommend that you do some cold training beforehand (cold baths, etc.).  If you plan to wear a wetsuit, be sure you are comfortable swimming in it and can breathe easily.  The lake is at 8,000 feet in elevation.  You will not be able to swim as fast as you can in Denver or work as hard without losing your breath.  For your own safety, do not wear a wetsuit that is too tight around your chest.

There will be a nutrition raft near the start of the race/start of each loop. You will have the opportunity to give nutrition (bottles or bags) to the race directors BEFORE the race begins. You will need to number your nutrition with your swimmer number, so the volunteer knows which feed is yours.  You will have the opportunity to do this with duct tape and sharpies the morning of the race.  We will then place your nutrition on the raft with a volunteer. At the end of each lap, if you want to fuel, you will pop your head up as you approach the nutrition raft, tell the volunteer what number your nutrition bag is, and they will have it ready for you at the side of the raft. You will not exit the water to receive your nutrition.

**Swimmers ARE NOT ALLOWED to hang on the raft while they are fueling, they should be treading water or floating on their back while fueling.  We recommend easily to swallow liquid feeds (carbopro, tailwind, maxim, etc.)

 

3.     Camping

We have camp spots left at the Royal Elk Meadows for Friday night before the race.  This is a great way to get an extra hour or two of sleep before the race and to avoid an early morning drive. If you would like a camping spot to reduce your morning drive and experience a fun, outdoor camaraderie filled event, you still have 24 hours to reserve a spot by registering online here.  Camping will be for Friday night only.  You will need to clean up your camping area before you leave.  Because of the rough road getting into the parking and campsite areas and the limited parking, we ask that you do not bring a tow-behind camper or an RV.  Truck-bed or van campers are fine.  Tents are excellent.  Sites are limited to one (1) vehicle and four (4) persons. When you arrive on Friday afternoon, we will go over camp rules with you when we check you into the site. Each camper will receive a spot in the order in which they arrive.  Check in will be from 2:00PM until 8:00PM on Friday (sunset).

 

4. Volunteering

We are still in need of volunteers.  If you or anyone else you know of would like to volunteer, we will give them a free campsite and a free race entry for 2024.  Please sign up to volunteer here: Volunteer - Mountain Swim Series

 

Can't wait to see you all soon for an amazing swim!