Scott Swanson
Last year the Best in the West triathlon series experienced a record increase in size, thanks in part to the cancellation of another event.
Organizers figured there might be some sort of plateau at that point, but it’s pretty clear that this year, the triathlon’s seventh, will be another record, said Co-Director Staci Partridge.
“It just keeps getting bigger,” she said.
Totaling 867 competitors last year, the triathlon already has nearly that many pre-registrants and looks to top off at very close to 1,000, Partridge said.
“It looks like we’ll have 75 to 100 more.”
This year’s field is unusual for a triathlon – more females than males have pre-registered, she said.
“We have more women than men right now,” Partridge said. “That’s basically unheard of in the triathlon world. It’s usually about 70 percent men.”
Competitors, ranging from 4 to 75 in age, are registered from Canada and Germany and 15 states, including several on the East Coast. Fourteen of the pre-registrants, as of last week, are from Sweet Home and five from Lebanon. A total of 74 different triathlon clubs are represented.
Best in the West has added events almost every year, and this year’s event will include the first Friday race as well as the inaugural state high school championship.
New this year is a Mixed Team Relay at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, in which teams of two men and two women will compete on a super sprint triathlon course, with a 250-meter swim, a 5K bike ride and a 1.5K run for four legs. The first competitor on each team will complete the course, which will likely take about 20 to 25 minutes, then will tag off with the next competitor, who will then complete the course, and so on. The fastest team time wins.
“It’s definitely a fun thing,” Partridge said. “It’s fun to watch and fun to get lots of people involved.”
The high school race, sponsored by the U.S. Triathlon Association, will be held during the Sprint Triathlon Saturday morning, Sept. 9.
“We were selected to be state championship for high school, the first-ever high school state championship in triathlon,” Partridge said. “Whoever wins the sprint on Saturday will be the new state champion.
She said as of late last week there were 25 high-schoolers signed up, including two from Sweet Home – both boys.
“We’re really excited about that because we’re so into getting kids involved in the sport,” she said. “It’s something you can do life-long.”
Founder Blair Bronson and Partridge, who direct the event together, have looked for ways to get people involved, she said. They have added more variations this year – a stand-up paddle board or kayak leg instead of swimming at all three triathlon distances.
“The biggest turnout right now is in the sprint race,” Partridge said. “We have 16 signed up for the paddle tri in the sprint. That’s more than the duathlon or any of the other races.”
Last year’s swim-bike event, known as the Aqua Bike, drew one participant. This year there are 12, she said.
“It’s good. It seems like we have a multi-sport race that anyone can get into – swim-bike-run, bike-run, paddle-bike-run. We just want to get everybody involved any way they can.”
It apparently is working. Of the pre-registrants who had signed up by last week, 144 were first-time triathletes.
– The largest of the five triathlons, participant-wise, is the Sprint Triathlon at 9 a.m. Saturday, which is composed of a 500-meter swim in Foster Lake, 12-mile bike ride and a 5K (3.1-mile) run, mostly on flat roads along the lake.
Though Kambria Schumacher of Crawfordsville has won the women’s sprint event five times and owns the women’s course record of 1:03.42, she didn’t compete last year and won’t be there Saturday because she will be competing Sept. 16 at the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
– The Half-Ironman also begins at 8 a.m. Saturday with a 1.2-mile swim, followed by 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run – half the distances of a full Ironman. Half-Ironman runners will follow Quartzville Road from Lewis Creek Park to Green Peter Lake, then return.
– The Olympic event begins at 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, with a 1500-meter swim in the lake, followed by a 40K (just under 25 miles) bike ride along North River, Pleasant Valley and McDowell Creek roads to a turnaround point a couple of miles south of Waterloo, then back to the park, where contestants will finish with a 10K (6.2 miles) run following portions of the 5K and Half-Ironman courses.
In addition to the Sprint, Olympic and Half-Ironman, the festival also offers Try a Tri and Splash and Dash triathlon events for beginners and youths.
– The Try a Tri race for adults will begin at 10 a.m. Sunday and feature a 250-meter swim in the lake, a five-mile bike ride along North River Road, which will be closed for the event, and a 1.5-mile run.
– The Splash and Dash, for youngsters aged 7-12, features swims of 100 to 200 meters and runs from 1 to 2 kilometers, depending on age, all within the park. Splash and Dash is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Sunday, but the time could be subject to adjustment. Youngsters wanting to add the cycling event can enter the Try a Try.
“We have more kids than ever racing,” Partridge said. “In the Splash and Dash, we usually have 10 – and they usually sign up at the race. We have 20 already signed up. We’re probably going to quadruple our numbers.”
In addition to the high school championship, three U.S. Triathlon Association competitions will be held during the events: the Pacific Northwest Long Course Championship during Saturday’s half-Ironman; the Northwest Collegiate Conference Championship featuring teams from schools throughout Oregon and the Northwest; and the Club Championship, which spreads over all the triathlons, including the youth events.
Also new this year is a $500 cash prize for both the male and female winners of the Half-Ironman on Saturday. The collegiate champions over the Olympic-distance race on Sunday, Sept. 10, will also receive $500 cash prizes.
For local residents, there will be several impacts or needs:
– Volunteers: The increase in participants means more help is needed for everything from water safety support (non-propeller craft are also needed) to serving up the barbecue to course marshals.
Volunteers will receive a T-shirt and bandana and will get free breakfast and/or a barbecue lunch.
Those interested should visit bestinthewesttriathlon.com and click on the “Volunteers” tab or contact Partridge at (541) 231-3661.
Opportunities for teams and groups to work together as a fund-raiser are also available.
– Road closure: North River Drive from Quartzville to Foster Dam will be closed to traffic from 5 to 7 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The southbound lane on Quartzville Road, from a mile north of Sunnyside to Highway 20, will be closed from 8 a.m. both days. A pilot car will usher traffic through that spot.
“Those going to Sunnyside or Green Peter will have a little bit of a wait,” Partridge said. “When you have 500 runners out on the road, it’s time to close a lane.”
Bicycle traffic will be “pretty heavy” both Saturday and Sunday on North River and Pleasant Valley roads, she warned.
For more information on the triathlon festival, visit http://www.bestinthewesttriathlon.com.