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Rocky Mountain Triathlon hits Silverthorne Sunday

Geoff Mintz
summit daily news

The Rocky Mountain Triathlon is set to make its debut in Summit County Sunday. The Race will host 200 athletes swimming, biking and running through Silverthorne, but Human Movement Management, the races organizer, says it could eventually grow to as many as 500.

The triathlon, which will be Summit County’s only this year, was conceived on a snowy day on North Pond in Silverthorne, when organizers of the PBR Colorado Pond Hockey tournament were shoveling about a foot of snow off the ice and said, “This would be an awesome location for a triathlon.”

“When we moved up here, we were looking for a good location because there are plenty of races on the Front Range in water we wouldn’t want to swim in,” said Jeff Suffolk, spokesperson for the race. “When we found North Pond Park, we said, ‘It’s great water and Highway 9 is going to be really cool.'”



The race offers International (long) and Sprint (short) distances. Both races start off in the pond with 800- and 400-meter swims, respectively, followed by a 20- and 12-mile road bike rides. The triathlon concludes with 6.2- and 3.2-mile runs.

The race might be new, but this isn’t the first rodeo for its promoter, which facilitated the triathlon craze in Arizona, hosting one of the biggest Iron Mans in the country. Colorado State Patrol will be watching the road, slowing down traffic and turning bikers around when the course requires.



“It’s really one of the best bike courses,” Suffolk said. “We’ve got a lot of athletes coming from the Front Range who are really nervous about the altitude but also excited about the challenge. I think a lot of the athletes are excited about having a course in the shadow of the Gore Range, as opposed to the courses on the Front Range that are out of the Boulder Res’, which is not very scenic.”

The race begins on the north bank of North Pond Park. Water temperatures are expected to be around 70 degrees, which is pretty tolerable for this altitude. Race organizers are expecting most to wear wetsuits, but primarily because they help people swim faster, not because they necessarily need them for warmth.

The first wave of the race begins at 8 a.m. Awards will follow at 3 p.m. Part of the proceeds benefit local Summit County sports charities and programs.


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