COVID-19
1 September 2020
Immediate Future of Elite Energy Events
On a daily and weekly basis, we are communicating with councils, NSW Police, sponsors, community groups, athletes, and staff negotiating and navigating the most appropriate dates for new events, old events and re-scheduled events. Keep in mind these dates need to suit not only our schedule, but the schedule of the location (to not clash with other events), and in 2020 – trying to hold a financially viable event within the current changing policies of the State Public Health Orders. We are striving to keep you informed as soon as changes are confirmed. We are hoping that you, our valued customers, can continue to be patient while we plan our calendar.
16 June 2020
We’re starting to get a little excited about having you all back at our events in the very near future. We’re planning to implement some changes in registration, start line, baggage and transition area processes, with single direction traffic flow, queue management and crowd control for our events. Look out for these new instructions in your inbox, and you’ll feel more comfortable attending your next race.
We can confirm the following dates and cancellations for our events from the COVID lockdown period:
- Batemans Bay Triathlon Festival – new date 30 Jan 2020
- Wollongong Triathlon Festival – new date 17 Oct 2020
- Port Stephens Triathlon Festival – new date 21 Nov 2020
- Club Champs Forster – new date 19 Sep 2020
- Kiama Coastal Classic – cancelled – entries transferred to 2021 (date TBC)
- Husky Duathlon – cancelled 2021 date TBC
- Fiji Triathlon Festival – cancelled – entries transferred to 2021 (date TBC)
- Berry Duathlon – cancelled 2021 date TBC
- Husky Running Festival – new date 26 Sep 2020
28 March 2020
Dear Elite Energy Family,
As you would know by now, all of us will be affected in some way or another by the COVID-19 virus. The team from Elite Energy is committed to the safety and well-being of all our participants and will continue to follow the recommendations of public health agencies and local authorities.
As frustrating and disappointing as it is we can confirm the following;
- NSW Triathlon Club Championships has been rescheduled for 19 September 2020
- Wollongong, Batemans Bay, and Port Stephens Triathlons will also be rescheduled
Our team is working closely with Councils, Police, RMS, Sponsors, and Stakeholders to secure venues and new race dates. We appreciate your understanding in these very uncertain times and ask that you be patient and empathetic with our team until these new dates have been announced.
You may also see some marketing for new and adjusted dates for other regular events within our portfolio that we anticipate will be safe to deliver from September onwards and also ask that you support these events during these extremely challenging times.
Mark (Emo) Emerton
CEO Elite Energy Events
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24 March 2020
This unprecedented situation has forced us to make a number of tough decisions for our upcoming events to ensure the health & safety of the wider community. We appreciate your support and understanding during this time.
Today we are happy to announce the new date for the Triathlon NSW Club Championships, which will now be held on September 19, 2020.
We’re looking forward to seeing all your faces back at Forster Main Beach for what will still be the largest Club Champs in its 20+ year history. We hope this will give you something to aim towards during the next few months and gives your clubs time to reassemble their biggest teams ever!
Your entry will be automatically rolled over to this new date. If the new date does not work for you, please note the following:
- If you have taken the Race Day Cancellation Insurance (RDCI), you can get a full refund;
- If you have not taken the RDCI, during these unfortunate times we have relaxed our policy with the following:
- Transfer to an event of equal or lesser value until the end of next season (June 2021) with NO TRANSFER CHARGE
- Please refer to our Refund and Transfer Policy, and the event waiver agreement in your athlete registration account (Register Now) for more information.
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17 March, 2020
A heartfelt message from our CEO, Mark ‘Emo’ Emerton
Dear Elite Energy Family,
Well, never in my life, would I have said I would need to be writing to you all about the current state of our sport, our business, our passion, my love for the sport of triathlon and where we are today, tomorrow and over the next few months of uncertainty.
This crazy thing they call COVID-19 has certainly rocked so many on so many levels.
With policies, decisions and ideas changing daily (and sometimes hourly), our team will do our best to keep our triathlon and running family informed and in front of any changes that may affect us all.
There will no doubt be some extremely tough decisions we as a company need to make over the coming weeks/months that will affect our staff and their families, many of our contractors and more importantly our athletes. Elite Energy is based in Nowra and over the past 4 months have been hit hard with fires, floods and now this damn virus. As a team we have no choice but to reduce hours and as you would understand will affect many of our Elite Energy families. We do ask for your understanding, patience and a little empathy during this period of difficult decisions and think about the long term effect this is having on so many – and the sports we all love.
Elite Energy has 4 triathlon events scheduled for the rest of this season and (as of today) we will decide 4 weeks from each event if we are able to proceed. We have already made the difficult decision to postpone Batemans Bay on 28 March. We know this is not the most favourable option, but as things are changing rapidly and we hope within a month (maybe for the better) these decisions will change.
We also ask you to understand that some of these decisions may be out of our control, with approvals from Police, Local and State Governments, Triathlon Australia, etc.
It is impossible to predict when this monster called COVID-19 will normalise, so as race directors we need to try and continue in our day to day operations, while at the same time prepare for what may happen. When we do have to make the tough decision to postpone an event, we have noticed on social media and via some emails that postponing is the “cheap way out”. Of course this isn’t the way. Can I say that nearly 90% of event costs are incurred 1 to 3 months out from race day, with most of the products ordered and services having been contracted. Postponing an event is not an easy decision and we would hope we are all in this together in finding the best possible solution, while at the same time accepting the fact that everyone has to forgo a little of their personal ideal situation.
As many of you may know, Elite Energy has always been one of the innovators in our sport and always willing to step outside the ‘norm’ to offer our athletes a more enjoyable experience. With this in mind, if we are able to proceed with any of our remaining events this season, below are some ideas we are considering to align with the policies being imposed by our authorities:
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- Keeping events (including spectators) under 450 (if it stays this way). We can run 2 or 3 events per day. 450 race at 7 am, another 450 at 10 am, etc and request athletes from the first race leave the area immediately after they finish;
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- During online registration (or once entries close) request how many spectators each athlete will bring;
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- Race bibs, stickers and timing chips (so no registration lines) will be mailed out
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- Rolling entry through transition – eg competitor numbers 1 to 50 7.00 am / 51 to 99 approx. 7.15 am and so on;
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- Request estimated athlete finishing times so we can start each athlete in order with an approx. 1-minute gap (rolling start);
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- Athletes to place their own timing chip into a bin at the finish line;
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- Sealed bottled water at the finish line, therefore no recovery or congregation;
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- Online awards and medals to be mailed out (no on-site presentation);
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- Hand sanitiser at every toilet;
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- On-site contracted toilet cleaners;
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- Hand wash facilities at all events;
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- Personal porta-loos (at the athlete’s expense);
Please keep in mind these are just initial suggestions that may (or may not) be options during these difficult times – and all are an extra expense for the organisers.
If (or when) we get to a level of where we need to postpone events, Elite Energy will adopt the following options for athletes already registered:
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- Leave your entry to be automatically transferred to the new date (once this is decided). We will work with Council/Tourism and Triathlon Australia on new dates and also our contractors. Keep in mind that most other events being cancelled will want theirs in the (already crowded) later half of 2020;
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- If you have taken the Race Day Cancellation Insurance (RDCI), you can get a full refund;
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- If you have not taken the RDCI, during these unfortunate times we will relax our policy with the following:
- Transfer to an event of equal or lesser value until the end of next season (June 2021) with NO TRANSFER CHARGE, or
- Refer to EE’s Refund and Transfer Policy, and the event waiver agreement in your athlete registration account (Register Now) for more information.
- Transfer to an event of equal or lesser value until the end of next season (June 2021) with NO TRANSFER CHARGE, or
- If you have not taken the RDCI, during these unfortunate times we will relax our policy with the following:
Please keep in mind that considerable work has been done to enable these events to proceed with office staff, marketing, operational costs, online fees, etc. Again we appreciate your understanding and ask for your empathy during these difficult times.
Warmest regards,
Emo.
CEO Elite Energy Events
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16 March, 2020
In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic certain races will need to be postponed or cancelled, we will communicate these updates as soon as practical.
Our goal will be to move the impacted events to a later date this year. We are working in close partnership with the relevant public health authorities to ensure our events are safe for our athletes and the communities we visit.
This is a highly dynamic situation and we will continue to adapt and adjust as appropriate. We appreciate your patience in the coming days and weeks.
For athletes who have flu like symptoms, or have been potentially exposed prior to an event that will take place, please do NOT attend the event; instead seek medical care. Once you have done so, contact our Athlete Services team and we will attempt to find you another solution.
Batemans Bay – POSTPONED (Date TBC)
In the interest of public health and safety, and in accordance with State and Federal Government measures to control the spread of COVID-19, Elite Energy have made the difficult decision to postpone the Batemans Bay Triathlon Festival scheduled to be held on 28 March 2020, to a date later in the year (date to be confirmed).
We understand and empathize that many of you will be disappointed with this news, as are we and especially so close to the event.
The rescheduling of this event (and maybe others) is a disappointing decision and will affect many athletes, our staff and their families and our contractors, and we ask you all to be patient and understanding not just through these tough decisions, but through many unfortunate and unpredicted decisions while this ugly virus takes over our world.
For athletes already registered, there are a few options:
・ Leave your entry to be automatically rolled over to the new date (once this is decided). We are working with Council/Tourism and Triathlon Australia on a new date
・ If you have taken the Race Day Cancellation Insurance (RDCI), you can get a full refund
・ If you have not taken the RDCI, during these unfortunate times, we will relax our policy with the following:
・ Transfer to an event of equal or lesser value until the end of next season – June 2021 with NO CHARGE or
・ Receive a 25% refund in line with Elite Energy’s current cancellation policy
Please keep in mind that considerable work has been done to enable these events to proceed with office staff, marketing, operational costs, online fees, etc. Again we appreciate your understanding and ask for your empathy during these difficult times.
We encourage anyone who has booked accommodation in or around Batemans Bay for the weekend of the triathlon festival, to still head south and enjoy a weekend away in the beautiful region. It is still a great opportunity to continue to help support an area that has been so heavily affected by the recent 2019/2020 bushfires.