Race Information for the Dee Mile Swim
Parking - CH4 7BB from 13:30
Car parking and registration is on The Meadows, Chester. Access is through Handbridge via Victoria Crescent or Lower Park Road. The postcode to use for Sat Nav is CH4 7BB. There is parking for 300 cars. You will be directed where to park by a marshal. Please go where you are directed as it is on protected land and we want to be able to use this space in the future. Please think about car sharing or if you live locally enough – walk or cycle!
The Meadows will be open for people to park from 13:30.
The gates will be locked shut at 19:30 sharp. Any vehicles that remain will have to contact the local council to assist in getting out.
Registration 13:30 – 16:00
Registration will be in the Chester Triathlon Club marquee on The Meadows, CH4 7BB.
There will be three desks: one for the 1km race and two for the 2km race (one for the competitive wave and one for for the non competitive wave). At the desk, please confirm your category – wetsuit or non wetsuit (and for the 2km race – competitive or non-competitive wave).
If you wish to check or change your wave or category, it makes life a lot easier if you can do this before the day by using the edit link on the event page on niftyEntries event page https://chestertri.niftyentries.com/deemile . If you no longer intend to swim, please transfer or cancel using niftyEntries.
If you decide to change on the day, please notify the registration marshals before you collect your hat and they will change the details for you.
You will receive the following at registration:
- Chip for chip timing. This must be worn on your wrist outside your wetsuit otherwise you will not get an accurate time. The strap must be fastened in an overlapping fashion otherwise you may lose your timing chip and not receive a time. If you fail to attach your timing chip correctly please return and get a replacement strap.
- Swim hat for your wave (this is the hat you will race in and must be the top hat if you are wearing more than one).
- Race number written on your hand.
- Dee Mile swag – we change this each year so you have a nice memento of each Dee Mile swim.
Bag Drop
Bag Drop 1 – Towel/warm clothes to collect at the Finish
Please use the supplied bag label to label your finish bag and take it to bag drop 1 located in the van next to registration. This will be taken to the finish so should include warm clothes and footwear. You need to do this before 16:20, so please do this as soon as you’ve registered.
Bag drop 2 – Things you need to get from Registration to the Start
Wetsuit swimmers – shoes only. Non wetsuit swimmers – shoes and a jumper or T-shirt if you would like, but no bulky changing robes please (such as Dry Robes) as there is very limited space. These will be taken back to the registration area on The Meadows for you to collect when you have finished the race. NB These will not go to the finish.
*** Please keep items you want transporting back from the start, or to the finish, to a minimum *** If you have friends/family with you, please ask them to look after your things. Please note that although we will handle your things with care and respect, we will not be held responsible for any loss or damage to your items.
Safety Briefing 16:30
The safety briefing will be held at 16:30 by the marquee. This is for your safety and you must attend.
Start
Once the last boat trip has turned around at the Red House we can get swimmers into the water. Get your goggles on ready before you step onto the pontoon so you can enter the water immediately.
All swimmers must be marked off by marshals near to the start of the event. Please go past in single file and say your number loudly to the marshal.
Please wave your timing chip in front of the antenna on the pontoon to register it on the timing system.
Once in the water please move away quickly so others can get in. This prevents people waiting in the river and getting cold. For the 2km race, you need to swim approx 200m downstream to the start line, which will be marked by caneists/kayakers.
The Dee Mile Full (2k) event will be in 2 waves as below:
Wave 1 will be all Competitive swimmers and will be wearing Red hats.
Wave 2 will be all Non Competitive swimmers and will be wearing Green hats.
Please ensure that you go into the river with the correct wave.
Swim
You will swim downstream, on the left side of the river, keeping the buoys to your right. When the buoys end, close to The Boathouse, you will cross over to the right hand side of the river for the final few hundred metres and finish at The Groves underneath the suspension bridge.
Finish
At the finish you need to raise the arm with your timing chip on and tap the front of the finish gantry as you pass under it. Please do not pull or hang on the gantry or try to climb any part of it. Once you have swum under the gantry, do not stop but continue to swim until you can put your feet down on the swim ramp to exit.
At the swim exit you will have your timing chip removed and you will be checked out of the water, please confirm your swim number to the swim exit marshals.
If you have put belongings in a bag these will be at the finish. Again you will need to give your number to the marshals distributing the bags.
Cold drinks will be available at the finish area if required.
Prize-giving will take place under the suspension bridge at around 6:30pm
Prizes will be award for :
- Champions of the Dee, Male / Female (2km race, non-wetsuit, living within 5 miles of The Cross)
- All Comers Winners, Male / Female (2km race, non-wetsuit, living outside 5 miles of The Cross)
- Wetsuit Winners, Male / Female (2km race)
- 1K Junior Winners, Male / Female
You can walk back to the registration area by crossing over the suspension bridge and either using Lower Park Road or the riverside path to return to the registration area on The Meadows. Items left at the start will be laid out at the registration area, for you to collect.
***Please remember the gate to The Meadow will be locked at 1930 and anyone whose vehicle gets locked in will need to contact the council to unlock the gate.***