Smooth Running LLC, the producer of next year’s inaugural Rocketman Florida Triathlon, which takes place on 5 May 2013, has created a collegiate division open to any verified full-time US university or college students.
The race will be USA Triathlon sanctioned and is open to the first 100 students to enter – effective immediately. Qualified student athletes will receive a 50% discount on their race entry fees.
The collegiate division is specifically limited to the International + distance event (swim 0.93 mile, bike 34 miles and run 6.2 miles) and will award a purse of US$1,000 in scholarship money. This will be split among the top 3 overall male and female collegiate finishers.
Additionally, the team or club with the most participants in the event will be awarded US$500 to be used for equipment or travel or training purposes as the club sees fit.
“We are big proponents of athletes pursuing a college education, and, of course, a main purpose of NASA’s charter is to promote education so having a collegiate division makes a lot of sense,” said Event Director Mitch Varnes. “It will be exciting to see some rivalries and the students out competing in their school jerseys and colours.”
The Rocketman Triathlon is the first ever privately coordinated sporting event to be held on the Kennedy Space Center.
“It’s great to be part of a community event like this one,” said Jon McBride, retired NASA Astronaut and current Astronaut Encounter Coordinator, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
“Physical fitness is important to a well-rounded life, and we are proud to have the beauty of KSC and its adjacent Canaveral National Seashore and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge as a portion of this triathlon.”
Cyclists will pass by and in direct view of key space program elements including the Shuttle Landing Facility, Mate/Demate Device, the Shuttle Tow Way, the Orbiter Processing Facilities, the Crawler Transporter, the Mobile Launcher Platform, the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Launch Control Center, the Launch Complex-39 press site and its famous countdown clock and the Crawler Way.
Detailed information on obtaining the collegiate discount is currently being sent out to triathlon clubs and teams at dozens of colleges throughout the United States.
Rocketman Florida going the distance
The Rocketman Triathlon offers three separate race distances – Classic +, International +, and Half Iron – with each featuring a stunning bike ride inside the secured gates of the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and around all of America’s major space program landmarks.
The KSC portion of the bike ride is more than 15 miles long and is sandwiched between equally beautiful scenery of the remainder of the route on the Canaveral National Seashore and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
The “+” aspect of the Classic and International distance rides is due to the extra bicycle distance necessary to get all triathletes out and around the two Space Shuttle launch pads. Rather than the standard 19 mile and 24.8 mile bike distances, those athletes will instead both ride a bike course of approximately 34 miles. Competitors in the Half distance race, will ride the usual 56 mile route.
While space is infinite, the space in Rocketman Florida race is limited to 800 athletes in each individual race.
www.RocketmanFlorida.com
www.smoothrunning.org
