Smooth Running LLC, the producer of this year’s inaugural Rocketman Florida Triathlon, which took place on the east coast of Florida on 5 May 2013, will not be required to reimburse the local city authority for event costs, according to local media reports.
The Rocketman Triathlon is the first ever privately coordinated sporting event to be held on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center.
According to a report by Florida Today, the organising team asked the local city council for help after being hit with an unexpected environmental impact fee of US$37,242. The fee, levied by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, included an environmental impact statement and a permit for staging the race, particularly the bicycle stage, through the nearby Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Further details available at Florida Today >>>
The Rocketman Triathlon offered 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 – with 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 instead faced a bike course of approximately 34 miles. Competitors in the Half distance race, rode the usual 56 mile route.
While space is infinite, the space for the Rocketman Florida race was limited to 800 athletes in each individual race. A total of 1,400 athletes were reported to have undertaken the inaugural event this year.
www.RocketmanFlorida.com
www.smoothrunning.org
