Paul Clarke, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

The fifth annual Jamaica Triathlon and Fitness Weekend will be held November 10-11.

Participants can look forward to two days of fun, including a 5k and a 10k Run/Walk Challenge as part of a slew of activities that will be hosted at the Iberostar Beach hotel.

Highlighting the triathlon weekend will be the Corporate Jamaica 5k/10k run. Participants are expected to be drawn from hotels, businesses and schools to compete for charity.

The charity of choice this year is the Children's Medical Services International (CMSI).

Approximately $5 million has been raised over the last five years in aid of charity by Jamaica Triathlon, formerly the Rose Hall Triathlon.

According to Event Coordinator Rayne Russell during the media launch last Thursday, there should be greated scope to this year's staging.

"Each year we adapt to improve and to make the event even more sustainable and successful. We had a wellness festival in the first two years. The third and fourth year, respectively, we offered a Multi-sport Festival and the Schools Challenge Workshop.

"Now, in our fifth year, and after rebranding officially, we now offer the Jamaica Triathlon Health and Fitness Weekend," said Russell.

Rated as one of the top 100 race events by Triathlete Magazine, it will bring racers of all age into the mix, through the 1500m swim course, starting at the eastern side of the Iberostar Beach hotel.

The weekend will feature three distinct races. The International Distance Race, which takes swimmers on a 1500m course manned by approximately 10 lifeguards on kayaks and a motorised monitor boat.

many options

There will also be a Sprint Distance Race, which offers a reduced 750m swim course, a 25k bike ride to the Blue Diamond intersection, along the Rose Hall main road and back, and completed by a 5k run course.

The coordinators have also added what they called a Duathlon, for competitors who choose not to swim. Instead, participants will traverse the 750m beach run to start, then hop onto a bicycle for the 25k bike ride and complete the course with a 5k run.

The weekend also includes the Fontana Pharmacy Kids Triathlon, where children aged 6-13 will be able to compete in their first triathlon.

"The new triathlon course is a lot more simplified, compared to previous years, and this is so to attract the entry-level destination triathlete and local entry-level athletes, to go along with an increased list of overseas participants," said Russell.