Scott Swanson
Nearly 200 triathletes are expected this weekend for the inaugural Best in the West Triathlon Festival, which starts and finishes at Lewis Creek Park.
The two-day event will feature three separate races – sprint- and half-Ironman-distance events on Saturday, Sept. 10, and an Olympic-length event on Sunday, Sept. 11.
The sprint event will be a 600-meter swim, a 14-mile bike ride and a 3.1 (5K) run. The half-Ironman event will include a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1 (half-marathon)
“Things are going pretty well,” said Blair Bronson, director of the event.
He said the event has drawn approximately 170 entrants from all over the Northwest, and a few from California, including some “elite” athletes.
“We’ve had a good turnout from Sweet Home, Lebanon and the local communities,” he said. “We’ve had a good number from Eugene and Corvallis as well.”
Bronson said he anticipates more entrants on race day, particularly for the sprint event, which has slightly under 100 participants signed up. He said that new additions are allowed as long as there’s bike rack space in the transition areas.
“There should be plenty of room for everyone,” he said.
People interested in being involved in other capacities can volunteer to staff aid stations and make sure participants know where to go on the courses.
“You get to hang out at a water table and hand cups to people coming through, dying of thirst,” Bronson joked.
The half-Ironman event kicks off at 8 a.m. Saturday with the men’s start, followed by the women’s entry into the water at 8:05. The sprint event starts at 9 a.m. for the men and 9:05 for the women.
The Olympic begins on Sunday at 8 and 8:05 a.m. as well.
Bronson said drivers and boaters will have to make some allowances for racers. The out-and-back swim course on Foster Lake will not require closure of the lake but racers will be in water from 8 to about 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and slightly less on Sunday, so boaters are asked to be “extra cautious,” he said. The courses generally stay in front of the park, the longer ones paralleling the shoreline.
“We will have some boats and kayaks in the water, patrolling,” he said.
Swimmers will exit the water and transition to bikes. The sprint course heads north on North River Drive to the intersection with Northside Drive, then returns. Sprint athletes will then run south on North River and turn right on Quartzville Drive, proceeding nearly to the south bridge before returning to the park.
The Olympic-length course heads north on North River and Northside drives to Pleasant Valley Road, then out to heading north on North River Drive to Pleasant Valley Road, on to McDowell Creek Drive where it will turn left and proceed to Craig Lane before returning. Athletes will then run about halfway to Green Peter Lake on Quartzville Drive, then back to the south bridge on Quartzville, and then return to the park.
The half-Ironman bike route runs north to Pleasant Valley Road and McDowell Creek Drive, turns right on McDowell Creek, left on Berlin Road to Brewster Road and on to Lacomb Drive to Lacomb, where it will return via Bellinger Scale to Berlin and back to the park the way it went out. Athletes will then run to Green Peter Dam, across the dam and about half a mile up the south side of the lake, then back to the south bridge at Foster Lake and return to the park.
Bronson said the county has elected to close North River Drive from Lewis Creek Park to Foster Dam Road on Saturday while bicyclists are traveling both directions on the road – away from the park and back to it.
“It’s only a couple of miles and it won’t be very long,” he said. “It will be until the last sprint swimmer is out of the water and on their bike.” He estimates that will be about 9:45 a.m. The bike portion of the half-Ironman event should last about four hours, he said.
“The race is small enough that it won’t completely jam things up,” Bronson said. “People will able to get through. They’ll just need to be patient with the corner marshals. They’ll let people through.”
Boaters who want to use Gedney Creek will be advised to use the Foster Lake Marina or Sunnyside Park or the Caulkins boat ramps during the race, he said.
“To have boats and trailers going up there and turning across is something the Road Department and everyone else is kind of thinking might not be the best idea,” Bronson said. “There’s potential out there for some incidents. We want to try to avoid those as much as possible.”
Drivers will also need to be cautious with runners on Quartzville Drive.
“It won’t be closed, so boats and vehicles can get up there but there will be runners on the road,” he said. “We will have traffic yield to runners at the turnaround. We just don’t want people flying up there at 60 mph, pushing runners off the road.”
To watch the event, Bronson suggests going to the transition area at Lewis Creek, then moving out onto the bike or run course to cheer competitors on.
“It’s not a terribly spectator-friendly course, but usually right there in the park is the best place to hang out,” he said.
Cooperation from local officials has been good and appreciated, Bronson said.
“This is the first time a race like this has really come to the Sweet Home area,” he said. “Everybody has been really supportive, excited about it. They’ve been really helpful for a first-year event.”