Palm Springs, CA Triathlon Athlete Guide
Your 2022 Athlete Guide!
Important information regarding WET SUITS:
Riverside County Parks and Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) require a wet suit safety protocol for the Alpha Win Triathlon Series – Palm Springs event that will take place at Lake Cahilla Park in La Quinta, CA. The protocol is designed to eliminate the possibility of introducing the quagga mussel into Lake Cahuilla and the CVWD water system and will be in effect for the 2022 Alpha Win Triathlon.
Quagga mussels are freshwater mollusks capable of colonizing water bodies such as lakes, rivers, streams and water conveyance channels and pipes. Quagga mussels multiply rapidly, with females able to produce 1 million eggs per year. Microscopic larvae develop after fertilization, drifting in the water until finding a suitable place for attachment. Strong threads produced by the mussel attach the shell to most surfaces and often remain attached long after the mussel has died.
In order to ensure that quagga mussels are not unknowingly transported on athletes’ wet suits, Riverside County Parks and CVWD will require that all wet suits be immersed in a pool containing chlorine at a concentration of 2.0 ppm for at least 15 seconds before a race participant can enter Lake Cahuilla. Athletes who have completed this process will be issued a tag signifying completion of the process. Only athletes with tags will be permitted in the lake.
Due to the number of athletes registered for the upcoming Alpha Win Triathlon Event, executing the protocol will take several hours to accomplish prior to the event. Participants can be assured of being able to complete the process and obtain the tag if they arrive on Friday, October 22, 2021 to check-in and complete the process. Anyone arriving on the day of the race cannot be assured of being able to complete the process and therefore may not be able to race.
Protecting Lake Cahuilla from the invasive quagga mussel is important to the entire Coachella Valley and to the continued ability to use Lake Cahuilla for recreational purposes, including the popular Alpha Win Triathlon Series – Palm Springs event.
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