23 August 2010 Due to phenomenal demand the Gatorade Dublin City Triathlon has sold out. With over 900 entrants divided between the Super Sprint (600m swim/16km bike/4km run) and the standard Olympic distance (1500m swim/40km bike/10km run) the event is now fully subscribed and promises to be a fantastic event for competitors and spectators alike.
Participation levels are soaring in triathlon, unquestionably the fastest growing sport in Ireland. At the elite level, Irish athletes have been enjoying unprecedented success internationally this year. Aileen Morrison’s 3rd place at the ITU World Championships series race in Hamburg and Bryan Keane’s recent 7th place at Sprint World Championships in Lausanne bode well for London 2012 and the profile of the sport domestically.
Organisers Piranha Triathlon Club are delighted to have reached capacity, and attribute this to a number of factors, including a successful campaign by the race committee to attract more newcomers to the sport. Those who signed up for the Super Sprint, which is aimed at beginners, availed of incentives such as open water swim practice sessions, free training programmes, a familiarisation run on the course route and lots of tips and advice on the dedicated Facebook page “DublinCityTri”.
Piranha Triathlon Club is extremely grateful for the continuing support of headline sponsors Gatorade, a company that is dedicated to the sport of triathlon, not just in Ireland but also in the UK and throughout the world. Gatorade also sponsors current World and European Champion Alistair Brownlee. Additional support is generously provided by swim section sponsors Blue Seventy, bike section sponsors Cycle Superstore and run section sponsors Runways.
As the final preparations get underway, Race Director Matt Coughlan has this advice for anyone planning to watch the race, which is very spectator-friendly and promises to be an exciting day out: "To assist with route planning, information about parking and traffic diversions is available from the website www.dublincitytriathlon.com. From the swim start at the UCD Boat Club, it’s a short stroll into the Phoenix Park to watch the bike and run sections before cheering on friends and family at the finish line opposite the Zoo on Chesterfield Avenue.”
Competitors to watch in the Olympic distance event, which this year is the National Championships, include Bryan McCrystal, Kevin Keane, Joe Lynch and up-and-coming Junior athlete John Reidy. European age-group gold medallist Elena Maslova is the favourite in the womens’ competition with Aoife O’Connor, Aoife Lynch and Joyce Wolfe all capable of a podium finish.
Junior athlete Laura Casey, fresh from her top ten finish in the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, will be hard to beat in the Super Sprint race, which will be a showcase of Ireland’s young elite and development squad talent.
The action starts this Sunday 29th August at 08h00 at the UCD Boat Club, Islandbridge. Distribution of the prizes (valued at over €5000) will take place from 14h30 at the Garda Boat Club where a complimentary post race pasta meal of Magnetti pasta will be available to competitors. Drinks and snacks by Angel Food will be available for purchase by supporters and spectators.
For more information email info@dublincitytriathlon.com , visit www.dublincitytriathlon.com or make friends with “DublinCityTri” on Facebook.