Pissouri Open Water Festival Race Manual

• 18:00 Athlete bag pick up at Columbia Beach Resort Conference Room
• 19:00 Safety & Race course analysis at Columbia Beach Resort Conference Room
• 20:00 Q & A at Columbia Beach Resort Conference Room

• 06:30 Body Marking – 5Km Distance | All Age Categories
• 06:30 Body Marking – 3Km Distance | All Age Categories
• 06:30 Athlete bag pick up at Pissouri Beach – 3Km & 5Km Distances | All Age Categories
• 08:00 Race Start – 5Km Distance | All Age Categories
• 08:05 Race Start – 3Km Distance | All Age Categories
• 10:00 Juniors Race Start – 1.25Km Distance | 13 – 17 years old
• 10:00 Kids Race Start – 0.5Km Distance | 8 – 12 years old
• 11:00 Awards Ceremony

Racing as a family? The Juniors and Kids races start at 10:00, after the 5Km and 3Km races, so parents can finish their own swim and be on the beach to cheer their children on.

Start will be given sharply at 08:00 for 5Km and 08:05 for 3Km by a signal: "Get Set" AND a long sound of a HORN OR WHISTLE. This is a land start. All age categories per distance will start simultaneously. All swimmers must start after the horn (those who start before the sound of the horn will receive a Time Penalty equal to 1 minute which will be added to their overall time).

Starting from buoy 1, swimmers can swim in any stroke they want towards buoy 2, which they must overpass by leaving it on their left-hand side. Next, swimmers continue to buoy 3 where they must leave the buoy on their left-hand side and head to buoy 4 which, once again, they will have to leave on their left-hand side. Next, swimmers will continue to buoy 5, which they will have to leave on their left-hand side, and head to buoy 6, leaving it once again on their left-hand side. Swimmers will then swim towards buoy 1, leaving it on their left-hand side, to complete 1 lap. After completing 1 lap, swimmers will continue in the same direction up until buoy 6, where they will have to leave it on their left-hand side and move towards the exit buoy to complete the race.

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In case an athlete does not "clear" the buoys as described above, the option of a DSQ will be considered. Swimmers are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the course which will be clearly marked and for covering the distance of the 5Km as described.

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Starting from buoy 6, swimmers can swim in any stroke they want towards buoy 1, which they must overpass by leaving it on their left-hand side, and then continue to buoy 2 where they must leave the buoy on their left-hand side. Next, swimmers will continue to buoys 3, 4 and 5 and leave them on their left-hand side. Finally, swimmers continue to buoy 6, leaving it on their left-hand side, and head to the exit buoy to complete the race.

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In case an athlete does not "clear" the buoys as described above, the option of a DSQ will be considered. Swimmers are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the course which will be clearly marked and for covering the distance of the 3Km as described.

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The finish line is at Pissouri Beach and will be clearly located next to the Timing Area with sufficient identification/branding. Athlete race numbers must always be visible, especially at the finish line. A well-placed identifier / body marked number will assist with your identification by the marshals who may ask for your race number upon your approach to the finish line. You are encouraged to voice your race number as you cross the finish line.

Water temperature will be measured at race morning and announced 60 min before the race start. Please observe wetsuits regulations below:

• Water temperature of 20 deg C and above: no wetsuit.
• Water temperature between 18 and 19.9 deg C: swimmers can choose to wear a wetsuit or not.
• Water temperature between 16 and 17.9 deg C: wetsuits are compulsory.
• Water temperature below 15.9 deg C: swimmers should not be competing.

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Start will be given sharply at 10:00 for both distances by a signal: "Get Set" AND a long sound of a HORN OR WHISTLE. This is a land start. All race categories will start simultaneously. All swimmers must start after the horn (those who start before the sound of the horn will receive a Time Penalty equal to 1 minute which will be added to their overall time).

Starting from the beach and swimming in an anti-clockwise direction, swimmers can swim in any stroke they want towards buoy 2, which they must overpass by leaving it on their left-hand-side. Next, swimmers continue to buoy 3 where they must take a left-hand turn leaving the buoy again on their left-hand-side and head to buoy 1 (the exit buoy), which they will have to leave on their left. After their final loop, swimmers head from buoy 1 to the finish line.

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Kids of the short distance (0.5km) will loop two times before they head to the finish line. The long distance (1.25Km) swimmers will have to do their loop five times before heading to the exit.

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The finish line is at Pissouri Beach and will be clearly located next to the Timing Area with sufficient identification/branding. Athlete race numbers must always be visible, especially at the finish line. A well-placed identifier / body marked number will assist with your identification by the marshals who may ask for your race number upon your approach to the finish line. You are encouraged to voice your race number as you cross the finish line.

Water temperature will be measured at race morning and announced 60 min before the race start. Please observe wetsuits regulations below:

• Water temperature of 20 deg C and above: no wetsuit.
• Water temperature between 18 and 19.9 deg C: swimmers can choose to wear a wetsuit or not.
• Water temperature between 16 and 17.9 deg C: wetsuits are compulsory.
• Water temperature below 15.9 deg C: swimmers should not be competing.

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• 06:30 Body Marking – 8Km Distance | Individual Race
• 06:30 Body Marking – 8Km Distance | Relay Race
• 07:00 Athlete bag pick up at Columbia Beach Resort Main Entrance – 8Km Individual Race & 8Km Relay Race
• 07:30 Bus Pick Up at Columbia Beach Resort Main Entrance to Prolimnos Beach
• 08:00 Race Start – 8Km Distance | Individual Race
• 08:00 Race Start – 8Km Distance | Relay Race
• 12:30 Awards Ceremony

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Start will be given sharply at 08:00 for both 8Km Individual and 8Km Relay Races from Prolimnos Beach by a signal: "Get Set" AND a long sound of a HORN OR WHISTLE. This is a non land start. All race categories will start simultaneously. All swimmers must start after the horn (those who start before the sound of the horn will receive a Time Penalty equal to 1 minute which will be added to their overall time).

Starting from Prolimnos Beach, all swimmers will have to complete a one way swimming race towards Pissouri Beach (finish line). Swimmers competing for the 8Km individual race will have to swim from Point A to point B. Safety boats will be loaded with seasonal fruits and water bottles, and they will be used as feeding stations. Safety boats will be located at three key points of the course; at 2Km, 4Km and 6Km. Swimmers competing for the 8Km Relay race will change teammates every 2Km. The swimmers of each team will be waiting on the safety boats for a relay change. Swimmers who starts the relay race will have to hi-5 the swimmer who is waiting on safety boat at 2Km, then the second swimmer will have to hi-5 the swimmer who is waiting on safety boat at 4Km, and lastly the third swimmer will have to hi-5 the swimmer who is waiting on safety boat at 6Km. The last swimmer will have to head to the finish line at Pissouri Beach. NOTE that ONLY swimmer number 4 of each team, (on the relay race), will have to have a timing chip attached on him/her.

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In case of a team of 2 swimmers, the first swimmer will change on the second boat, at the 4th Km.

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The finish line is at Pissouri Beach and will be clearly located next to the Timing Area with sufficient identification/branding. Athlete race numbers must always be visible, especially at the finish line. A well-placed identifier / body marked number will assist with your identification by the marshals who may ask for your race number upon your approach to the finish line. You are encouraged to voice your race number as you cross the finish line.

Water temperature will be measured at race morning and announced 60 min before the race start. Please observe wetsuits regulations below:

• Water temperature of 20 deg C and above: no wetsuit.
• Water temperature between 18 and 19.9 deg C: swimmers can choose to wear a wetsuit or not.
• Water temperature between 16 and 17.9 deg C: wetsuits are compulsory.
• Water temperature below 15.9 deg C: swimmers should not be competing.

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Cut off times are applied to the 3Km, 5Km and 8Km races only. For the 3Km and 5Km the cut-off time is 30 minutes after the first swimmer of their distance and age category finishes. For the 8Km, the cut-off time is 45 minutes. Swimmers finishing after the cut-off times will automatically be DSQ. NO CUT-OFF TIMES APPLY FOR KIDS/JUNIORS.

All athletes will receive an electronic timing chip which they will wear on their ankle and secure it well. No timing will occur unless you wear the time chip throughout the duration of the race. Loss of the timing chip will be charged with €100.

All athletes will receive a branded Cyprus Swim Series swimming cap in their goody bag. You MUST wear the official race swim cap while you are in the water. If you need to use another swim cap, please wear it under the official race cap and inform a member of the registration team.

It is up to the discretion of the Race Director and affiliated Marshals to impact a DSQ status to an athlete that has behaved in a non-sportsman like manner or has violated the rules of the sport. It is also the duty of a marshal to identify any falsity by the athlete and enforce a stop and go rule. All athletes are treated equally and fairly with safety and integrity considered to be paramount.

Public Parking is available close to the venue. Please arrive early and allow sufficient time to get ready and avoid unnecessary hustle.

After the finish line athletes can proceed to the recovery/feed zone area. Water, seasonal fruits and juice will be available for all swimmers. Toilets and showers are located next to the swim venue. All participants are kindly requested to respect the nature of the venue as well as the man-made facilities that have been so generously offered to us and to use the bins provided so no trace is left behind.