Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
June is bustin’ out all over with triathlons
Forgive me for saying this, but June is a tri-ing time.
In better words, it’s a big month for triathlons.
Already Arkansans have tried their hands at the Arkansas Bone & Joint Bryant Kid’s Triathlon, the Xterra Eureka Springs Off-Road Triathlon, the new Tri-The-Village Triathlon in Hot Springs Village and Jonesboro’s Kids Tri Lemonade, Stearns Race Timing Summer Duathlon and the Gearhead Sprint Triathlon.
But wait — there’s more.
Kids Tri
Open to any child age 5 to 14, Saturday’s Tri-Sport Club Kid’s Triathlon combines a swim in the Fayetteville Athletic Club’s 25-yard pool with a bike ride through quiet neighborhood streets and a run on a grass course across the street.
How much of each sport the children will do varies with their ages:
Age 5 and 6: swim 25 yards, bike a half mile, run a half mile.
Age 7 and 8: swim 50 yards, bike one mile, run a half mile.
Age 9 to 11: swim 100 yards, bike two miles, run a half mile.
Age 12 to 14: swim 150 yards, bike three miles, run one mile.
The youngest children will start the race in the pool at 8 a.m. Older ages will follow in heats.
After the race, they can gobble pizza and ice cream, play in a bouncy house, and stand on tippy toes during drawings for a boy’s and a girl’s bicycle and other door prizes.
Kids who haven’t done a triathlon before can get an overview by attending a pre-race clinic called “101 Triathlon Basics” at 7:15 p.m. Friday in the club pool area.
Each racer needs a bicycle and helmet as well as swimming and running clothes. Kids may use flotation devices and training wheels, but those who do will only be eligible for a finishers bracelet, not a race award.
The awards will go three deep in one-year age divisions for boys and girls.
Registration costs $25 and is available online at trisportclub.com. Each racer also must have a USA Triathlon membership or buy a $10 one-day or $15 one-year permit.
Parents can also register the kids from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Lewis and Clark Outfitters, 4915 S. Thompson St. in Springdale. Race-day packet pickup will open at 7 a.m. at the club. The club is at 2870 E. Zion Road. Volunteer coordinator Cindy Holt is looking for adults to help.
More information about volunteering is at cindy.holt1@gmail.com or (479) 236-6839.
More information about the race is at (479) 521-7766.
Ozark Valley
Sunday, the Ozark Valley Triathlon will bring multi-sporty types to Fayetteville’s Lake Wedington Recreation Area.
Besides the sprint-distance, three-sport race (swim, bike, run), this opportunity to sweat with friends includes relay competition and an Aquabike race (just the swim and bike parts of the triathlon).
The swimming course is a 1,000yard rectangle in the lake, and you’ll have one hour to do it. The 19- mile bike course has one good hill but is otherwise gently rolling; the cut-off is two hours. The four-mile run course uses park roads that are partly shady and gently rolling; you have one hour to run it.
Racers can preview the swim course from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday.
There is no race-day registration. You can register online at ozarkvalleytriathlon.com or in person from 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Lewis & Clark Outfitter’s Springdale location. First-timers can get reassuring information at a “Race-Day Basics” workshop from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Lewis & Clark.
Registration fees range from $75 to $90, depending on whether you want a T-shirt and what type you want. Aquabike entry costs $65 without a shirt ($75 with a cotton shirt, $80 with a technical T). Relay team fees range from $135 to $165.
Racers who don’t already have a USA Triathlon license must buy a one-day permit ($10) or the annual license ($39) when they register. Racers younger than 17 must have annual membership.
Parking will be free in the park on race day (otherwise it’s $5 per car). Pets are not allowed.
More information is at ozarkvalleytriathlon.com and (479) 4664022.
Dawg Dayz
Meanwhile, at the DeGray Lake dam spillway in Arkadelphia ...
The 3 Legged Dawg Mountain Bike race starts at 8 a.m. Saturday.
Also, the Spillway Sprint Triathlon starts at 8 a.m. Sunday (swim 450 yards, bike 13.5 miles, run three miles).
Also also, the Spillway Sprint Duathlon also starts at 8 Sunday (run two miles, bike 13.5 miles, run three miles).
Also also also, the Xterra Dawg Dayz Off-Road Triathlon starts at 8 Sunday (swim 900 yards, ride your mountain bike 15 miles, run 3.5 miles).
But the Dawg Days Trail Run starts at 8:30 a.m. (run 3.4 miles).
All the information that you or anyone could begin to need about these events is online at dltmultisport.com.
Tri for the Roses
For women only, and only 100 women, the Tri for the Roses is an indoor triathlon at the Marvin Altman Fitness Center in Fort Smith. The prizes are roses.
At 7:30 a.m. Saturday, these women will swim 300 yards in the pool, bike six miles on stationary Precor cycles and then run two miles on the indoor track.
Entry costs $40 and is open through Thursday at tinyurl.com/ rosestri or by calling (479) 4415469.
More information is at rharper@sparks.org.