More than 1,100 sign up for Waterfront Triathlon
Riverfront race adds new sprint distance
The Scenic City has become an Ironman destination, but long before the world-renowned triathlon series began bringing thousands of athletes to town, the annual Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon was capitalizing on the city’s attractive riverfront.
That legacy continues Sunday morning as the Chattanooga Track Club presents the event for the 25th time. This year features a new sprint distance option that is lowering the barrier of entry to triathlons for those looking to give the sport a shot.
More than 1,100 are registered between the triathlons’s two divisions, an intermediate distance — featuring a 1.5K swim, a 42K bike ride and a 10K run — and the new sprint, which includes a 0.25mile swim, a 10-mile bike ride and a three-mile run.
“Especially with the sprint, if you’ve never done a triathlon, you could get your rusty old bike out of the garage and probably pull it off if you wanted to,” Chattanooga Track Club manager Stacey Malecky said.
The event doubles as the USA
Triathlon Southeast Regional Championship for the Intermediate Distance, offering a chance for competitors to qualify for the 2016 USA Triathlon Olympic-Distance National Championships.
Swimmers will head downstream on the south side of the Tennessee River, ending at Ross’s Landing. Bikers in the intermediate distance will then pedal north on U.S. 27 to the Highway 153 intersection before returning to Ross’s Landing and finishing with a run on the Tennessee Riverwalk.
“With the whole town now engaged in both of the Ironman events, I think a lot of people look at those and say, ‘I could never,’” said Malecky, who is making her triathlon debut Sunday. “So I think the Waterfront Triathlon is a good opportunity to dip your toes in the water and realize you can do it.”
Though there won’t be the Ironman effect of thousands of visitors spending multiple nights in area hotels for the event, the
Waterfront Triathlon typically attracts a strong contingent of out-of-town guests.
A breakdown of last year’s 1,004 participants showed that competitors came from 23 states, and a host of local businesses will get exposure during the race expo at Ross’s Landing.
“It’s totally a local race and it’s got tons of energetic, local volunteer support,” race director
Jenni Berz said.
Berz said race officials are taking extra precautions — adding additional kayakers closer to the participants — during the swim portion of the event in light of Col. Gene Montague’s death during May’s Ironman 70.3 event.
Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.