City’s first triathlon is on the way
Goldendale is soon to hold its first triathlon, and for some very worthwhile causes.
The Golden Man Triathlon will be held in Goldendale on Sept. 15. The event will feature three different events: a 500-yard swim, a 14-mile bike ride, and a 3.25 mile run. Participants will have the option of competing individually or as teams, and for those interested in only two of the events, it will also allow for what organizers are calling a duathlon. There will even be a kids’ event. Proceeds will go to benefit the Central Klickitat County Parks and Recreation District and Backpacks for Kids.
“A lot of people participating are looking into going in as teams,” says Mike DeMott, customer service supervisor for the Klickitat PUD and one of the event organizers, along with Lori Anderson and Bill Vanvelsor. “Jim Smith at the PUD has kind of thrown out a challenge to Klickitat Valley Health to try to get people registered, and he is devising some sort of a point system to see who has the greatest participation.”
The organizers came together both to bring a triathlon event to Goldendale and support some worthy organizations. “The purpose behind it really was to bring a triathlon to Goldendale, to have a community event to bring people from outside to the area as well as give people locally something fun to do,” DeMott affirms. “A portion of the proceeds will go to the Parks and Rec and the Backpacks for Kids program, so there is a fundraiser component to it. The overall objective is to raise some money and give people something to do.”
DeMott says it’s isn’t clear yet how much of the proceeds will go to each organization. “We haven’t actually nailed down those details yet,” he says, “because quite honestly with year one we don’t know what that number is going to look like. With sponsorships and donations and a reasonable expectation of participants, we should have a decent enough profit to kick off.”
An interest in biking and a minor knee surgery sparked DeMott’s participation in the event. “And in Goldendale there are not a lot of co-ed sports and things like that,” he points out, “and a lot of people really don’t have an outlet for being active other than for that sake of being active, which is fine. But I find if you tie it to an event to train for, it helps you stay motivated. So for me it would be kind of cool to come off of a minor knee surgery and be able to say in the same year I competed in my first race.”
The triathlon is considered a sprint distance event, which is actually the shortest triathlon distance, making it more accessible for many people. And the triathlon will follow official triathlon criteria.
“We actually have a professional company coming in to handle all the timing,” DeMott says, “so it’s going to be professionally run. It’s not going to be myself out there with a stop watch trying to hopefully get everybody.”
The triathlon will feature such events for younger kids as a 25 yard swim, a quarter mile bike ride, and a 300 yard run. The longer distance for young people are a 100 yard swim, 2.5 mile bike, and a half-mile run. Kids too will have the option for a duathlon in which the swimming is dropped off. “We’re hoping to get kids who would like to be on a team, and that is not a bad way to go,” DeMott continues. “I know a 12-soon-to-be-13-year-old girl who I would almost bet money would finish it faster than any adult.”
The cost to participate in the triathlon is $65 dollars for an individual full triathlon, or $30 per person for team participation. DeMott states the costs are reasonable compared to other professional triathlon events. For the duathlon portion, the cost is $55. Children can participate for $10 for the full triathlon or $8 for the duathlon portion, and there are scholarships funds available for children wishing to join the event but needing financial help.
Registration can be done by visiting the Goldendale pool and getting a registration form, or online at Goldendalepool.com, which has a registration link on the left side of the home page that links to SignMeUp.com, a professional secure registration site.
Sponsors can also still participate on three different levels of contribution.
“And we need volunteers,” DeMott says.