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September 11, 2008 - We just received final approval for our 2009 date from the City of Truckee: Sunday, July 19th. Now that we have received concrete approval, we will be mailing out all the credit letters. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to including you in the 2009 event!

July 16, 2008 - We anticipate credit letters to be mailed to athletes in Mid-August, after we have finalized the 2009 date with the City of Truckee. In the meantime, best of luck with your 2008 triathlon endeavors.

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July 11, 2008
6:45 PM PST
sent via e-mail

Dear Athlete,

As a result of the cancellation of the 2008 Donner Lake Triathlon, I am pleased to offer each and every registered participant of the 2008 event a full credit (entry) to the 2009 Donner Lake Triathlon.

As I have stated in previous emails, a great deal of our event expenses come well before event day.  In fact, nearly 60% of our budget, which includes: design, marketing, advertising, logistics planning, permit acquisition, volunteer recruitment and training, equipment rental, athlete registration and many other things that occur well before event day. As a business, we are faced with accepting this as a significant financial loss.
 
Clearly this is a unique situation that affects many of the individuals we care about, our athletes.  We appreciate the feedback and understanding of our decision to cancel the event.  Again, we hope that the participants to this year's Donner Lake Triathlon will find that this compensation reflects our loyalty to our athletes.

We will be sending each athlete, via US Mail, a credit letter, which they may use for the 2009 event. We will be working with the City of Truckee in the coming weeks to establish our 2009 date. Once that is completed and the date is confirmed, we will issue the credit letters and distribute them to you. We feel a 100% credit to 2009 is very generous given our financial loss and we hope that you will be able to join us for the event under clear skies next July.

We will ask that all athletes return their credit letter and completed 2009 entry form by March 31, 2009, so that we can plan appropriately for the race.

We will send you an email when the credit letters are mailed so that you know when to expect it in your mailbox. We anticipate the permit process with the City to take one to two months, therefore, expect the credit letter by the end of August, if not earlier.

To answer a couple of common questions we have received via email:

Q: Will 2008 t-shirts be mailed?
A: No, because we are providing a full credit for 2009.  In addition, we have consulted with our screen printer and are able to alter the shirts for next year's event.

Q: Why didn't we postpone the event instead of canceling it?
A: Producing an event like the Donner Lake Triathlon takes a tremendous amount planning surrounding a particular date.  Unfortunately, our calendar does not allow us to reschedule in 2008.

Q: Don't we have event insurance?
A: Yes, we have insurance (USAT) that covers participant, spectator and volunteer liability, medical expenses and property. It does not cover event cancellation or provide any monetary amount in the case of cancellation or natural disaster.

Q: I purchased a one-day USAT license for $10. Will that transfer over to 2009 as well?
A: You bet.

We are confident you will find this credit policy to be very fair and equitable and we look forward to seeing you in a year.  In the meantime, we hope you enjoy safe and happy training and a successful '08 triathlon season.

Warmly,

Dave Miramontes
A Change of Pace

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July 11, 2008
12:15 AM PST

Dear Athlete,
 
We appreciate the feedback received and apologize for not providing details regarding a credit in our previous correspondence. The purpose of the first e-mail was to alert participants that the race had been canceled due to an unprecedented event. With the air quality index deemed the “worst in decades”, we did not want to place any athlete, spectator or volunteer in an unsafe situation.
 
Please keep in mind that many of our race expenses are paid upfront, however, with the cancellation three days out, we are attempting to do our best to negotiate a reduction in certain contractual agreements that have since been signed. While we have stated that all entries are non-refundable, we will of course be providing some compensation into next year’s event.  We are confident this credit amount will be more than reasonable considering the circumstances.
 
Again, we appreciate your patience as we make every effort to make sure this amount remains in the favor of our loyal athletes.
 
All the best,
A Change of Pace

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July 10, 2008
7:00 PM PST

Dear Athlete,

It is with deep regret that I write to inform you that the 2008 Donner Lake Triathlon has been canceled due to poor air quality caused by the recent and ongoing fires in the Sierras and Butte County.

For the past several days, we have been closely monitoring the air quality in the Truckee region and have posted this information on our website.  We have been in contact with numerous service organizations and health officials to determine if we should proceed with the event and have been advised not to. This morning we were highly disappointed that the Air Quality Index had taken a drastic turn for the worse and the air in Truckee was deemed unhealthy.

Through conversations with various officials regarding the fire, the predicted winds and the update from the Tahoe National Forest Service, the local fire is not projected to be contained and the smoke is expected to remain poor for at least another week.
 
This has been an agonizing decision for us to make. The health and safety of our participants is the paramount factor in every decision and we truly feel it is in your best interest to cancel the triathlon. By canceling the triathlon today, we give our participants the opportunity to cancel any hotel reservations and possibly save on unnecessary travel expenses.

Unfortunately the triathlon cannot be rescheduled and we are unable to offer refunds due to costs incurred for developing this year’s race. In our 21 years of producing events, we have never even contemplated canceling an event. Ultimately, our decision was guided by the safety of our participants and volunteers. We hope you understand and we look forward to seeing you next year.

Sincerely,
Dave Miramontes
President
A Change of Pace

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7/10/08 - 9:00 am - Unfortunately, the winds have shifted, and the air quality has taken a turn for the worse in Truckee. If the air were to be like this on Sunday, we would be forced to cancel the event.

Unfortunately, the decision to move forward or cancel is an extremely tough one as the winds can change and produce an environment that can significantly change in a 24 hour period. It was beautiful yesterday morning, and this morning, it is very, very smoky.

We are in contact with a number of health professionals as well as the fire service to try and get a prediction of the conditions this weekend.

While we hoped to make a determination today by 5pm, it seems as though any decision made today would probably be premature, since the conditions can change so quickly. Unfortunately, it is probably going to come down to Friday night or Saturday morning.

We'll update again later today.

Thank you again for your patience. This is an extremely difficult situation.

7/9/08 - Online registration will be available until Midnight tonight.

The CA Air Resources Board (as posted below on 7/7) has air quality information for Truckee that is updated hourly. The data continues to show an AQI that is less than 100, in the "Good" or "Moderate" category today. We are quite pleased to see the improvement that has taken place over the last couple of days . Use the table below to determine the AQI. You can visit this page on their site to select your California hometown/region and see how the air compares. In Step 1, choose the parameter of "PM2.5 (BAM)".

Air Quality Index (AQI)
Category	Good	Moderate	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy	Hazardous
Index Value	0 - 50	51 - 100	101 - 150	151 - 200	201 - 300	301 - 400	401 - 500
Pollutant	Concentration Ranges
PM 2.5	0 - 15.4	15.5 - 40.4	40.5 - 65.4	65.5 - 150.4	150.5 - 250.4	250.5 - 350.4	350.5 - 500.4

 

7/9/08 - Due to some issues with the shopping cart on active.com, a few athletes may have not been able to register online this morning. The issue has been corrected by active.com. We have extended the online registration through 5:00 pm today.

7/9/08 - Air Quality - We're happy to report that the air is looking fabulous in the Truckee area again today. We're pretty confident we'll be able to move forward with the event. Naturally, we're thrilled, and hope that Mother Nature continues to cooperate.

We e-mailed the following letter to our registered participants this morning:

Dear Athlete,

As many of you are aware, there are several fires burning throughout Northern California. This includes two new fires in relatively close proximity to the Truckee region where our annual Donner Lake Triathlon takes place. Many of you have contacted us inquiring if the triathlon will take place.  The air has cleared up considerably in the last two days and we will be moving forward with producing the event this Sunday.

We will continue to closely monitor the air quality as the event approaches, as we would never want to place any of our athletes in an unsafe situation. However, it appears as though Mother Nature has decided to cooperate with us.

The lifeguard staff at the beach said yesterday was much better than past days and they seem to have a good visual of the entire lake. This morning, the air is even better. Air quality appears to be at its best in the morning and at its worst in the late afternoon/early evening. This is fortunate as our event occurs in the morning.

We would thank everyone for their patience, concerns and as always, welcome your feedback. You may email us at info@changeofpace.com.

We will continue to post all race updates on our website at http://changeofpace.com/Donner_lake_tri.html.  In addition, we will send you another e-mail with packet pick up info, etc. tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Dave Miramontes
Race Director
A Change of Pace

7/9/08 - Online Registration closes today at noon. Be sure to get your registration completed by 12:00 Noon today. After today, we will accept registration on Saturday at the expo (11am to 6pm at the West End Beach) as well as on race morning starting at 5:30 am.

7/8/08 - Letter to the Athletes:

Dear Athlete,
 
As many of you are aware, there are several fires burning throughout Northern California.  This includes two new fires in close proximity to the Truckee region where our annual Donner Lake Triathlon takes place.
 
Since these fires first began, we have been closely monitoring their proximity to our event as well as the air quality concerns they could have on our athletes.  This has been done through various weather sites, news stations, and contacts in the Truckee/Donner area.  In fact, we have posted one on our site for everyone to view.  As our company prides itself on producing safe and healthy related events,  it is our responsibility to assure that we do not put anyone in harms way.  On the other hand, we have a responsibility to our customers to move forward with an event if there is a remote chance that we can produce the event should the air quality remains in the healthy range.  

Many of our athletes, including our staff, have been looking forward to the annual Donner Lake Triathlon this Sunday, July 13.  We have been planning the for event for quite some time and understand that many athletes have been training for the day. We are crossing our fingers that these fires will subside and more importantly, that the air quality remains in a healthy level.  In our 21 years of producing this event, we have never had to contemplate cancellation.
 
Since many of our athletes have made previous travel arrangements, we do have to be fair in our decision to either go forward or to cancel.  We hope to make a final decision on Thursday, July 10.  This gives us two days to monitor and assess the situation, see how contained the fires are and monitor the air quality levels.  It is a responsible approach we have to take.  Again, the last thing we want to do is put ANY of our athletes at risk for smoke inhalation or any other medically related condition that could arise from particularly unhealthy air.  

On a good note, the lifeguard staff at the beach said today was much better and they seem to have a good visual of the entire lake. We are hopeful we will be able to produce the event as planned. However, we will continue to monitor the smoke and fire situation and will make a determination by 5:00 PM Thursday, July 10th.
 
In the meantime, we would thank everyone for their patience, concerns and as always, welcome your feedback. You may email us at info@changeofpace.com.
 
Sincerely,
 
Dave Miramontes
Race Director
A Change of Pace

7/7/08 -You can use this below table to determine the AQI using the PM 2.5 levels (Truckee Fire Dept. readings).

Air Quality Index (AQI)
Category	Good	Moderate	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	Unhealthy	Very Unhealthy	Hazardous
Index Value	0 - 50	51 - 100	101 - 150	151 - 200	201 - 300	301 - 400	401 - 500
Pollutant	Concentration Ranges
PM 2.5	0 - 15.4	15.5 - 40.4	40.5 - 65.4	65.5 - 150.4	150.5 - 250.4	250.5 - 350.4	350.5 - 500.4

 

7/5/08 - Today is the deadline to postmark your mailed entry for the Donner Lake Triathlon. The online registration deadline is also quickly approaching - it is Wednesday, July 9th at Noon.

7/5/08 - Air quality continues to improve by leaps and bounds in Truckee each day. Morning AQI readings tend to be the lowest. This morning the AQI is 31. Readings above 100 are considered unhealthy for sensitive groups; readings above 151 are considered unhealthy. There is a chart on the below weatherbug site regarding AQI levels.

A website that offer regularly updated readings for Truckee, CA is the State of CA Air Resources Board (click update at the bottom right of the page for the latest readings). This site gives the concentration in microns/cubic liter of particulate matter in the air.

At this point cancellation is extremely unlikely (due to smoke) unless a new fire were to start in the area.

7/5/08 - Volunteers are still needed for the event for tasks including post-race food prep, tshirt hand-out, and water stations on the run course. Groups of ten or more are eligible to raise funds for their group (sports teams, non profits, etc.). To sign up, or for more info, email info@changeofpace.com.

7/1/08 - The numerous fires in and around Northern California do not appear to be affecting the air quality at Donner Lake to the point where the event would risk taking place. The smoke has been clearing out of the Truckee area over the last few days and it appears that it will continue to clear out over the next week and a half.

Of course, if the situation changes due to a new fire, stagnant smoke, etc., we will update this page accordingly. Although we see it highly unlikely that we will have to cancel the event (postponement is not an option due to permits, etc), we will make any determination of that nature on Wednesday, July 9th. We of course do not want to place any of our athletes at risk due to either a fire or unhealthy air quality.

5/1/08 - We are pleased to announce that Northstar-at-Tahoe, a longtime sponsor of the Donner Lake Triathlon, will be our Official Accommodation Sponsor for 2008.

As such, Northstar is offering a 15% discount to all Donner Lake Triathlon participants who stay at their resort. Be sure to mention/use the following promotional code to receive the discount: DO0712.

Visit their website at: http://www.northstarattahoe.com/

 

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