Race Coverage

"Thank You For Bringing a Triathlon Back to Alexandria."...

Thursday, 26 August 2021 00:10

By Spencer Syvertson

ALEXANDRIA TRIATHLON - As triathletes pulled into the newly constructed Brophy Park they were greeted with the hillside mountain bike trails on the left and the blue body of water with a lone island on the right. The athletes walked their bikes across the Central Lakes bike trail as they made their way to transition along the western lake of the iconic Alexandria chain of lakes. Numerous athletes were carrying kayaks and stand up paddleboards as they opted for the paddle triathlon which was offered along with the traditional swim-bike-run race. The Brophy Park beachfront transition allowed for a view of the entire park from the focal point of the race....

Swimmers at the start line visualized a clear set of buoys lining a straight out-and-back swim course. However, the paddlers did not see any buoys to mark the 1-mile paddle route. At this time the race director chimed in with the megaphone for pre race instructions. No markers will be needed for the paddlers. They embarked on a trip around the island in the center of Brophy Lake before returning back to shore.

Next up was the 12 mile bike route around the Alexandria lakes area. The athletes exited T1 on all types of bikes. First to pass were the triathlon bikes with carbon wheels but not far behind were the school-aged competitors on mountain bikes and the senior athletes on retro rides. The course took the athletes along smooth county roads passing through the neighboring town of Garfield. Riders were treated to the scenic West Cowdry Road for a one-mile spin along the waterside before turning back for transition.

The run course was the most unique part of the inaugural Alexandria triathlon. Runners followed along the paved road and received a full visual of the off road trails to come. At this point the only thing standing between them and the finish were the rolling hills of the Brophy park. Runners hit the grass path and tackled the hills while receiving an overlook of the lake before crossing the finish line.

At the finish line athletes stayed to cheer on finishers, parents took their kids to the massive playground on site, and the local food truck served meals. The Alexandria triathlon committee began with a goal of hosting 50 competitors to kickstart a new local event. In the blink of an eye there were 240 individuals on the start list. The most common response from finishers was “Thank you for bringing a triathlon back to the Alexandria area.” In the future the race organizers are planning to add a kids race and bring additional family friendly entertainment to Brophy Park on race weekend.