Athletes ready to go for Hazelwood Tri
INSIDE two weeks to go to the National Series Hazelwood Olympic distance Triathlon, preparations are in full swing, not only for the organisers at Sligo Triathlon club but also for lots of local athletes who will take to start line on the shores of Lough Gill on Saturday, July 8th.
Summertime in Sligo provides ample landscape and natural resources for the 3 disciplines of triathlon. Many of the locals competing at the Hazelwood Triathlon take advantage of the various events that help tune them up for the Olympic distance Triathlon at Hazelwood.
In May the Yeats Tour of Sligo is a popular event to check the bike fitness as summer begins with its choice of 3 distances, 60km, 100km, 160km. The ever popular Swim Series over 3 races offers a variety of distances from 500metres to 2kms, with its final race this Saturday a 1km distance race and a 2km distance race. In recent weeks many of the competitors would have tested themselves at the Mullaghmore sprint distance triathlon, also the Channel cup swim in aid of RNLI.
Charity events are popular among local triathletes and the 10km Lough Gill Swim in aid of North West Hospice, is probably the most popular and challenging event. Just last weekend Chairman of Sligo Tri Club Tom Heneghan took part in a 3 day charity cycle challenge of 500km for the Sligo Cancer Support Centre.
Also last Tuesday evening members of Sligo Tri Club took part in a training event fundraiser taking in the cycle and run routes of the Hazelwood triathlon raising money for The Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Ireland. Club member Kerry McDonagh took part last weekend in The Donegal Atlantic Way Ultra Race, part of a two- person team “The Cyclo Therapist’s” ( Kerry and Eloise) will cycle 555km over 40 hours in aid of Pieta House and Acquired Brain Injury Ireland. As well as all those great charities benefiting, those athletes will be worth watching on July 8th at Hazelwood. Preparations also continue with other locals in the area with training sessions moving towards the event course in Hazelwood, climatising themselves with the lake water, the challenging roads of the bike course and the run trail in the forest - rumour has it there was some early risers last Sunday morning at Hazelwood and possibly again this Sunday! Race Directors for The Hazelwood Triathlon Conor Gilligan, Barbara Gorevan and Mark Foley have now everything in place for the event. Conor explained: “With 300 entries we are set for our best ever event here at Hazelwood. “We have had great support from Coillte, Hazelwood Estate, Local Residents, Sligo and Leitrim County Councils, the Gardai and of course The Sligo Champion as media sponsor,” he added. Barbara expressed thanks to the many Sponsors of the event. “We wouldn’t be able to stage this event without the support from New Ireland Assurance, Chain Driven Cycles, Call of The Wild, Good4U, Voya, Zipyard, Lyons Cafe, Centra Cosgrove’s, Sligo Chiropractic Clinic, Sligo Sports Complex, GSK and The Sligo Champion.” Mark said: “This is a National Series event over a challenging course. It’s a major race on the calender and for Triathlon Ireland, we will have the very best elite triathletes here and also a lot of locals and some of those locals will be up there in the prizes.” “The count down is on.”