Seward Parks & Recreation Department's ...
Polar Bear

Thanks to the Polar Bear Festival for sponsoring this wonderfully fun triathlon! The Polar Bear Festival is responsible
for hosting the annual jump into the icy waters of Resurrection Bay to raise money for cancer research. Many of the other
events during  the Festival (held the 3rd weekend of every January) raise money for youth right here on our Kenai
Peninsula who are bravely battling cancer. Way to go, Polar Bear Festival! Thanks for your annual sponsorship!

2010 COURSE Note:
The City Electric Dept will be working in Lowell Point Road March 27 - May 31. Periodic road closures
and delays will be experienced. The Electric Dept is aware of our weekend Triathlon event, Sat, May 1, and
does not foresee any issues. However, as with all construction projects - delays and unexpected circumstances may arise.
Please be prepared for last-minute changes. This may affect our selected bike route only.

All participants check-in at the Seward Middle High School, at the end of SeaLion Avenue.
The race order is:

Solos                                                                        Teams
    1.  5K Run                                                           1. 900 Yard Swim
    2. 10K Bike                                                         2. 5K Run
    3. 900 Yard Swim                                                3. 10K Bike

Run Route:
Leave the high school parking lot within the mass start and head south on Swetmann. Follow along the bike path. Just after
1K, turn to your right onto Alice. Cross Phoenix onto the paved bikepath, headed south again. Turn right on Dairy Hill Lane
before the lagoon or Benny Benson Park. Stay on Dairy Hill Lane, up & over the hill where it becomes 2nd Avenue. You will
run past the lagoon on your left. At the AVTEC Administration building, you will turn around at 2.5K. Be sure the race official
can see your bib number. (If your bib number is not checked in at results time, you will be DQ-ed.) Water is available at the 2.5K
turn around.

Return the reverse way back to the school.

Enter the chute to clock your time.

If you are in a team, you must physically tag your bike team member, before he/she can leave the chute.

Solo participants run through the chute to the bike staging area.

Runners must always yield to faster-traveling bikes.

Bike Course:
The bike course begins the same as the run route, listed above.
On 2nd Avenue, as you cross the 2.5 mark, continue south, up 2nd Avenue. Your only possible stop  sign will be at the top of the
hill, cross-street is Jefferson. SPRD will make every effort to stop on-coming traffic which would normally have the right-of-way.
It is important to note that this is the emergency route for the ambulances and medical staff en route the the hospital. If you are
waved off to stop, it is due a medical emergency only.

At the bottom of 2nd Avenue, you will take a right onto Washington Street. A flagger will caution you to slow down for this right
hand turn, as you will be picking up good speed headed downhill. Head a short 1/2 block west, turn left onto gravel Brownell and
head south again. Brownell merges to the right, onto a short distance of the paved Lowell Point Road. Cross the short bridge, past
the fishery building back onto the gravel road.

K markers 4 to 5 and 5 to 6K are on gravel. Your 5K turn-around is a small pull-out to your right on Lowell Point Road. Use caution
and slow for your turn. Be cautious and watch for falling rock and snow from the mountains above you, to your right. Enjoy the
beautiful Resurrection Bay to your left on your way out.

Return the reverse way, back to the school.

Enter the chute to stop your time. Team participants are done, at this point.

Solo participants, park your bike and check in "swim tickets" table. The staff will give you a swim ticket, which gives
you your lane assignment. Your swim ticket records your bib and official swim time to event staff, so take care.

If a biker leaves the chute area without a helmet, he/she will be DQ-ed.

Though we make a good effort to grade the gravel portions of the race course, bikers are cautioned to travel with care and possibly
bring trail tires instead of skinny racing tires.

Swim Route:
Get in, swim to concrete wall. Turn around. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat... (lol?)

[ Return to SPRD's Races & Tournaments ]

revised 3/17/10