The 11th annual Billy Loutit Despatch Triathlon is this weekend, and organizers are hoping for a good turnout.
The Kids of Steel triathlon will take place on July 20; the adult triathlon will follow on July 21.
“Everything is coming together,” said race director Mark Francis. “We are shooting to get that 100 to 125 adult athletes and hopefully 50 to 60 kids.”
Francis said registration is still open to those who wish to sign up, and they can visit www.billyloutit.ca to do so. It cost $25 for kids to enter and $100 per team of three adults, or $60 per adult.
“It is an athletic event, but even more than that, it is a community event,” he said. “A lot of our competitors are locals. We do bring in some outside people, but a lot of kids return for the triathlon.”
Francis said race volunteers have been traveling the race route informing citizens there will be lots of runners and bikers in the area next weekend.
“We have been going along the race course dropping off letters to residents reminding people we could have upwards of 120 athletes running down the street,” he said. “We are reminding people to drive carefully.”
The various routes for the event include sections of 49th Avenue and 55th Street, the Muskeg Creek trails, Highway 2 and Highway 812.
Transitions take place at the Athabasca Landing Pool, and each day’s events begin at 8 a.m.
“We are getting excited. We are down to the homerun sprint. We are looking forward to it,” said Francis.
For over a decade, local athletes have joined with visitors from around the province for the annual event, which honours mail runner Billy Loutit. In 1904, Loutit famously ran from Athabasca to Edmonton in a remarkable 16 hours to bring news of a flood.
“It’s such a great story from our history about our area,” said Francis. “Carrying on that name and history is an important part of this.”
The Kids of Steel event has five different age categories, from seven and under to 15–18 years old.
The youngest kids swim 50 metres, bike 1.5 kilometres and run 0.5 kilometres, while the oldest kids swim 500 metres, bike 20 kilometres and run five kilometres, competing on Sunday rather than with the rest of the youths on Saturday.
Sunday’s adult triathlon comes in two forms: standard and sprint.
In the standard event, athletes swim 1500 metres in the Athabasca Landing Pool before biking 40 kilometres and running 10 kilometres. The sprint event sees athletes swimming 500 metres, biking 20 kilometres and running five kilometres. The triathlon is for both individuals and teams.
New this year, the duathlon (for individuals only) starts with a 10-kilometre run, goes to a 40-kilometre bike and finishes with a five-kilometre run.
Organizers decided to add the duathlon after hearing a lot of athletes say they were confident in all areas but the swim.
A lot of volunteers are needed for all kinds of jobs, from handing out water bottles to keeping the athletes on track at the various street corners. Anyone interested in helping out can contact Glenda Gray at 780-689-6843.
“It is a competitive event, and we have some very competitive athletes. (But) we also have people come and it’s the first and only triathlon they ever do,” said Francis, noting it’s the perfect event for families and bucket-listers.
“It’s about getting out, being healthy and supporting the community, and challenging yourself.”
