The Hever Castle Triathlon is the final flagship race of this year’s Castle Triathlon Series and the organizers are promising a jam-packed, televised weekend with competitors of all ages and abilities signed up to take part in one of the biggest multisport events in the UK.
The Hever Castle Triathlon returns for its seventh annual weekend on 26-27 September, at one of the former homes of King Henry VIII. Fittingly for its 7th edition, the number 7 features prominently throughout the event – starting with a record breaking number of entries currently standing at 7,000.
The youngest competitor lining up in the world’s biggest kids race is 7, whilst the oldest competitor is 77.
The scenic and historic venue, located in the heart of Kent, welcomes competitors from across the UK and internationally in a series of distances and challenges (including ‘the biggest children’s triathlon in the world’).
The event’s position at the end of the busy triathlon calendar and the final stop on the Castle Triathlon Series means that there is a ‘party-like festival atmosphere as triathletes sign off their season with PBs, new distances achieved or sporting success shared with their friends of families.’ The atmosphere is boosted by 500 camping through the weekend and lots of entertainment including bands, climbing walls, archery, trade stands, fun fair and pleasure rides.
The event also attracts some of the best triathletes in Britain who are set to race hard and fast for their share of the trophies and prize money. Up for grabs this year is a prize fund of £8000 that stands at £2,000 for the standard distance race, whilst those triumphing in the toughest challenge of the day, the half-iron Gauntlet race, will also take home their share of £2,000. Further prizes are given for series winners.
The Gauntlet at Hever Castle is the biggest test in the Castle Triathlon Series. The middle distance triathlon takes competitors into the rolling hills of the Kent Weald and through an ‘area of outstanding beauty’. The Gauntlet at Hever Castle field has grown once again this year – up from 200 in 2013 to now over 850 triathletes seeking to take on the 1.9K swim, 90K bike and 21K run.
Whilst the Gauntlet represents a test of speed over distance at Hever Castle Triathlon, the speed kings and queens will take on the Olympic distance triathlon, which comprises of the shorter (but no less testing) distances of 1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run.
With a number of event formats to choose from, in just six years the Hever Castle Triathlon has established itself as a key destination for British and international triathletes, garnering plaudits and mainstream media attention for its picture postcard venue, elite action, age-group choice and festival atmosphere. There are no fewer than 14 race choices on offer making it one of the biggest events in the UK.
To cement the race’s title as the world’s largest children’s triathlon, over 1,600 junior athletes are expected to take part in 2015.
The races will begin with an amended and unique open-water swim in the 38 acre Hever Castle Lake and River Eden. This creates a spectacle that is rewarding for both the athletes and the spectators who can see one of the most exciting parts of the race up-close. Competitors in The Gauntlet will take on a single 1.9K lap whilst those racing in the Olympic distance will take on (for the first time) a single 1.5K lap.
Those taking part will then transition onto the undulating cycle route that takes athletes around a 20K circuit through the High Weald of Kent, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with one lap for the Sprint and two laps for the Olympic-distance racers. Those on The Gauntlet will be on a specially designed 2-lap course.
The largely off-road run circumnavigates the estate and award-winning castle grounds before making the dash to the tree-lined finishing chute beside the lake.
The Castle Triathlon Series offers a trading places scheme for anyone who volunteers as a marshal or works as part of the race team, whereby a free race entry is given in return for a day’s marshalling at any one of the Castle Triathlon Series events. (Further details at: castletriathlonseries.co.uk/take-part/volunteers)
www.castletriathlonseries.co.uk