The latest addition to the Drumheller Valley’s athletic events was a big success this year. The Drumheller Triathlon ran on Saturday, June 2. Participants are already looking forward to the next one.
The idea for the triathlon was born from Morgan Syvertsen, a regular face at the Drumheller Aquaplex and along the trails in Drumheller. The goal was to see how much interest there was for a triathlon this year. It’s fair to say there is quite a bit.
“It went really well, everyone had a great time and we posted some pretty competitive times. I’ve been comparing them with other races across the province. We’ve got some real athletes here,” said Syvertsen.
There were a total of 10 participants in eight teams. The winners of the race were Laura Hegberg and Mike MacDonald who finished neck and neck, with Syvertsen in third.
The race was the same length as the Olympics, with a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike ride, and 10 km run. Organizers are grateful for the staff at the Aquaplex donating their time and the pool for the swimming portion of the race.
The event has sparked interest for next year and Syvertsen hinted that the 2013 race may become one of the features of the 2013 DinoFest.
“I spoke with one of the organizers of DinoFest and they were keen on having it part of the festivities next year,” said Syvertsen. “Next year we might see quite a few more people. There are all kinds of options now.”
One of the possibilities might be to hold a family triathlon, which would be a significantly shorter length.
Participants are so pumped up there has even been discussion about having a September event and holding clinics to help train.
“There was so much interest in doing one in September, I was thinking we could plan swim clinics, things like that, and get something going,” said Syvertsen. “The triathlon wasn’t huge, but it was a huge success.”