Eppie's Great Race July 19 in Sacramento

WHAT:  Volunteers before and during Race Day, as well as participants, sponsors and teams, are needed to implement the 35th annual Eppies Great Race.  Known as The Worlds Oldest Triathlon, Eppies Great Race is scheduled for Saturday, July 19, 2008. Volunteers are needed for everything from providing drinks to the athletes, to crowd control, to handling equipment, to course and water safety, to supporting the Kaiser Permanente Kids Duathlon, among other duties.  Competitors are needed in teams and as individuals in divisions from Junior, to Iron Person, of all ages and skill levels.  

WHEN: Eppies Great Race is scheduled for Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. 

WHY:   The Great Race has been implemented each year as a fundraising event benefiting programs implemented by the Sacramento County Therapeutic Recreation Services (SCTRS), supporting mentally- and physically-challenged people. Eppies Great Race entry fees are donated to support SCTRS. To date, The Great Race has raised over $900,000 for SCTRS, and now accounts for over 20% of the programs overall budget.   

HOW:   Eppies Great Race first began on July 27, 1974 and has continued annually for 35 years.  It is therefore the oldest, annual triathlon on record.  Participants can now enter the race via The Great Race web site: www.thegreatrace.org.  Past competitors have represented the five county Sacramento-region, as well as all 50 states and several foreign countries.  

WHERE: Eppies Great Race Course Description for 2008: 

Runners Distance 5.82 miles:

Runners begin on the American River Parkway bike trail near the bridge at William Pond Recreation Area.  Runners then proceed on the bike trail west for about two (2) miles. They leave the bike trail and proceed on the up-ramp to the levee near Rio Americano High School.  They then proceed west on the levee to the Watt Ave Bridge where they take the down-ramp off of the levee, proceed under the bridge and take the up-ramp to the levee. They then continue west on the levee to the Guy West Bridge.  At the Guy West Bridge, the runners take the down-ramp directly to the bike staging area, where they make their hand-off to the team cyclist or Iron Persons begin the cycling portion.  

Cyclists' Distance - 12.5 miles:

Cyclists start on the Guy West Bridge hand-off area. They proceed east on the bike trail to Arden Bar Bridge, cross and then proceed through Goethe Park. They follow the bike trail east to the Sunrise Ave footbridge. They then get off the bike and run to the bridge to make the hand-off to the paddler.  

Paddlers' Distance - 6.35 miles:

Paddlers start at the Sunrise Ave. footbridge hand-off area. They proceed downriver to the Goethe Park landing area.  All paddlers then exit their watercraft and cross the finish line on foot - except the stern paddler in the Tandem Recreational Canoes.

 FURTHER INFORMATION: Check the Eppies Great Race website at: http://www.thegreatrace.org.